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5.5
Modulation and
Tonality
5.5.1
Modulation and Equal Temperament Tuning
Why in blazes did so many people struggle for so long to come up with a musical system of 12 major keys, 12 minor keys, and equal temperament?
To open and explore new frontiers of brain-friendly musical variety without sacrificing musical unity.
As will become clearer in later chapters, with too little variety, listeners get bored. With too little unity, they get confused. The equally-tempered 24-key system enables composers and songwriters to move around melodically and harmonically from key to key, while maintaining a cohesive musical narrative.
Changing keys within a piece of music is called modulation.