Page 135Unsettled or Ambiguous Key Centers
Techniques such as displacing, suppressing or delaying the key chord, or using chords that don't belong to any one
key, can create tonal ambiguity. Consider this sequence from the verse of 'Step Inside Love':
C Gm7 Gb9 Gb7 F Fm7 E7 Eb F G7 Dm7 G7This progression keeps us guessing as far as key is concerned. The emotional effect is to arouse a complex emotion
rather than a simple one.
Using Transposition
'My Generation', 'All Of The Day And All Of The Night' and 'You Really Got Me' are songs that use a simple chord
change and transpose it into different keys. The chorus of 'California Girls' pushes a melodic idea through B to A to
G. Semitone (half-step) or tone (full step) shifts often occur with this technique, though its aim is often not to change
key but to preserve the melodic material. 'House Of Fun' starts in D and goes to Em and F#m on the chorus as the
hook line is transposed up a tone.
Of all the techniques covered in this book I would say that currently modulation is the most neglected technique in
popular song. It can take planning and a bit more trial-and-error with progressions, but a well-judged key change can
greatly deepen a song. For more detailed discussion of the emotional effects of modulation see some of the songs
discussed in section 14.
Section 11—
Guitar Resources Part 1
There are many ways that you, as a guitarist, can get the most from your instrument when writing and recording
songs. Here are some tips on how to use the guitar effectively in song arrangements.
Get More from One Guitar
Try these methods to get a fuller recorded sound from a single guitar part:
- Use stereo delay recorded onto two tracks.
- Use stereo delay onto two tracks, with one side also going through chorus, distortion, phasing or similar
processing.