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Where are all the key changes in modern music?

For years, songwriters used a key change–usually a quick shift up–to add some extra oomph into a song. It can be a subtle and effective of all the key changes in the first 30 seconds of The Kinks “You Really Got Me”…

…to the jarring tick up (known as a “truck driver’s gear change”) just over three minutes into Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

But in recent years, key changes have all but disappeared from modern music. Why? Rick Beato takes a look.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39992 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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