Key Changes

Key Changes are being done in a piece of music primary for the reasons below :

• to make the music sound refreshed
• to go into a key comfortable for a singer to sing especially during a song change
• making the key comfortable for the next singer to sing during a change in singer.
  

Usually keys are transposed a semi or a whole tone higher e.g.

• E - A - B - E - F - Bb - C ( semi )
• F - Bb - C - D7 - G - C - D  ( whole )

Note: Reading the circle of fifths as descending pitches going clockwise, or ascending counterclockwise, gives the circle of fourths.

Sometimes keys are transposed in the circle of fifths e.g.

• C - F - G - C - D7 - G - C - D  
  

And circle of fourths e.g.

• C - F - G - C7 - F - Bb - C

And transposing one and half or two tones higher  ( Hosanna Music loves to do this !). This is usually done when there is a change in the singer gender e.g male to female or vice versa.

• D - G - A - F - Bb - C
• C - F - G - E - A - B
  

Usually when we directly transpose a song to a lower key, there is a sinking or lowering down of spirit. But we can solve this by indirectly transposing it to a lower key e,g,

• D - Em - A7 - D - Dm7 - G - C

The use of Dorminant Chords e.g.  7th, 9th , 11th . 13th , 7b5 , 7#5 , 9b5 etc as the next fifth helps to usher the music into the next key.