Skip to main content
Music: Practice & Theory

Return to Answer

Make the answer easier to read.
Source Link
Alex
Alex
  • 365
  • 1
  • 9

To change keys, many theories of tonal music maintain that you need to have a cadence in the new key. In the case of an authentic cadence, this will involve some predominant chord (e.g. IV or ii), a dominant-function chord (such as V) and a tonic chord (I). Such a progression orients you in the new key by identifying the function of various scale degrees (most importantly, scale degree one in the new key). It also uses all of the seven diatonic pitches of the new key which identifies the note collection of the new key. Your

Your piece that uses just the pitches C and G sounds minimalistic. That's not a value judgement, it's just not the sort of music that Tchaikovsky's quote you mentioned was intended to refer to. Also, many people believe that going from a major key to its parallel minor is not technically a modulation because the tonic pitch (in thisyour case C) does not change. Ultimately what constitutes a change of key and how that change is accomplished in the music is a style-dependent question. My answer here and Tchaikovsky's quote apply to common-practice tonal music.

To change keys, many theories of tonal music maintain that you need to have a cadence in the new key. In the case of an authentic cadence, this will involve some predominant chord (e.g. IV or ii), a dominant-function chord (such as V) and a tonic chord (I). Such a progression orients you in the new key by identifying the function of various scale degrees (most importantly, scale degree one in the new key). It also uses all of the seven diatonic pitches of the new key which identifies the note collection of the new key. Your piece that uses just the pitches C and G sounds minimalistic. That's not a value judgement, it's just not the sort of music that Tchaikovsky's quote you mentioned was intended to refer to. Also, many people believe that going from a major key to its parallel minor is not technically a modulation because the tonic pitch (in this case C) does not change. Ultimately what constitutes a change of key and how that change is accomplished in the music is a style-dependent question. My answer here and Tchaikovsky's quote apply to common-practice tonal music.

To change keys, many theories of tonal music maintain that you need to have a cadence in the new key. In the case of an authentic cadence, this will involve some predominant chord (e.g. IV or ii), a dominant-function chord (such as V) and a tonic chord (I). Such a progression orients you in the new key by identifying the function of various scale degrees (most importantly, scale degree one in the new key). It also uses all of the seven diatonic pitches of the new key which identifies the note collection of the new key.

Your piece that uses just the pitches C and G sounds minimalistic. That's not a value judgement, it's just not the sort of music that Tchaikovsky's quote you mentioned was intended to refer to. Also, many people believe that going from a major key to its parallel minor is not technically a modulation because the tonic pitch (in your case C) does not change. Ultimately what constitutes a change of key and how that change is accomplished in the music is a style-dependent question. My answer here and Tchaikovsky's quote apply to common-practice tonal music.

Source Link
Alex
Alex
  • 365
  • 1
  • 9

To change keys, many theories of tonal music maintain that you need to have a cadence in the new key. In the case of an authentic cadence, this will involve some predominant chord (e.g. IV or ii), a dominant-function chord (such as V) and a tonic chord (I). Such a progression orients you in the new key by identifying the function of various scale degrees (most importantly, scale degree one in the new key). It also uses all of the seven diatonic pitches of the new key which identifies the note collection of the new key. Your piece that uses just the pitches C and G sounds minimalistic. That's not a value judgement, it's just not the sort of music that Tchaikovsky's quote you mentioned was intended to refer to. Also, many people believe that going from a major key to its parallel minor is not technically a modulation because the tonic pitch (in this case C) does not change. Ultimately what constitutes a change of key and how that change is accomplished in the music is a style-dependent question. My answer here and Tchaikovsky's quote apply to common-practice tonal music.