I hope you find it interesting - (11 modulations!)
Nowadays one can only hear key changes when you change the song...
Any other examples that comes to mind?

 

Last edited: Dec 19, 2024

yeah, Stevie Wonder got some shit like that in his bag. this came on at a family gathering a couple years ago; i stopped for a minute while it was playing and was like yo, wtf? lol

i wonder if he still remembers how to play this

 

More examples left by people in the comments.

 

This is a famous standard that goes through nearly every key.

 

I'd be amazed if he didn't as so many of his tunes modulate. Too High, Overjoyed.... too many to list.

This one does A LOT. You can hear it early but the ending is ridiculous. From around 02:17 on until the solo he just keeps going up and up and up and up...

here's the breakdown

 

Last edited: Dec 19, 2024

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (Live Aid 1985)

 

Chord change (and voicing) is different than key change (modulation)...

 

Last edited: Dec 19, 2024

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op. 55 "Eroica"

The first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major (1804; Eroica) modulates perhaps 20 times from the beginning of the movement before returning to E-flat major at the beginning of the recapitulation; through all these modulations, the key signature remains unchanged with three flats, and all the new notes of the subsequent keys are indicated with accidental signs.

ABBA – Money Money Money
Everyone knows ABBA had a tendency for drama in their music. Most of us probably know the tune “Money Money Money” – they whole song is in the key of A minor, up until the last part of the song where they suddenly change keys to Bb minor. [embedyt]

Start the video around 2:20 to hear the key change

 

Yes there a many examples, mostly from the past.

Think of Kate Bush, Steve Winwood, come on, have a search yourself.

I agree with Beato, as time goes by songs became oversimplificated, (maybe to line up with audience?)
The Mendes piece has a quite complex stucture, but see here how knowing theory helps (Beato: "I realized 40 years after it was a deceptive cadence") and how it helps you to get the whole picture from above.

Well these are the "truck gear" modulations, and usually their purpose is just to raise up ending energy.
There are finer examples (though not in recent times), see Planet funk - Paraffin, it starts in Gm then there are at least 4 modulations.


I starded to transcribe Morricone famous themes, in some there are a lot of modulations, and the (small) part of harmony I studied helped me to get things done.

However as practice I try to get the structure (key, modulation, etc.) of every piece I listen to, even on the run in car, this is becoming a second nature, at least with simple songs.

 

It seems to me there are modulations (but I'm not that good in jazz), it starts in Bb then goes to Gm, Fm, Eb, Ebm then I'm lost, I have analyse it in a quiet moment.
Edit: for sure if you see it just by chords it seems more difficult then it is in reality, here it comes harmony theory.

 

Key change x Modulation...

 

Last edited: Dec 19, 2024

IIRC, You're The Inspiration by Chicago (of all things) goes all over the place when you actually sit down to play it. The way I remember it, every verse and chorus winds up in a new key. I have to go listen to it to see if that's true.
All I Want is a Miracle by Mike + The Mechanics modulates up every verse, huge pain in the ass for keyboards

 

Right, you can assume this rule: if it's a "truck gear" modulation OR if the piece changes section (in classical music too), it is usually written as key change, while in the above Bluesette example, they are indeed modulations, of course marked by temporary accidentals.
Have a look at the score: it's all Bb key, but there are modulations as I already described (+ more that still didn't mark).
Bluesette

 

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Last edited by a moderator: Dec 20, 2024