If parallel keys aren't closely related, then why are they so easy to get to?












4















I got this comment on an answer of mine:




Parallel major/minor keys are not closely related. They are easy to
get to, but not closely related. It's like you might live by a subway
that make it easier to get somewhere, but you may not be close to the
destination.




(A comment on this answer)



Parallel keys are three sharps / flats away from the tonic, and therefore, they are not closely related. Regardless, they are very easy to get to. What's the reason?










share|improve this question




















  • 1





    A) why should there be any relationship between the two concepts? B) it’s very easy to get from C major to A minor, just play a G# followed by A. Or an E major chord followed by A minor chord.

    – Todd Wilcox
    Jan 31 at 4:36
















4















I got this comment on an answer of mine:




Parallel major/minor keys are not closely related. They are easy to
get to, but not closely related. It's like you might live by a subway
that make it easier to get somewhere, but you may not be close to the
destination.




(A comment on this answer)



Parallel keys are three sharps / flats away from the tonic, and therefore, they are not closely related. Regardless, they are very easy to get to. What's the reason?










share|improve this question




















  • 1





    A) why should there be any relationship between the two concepts? B) it’s very easy to get from C major to A minor, just play a G# followed by A. Or an E major chord followed by A minor chord.

    – Todd Wilcox
    Jan 31 at 4:36














4












4








4


1






I got this comment on an answer of mine:




Parallel major/minor keys are not closely related. They are easy to
get to, but not closely related. It's like you might live by a subway
that make it easier to get somewhere, but you may not be close to the
destination.




(A comment on this answer)



Parallel keys are three sharps / flats away from the tonic, and therefore, they are not closely related. Regardless, they are very easy to get to. What's the reason?










share|improve this question
















I got this comment on an answer of mine:




Parallel major/minor keys are not closely related. They are easy to
get to, but not closely related. It's like you might live by a subway
that make it easier to get somewhere, but you may not be close to the
destination.




(A comment on this answer)



Parallel keys are three sharps / flats away from the tonic, and therefore, they are not closely related. Regardless, they are very easy to get to. What's the reason?







theory harmony terminology key modulation






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Mar 27 at 1:12







Maika Sakuranomiya

















asked Jan 31 at 3:12









Maika SakuranomiyaMaika Sakuranomiya

1




1








  • 1





    A) why should there be any relationship between the two concepts? B) it’s very easy to get from C major to A minor, just play a G# followed by A. Or an E major chord followed by A minor chord.

    – Todd Wilcox
    Jan 31 at 4:36














  • 1





    A) why should there be any relationship between the two concepts? B) it’s very easy to get from C major to A minor, just play a G# followed by A. Or an E major chord followed by A minor chord.

    – Todd Wilcox
    Jan 31 at 4:36








1




1





A) why should there be any relationship between the two concepts? B) it’s very easy to get from C major to A minor, just play a G# followed by A. Or an E major chord followed by A minor chord.

– Todd Wilcox
Jan 31 at 4:36





A) why should there be any relationship between the two concepts? B) it’s very easy to get from C major to A minor, just play a G# followed by A. Or an E major chord followed by A minor chord.

– Todd Wilcox
Jan 31 at 4:36










5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes


















8














The issue here is to define "closely related" and "easy to get to". Here is my take on those phrases:
Closely related: Two keys are closely related when they share similar key signatures.



For example, compared to C major:




  • A minor has the same key signature (no sharps/flats)

  • F major has only one extra flat

  • G major has only one extra sharp


Easy to get to: How smoothly one can transition from one key to another. Most keys can be fairly simple to get to as long as the voice leading is good. Back to our C major example, Playing a C -> Cm chord only requires the E to go to an Eb. So even though C minor has 3 flats, it can be transitioned to in a straightforward way.






share|improve this answer



















  • 1





    Well, going C Cm straight usually does not sound that great. More common is to borrow the shared V chord from the minor with natural 7th: C G Cm.

    – yo'
    Mar 13 at 15:11






  • 1





    Whether it sounds great or not is a different matter (and also quite subjective). e.g. I don't think going from C to Cm sounds that bad.

    – nivlac
    Mar 15 at 2:47



















10














Closely related keys are keys that have at most one accidental difference. So the set of notes inside the key are almost identical (or identical in the case of relative major/minor keys).



You can get to any key from any other key, but some key require less perpetration and have easily ways to convincingly transition. Parallel major/minor keys are some of the easiest to transition to and from because they share dominants. A G7 can just as easily get you C or Cm. There's even the concept of a Picardy third which is ending a minor piece or section on a parallel major chord. This is easy to achieve due to how the dominant can go to both naturally and convincingly without any need for preparation.



If you want to see examples on how modulation can take you to any key, I recommend Modulation by Max Reger.






share|improve this answer

































    8














    Well, "easy to get to" isn't exactly a very precise term musically. For a good example, note that from A major, B♭ major is almost as unrelated as it gets. However, lots of songs will just shift up a half-step to get to B♭ major.



    I suppose the answer is that ultimately, "easy to get to" is completely independent of "related". How related a key is is a good indicator of how easily one can prepare a modulation as smoothly as possible, since we can all agree that "up a half-step" is rarely smooth.



    EDIT: I was not aware that "closely related" is a specific term. I'll change it so my original use keeps its meaning.






    share|improve this answer





















    • 3





      I've used 'up a semitone' hundreds of times with choirs, and even simple groups of people singing, with not much musical knowledge. Sometimes, because I started in the wrong key, sometimes for fun. Vast majority of the time, no-one seemed to notice, but took the key change in their stride. Helped by the fact that the root of the old key becomes the leading note of the new. Also, with some songs, done a verse or two in parallel minor, when the song is in major. Or vice versa. Again, very few eyebrows raised.

      – Tim
      Jan 31 at 8:43





















    5














    Parallel keys do share the same dominant; this allows an easy transition using some type of authentic cadence. One may simply have a V-I somewhere (to establish the key) then use V-i to transition. It's not really a modulation; the same tonic note is being used.






    share|improve this answer
























    • But what about when the dominant is not used and it is just going straight from 1 tonic to the parallel minor? Like sometimes I see, especially in Beethoven, C -> Cm and vice versa with no bridging chord at all. I even occasionally see it in Mozart. This gives a weird sounding harmony which is why I consider going to the parallel key to be a modulation, even if the tonic note is shared.

      – Caters
      Jan 31 at 20:41











    • Two things seem important here. If it's really a move to the parallel key (as in many tangos), there will have to be something that distinguishes the C-minor (for example) from E-major; often that's using a natural B in a dominant-like chord (V,V7,vii0,etc.). Going the other way this isn't so important. The dominant need not be part of the transition but it still connects the keys. The other thing (the obverse of the first) is that one can use "borrowed" chords for color without changing the key (or mode) at all. Besame Mucho is a good example.

      – ttw
      Jan 31 at 22:21



















    0














    Parallel keys are not closely related as they are THREE flats away from each other. However, they can be transitioned to a straightforward and natural way, as they share the same tonic note and have the same dominant chord.






    share|improve this answer
























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      5 Answers
      5






      active

      oldest

      votes








      5 Answers
      5






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      8














      The issue here is to define "closely related" and "easy to get to". Here is my take on those phrases:
      Closely related: Two keys are closely related when they share similar key signatures.



      For example, compared to C major:




      • A minor has the same key signature (no sharps/flats)

      • F major has only one extra flat

      • G major has only one extra sharp


      Easy to get to: How smoothly one can transition from one key to another. Most keys can be fairly simple to get to as long as the voice leading is good. Back to our C major example, Playing a C -> Cm chord only requires the E to go to an Eb. So even though C minor has 3 flats, it can be transitioned to in a straightforward way.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 1





        Well, going C Cm straight usually does not sound that great. More common is to borrow the shared V chord from the minor with natural 7th: C G Cm.

        – yo'
        Mar 13 at 15:11






      • 1





        Whether it sounds great or not is a different matter (and also quite subjective). e.g. I don't think going from C to Cm sounds that bad.

        – nivlac
        Mar 15 at 2:47
















      8














      The issue here is to define "closely related" and "easy to get to". Here is my take on those phrases:
      Closely related: Two keys are closely related when they share similar key signatures.



      For example, compared to C major:




      • A minor has the same key signature (no sharps/flats)

      • F major has only one extra flat

      • G major has only one extra sharp


      Easy to get to: How smoothly one can transition from one key to another. Most keys can be fairly simple to get to as long as the voice leading is good. Back to our C major example, Playing a C -> Cm chord only requires the E to go to an Eb. So even though C minor has 3 flats, it can be transitioned to in a straightforward way.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 1





        Well, going C Cm straight usually does not sound that great. More common is to borrow the shared V chord from the minor with natural 7th: C G Cm.

        – yo'
        Mar 13 at 15:11






      • 1





        Whether it sounds great or not is a different matter (and also quite subjective). e.g. I don't think going from C to Cm sounds that bad.

        – nivlac
        Mar 15 at 2:47














      8












      8








      8







      The issue here is to define "closely related" and "easy to get to". Here is my take on those phrases:
      Closely related: Two keys are closely related when they share similar key signatures.



      For example, compared to C major:




      • A minor has the same key signature (no sharps/flats)

      • F major has only one extra flat

      • G major has only one extra sharp


      Easy to get to: How smoothly one can transition from one key to another. Most keys can be fairly simple to get to as long as the voice leading is good. Back to our C major example, Playing a C -> Cm chord only requires the E to go to an Eb. So even though C minor has 3 flats, it can be transitioned to in a straightforward way.






      share|improve this answer













      The issue here is to define "closely related" and "easy to get to". Here is my take on those phrases:
      Closely related: Two keys are closely related when they share similar key signatures.



      For example, compared to C major:




      • A minor has the same key signature (no sharps/flats)

      • F major has only one extra flat

      • G major has only one extra sharp


      Easy to get to: How smoothly one can transition from one key to another. Most keys can be fairly simple to get to as long as the voice leading is good. Back to our C major example, Playing a C -> Cm chord only requires the E to go to an Eb. So even though C minor has 3 flats, it can be transitioned to in a straightforward way.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Jan 31 at 4:09









      nivlacnivlac

      3014




      3014








      • 1





        Well, going C Cm straight usually does not sound that great. More common is to borrow the shared V chord from the minor with natural 7th: C G Cm.

        – yo'
        Mar 13 at 15:11






      • 1





        Whether it sounds great or not is a different matter (and also quite subjective). e.g. I don't think going from C to Cm sounds that bad.

        – nivlac
        Mar 15 at 2:47














      • 1





        Well, going C Cm straight usually does not sound that great. More common is to borrow the shared V chord from the minor with natural 7th: C G Cm.

        – yo'
        Mar 13 at 15:11






      • 1





        Whether it sounds great or not is a different matter (and also quite subjective). e.g. I don't think going from C to Cm sounds that bad.

        – nivlac
        Mar 15 at 2:47








      1




      1





      Well, going C Cm straight usually does not sound that great. More common is to borrow the shared V chord from the minor with natural 7th: C G Cm.

      – yo'
      Mar 13 at 15:11





      Well, going C Cm straight usually does not sound that great. More common is to borrow the shared V chord from the minor with natural 7th: C G Cm.

      – yo'
      Mar 13 at 15:11




      1




      1





      Whether it sounds great or not is a different matter (and also quite subjective). e.g. I don't think going from C to Cm sounds that bad.

      – nivlac
      Mar 15 at 2:47





      Whether it sounds great or not is a different matter (and also quite subjective). e.g. I don't think going from C to Cm sounds that bad.

      – nivlac
      Mar 15 at 2:47











      10














      Closely related keys are keys that have at most one accidental difference. So the set of notes inside the key are almost identical (or identical in the case of relative major/minor keys).



      You can get to any key from any other key, but some key require less perpetration and have easily ways to convincingly transition. Parallel major/minor keys are some of the easiest to transition to and from because they share dominants. A G7 can just as easily get you C or Cm. There's even the concept of a Picardy third which is ending a minor piece or section on a parallel major chord. This is easy to achieve due to how the dominant can go to both naturally and convincingly without any need for preparation.



      If you want to see examples on how modulation can take you to any key, I recommend Modulation by Max Reger.






      share|improve this answer






























        10














        Closely related keys are keys that have at most one accidental difference. So the set of notes inside the key are almost identical (or identical in the case of relative major/minor keys).



        You can get to any key from any other key, but some key require less perpetration and have easily ways to convincingly transition. Parallel major/minor keys are some of the easiest to transition to and from because they share dominants. A G7 can just as easily get you C or Cm. There's even the concept of a Picardy third which is ending a minor piece or section on a parallel major chord. This is easy to achieve due to how the dominant can go to both naturally and convincingly without any need for preparation.



        If you want to see examples on how modulation can take you to any key, I recommend Modulation by Max Reger.






        share|improve this answer




























          10












          10








          10







          Closely related keys are keys that have at most one accidental difference. So the set of notes inside the key are almost identical (or identical in the case of relative major/minor keys).



          You can get to any key from any other key, but some key require less perpetration and have easily ways to convincingly transition. Parallel major/minor keys are some of the easiest to transition to and from because they share dominants. A G7 can just as easily get you C or Cm. There's even the concept of a Picardy third which is ending a minor piece or section on a parallel major chord. This is easy to achieve due to how the dominant can go to both naturally and convincingly without any need for preparation.



          If you want to see examples on how modulation can take you to any key, I recommend Modulation by Max Reger.






          share|improve this answer















          Closely related keys are keys that have at most one accidental difference. So the set of notes inside the key are almost identical (or identical in the case of relative major/minor keys).



          You can get to any key from any other key, but some key require less perpetration and have easily ways to convincingly transition. Parallel major/minor keys are some of the easiest to transition to and from because they share dominants. A G7 can just as easily get you C or Cm. There's even the concept of a Picardy third which is ending a minor piece or section on a parallel major chord. This is easy to achieve due to how the dominant can go to both naturally and convincingly without any need for preparation.



          If you want to see examples on how modulation can take you to any key, I recommend Modulation by Max Reger.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited Jan 31 at 5:00









          user45266

          3,9251734




          3,9251734










          answered Jan 31 at 4:43









          DomDom

          37k19109226




          37k19109226























              8














              Well, "easy to get to" isn't exactly a very precise term musically. For a good example, note that from A major, B♭ major is almost as unrelated as it gets. However, lots of songs will just shift up a half-step to get to B♭ major.



              I suppose the answer is that ultimately, "easy to get to" is completely independent of "related". How related a key is is a good indicator of how easily one can prepare a modulation as smoothly as possible, since we can all agree that "up a half-step" is rarely smooth.



              EDIT: I was not aware that "closely related" is a specific term. I'll change it so my original use keeps its meaning.






              share|improve this answer





















              • 3





                I've used 'up a semitone' hundreds of times with choirs, and even simple groups of people singing, with not much musical knowledge. Sometimes, because I started in the wrong key, sometimes for fun. Vast majority of the time, no-one seemed to notice, but took the key change in their stride. Helped by the fact that the root of the old key becomes the leading note of the new. Also, with some songs, done a verse or two in parallel minor, when the song is in major. Or vice versa. Again, very few eyebrows raised.

                – Tim
                Jan 31 at 8:43


















              8














              Well, "easy to get to" isn't exactly a very precise term musically. For a good example, note that from A major, B♭ major is almost as unrelated as it gets. However, lots of songs will just shift up a half-step to get to B♭ major.



              I suppose the answer is that ultimately, "easy to get to" is completely independent of "related". How related a key is is a good indicator of how easily one can prepare a modulation as smoothly as possible, since we can all agree that "up a half-step" is rarely smooth.



              EDIT: I was not aware that "closely related" is a specific term. I'll change it so my original use keeps its meaning.






              share|improve this answer





















              • 3





                I've used 'up a semitone' hundreds of times with choirs, and even simple groups of people singing, with not much musical knowledge. Sometimes, because I started in the wrong key, sometimes for fun. Vast majority of the time, no-one seemed to notice, but took the key change in their stride. Helped by the fact that the root of the old key becomes the leading note of the new. Also, with some songs, done a verse or two in parallel minor, when the song is in major. Or vice versa. Again, very few eyebrows raised.

                – Tim
                Jan 31 at 8:43
















              8












              8








              8







              Well, "easy to get to" isn't exactly a very precise term musically. For a good example, note that from A major, B♭ major is almost as unrelated as it gets. However, lots of songs will just shift up a half-step to get to B♭ major.



              I suppose the answer is that ultimately, "easy to get to" is completely independent of "related". How related a key is is a good indicator of how easily one can prepare a modulation as smoothly as possible, since we can all agree that "up a half-step" is rarely smooth.



              EDIT: I was not aware that "closely related" is a specific term. I'll change it so my original use keeps its meaning.






              share|improve this answer















              Well, "easy to get to" isn't exactly a very precise term musically. For a good example, note that from A major, B♭ major is almost as unrelated as it gets. However, lots of songs will just shift up a half-step to get to B♭ major.



              I suppose the answer is that ultimately, "easy to get to" is completely independent of "related". How related a key is is a good indicator of how easily one can prepare a modulation as smoothly as possible, since we can all agree that "up a half-step" is rarely smooth.



              EDIT: I was not aware that "closely related" is a specific term. I'll change it so my original use keeps its meaning.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Jan 31 at 4:57

























              answered Jan 31 at 4:24









              user45266user45266

              3,9251734




              3,9251734








              • 3





                I've used 'up a semitone' hundreds of times with choirs, and even simple groups of people singing, with not much musical knowledge. Sometimes, because I started in the wrong key, sometimes for fun. Vast majority of the time, no-one seemed to notice, but took the key change in their stride. Helped by the fact that the root of the old key becomes the leading note of the new. Also, with some songs, done a verse or two in parallel minor, when the song is in major. Or vice versa. Again, very few eyebrows raised.

                – Tim
                Jan 31 at 8:43
















              • 3





                I've used 'up a semitone' hundreds of times with choirs, and even simple groups of people singing, with not much musical knowledge. Sometimes, because I started in the wrong key, sometimes for fun. Vast majority of the time, no-one seemed to notice, but took the key change in their stride. Helped by the fact that the root of the old key becomes the leading note of the new. Also, with some songs, done a verse or two in parallel minor, when the song is in major. Or vice versa. Again, very few eyebrows raised.

                – Tim
                Jan 31 at 8:43










              3




              3





              I've used 'up a semitone' hundreds of times with choirs, and even simple groups of people singing, with not much musical knowledge. Sometimes, because I started in the wrong key, sometimes for fun. Vast majority of the time, no-one seemed to notice, but took the key change in their stride. Helped by the fact that the root of the old key becomes the leading note of the new. Also, with some songs, done a verse or two in parallel minor, when the song is in major. Or vice versa. Again, very few eyebrows raised.

              – Tim
              Jan 31 at 8:43







              I've used 'up a semitone' hundreds of times with choirs, and even simple groups of people singing, with not much musical knowledge. Sometimes, because I started in the wrong key, sometimes for fun. Vast majority of the time, no-one seemed to notice, but took the key change in their stride. Helped by the fact that the root of the old key becomes the leading note of the new. Also, with some songs, done a verse or two in parallel minor, when the song is in major. Or vice versa. Again, very few eyebrows raised.

              – Tim
              Jan 31 at 8:43













              5














              Parallel keys do share the same dominant; this allows an easy transition using some type of authentic cadence. One may simply have a V-I somewhere (to establish the key) then use V-i to transition. It's not really a modulation; the same tonic note is being used.






              share|improve this answer
























              • But what about when the dominant is not used and it is just going straight from 1 tonic to the parallel minor? Like sometimes I see, especially in Beethoven, C -> Cm and vice versa with no bridging chord at all. I even occasionally see it in Mozart. This gives a weird sounding harmony which is why I consider going to the parallel key to be a modulation, even if the tonic note is shared.

                – Caters
                Jan 31 at 20:41











              • Two things seem important here. If it's really a move to the parallel key (as in many tangos), there will have to be something that distinguishes the C-minor (for example) from E-major; often that's using a natural B in a dominant-like chord (V,V7,vii0,etc.). Going the other way this isn't so important. The dominant need not be part of the transition but it still connects the keys. The other thing (the obverse of the first) is that one can use "borrowed" chords for color without changing the key (or mode) at all. Besame Mucho is a good example.

                – ttw
                Jan 31 at 22:21
















              5














              Parallel keys do share the same dominant; this allows an easy transition using some type of authentic cadence. One may simply have a V-I somewhere (to establish the key) then use V-i to transition. It's not really a modulation; the same tonic note is being used.






              share|improve this answer
























              • But what about when the dominant is not used and it is just going straight from 1 tonic to the parallel minor? Like sometimes I see, especially in Beethoven, C -> Cm and vice versa with no bridging chord at all. I even occasionally see it in Mozart. This gives a weird sounding harmony which is why I consider going to the parallel key to be a modulation, even if the tonic note is shared.

                – Caters
                Jan 31 at 20:41











              • Two things seem important here. If it's really a move to the parallel key (as in many tangos), there will have to be something that distinguishes the C-minor (for example) from E-major; often that's using a natural B in a dominant-like chord (V,V7,vii0,etc.). Going the other way this isn't so important. The dominant need not be part of the transition but it still connects the keys. The other thing (the obverse of the first) is that one can use "borrowed" chords for color without changing the key (or mode) at all. Besame Mucho is a good example.

                – ttw
                Jan 31 at 22:21














              5












              5








              5







              Parallel keys do share the same dominant; this allows an easy transition using some type of authentic cadence. One may simply have a V-I somewhere (to establish the key) then use V-i to transition. It's not really a modulation; the same tonic note is being used.






              share|improve this answer













              Parallel keys do share the same dominant; this allows an easy transition using some type of authentic cadence. One may simply have a V-I somewhere (to establish the key) then use V-i to transition. It's not really a modulation; the same tonic note is being used.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Jan 31 at 8:26









              ttwttw

              9,356932




              9,356932













              • But what about when the dominant is not used and it is just going straight from 1 tonic to the parallel minor? Like sometimes I see, especially in Beethoven, C -> Cm and vice versa with no bridging chord at all. I even occasionally see it in Mozart. This gives a weird sounding harmony which is why I consider going to the parallel key to be a modulation, even if the tonic note is shared.

                – Caters
                Jan 31 at 20:41











              • Two things seem important here. If it's really a move to the parallel key (as in many tangos), there will have to be something that distinguishes the C-minor (for example) from E-major; often that's using a natural B in a dominant-like chord (V,V7,vii0,etc.). Going the other way this isn't so important. The dominant need not be part of the transition but it still connects the keys. The other thing (the obverse of the first) is that one can use "borrowed" chords for color without changing the key (or mode) at all. Besame Mucho is a good example.

                – ttw
                Jan 31 at 22:21



















              • But what about when the dominant is not used and it is just going straight from 1 tonic to the parallel minor? Like sometimes I see, especially in Beethoven, C -> Cm and vice versa with no bridging chord at all. I even occasionally see it in Mozart. This gives a weird sounding harmony which is why I consider going to the parallel key to be a modulation, even if the tonic note is shared.

                – Caters
                Jan 31 at 20:41











              • Two things seem important here. If it's really a move to the parallel key (as in many tangos), there will have to be something that distinguishes the C-minor (for example) from E-major; often that's using a natural B in a dominant-like chord (V,V7,vii0,etc.). Going the other way this isn't so important. The dominant need not be part of the transition but it still connects the keys. The other thing (the obverse of the first) is that one can use "borrowed" chords for color without changing the key (or mode) at all. Besame Mucho is a good example.

                – ttw
                Jan 31 at 22:21

















              But what about when the dominant is not used and it is just going straight from 1 tonic to the parallel minor? Like sometimes I see, especially in Beethoven, C -> Cm and vice versa with no bridging chord at all. I even occasionally see it in Mozart. This gives a weird sounding harmony which is why I consider going to the parallel key to be a modulation, even if the tonic note is shared.

              – Caters
              Jan 31 at 20:41





              But what about when the dominant is not used and it is just going straight from 1 tonic to the parallel minor? Like sometimes I see, especially in Beethoven, C -> Cm and vice versa with no bridging chord at all. I even occasionally see it in Mozart. This gives a weird sounding harmony which is why I consider going to the parallel key to be a modulation, even if the tonic note is shared.

              – Caters
              Jan 31 at 20:41













              Two things seem important here. If it's really a move to the parallel key (as in many tangos), there will have to be something that distinguishes the C-minor (for example) from E-major; often that's using a natural B in a dominant-like chord (V,V7,vii0,etc.). Going the other way this isn't so important. The dominant need not be part of the transition but it still connects the keys. The other thing (the obverse of the first) is that one can use "borrowed" chords for color without changing the key (or mode) at all. Besame Mucho is a good example.

              – ttw
              Jan 31 at 22:21





              Two things seem important here. If it's really a move to the parallel key (as in many tangos), there will have to be something that distinguishes the C-minor (for example) from E-major; often that's using a natural B in a dominant-like chord (V,V7,vii0,etc.). Going the other way this isn't so important. The dominant need not be part of the transition but it still connects the keys. The other thing (the obverse of the first) is that one can use "borrowed" chords for color without changing the key (or mode) at all. Besame Mucho is a good example.

              – ttw
              Jan 31 at 22:21











              0














              Parallel keys are not closely related as they are THREE flats away from each other. However, they can be transitioned to a straightforward and natural way, as they share the same tonic note and have the same dominant chord.






              share|improve this answer




























                0














                Parallel keys are not closely related as they are THREE flats away from each other. However, they can be transitioned to a straightforward and natural way, as they share the same tonic note and have the same dominant chord.






                share|improve this answer


























                  0












                  0








                  0







                  Parallel keys are not closely related as they are THREE flats away from each other. However, they can be transitioned to a straightforward and natural way, as they share the same tonic note and have the same dominant chord.






                  share|improve this answer













                  Parallel keys are not closely related as they are THREE flats away from each other. However, they can be transitioned to a straightforward and natural way, as they share the same tonic note and have the same dominant chord.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Feb 15 at 6:31









                  Maika SakuranomiyaMaika Sakuranomiya

                  1




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