1

ASystematicMethodofCommonChordModulation

byDerekRemes

ThefollowingmethodwasdevelopedbyNadiaBoulangerasasystemof

modulationtonearbykeysusingcommonchords.Nadiawroteallthecadences
herself,andtaughtthemethodtoDavidConte,amongothers.Davidgavealecture
onthesubjectattheEuropeanAmericanMusicalAllianceinParisin2010,whichis
whereIwasintroducedtoit.

PartI:ThetableofCommonChords

TRIAD

TYPE

Major

Minor

I,IV,V

ii,iii,vi

vii

none

Harmonic
Minor
SCALE

V,VI

i,iv

ii,vii

III+

TYPE

Ascending
MelodicMinor

IV,V

i,ii

vi,vii

III+

Descending III,VI,VII
MelodicMinor

(Natural)

i,iv,v

ii

none

Major

Diminished Augmented

Acrossthetoparethefourbasictriadtypes:major,minor,diminished,and

augmented.Ontheleftarethefourscaletypes:major,harmonicminor,ascending
melodicminor,anddescendingmelodicminor(ornaturalminor).Thesystem
worksbestwhenthetableismemorizedaccordingtotheverticalcolumns(by
triad).Forinstance,whenyouhaveamajortriad,memorizethatitcanbeI,IV,Vina
majorscale;V,VIinaharmonicminorscale,etc.

PartII:ConstantTonic,ChangingTriadType

Thenextstepistolearnallofthefollowingcadencesinallofthe12keys

onecadenceforeachtriadinthetableabove.Noticethatallthechordsareinfour
voicesandinrootposition.Alsonoticethatthethreeuppervoicesarealwaysin
closeposition,exceptforthedeceptivevi.Trytomemorizetheoutervoices,which


usuallymoveincontrarymotion,andthenfillinthemiddlevoicesbelowthe

soprano.

IhavearbitrarilychosenDMajor/DMinorforexample.ThetonicDwill

remainconstantwhilethestartingharmonieswillchange.Thecadencesare
identifiedbythefirstchord,whichislabeledwithromannumerals.Therhythmis
alsoarbitrary;whatmattersistheprogression.

Themostimportantaspectofthissectionisthatthelastchordisalwaysthe

same.
MajorTriadsinMajorScale:

MajorTriadsinHarmonicMinorScale:

MajorTriadsinAscendingMelodicMinorScale:

MajorTriadsinDescendingMelodicMinorScale:

MinorTriadsinMajorScale:

MinorTriadsinHarmonicMinorScale:

MinorTriadsinAscendingMelodicMinorScale:

MinorTriadsinDescendingMelodicMinorScale:

DiminishedTriads(inRootPosition)inMajorandMinorScales:

Diminishedtriadsalmostalwaysappearinfirstinversiontoeliminatethe

tritonebetweenthebassandtheothervoices.Therefore,Ihaveincludedthe
followingcadencesmyself.Noticethatregardlessoftheinversion,diminished
chordsalwaysdoublethethird.

DiminishedTriads(inFirstInversion)inMajorandMinorScales:

AugmentedTriadinHarmonicMinorandAscendingMelodicMinorScales:


PartIII:ConstantTriad,ChangingTonic

Thissectionswitchesthevariablesoftheprevioussection.Before,weused

chordsallderivedfromtheDMajororDMinorscale,alwaysendingwithDMajoror
DMinorasourtonic.NowwebegintomodulatebykeepingaDMajororDMinor
chordasthefirstchordineachoftheaboveprogressions.Noticethatthefirst
romannumeralofeachcadenceisstillthesamebecausethechordfunctionhasn't
changedthecadencehassimplybeentransposed.

Themostimportantaspectofthissectionisthatthefirstchordisalwaysthe

same(majororminor).

MajorTriadsinMajorKey:

MajorTriadsinHarmonicMinorScale:

MajorTriadsinAscendingMelodicMinorScale:

MajorTriadsinDescendingMelodicMinorScale:

MinorTriadsinMajorScales:

MinorTriadsinHarmonicMinorScales:

MinorTriadsinAscendingMelodicMinorScales:

MinorTriadsinDescendingMelodicMinorScales:

DiminishedTriads(inRootPosition)inMajorandMinorScales:

DiminishedTriads(inFirstInversion)inMajorandMinorScales:

AugmentedTriadinHarmonicMinorandAscendingMelodicMinorScales:

PartIV:Application

Onedisadvantageofthismethodisthatthe"targetkey"hastohaveatonic

chordwhichisacommonchordtothe"originalkey"scale.Modulationstomore
distantkeyscanbeachievedthroughconnectingthecadencestogetherlikelinksof
achain.Thefollowingisasimpleapplication.AMajorbecomesIIIinF#Minor,F#
MajorbecomesIIinC#Minor,F#MinorbecomesIIIinDMajor.(Amodechange
fromF#MinortoF#Majorinmeasure5facilitatesmodulationtoamoredistantly
relatedkey.)

Thenextexampleisamoreartisticapplicationusinginversions,suspensions,

andseventhchords.TheGMinortriadchangesfromivinDMinortoiiinFMajorin
measure4.Noticetheaugmentedtriadonthethirdbeatofm.6thatresolvesdowna
fifthtoBflatMajor(asitdoesintheabovecadences).TheDMinortriadinm.9
becomesiiiinBflatMajor.Alsonoticehowtheaugmentedtriadonthethirdbeatof
m.11resolvesdownafifthtoaNeapolitan6inDMinor.Theunusualprogression
(vi6vii6i)fromtheabovecadencesoccursinGMinorbeginningonthethird
beatofm.14.TheFaugmentedtriadreturnsonelasttimeasahybriddominant
chordinthethirdbeatofm.15,andresolvesbrieflydownafifthtoBflatMajor
beforechangingtoDMajor.Thisexamplestaysinmorecloselyrelatedkeys.

PartV:Conclusion:

Theappealofthissystemisnotsomuchinitsoriginalityasinits

thoroughness.However,itisbynomeanscomplete.Anewchartcouldclassifyall
theseventhchordsinthefourbasicscaletypes,orcouldbranchouttoincludenon
standardscales.Thissystemcouldbeappliedinanalysis,composition,or
improvisation.Whateveryourinterests,Ihopethatyouhavefoundthismethodof
commonchordmodulationtobeinterestingandofvalue.