Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

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Best MOTOWN KEY Change? Pick 3

Baby Love - Supremes
2
14%
My Girl - Temptations
2
14%
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted - Jimmy Ruffin
4
29%
Ain't No Valley High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
4
29%
For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder
2
14%
 
Total votes: 14

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Canis lupus
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Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby Canis lupus » 18 Sep 2018, 17:14

Pick 3/5 (change your mind if you like)





Bent Fabric
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Re: Best MOTOWN KEY CHANGE

Postby Bent Fabric » 18 Sep 2018, 17:16

Certainly "Ain't No...", although "My Cherie Amour" is another one that feels surprisingly organic.

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Mike Boom
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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby Mike Boom » 18 Sep 2018, 17:23

The key change in "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" is phenomenal and the emotional center of the song, it takes the song to another level and is, err.... heartbreaking.

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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby naughty boy » 18 Sep 2018, 17:38

I knew as soon I saw the title our old pal was back!

Thank fuck SOMEBODY here has some imagination!
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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby fange » 18 Sep 2018, 18:04

'Ain't No Mountain..' and 'What Becomes..' are definitely personal faves. There are so many though; the changes in 'It's The Same Old Song' or 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' never fail to give me goosebumps.
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Rayge
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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby Rayge » 18 Sep 2018, 19:09

what is a key change?
Serious question. If someone can point out when this magical thing happens in the first four listed (no way I'm listening to the last one), I'll gladly deliver my verdict
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TG
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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby TG » 18 Sep 2018, 20:11

Rayge wrote:what is a key change?
Serious question. If someone can point out when this magical thing happens in the first four listed (no way I'm listening to the last one), I'll gladly deliver my verdict


A song is being played in a certain key - A, for instance. Usually towards the end of the song the key will shift up a half step (to A sharp in this case) or a full step (to B) for dramatic effect. It could also modulate down or back down having already climbed.

In Baby Love it happens at about 1:35 after Diana sings “I get this need...”

In What Becomes of the Broken Hearted the chorus usually begins with a C chord but at 2:30 the last chorus remains in B flat and mimics the chord pattern that the verses have been using instead of modulating up as has happened on the previous choruses.

I don’t read music and barely understand theory but just worked it out on my piano. Somebody with more knowledge may come along and correct me but this is basically what’s being discussed.
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Canis lupus
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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby Canis lupus » 18 Sep 2018, 21:11

Rayge wrote:Serious question.... (no way I'm listening to the last one),

...why ever not?! Serious question

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Canis lupus
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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby Canis lupus » 18 Sep 2018, 21:19

TG wrote:
Rayge wrote:what is a key change?
Serious question. If someone can point out when this magical thing happens I'll gladly deliver my verdict


A song is being played in a certain key - A, for instance. Usually towards the end of the song the key will shift up a half step (to A sharp in this case) or a full step (to B) for dramatic effect. It could also modulate down or back down having already climbed.

In Baby Love it happens at about 1:35 after Diana sings “I get this need...”

In What Becomes of the Broken Hearted the chorus usually begins with a C chord but at 2:30 the last chorus remains in B flat and mimics the chord pattern that the verses have been using instead of modulating up as has happened on the previous choruses.

I don’t read music and barely understand theory but just worked it out on my piano. Somebody with more knowledge may come along and correct me but this is basically what’s being discussed.


Nice one, TG
I've always thought it an obvious device to give an otherwise middling track a bit of a lift towards the end.
It can also elevate a great song into something really brilliant (like Marvin / Tammi, and Stevie).

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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby Rayge » 18 Sep 2018, 22:58

Canis lupus wrote:
Rayge wrote:Serious question.... (no way I'm listening to the last one),

...why ever not?! Serious question

Never forgave Little Stevie Wonder for putting down his harp (not particularly serious answer, but with a grain of truth at its heart).
Add to that, I bought the others when they came out, and didn't really like For Once in My Life - last track of his I enjoyed was probably Uptight. And I hated the cornrow years. It felt like a terrible betrayal of soul and R&B, of a similar level to James Brown's. I know FOIML was before that, but it was retrospectively tainted by it in my taste. So, seeing as my time and desire to listen to any music is strictly limited, I'd rather not listen to anything of which I'd already formed a negative opinion, so I don't. Same principle as ignoring a poster :)
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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby Rayge » 18 Sep 2018, 23:01

TG wrote:
Rayge wrote:what is a key change?
Serious question. If someone can point out when this magical thing happens in the first four listed (no way I'm listening to the last one), I'll gladly deliver my verdict


A song is being played in a certain key - A, for instance. Usually towards the end of the song the key will shift up a half step (to A sharp in this case) or a full step (to B) for dramatic effect. It could also modulate down or back down having already climbed.

In Baby Love it happens at about 1:35 after Diana sings “I get this need...”

In What Becomes of the Broken Hearted the chorus usually begins with a C chord but at 2:30 the last chorus remains in B flat and mimics the chord pattern that the verses have been using instead of modulating up as has happened on the previous choruses.

I don’t read music and barely understand theory but just worked it out on my piano. Somebody with more knowledge may come along and correct me but this is basically what’s being discussed.


Thanks Tom - I still don't understand the theory (what's a key, what's a chord – I mean, I understand the words, but it doesn't translate at all to anything I'm actually experiencing), but the timings are a help.
In timeless moments we live forever

You can't play a tune on an absolute

Negative Capability...when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact & reason”

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TG
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Re: Best MOTOWN 45 KEY CHANGE

Postby TG » 19 Sep 2018, 00:18

Rayge wrote:
TG wrote:
Rayge wrote:what is a key change?
Serious question. If someone can point out when this magical thing happens in the first four listed (no way I'm listening to the last one), I'll gladly deliver my verdict


A song is being played in a certain key - A, for instance. Usually towards the end of the song the key will shift up a half step (to A sharp in this case) or a full step (to B) for dramatic effect. It could also modulate down or back down having already climbed.

In Baby Love it happens at about 1:35 after Diana sings “I get this need...”

In What Becomes of the Broken Hearted the chorus usually begins with a C chord but at 2:30 the last chorus remains in B flat and mimics the chord pattern that the verses have been using instead of modulating up as has happened on the previous choruses.

I don’t read music and barely understand theory but just worked it out on my piano. Somebody with more knowledge may come along and correct me but this is basically what’s being discussed.


Thanks Tom - I still don't understand the theory (what's a key, what's a chord – I mean, I understand the words, but it doesn't translate at all to anything I'm actually experiencing), but the timings are a help.


Do you like The Sound of Music? Me, either. I do know how to sing Do-Re-Mi, though. If you do then it’s like this - if A is Doe (a deer, a female deer) and you modulate to B then you’ve moved to Re (a drop of golden sun). If you modulate back down to A the you’ll bring us back to Doe, oh, oh, oh.

That’s probably the best I can do with my limited musical knowledge. Maybe somebody with a better grasp of the (musical) language will come along and better explain things.
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