AboutPhil Kelly Expertise I`m a semi-retired professional music arranger with over thirty five years in all phases of the commercial music production business. I can try to answer questions regarding music arranging, theory, orchestration , and/or composition for most acoustic ensembles .( jazz band or orchestral ) I can try to offer suggestions about studio music recording procedures and some basic MIDI applications , too. In the course of my career I`ve worked with such artists as Doc Severinsen and the old Tonight Show Band, Bill Watrous, Buddy Greco, John Gary, Mel Torme, Julius LaRosa, as well as the Pop programs of the Fort Worth, Dallas, North Carolina, and Houston Symphonies, as well as library music material for ABC, ESPN, and NFL Films.
Expert: Phil Kelly Date: 6/3/2006 Subject: Modulation in arrangements
Question I have many years experience as a trumpeter, but have now taken up guitar and am starting to do some of my own arrangements. For example, I want to link together several spirituals. I can do the individual tunes, but I don't know exactly how to approach modulating from one key to the next--for example Go Down Moses in E minor going to Motherless Child in D minor. Is there a standard formula? Cirlcle of 5th's over a certain number of measures or something like that?
Answer Hi Jon :
There are no set formulas for modulating, but if available , a held common tone will help:
i.e. : Emi ( assuming a held E )
Emi> Emi /D bass > C >C/ Bb bass> A sus7 > A7 to D minor
modulation up works in a similar fashion ( in the above example of you make the third chord a C7 ..you set yourself up directly into F mi. .
you can also modulate more directly by making the last E mi chord an Emi7
(which becomes the II mi 7 of Dmi --leading you to a standard II-V- I to
the new key.
You can also modulate directly by leap for dramatic effect:
i.e. :
( in C ) C> G /Bbass >A mi >Fmi / Ab bass > C /G bass > G7
..directly to Eb
I suggest you pick up the Piston Harmony text which
( if I remember correctly ) has an excellent chapter on modulation
