How to Modulate to ANY Key (Easy to Difficult)

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If you're new here, welcome - I'm Zach. For the past two decades, I’ve documented my growth as a composer here on YouTube, beginning as a shy music hobbyist and leveling up to work with major clients like Disney, Dreamworks, and Tencent Games. I hope my journey inspires you to make art, dream big, and pursue the things you love.

[ZachHeyde]

Want more free music tips? Check out my 5-step film scoring guide here!

[trevan]

I love the level you teach at! Not many YouTubers breach the gap between Music Theory I and advanced jazz harmony, but you fill it very well.

[DanielCalmey]

Dude this video is just so straight to the point that I cannot believe that you've made this far cutting through the sensationalistic crap that the platform drowns people in. GREAT PIECE OF KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT INVESTING A SINGLE BUCK !!! THANKS A LOT

[TheBenjaminsky]

For the circle of fifths modulation, changing the tonic to the 5 (or 4) doesn't actually sound like it has changed until you've destabilized the old key by including one of the changed notes (for major, flat the 7 or sharp the 4). In this Cmaj -> Fmaj example, it only sound like you're in Fmaj once we hear a Bb. That's one of the reasons that baroque composers loved harmonic minor since there are so many ways to destabilize the key.

[FrozenTaster]

9:08 is just so beautiful to me, the dissonance to the hold to the release is the best. I love this!

[composamurai]

One of my favorite modulations I've written was from Db major to E major using some similar techniques to what you mentioned. I added a dominant seventh note to the tonic Db major chord, which could also be interpreted as a C# dominant chord since they're enharmonic equivalents. The C# dominant resolved to F# minor, and from there I did a 2-5-1 to the new tonic of E major. With a proper buildup, I think it's easy to change keys seamlessly, even if they're not very close to each other on the circle of fifths.

[appleihate]

I've always loved using chromatic mediants to shift away from a tired chord progression. I appreciate you walking through these other great ideas.

[speakerstokeys]

I love how directly he talks about direct modulation

[AntiTrollable]

Ive been involved in music for most of my life and now I stumble upon this lesson that would have explained everything that ive struggled to grasp for many years. Good news is I just started writing EDM so time to implement some of these techniques that i have not used before.

[CUTIE_POXX]

Simple, straightforward, easy to understand. Thanks a lot man.

[ja.martini]

Dvorak's transition from Tuba Mirum back to Dies Irae for me is always a blast, I love that! D major to Bb minor, every note moves a half step, but in different directions

[StefaanHimpe]

for chain modulation in thirds, consider alternating between major and minor - this keeps more common tones between the chords and sounds even better

[patrickkelcey]

I remember this from 30 years ago. Very happy to see this helping others

[ratnacomposerstudio]

That concept of leading tone of 7th degree for the five chord is awesome. can totally relate to our indianclassicalmusic. love that modal modulation for changing keys.

[billwesley]

Music DOES tell stories, but its stories in emotion rather than in a plot, because music is likely a formalization of the tone and tempo of voice that imparts a persons emotion to a listener when a person speaks.
Notes that are closer in pitch connect better melodically, but do not connect together very well harmonically, so its not just the smallest or leading tone that connects strongly in melody, its also whole tones, minor thirds and major thirds which all connect strongly in a melody.
for harmony its the reverse, notes which are far apart in frequency connect more strongly while those which are closer in frequency don't connect very well, its octaves or larger intervals that connect best in a harmony, for example organ stops are composed of more than one pipe separated in frequency by large intervals that then connect so well we hear them as if ONE pipe with a particular sound.

[Notmehimorthem]

This is the best treatment of modulation I have found on utube. Worth a watch.

[mikeg]

I’m not a composer, but I am a music theory geek! This was an awesome video! You explained everything clearer than my music theory professors. Looking forward to watching more videos!

[iFINNIX]

“They say they use to play the scale and stop right before the top to wake Beethoven up” they also say silence is the most deafening sound 🙊

[felixmarques]

The modal technique at 6:48 is *super* useful for writing epic guitar solos! Use the same underlying groove but change the mode of the guitar melody.

[ZachHeyde]

Hey there! If you want to learn how to make a career out of writing media music, check out my 6-week Composing Career Bootcamp: