Changing Keys |The 4 over 5 Modulation Trick

Modulation provides for a smooth transition from one key to another.  I want to share with you a simple but effective way to modulate from any key that you may be playing in, to any other key smoothly and easily.  

I’ll first show you the most common modulation strategy and then show a simple way to make it sound more interesting.  

One of the most fundamental ways to change keys is to move directly to the V7 chord of the key you wish to change to.  

If you’re not familiar with the number system, roman numerals are often used to denote the diatonic chords of a key of music.

A V7 chord is the 5 chord of the key and the 7 indicates that it’s a  7th chord.

Let’s say you’re in the key of C major.But you wish to modulate to the key of G Major. 

You’ll find the 5th tone of G Major which is D.  

You’ll then construct a 7th chord based on D.D7 is the dominant chord of which has a very strong aural pull back to the tonic chord which is of course G.

Even though this is a satisfactory modulation, a simple alteration can make it have a greater dynamic to transition to the key of G Major.

So instead of the standard D7 chord, substitute it for the D11 chord.

As you see here, an 11th chord doesn’t contain the 3rd.  This creates a suspended chord quality with a greater aural pull to the G Major (tonic) chord.

D11 V chord

G Major chord

Now here's a tricky secret to create this D11 chord with minimal effort. 

Take the root of the V chord and play it in your left hand.  In your right hand, play the IV chord.  In this case take the C Major chord and play it over D.  You can even think of this chord as a C over D slash chord.  This makes it easier to play the 11th chord.  This is known as an upper structure triad. Having a different note in the bass redefines the chord.

You can also play the right hand part of the chord in any inversion for more flexibility and voicing options.

C Major Upper Structure Triad Root Position

C Major Upper Structure Triad 1st Inversion

C Major Upper Structure Triad 2nd InversionNow take this concept to any other key.  You’ll find that it works in any Major key that you want to modulate to.

C11 (Bb/C) to F7

Bb11 (Ab/Bb) to Eb

E11 (D//E) to A