can anyone help me out with changing keys in my hip hop / pop beats like I knew the circle of fifths but how to I successfully apply this anybody have any video links they can help with ?

 

Simon servida has a video where he changes keys in someones song the right way, it was in one of those vids where he fixes a sub's beat

 

think you can link it ?

 

Gosh I'm tired. Was just about to say "but Tricky never did a collab with Radiohead!"

Very good post, @Ad Heesive . Well done!

 

you my friend are a gentleman and a scholar thank you soo much tonicisation is what I'm def going for in my music im glad I know the term now it helps soo much

 

Indeed, but from my limited exposure to Radiohead (all of which I've enjoyed) it does seem like Radiohead likes to collaborate with "Tricky" and they do it so well

Many thanks for your kind words; happy to hear that my comments might help.

 

How can you get the tuneless voice to change key?

 

Move him to a new cell

 

You might find this useful: https://currentsound.com/music-production/how-to-change-keys-within-a-pop-song/

 

So the best way to change KEYS,
Begins by understanding what a KEY is.( itself

So looking at the KEY of C major .

Step 1 is C major.
Everything which follows is relative to C major.
Step2 is that C major is the hero of the story , relaxed and still ( no movement no motion )
This is called TONIC.
There are 3 category's that everything fits into .
The other two are called
Subdominant ( a bit of movement or tension )
So relative to C major this is like the heros journey.
We are no still or rest anymore we are moving traveling motion or small tension.
Lastly we have Dominant this is the villian of the story or movement or very tense .
Step3
7 chords in the C major key only represent 3 things

C major
CDEFGABC
1 Cmaj7 CEG.....Tonic
2.Dmin7 DFAC ..... Subdominant
3.Emin7 EGBD....Tonic
4.Fmaj7 FACE... Subdominant
5.Gdominant7th ...Dominant
6.Amin7 ACEG....Tonic
7.Bmin7b5 BDFA...Dominant

So in a key yes there 7 Diatonic chords ,
But they don't represent 7 distinct separate things .
The 7 chords only represent 3 things .

These 3 things ( Functions )

Are what a key is all about .
The KEY is centered around C major
And the other chords are either same as C major
( Tonic home hero relaxed)
Or they are Subdominant ( tense, movement leaving home journey )
And Dominant ( very tense or defeating the villian of the story )

Step4

Chord progressions
Make up a song section like a verse or chorus
But they are made up our 3 functions .

Tonic/ Tonic
Here is a Progression that stands still
It stays home and has no tension .
Now we just plug in our chords
Cmaj7/ Emin7/
Or
Emin7/ Amin7/
Or
Amin7/ Cmaj7
That's an easier one
But now lets try

Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic/

So now we establish the heroe then go out on journey then come home again.

Cmaj7/ Fmaj7/ Cmaj7
Or
Emin7/ Dmin7/ Amin7
Or
Amin7/ Dmin7/ Cmaj7

Let's now look at this one

Tonic/ Dominant/ Tonic/

This one establishes our hero then introduce our villian then we defeat the villian and go home .

Cmaj7/ G7/ Cmaj7
Or
Emin7/ Bmin7b5/ Amin7
Or
Amin7/ G7/ Emin7

So you see we have different " flavors"
For each function , even though they the same thing. It's how we can do many choices and varieties in music .

Step 5 Non Diatonic substitutions

Now that we know how simple a KEY really is.
And that we have a center focus ( C major )
Then we have 3 functions for how everything related back to C major .
7 Diatonic chords represent only 3 functions groups categories .
When we expand now to include all 12 notes and all chords related to C major while staying in our KEY still ( zero modulation )
Everything works the exact same way still.
We have all 12 notes and every chord that exists ,
Fitting into these 3 functions in the KEY of C major .
Tonic
Subdominant
Dominant

Now because it would take 100 pages just to fully explain every detail of this in the correct order ,
I'm going to try to get to the point .

The KEY of C major
Tonic function has non Diatonic chords as well
F#min7b5 for example D7 Amin6
These are tonic chords in the KEY of C major .
Next Subdominant
Has Fmin6, Abmaj7, Dbmaj7,
F#dim7 ,
Are a few Subdominant chords in C major KEY
Dominant
Has the largest category .
And
Because it is strong tension.
This is the understanding to connect to any KEY.
Step6
V7 to Imaj7 progression
Is the strongest in music .
So in KEY of C major
G7 / Cmaj7/
Is simply an expanded version of the Cmaj7/
Tension and release .
We have a dominant chord right before any chord .

So if I start with this .

Tonic/ Subdominant/ Tonic

Cmaj7/ Fmaj7/

I can expand this by adding the V7 chord before each .

Cmaj7/ {C7/Fmaj7} G7/

So say you trying change KEYS

Let's say from C major to E major

Cmaj7/ Emaj7/

Just put the V7 of Emajor

Cmaj7/ {B7/Emaj7/} Amaj7

So the way to modulate is to use the KEY the way it works on the first key and the second key
But find relationships they both share for your transition.

 

Now , here is 1 excersise to master modulations

B7/E7/A7/D7/G7/C7/F7/Bb7/Eb7/Ab7/Db7/Gb7/

Play this progression repeating as a song for 30 days

Come up with 50 or 100 songs all different from each other in melody and rhythm

At the end you will have mastered modulation for the rest of your life .

All you have to do is treat each chord as a dominant
With it's alterations ( treat it as a V7 chord of it's key )
Because the notes always resolve to the next chord correctly .

V7 dominant chord alterations .

Looking at G7 in key of C major .

GBDF...G#....A....A#......C#...D#
1357.... b9... 9.....#9.... #11... b13

Just use those alterations as a foundation for a dominant chord to start with getting it into your ears

Next resolve each one of the above notes
( Each note of the V7 chord resolves to the tonic )
To Cmaj C E G

G Carry's over
B resolves to C
D resolves to E or C
F resolves to E
G# resolves to G
A resolves to G or carries as 6th of Cmaj
A# resolves to A 6th of C maj6 CEGA
C# resolves to C
D# resolves to E

So notice our above excersise this portion of it

{ G7/ C7}
So we are resolving
To C7 not Cmaj7

However C7 is
CEGBb
1357
The CEG are in there. And that is what the V7 chords notes in G7 resolve to .
So when you see G7/ C7
You make your half step resolutions on impact with the C7 chord on C,E,G then you just add in the Bb
Note delayed
Once you have sounded that it is a C7 by having Bb
In there, now you follow same process for this portion
{ C7/F7}
Same thing, except
Now it's based on the Key of Fmaj
Until you sound the F7 delayed FACEb
Then it moves on to be { F7/Bb7} etc.

So the important thing to note here is that
You can make any melodic contour and any rhythmic motion , in any form.
( Here the form is
B7/E7/A7/D7.......etc. continue through all 12 dominant chords )

But you can make 500 million songs all different with that Progression or any other .
It's just getting used to these things
And this 1 single excersise with take you a long way to understanding modulation.

 

Last edited: Feb 19, 2020

Now after saying all that above.
You shouldn't modulate if you haven't yet got used to all the chords still in the KEY!
Like ex
How much you used to these Progressions?
KEY of C major ( yes I know so boring of a key right?)

Cmaj7/ F#dim7/ Dmin7/ G7/

Cmaj6/ Fmaj7/ Bb7/ Cmaj6/

F#dim7/ Fmaj7/ Emin7/ Ebdim7/ Dmin7/G7/Cmaj

Cmaj7/ B7/ Emin7/ C#7/

Amin7/ Dmin7/ C#7/ Cmaj7

Bmin7b5/ E7b9/ Amin6

Cmaj7{Gmin7/C7/Fmaj7} Fmin6/ Abmaj7/Cmaj


Dmin7/Bb7/Cmaj7

Fmaj7/ F#dim7/ Cmaj7( G in bass)

There's a couple for you in key of C ( zero modulation.

 

Then just one more thing, here is how to start using the information in my above comments in a way applicable to pop music ( the information in this video will work in a daw as well )

 

A very basic but very common modulation, is by major 3rds.

So In KEY of C major

Modulate to E major and Abmajor

If you want keep it simple

Use I IV and V chords for your
Tonic I
Subdominant IV
And Dominant V

Then just practice traveling between
C major E major G# major
With I IV V progression
Using the Voicings and info in the above video.
Afterwards
Try these

Dmajor, F#major A#major
{ Gmajor, Bmajor, Eb major }