I've done a search but can't find this one anywhere on the forums, so I hope someone can help - secondly, not ever sure if the Adult Learners' forum is the right one for this, but I'm an adult, so there we are...

For Gr 7 there is a modulation identification bit. In order to get through this there is various advice here about remembering (or even humming) the tonic of the key chord given at the start, and comparing that with the tonic of the last chord.

This seems ok as the first chord played and named to let you know the starting key should be in root position, so you could pick up on the tonic or 5th depending on your method.

However, am I right in assuming the last chord of the whole piece (after the modulation has taken place) should always be the *tonic* of the new key i.e it will end in some sort of perfect cadence ?

and also, will this last chord be in root position, or is it possible to be presented in first/second inversion (in which case to me finding the tonic won;t be straightforward) ?

Thanks for any help (he says desperately trying to rein this aural beast in !)

When I had my aural lesson in preparation for the exam, my teacher said at this stage the endings should be in a tonic chords but I didn't ask if it'll neccessarily be in root position. I find that we need to hear in our mind the tonic of the new key. Usually it is obvious. I have done some exercises from aural books/CDs and they somtimes do end in other chords than tonic. In my last exam, they did end in tonic chords.

Thanks Rhythm - a lot more work is needed ont his bit I reckon even is it is only a few marks they all add up.

I have to say (as a teacher) I had always thought these modulations would end in the new tonic in ROOT position. I think it would be grossly unfair to end in an inversion!

Some of my pupils find it difficult to keep the start key in their head and then recognise whether the end chord is based on the 5th (dominent) or 4th (sub-dominant). So, as an alternative, they learn to recognise whether the passage played has gone 'sharp' towards the dominant or 'flat' towards the sub-dominant.

I am with you on the "unfair" bit and am probably expecting it to be root position, but I thought I would ask in case it you experienced folks have come across the *common* usage of inversions, as opposed to rare or even never.

Also, I have tried the recognising "sharp" and "flat" without much success so far - even tried seeing if I could recognise a flattend seventh (going to subdom) or even Lydian (#4th) flavour with little success either.

I think I'll end up humming the original tonic or 5th throughout but not decided which yet.

This is my first go at sending a message so here goes.

I am about to do Grade 7 piano and am not finding the aurals easy.

A tip on hearing modulations that I read in a book that comes with a cd for aural work produced by ABRSM suggests that a modulation to the dominant has a 'brightening' sound. A modulation to the subdominant has a 'darkening' sound and then there is the modulation to the minor.

I wonder if you have any suggestions for naming the chords of the cadence for I find this the most difficult task? I would be most grateful for any suggsetions.

Good luck if this works for you! I think its a case of you either have the gift or you don't, on a par with perfect pitch!

I found recognising modulations extremely difficult. For my Grade 7 exam, after trying various methods reccommended by teachers, books, websites and others I went back to my own method which gave no worse results than any other (ie. right some of the time). Here it is for what it's worth...

Does it give the uplifting feeling you get when the Sun comes out from behind a cloud?
Yes. ....... its a modulation to the dominant
No.....think again

Does it end up sounding rather miserable?
Yes.... its modulated to the relative minor

No.... in the absence of other options it must have modulated to the sub-dominant.

Anyway now for Grade 8 I find myself faced with many more options and am completely flummoxed.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

I recently did Grade 6 Trinity and had to identify modulation to dominant, subdominant or minor. And I really struggled trying to identify the dominant or subdominant.

Then I figured out a way to do it. I hummed quietly to myself the tonic of the starting chord, and kept humming it quietly through the whole piece that was played. And at the modulation if I was still humming in tune with the piece, then it had modulated to dominant. If I was now humming a clashing sound, it had modulated to subdominant. And I can't sing for NUTS but I can sing well enough to myself to hold the note long enough to hear the modulation. Maybe this would work for you too? I never had any problem with it after that.

This is a good method to use, but it's actually the other way round. The tonic note appears in the subdominant chord, but not in the dominant. For example, if the piece begins in C major and modulates to the subdominant the last chord will be F major (F, A, C), but if the modulation is to the dominant the last chord will be G major (G, B, D) and the original tonic, C, will clash.

I am sure you are right! I said I couldn't sing for nuts! Perhaps the note I sing is not the tonic but something else, because I do find a clash if it's subdominant but resolves when dropping down a note and I consistently get the answer right. Maybe I am singing the dominant?

Yes, that would fit!

I have been slogging over Grade 7 modulations this week! I read this thread and thought I had better start work earlier on aural preparation this time - my exam will be the summer at the earliest, which is just as well because I am finding the modulations next to impossible!

Interestingly the method of holding the tonic note (hummed) and comparing it with the final chord is dismissed in the ABRSM grade 7 book as unreliable and unmusical! My current method is just to guess, which is, well unreliable and unmusical too!

N

PS: I am even considering making a load of audio files of I-V, V-I style modulations in a range of keys and just keep on listening until "the magic happens"