Hi everyone.
Recently I've been composing a lot of short pieces for the Piano. If you listen to this piece:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iGdcz3Fr2g
Around 0:42 you hear the Music 'lift up' (I can't think of a better way to describe it) as if it's about to modulate - it gives an extremely emotional and powerful affect on the piece.
My question - how to do you achieve this sound? In particular when composing in the key of G Major. Is it a particular chord used?
Thanks

I think what you're hearing is a modulation to the relative minor. In C it's chord E+ going to A minor.

In key G you would use chord B+ which becomes chord V in the relative minor of E minor.

Hope that's sort-of clear, and is what you're looking for ...

Hi Sam,

I'm not the world's best in music theory, but I'll give my input and hope I'm not too off the mark (others, please dive in if I'm wrong).

First, the piece on the clip was in C major. At the time the music "moves up" (around 42 seconds), the harmony moves from the dominant (G major) to the sub-mediant (A minor), but in doing so, the composer introduces a transitional harmony: E major in its first inversion. That, in effect, produces a perfect cadence in the key of A minor (E major to A minor). However, I'm not sure that I would say that the effect is a modulation to A minor, since the harmonies quickly move back to suggest C major as the tonic key.

If you were writing something in the key of G major, you could achieve the same effect my moving from the dominant (D major), to B major (in its first inversion), to E minor.

It's also important to note that, by using the first inversion chord, you make the bass harmony move chromatically. In the example of something composed in G major, the bass line moves from D, to D#, to E.

I'm sure that there is a more "technically correct" way of explaining this, so apologies for my disjointed explanation.

Tom

Yes, I was thinking perhaps modulation was not quite the correct term, since the music doesn't stay in the minor but kind of 'says hello' to the minor key and returns to the original tonic.

Good point you made Tom about the first inversion of the 'new' chord - something I do in this kind of progression without thinking about it, so forgot to mention it.

To my ear it doesn't modulate at all in the sense of there being any sense of arrival in a new key; it just crescendos a lot, the harmony thickens and there's a nod towards A minor.

I'm afraid this kind of over-emotional music makes me want to stick my fingers in my ears. It is very well played, though...

I agree that it's all a bit "cliché" but the guy is a fantastic player

Sorry I cannot help with the technical stuff but lovely piece of music. I'm with envy. And equally envious of those who were able to analyse it for you.