So what we’re gonna do is, listen to a few, work out where is a good place to modulate, why do we modulate? this is, this is a subject that’s quite close to my heart as I did two seasons working on this music show in, the UK called X Factor, where I was one of the producers making the music for the show. And this is a program run by a guy called Simon Cowell, who, one of the things he really liked were key changes.
So obviously these big TV shows, they often put key changes in songs that wouldn’t naturally have a key change in. I even had to put a key change in, imagine by John Lennon, which felt strangely sacrilegious, but I, I did it. They paid me, so I did it. and I learned a lot about modulating and key changes from, from doing that show and the effects of what a modulation can do to the listener.
A key change indeed. So hopefully it’s gonna be a fun, a fun little, a fun little 45 minutes. I would say there’s gonna be a little bit of theory in this music theory, but not loads because I know that everyone has a different skill level. But I would say that there are obviously people in the community who are absolutely brilliant at music theory.
’cause I’ve heard, have heard their songs and they’ve shown a great deal of skill in how they’ve constructed them. So if there’s the people who perhaps not so big on music theory, who want to learn more about modulating that we can’t really cover, and the time we’ve got, ’cause we’ve got, it’s quite a short, a short seminar, then please reach out the people that are good at all this music theory stuff to the people that aren’t as with it. And the same goes to the people that aren’t brilliant at music theory. Don’t be shy, reach out and ask questions like, how do I get into this key?
What’s the good chords to, to choose to get from one key to another? So, this is what the community’s for helping people. personally I’m not brilliant at music theory. I failed my music a level, so sorry Mr. Blackford. But, it hasn’t stopped me doing music, but I learned most of the stuff I’ve learned about key changes from, from basically listening to loads of songs that have key changes and working out on the guitar or the piano, how they’ve changed key, and then trying to kind of deconstruct that and work out.
Oh, so is that called the one that like helps change key or is that, oh, that kind of key change? So the best, advice I could give you right off the bat would be if you are interested in how to modulate, then I’ve created a playlist on Spotify called, I Dunno if Everyone’s got Spotify, but apologies if you haven’t.
But, that’s what I use. So it’s called Jazz Ass songs that modulate, there’s a, I’ll put a, there’ll be a little PowerPoint and I’ll put a link to that at the end. And there’s a whole list of about, I I found about 30 or 40 songs of different genres that modulate. I’m sure you all have a favorite song that modulates as well that I probably haven’t put on my list. There’s more of mod more songs with key changes than you could possibly imagine. which is interesting because, you know, we, I don’t tend to write them that often.
Okay, so, the Jazz Ashes songs that modulate, let’s see if we can share screen and then we can listen to some amazing eighties bangers with big key changes. How does that sound? People? Yeah. Oh yeah. Or even, yeah, that’s key change guys.
That’s one of the easiest ones. We’ll start off with that one. Okay, so let’s see if I can share this. okay, so Can you see that slide people? Yes. Amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing. Okay, so modulations, this is what we’re talking about people before the key change that is westlife still set on stools, but they know what’s coming guys, they know there is a key change coming and they will stand up off those stools when the key change happens.
What we’re gonna learn to do today, how, why and when to modulate. We will learn how to hopefully understand the following what a modulation is. Are these slides changing? By the way, guys, you can see this?
Yeah, just checking. That’s good. Brilliant. Understand what a modulation is when, why, and how we create them. Where in a song we use them straight off the bat. I would say so, such a great skill is to be able to modulate and, and be able to do this. If I hadn’t have been really interested in it before I got roped into do the X Factor stuff, I would been really worried. But I’ve always been a fan.
Obviously I was brought up in the eighties when ev lots of songs modulated and I learned to play those songs, so I had a bit of a grounding in it. But for those who are a lot younger, they may not have heard, a lot of songs that modulate. But I would say that even if you never actively use a modulation in one of your songs, it’s still a great skillset for opening up your chord theory and like where songs can go, the palette of chords expands. Your palette of ideas expands. So that’s my top tip. Learn a few songs off my playlist and, see what you learn.
Okay, straight down to business. Then, three Common Places to Modulate in a song. The final chorus is the most common of all. It’s the easiest to do. The reason it’s the easiest to do is because you don’t have to get back down again. Generally final chorus modulations modulate up. Although we will hear a song today that the chorus, final chorus modulates down, but sounds up.
Whoa. so shall we hear some of those hands up? Who wants to hear some big mods? Oh my goodness. Okay. Oh wow. There’s such a lot you guys tuning and I’m so grateful you are giving up your Sunday to have a listen to this. Okay, so let’s start with a, let’s start one of the big ones. Here we go. Let, could you raise your hand if you can hear this?
Amazing. You, Here’s another one.
Ready? Okay, there’s a couple.
How we feeling? How we feeling? How’s the cheese level in the room? Pretty big, isn’t it? Here’s a slightly more recent one. Taylor Swift has written a lot of great songs, but, this is one of her first. I think she wrote this when she was 16. Here we go. Feeling so long. I keep for you, but in my head I what to think. He ring and said me never have to.
I love you. And that’s say starting. I’m, I’m asking him no change and no could been any clever Man.
If you wanna make the world, I back the face. Take a Look at yourself, then make a change. I’m at the, I’m asking, can you change? I know my the best. And If you wanna make the I Bet that place, take A look at yourself, then Make that shine with the, Okay, there’s some big ones here.
This might be the most famous one of all. What do you think? Close your eyes. Imagine the song that you remember that has a big modulation at the end. Can you guess what it is? Anyone in the chat box wanna take a guess what it might be?
Oh, yes, You have volume Dreamed of, and I wish You Joy And I Pretty huge, isn’t it?
David Foster, there’s a great David Foster documentary on Netflix actually who produced, he’s produced a lot of songs with key changes. In fact, if you look at the, bodyguard soundtrack, which this is from, there’s a whole bunch of songs that key change. It was the height of the Key Change era. if you wanna hear a key change and the key change and the key change and the key change, I’m just gonna finish up the end.
Chorus. Key changes with this because no one can do this. Like Beyonce Make Everything Stop. Oh, love give all I You’re you are the one that I love.
I you all I need. You’re the only one baby.
You the one, you are the one Fall West. You’re the one that I love. You’re the one that I the only, Oh, that’s insane.
It makes me smile so much. It’s just, yeah, let’s you to go. puts a smile, puts a smile on my face. so, those are examples of songs that modulate into the final chorus. most of them modulating by a semitone or a tone.
the effect is pretty big, isn’t it? It it’s a real moment in a song. it adds energy to the song. Obviously the vocals getting higher, so that adds energy to the song, adds momentum. Some people say that modulating is when you run out of ideas, but I don’t think you could accuse any of those songs are necessarily running out of ideas. It’s playful and it’s fun or it can be one of those cinematic moments.
I think it’s, no, I been, there’s kind of no, no surprise that some of these songs were big movie songs. So when I was working on X Factor, doing these key changes into final choruses often was a big camera shot zooming out from the stage and one of those big moments. And I guess drama, is an effective tool when you’re writing songs. So ….
