How to change from key to key from pieces to pieces?

[bon_bear]

  I haf this friend who has completely mastered this...I've always wanted to know her secret...lol and I don't want to copy her...but i could only change a few...and the thing is, she could just play a chord and it would somehow link to the next song in a different key...I mean? How the heck do you do it?!

Let's say: I'm playing a piece in G major. and the next song is in E major. How would u play the pivot chord(?) in order to make it sound like it's in E major wen u just ended in a G major chord?

Does anyone understand wat I'm trying to say? lol....I noe it mite be a bit hard to understand...It's this skill that my theory teacher told me I would learn wen I do Harmony 5...but I really really wanna know how to do this...cuz it will help me alot in wat i'm currently doing!! (Switching from one piece to another piece in different keys without pausing too long in the middle of it...)

[cosine]

You'll most likely need a series of chords to make a seamless transition. A simple (but a bit rough sounding transition); I V V I. In G to E: G D A E

[bon_bear]

  That's better then nothing THANKS ALOT!~ Let me go try it..lol
Elizabear~

[cosine]

You'll most likely need a series of chords to make a seamless transition. A simple (but a bit rough sounding transition); I V V I. In G to E: G D A E

Oops, I did that in the middle of night yesterday without thinking. That progression is moving around fourths, and won't sound like resolving fifths.

Another progression to try: G, Am, Bdom.7, E.

[bon_bear]

  Hey!
Guess wat! Your mistake became the answer to my question! Just a few minutes ago, i figured out the way she does it. By using the dominant chord of the next key! and the chord notes haf to be close to the last chord notes in order to sound nice! ...erm... is this making any sense?
Elizabear~

Thanks alot Cosine!

[emmdoubleew]

You could always go up or down the circle of fifth , that's the really cheap way to do it.

[quantum]

You could also go for a series of major chords rising by step.  This can be quite adventurous compared to the circle of 5ths method: G, A, B (7), E

You could also move to the subdominant then use descending minor 7ths in the bass:
G, C7, B7, E
G, C7, B7#5b9, B7, E
G, C7#5, B7#5b9, B7, E
G, C6, B7b9, E


I find it useful to work backwards in these types of progressions.  Start with what resolves well into the final chord and work from there. 

Look for Your standard candences V-I, VI-I, V-VI, etc. 

Also look for tritone resolutions: Eg: Db7 will resolve to C because of the FB - EC resolution. 

Descending minor 7ths can be usefull (as I illustrated above)

[allchopin]

Hey!
Guess wat! Your mistake became the answer to my question! Just a few minutes ago, i figured out the way she does it. By using the dominant chord of the next key! and the chord notes haf to be close to the last chord notes in order to sound nice! ...erm... is this making any sense?
Elizabear~

Thanks alot Cosine!

You're right on track bon - the dominant of the new key (as well as the leading tonic) is called the secondary function of the old key and is used all the time in music, since the renaissance.  It's neat how these ideas aren't just propogated through schooling, but through tried-and-true intuition!

Also look for tritone resolutions: Eg: Db7 will resolve to C because of the FB - EC resolution.

Actually, what you are proposing quantum is not a complete resolution but just the German aug. 6th expanding outward to the dominant.  In this case, the new key would typically end up as F major.  This is because this sort of neapolitan chord is an awkward progression straight to tonic.

Nobody has yet listed an actual 'pivot' chord from G major to E major because one does not exist.  In order to make a smooth transition between such distant keys (G major with one sharp, and E with 4) you have to either use a 'sudden' secondary function, use mode mixture (more complex but expressive method used in romantic and jazz music) or go through a temporary key, one that shares a number of sharps in between 1 and 4.  Let's pick A major, which has 3, because if you are just two sharps or flats away, you can pivot.  An arbitrary progression could then be:
G: I - IV - V (pivot to A)
           A: IV                 - V - vi (pivot to E)
                                       E: ii                   - V⁷ - I
The V in G major is literally the same chord with the same notes as the IV in A major, so you can 'swap over' on that chord.  Likewise, vi in A is ii in E, etc.  This progression will not sound sudden and will introduce accidentals one at a time (a key element of smoothness).  However, if you are doing a church service and the choir is going to start a new song in a different key while you are still playing in the old key, you can always pull out an emergency progression: G - em - B7 - EM!  But don't expect your listeners to enjoy the experience.

[fencingfellow]

Nobody has yet listed an actual 'pivot' chord from G major to E major because one does not exist. 

Not quite true actually, there is one direct pivot chord from G major to E major.  We can thank enharmonicism for this.

In G major, vii diminished-7 contains F#, A, C, Eb.  Keeping all pitch classes the same, we can respell this as, D#, F#, A, C which is the vii diminished-7 of E major.

This is the only direct pivot, however.

[allchopin]

Not quite true actually, there is one direct pivot chord from G major to E major.  We can thank enharmonicism for this.

In G major, vii diminished-7 contains F#, A, C, Eb.  Keeping all pitch classes the same, we can respell this as, D#, F#, A, C which is the vii diminished-7 of E major.

This is the only direct pivot, however.

This is not a pivot because you have listed a note outside of the G major scale - Eb.  a vii of G major is half-diminshed unless affected by some chromatic change (like this mode mixture you have mentioned).  Thus there are no pivots between G and E, according to the diatonic pitches of each's scale.

[fencingfellow]

allchopin - my mistake, you are correct.
However, the vii being presented fully-diminished in a major key is an extremely common practice.  Though it *is* mode-mixture, it certainly sees more use (due to it's greater drive to tonic) than the purely diatonic vii half-diminished 7th chord.

[abell88]

The way I was taught to modulate:

ii, IV, vi (or in a pinch, I6) of the old key, followed by V7 of the new.

So from G to E:
G - em - B7 - E  (I vi V7 I)
or
G - am - B7 - E  (I ii V7 I)
both work okay.

[keyofc]

For a quick transition
from G Major to E Major
What about GM, F#minor, A Major with a B in the bass, and then E Major
I don't have keyboard here, but maybe GM6, GBDE, then F#ace,then B, F, B D# F, then  E?

[mike_lang]

How about G-am-B7-E (with ii/G becoming iv/E)?