Songwriting Habits: Changing Key during a song

In a song, to add interest and variety changing key, or modulation is a great tool to use.

Songs typically modulate from a Tonic key to Dominant(V), Tonic Key to Subdominant(IV), or Tonic to Relative Minor.

Wait…..what does this mean?

In the key of C major, C is the tonic key or main key. It can modulate to F major (Subdominant), or to G major (Dominant) or to A minor (relative minor).

If you look at the Circle of Fifths, you can see that in the case of C major, for example, G major, F major and Am are the closet chords to C. This means they have many notes that are similar and therefore are the easiest to modulate to.

Cycle of Fifths

Have a listen to this example which moves from C - F - C - G

C - F - C - G

Em - Am - Dm - Am

Em - Am - Dm - G

The modulation happens from the chords G - Em - Am with the new key being Am.

Modulations are great to use in a bridge section, or even at the end of a song, to create interest and variety. Give it a try.