fans of key changes within songs

[ssseals]

I'm not a fan, but I saw Amy Grant (& Vince) on the Today Show this morning and they performed a song that I guess is off her new album. Well, it changes key for the second verse, then changes back for the guitar solo, then changes again for the last chorus. Pretty interesting and worth checking out if you're into that kind of thing.

[Wil Davis]

Modulation - refers to the changing from one key to another in the course of a section of a composition by evolutionary musical means (not just stopping and starting anew in another key) and as part of the work's formal organization.

I think you're referring to the latter part of the definition - i.e. changing into another (not necessarily related) key and then back again for whatever reason.

One of my bands does this in one of our numbers which has a harmonica solo. We were rehearsing once, and the harmonica player didn't have the correct harp for the piece (in D) so we changed to C just for one verse, and if it's done well, it does sound quite effective. Everyone liked our "new" version so it became a permanent feature...

- Wil

[Sennheiser]

I hear a key change more often in country music than any other type. It does sound good if it's right for the tune.


I can olny think of one rock tune off the top of my head that uses this by Cheap Trick.

The guy always had a far out looking guitar.