pivot chord function and modulations

7/18/2019 Pivot Chord Function and Modulations

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Pivot Chord Function andModulations

One of the most common questions I get from readers of the Theory Forum, or from privatestudents, is “How do I know when a chord progression changes keys?” hi!e there are anum"er of ways to recogni#e key changes in a song, one of the easiest, if it$s present, is to%nd the &ivot 'hord(

&ivot 'hords a!so provide a powerfu! too! for writing songs with key changes(

In this !esson, you$!! !earn what a &ivot 'hord is, study common progressions that use &ivot'hords, as we!! as practice %nding di)erent &ivot 'hords with some se!f*study progressionat the end of the !esson(

+o, !et$s dig in and discover the wonderfu! wor!d of &ivot 'hords

Intro - What is a Chord Progression?

To "egin, !et-s take a !ook at what e.act!y is a chord progression, where those chords comefrom and why they are written in "oth !etters and /oman 0umera!s( If you are fami!iar withthis "it of music theory, take a quick g!ance to make sure you understand this section ofthe !esson and then fee! free to 1ump down to the ne.t section to dive right into &ivot 'hord

Theory(

2ost chord progressions are "ui!t "y taking the notes of any given key, ' ma1or fore.amp!e, and harmoni#ing those notes "y adding 3 or more notes on top of

those sca!e notes( 4n e.amp!e of this wou!d "e the chords in the key of ' ma1or, which youget "y adding 3 notes on top of each note in the sca!e that are a two sca!e notes highereach time(

The notes in the ' ma1or sca!e are5

' 6 7 F 8 4 9 '

+o, if you take the %rst note ', then skip a note you get 7, and skip one more note you get8, when p!ayed together these three notes, '*7*8, form a ' chord, the tonic chord in thekey of ' ma1or(

If you repeat this process over every note in the ' ma1or sca!e you get the fo!!owingsequence of chords(

' 6m 7m F 8 4m 9dim '

These are the chords that you can use to write a song in the key of ' ma1or( To make thingseasier to communicate "etween musicians, and to a!!ow you to transpose quick!y any chordprogression you know, we a!so ta!k a"out chords in a key !ike this in /oman 0umera!s(

Here is how those same chords wou!d "e written out as /oman 0umera!s(

I ii iii I: : vi viidim I

I usua!!y add in the dim for the vii chord to indicate that it-s di)erent from theother minor chords, as upper case 0umera!s, I I: and :, are used to indicate ma1or chords,and !ower case 0umera!s, ii, iii and vi are used to indicate minor chords(

4s you can see, the chords ', F and 8 make up one of the most common chordprogressions in modern music, the I, I: : progression( 'an you %nd any other famous



progressions in these chords?

Here you can see an e.amp!e of "oth ma1or and minor key chords written as !etters, suchas ' and 6m, as we!! as /oman 0umera!s, such as I and ii( 8etting to know the chords inma1or and minor keys "oth as !etters and /oman 0umera!s wi!! he!p you understand howyour favorite songs are written and organi#ed, as we!! as a!!ow you to quick!y gra" a chordin the right key when writing or 1amming a!ong to a chord progression(

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0ow that you-ve had a "rief intro, or refresher, on chord progressions and how they comea"out, !et-s check out what happens when you have a chord progression, or song, thatmoves "etween two di)erent keys( hen this happens you wi!! need to have a chord thatconnects "oth of these keys, and this is what we ca!! the &ivot 'hord(

➥ To learn more about how to build and harmonize major scales, as well as learn how to

play and build common chord progressions, please check out my "How to Build MajorScales", "hat !re Triads", and "lassic hord #rogressions $or %uitar " lessons&

What is a Pivot Chord?

To "egin, !et$s !ook at what e.act!y is a pivot chord and see one in action asyou modu!ate keys from ' to F in a common progression(

4 &ivot 'hord is one that is found in two re!ated keys, so the chord ' in ' ma1or and F ma1orfor e.amp!e( In ', this chord is the tonic, I, chord( hi!e in F, this chord is the 6ominant, :chord( 9ecause it occurs in "oth keys, ' and F, you can use the chord ' to smooth!ymodu!ate from one key to the ne.t(

Cou can see the two key side*"y*side in this chart, with the pivot chords !a"e!!ed in red(0otice that the ' is the I chord in ' ma1or, and the : chord in F ma1or, which is where thepivot occurs in the fo!!owing progression(

/educed5 ;3< of origina! si#e = > . @@D B * '!ick to view fu!! image

Here is an e.amp!e to check out that it does 1ust that( 0otice in "ar E that the ' chord isfunctioning as "oth the I chord in ', and at the same time the : chord in F( This is a &ivot'hord as the ne.t chord, '>, is the :> of F and you are now %rm!y in the new key centre(

4s we!!, the same chord, ', is used in "ar ; to "ring the progression "ack to the key of 'ma1or, marking another &ivot 'hord moment in this ;*"ar chord progression(

/educed5 ;3< of origina! si#e = > . 3E B * '!ick to view fu!! image

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=47641










4s you can see, and hear when you p!ay through these chords, the &ivot 'hords a!!ow you

to move "etween the keys of ' and F without any hitches or hiccupsG "oth instances have asmooth transition "etween keys(

Common Pivot Chord Progressions

Here are a few e.amp!es of common chord progressions that use pivot chords( 4s you havea!ready seen movement "etween the I and I: keys, the %rst e.amp!e wi!! start o) withmovement "etween the I and : keys, ' and 8 in this progression(

Here is a chart to he!p you visua!i#e the two keys, as we!! as the 8 chord which is acting as

the pivot chord in this progression(


0otice how the 8, the : in ', is a!so the I in 8, and so it acts as a &ivot 'hord in "oth "ars and ;( Try p!aying this progression on your guitar to hear how it sounds, as we!! as see it onpaper when studying this &ivot 'hord movement in the practice room(

/educed5 ;3< of origina! si#e = > . 3A B * '!ick to view fu!! image



The ne.t &ivot 'hord progression moves "etween the I key, ' in this case, and the re!ativeminor key, 4 minor, using the chord 6m to &ivot "etween these two key centres(

6m is "oth the ii chord in ', as we!! as the iv chord in 4 minor, and therefore it is a natura!

choice to act as a &ivot 'hord "etween these two key centres(

Harmonic Minor

Cou wi!! notice that Harmonic 2inor is "eing used for this, and a!! minor keys, during the!esson( The reason that we use this sca!e for minor sounds is that it contains the : and :>chords, as opposed to a v minor chord from 4eo!ian 0atura! 2inorJ(

2oving from one key to the ne.t often invo!ves so!idifying that movement with a :> or :chord of some sort, : to I or : to i is a very strong motion in music( This is why Harmonic2inor is preferred to 0atura! 2inor due to the avai!a"i!ity of the : chord which he!ps usso!idify the movement from one key to the ne.t(

If you want to !earn more a"out this sca!e, check out my Harmonic 2inor for 8uitar

!esson on this forum(

Here is a handy chart for you to check out that wi!! he!p you see the two keys, ' and 4m,side "y side, as we!! as the pivot 6m chord which is written in red in "oth keys(


Try p!aying through this progression to hear how this pivot sounds when moving from tonicma1or to it$s re!ative minor, which is a common key movement in 1ust a"out a!! sty!es ofmodern music(

/educed5 ;3< of origina! si#e = > . 3D3 B * '!ick to view fu!! image







Though not as common as moving to the I:, : or vi keys, you can use &ivot 'hords to moveto other key centres such as II ma1or, as in the e.amp!e "e!ow( In this case, the iii of '

ma1or, 7m, is used to pivot to the key of 6 ma1or, as it$s the ii chord in that new key(

4gain, here is a chart that !ays out the two keys, ' and 6 ma1or, as we!! as high!ights thepivot chord, 7m, in red so you can visua!i#e "oth keys and the pivot 7m chord "efore takingthem to the fret"oard(


Try p!aying through this progression to hear how it sounds( It$s not as common!y used asthe other e.amp!es you studied ear!ier, "ut when you$re writing a song, or working out aprogression and you want to go somewhere une.pected, a good &ivot 'hord can he!p makethat une.pected transition smooth to the !istener$s ears(

/educed5 ;3< of origina! si#e = > . 3A B * '!ick to view fu!! image

Chord Progressions Master Chart



To he!p you visua!i#e a!! of the @3 ma1or keys, and see which chords you can use to move"etween them, here is a master chart that !ays out each key, a!! of the chords in that key,and their !etter and /oman 0umera! designations so that you can easi!y compare them"etween themse!ves(

/educed5 ;3< of origina! si#e = > . D3@ B * '!ick to view fu!! image

Songwriting Tips For Pivot Chords

To he!p you get started with app!ying &ivot 'hords to your song writing voca"u!ary, hereare a few tips to keep in mind the ne.t time you want to switch keys in the midd!e of achord progression, or "etween !arger sections in a song as a who!e(

@( The tonic chord is often used to modu!ate to the I: key(3( The : chord is often used to modu!ate to the : key(E( The I chord can a!so "e used to modu!ate to the : key(( The ii chord is common!y used to modu!ate to the vi key, the re!ative minor(

A( The iii chord is used to modu!ate to the II key(D( &!aying I to I> is a great way to move to the I: key(



6o you have a &ivot 'hord tip or favourite modu!ation chord that you want to add to this!ist? &ost it in the comments section "e!ow and we$!! keep the !ist growing over time(

Find the Pivot Chord To he!p you further your study of &ivot 'hords, here are three di)erent progressions thatyou can ana!yse and %nd the &ivot 'hord and key change in each progression(

The answers are in the spoi!er "uttons on top of each progression, so try it out %rst and ifyou get stuck you can post a question "e!ow, or you can check the answers a"ove eache.amp!e(

For each progression, try and %nd the pivot chordsJ, as we!! as indicate the two keys, Key @and Key 3, in each phrase( 8ood !uck

Spoiler: Key @ L 4

Key 3 L 6

&ivot 'hord L 4

/educed5 ;3< of origina! si#e = > . 33 B * '!ick to view fu!! image

Spoiler:

Key @ L 7

Key 3 L 'Mm

&ivot 'hord L FMm




Spoiler:

Key @ L F

Key 3 L 8

&ivot 'hord * 4m


dd the Pivot Chord

Here are three more chords progressions for you to test your &ivot 'hord know!edge with(In these progressions, there are two "!ank "ars in each ; "ar phrase where you need to %!!in the missing &ivot 'hords( 8ood !uck and if you have any questions, or want to post youranswers, you can do so in the thread "e!ow(

The %rst chord progression starts in ' and moves to the key of F( 'an you add in the &ivot

'hords in "ars and ;?

Spoiler:

' or ' to '>




The ne.t chord progression starts in ' and moves to 4m, can you add in the &ivot 'hords to"ars and ;?

Spoiler:

6m


The %na! chord progression starts in ' and moves to 8( 'an you add in the the &ivot 'hordsto "ars and ;?

Spoiler:

' or 8 in "oth instances(


6o you have a question or comment a"out this !esson on &ivot 'hords?+hare your thoughts in the comments section "e!ow(



'!ose!y re!ated keys

Major Relative Minor Subdominant and dominants

C Am F, G, Dm, Em

G Em C, D, Am, Bm

D Bm G, A, Em, FNm

A FNm D, E, Bm, CNm

E CNm A, B, FNm, GNm

B GNm E, FN, CNm, DNm

FN DNm B, CN, GNm, ANm

G Em C, D, Am, Bm

D Bm G, A, Em, Fm

A Fm D, E, Bm, Cm

E Cm A, B, Fm, Gm

B Gm E, F, Cm, Dm

F Dm B, C, Gm, Am



Commonly Used ChordsStep I II III IV V VI VII

Key major minor minor major major minor diminished

C Am C Dm Em F G Am Bdim

Db Bbm Db Ebm Fm Gb Ab Bbm Cdim

D Bm D Em F#m G A Bm C#dim

Eb Cm Eb Fm Gm Ab Bb Cm Ddim

E C#m E F#m G#m A B C#m D#dim

F Dm F Gm Am Bb C Dm Edim

F# D#m F# G#m A#m B C# D#m E#dim

Gb Ebm Gb Abm Bbm Cb Db Ebm Fdim

G Em G Am Bm C D Em F#dim

Ab Fm Ab Bbm Cm Db Eb Fm Gdim

A F#m A Bm C#m D E F#m G#dim

Bb Gm Bb Cm Dm Eb F Gm Adim

B G#m B C#m D#m E F# G#m A#dim

Notes: [! Dim "hords are ess "ommony $sed than any other% [&! Very o'ten(ariations o' the "hords sho) are $sed% For e*ampe the V is (ery o'ten payed as

a +th ,G+ )hen payin- in C.% Sometimes the II is payed as a major 'oo)ed by aV to /brin- it home/ ,D 'oo)ed by G )hen payin- in C.%



Chords from the same key will sound good with each other. How do I know whichchords are in a key? Several ways of going about that. Perhaps the easiest is tohave a handy dandy key chord chart.http:www.traditionalmusic.co.ukchordschordchart.htm!e"t is to know which chords like to go to what other chords. #or e"ample$ the %chord likes to move to the I chord. &he %' chord likes go do this right now. &he iiichord likes to drag the vi chord with it and the vi chord likes to move to the ii orI% chord. #or more on this spend some time at:

http:www.musictheory.net (((( click on )essons then Common chordprogressions. &his will let you understand how to build a chord progression that

will sound good.

*ey of C + these chords, C$ -m$ m$ #$ /$ 0m$ 1dim.C$ #$ /$ C will sound good together and is used in thousand of songs.-m$ /$ C is used in 2a33 4uite a lot.C$ 0m$ #$ /$ C is called the ice cream progression and used all the time.

Spend time at www.musictheory.net.

/ood luck.

'irc!e of Aths

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/chords/chordchart.htm

http://www.musictheory.net/


http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/chords/chordchart.htm





!ormally it5s used as a chart showing all 67 ma2or keys 8outside circle9 and theirrelative minors 8inside9. /oing clockwise$ 6 sharp gets added each time$ or 6 flatremoved, going anticlockwise$ it5s vice versa.8&he key signatures are shown in the middle. &here is one key name missing: thelower segments should each feature two ;enharmonic; keys ( sound the same$written differently. Cb and 0bm should appear alongside 1 and /<m. 1ut you

needn5t worry about that right now... 9

1ut you can also look at as a chart of ma2or and minor CH=>-S. &he ones that gobest together are the ones nearest each other.

&he chords for any one * occur in a block of @$ making up one 4uarter of thecircle$ with the tonic 8I9 in the middle of the outside .g$ the chords for - ma2or are - 8I9$ / 8I%9$ 08%9$ 1m 8vi9$ m 8ii9 and #<m 8iii9.

8ou can forget the vii chord$ C<dim. Practically nobody uses vii chords 9

0s well the @ in that block$ you5ll find neighbouring chords can be brought it and



can work. g$ you could add C or ma2or chords to the - ma2or set and 8in someinstances9 they will work. 1ut chords from the other side of the circle are going tosound very odd. 8Ahich doesn5t mean that ;odd; might not be a sound you

sometimes wantB 9

0nother good clue is that$ for any ma2or key$ you can often use chords thatbelong to the ;parallel minor;. #or the key of - ma2or$ that means borrowing

chords from - minor. #or those$ look across to the group around the -m$ over ontop left. &his gives you #$ 1b$ C$ /m$ 0m ( all of these can be added to the -

ma2or set to contribute heaviness$ darkness or mystery. 8&ip$ don5t use the -m$or your key will become fully minor$ which may not be what you want. 0lwaysthink about your tonic$ your key chord$ first$ then about other chords you can usewith it.9

If you -= want to write in a minor key$ use the block of @ around the chosenminor chord$ but make the chord on the clockwise side of the tonic 0D=>. g$for key of - minor$ use -m$ /m$ #$ 1b and 8least important9 C$ but make the 0m

into 0 or 0'. &his strengthens the sense of -m as tonic.

pivot chord function and modulations

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