Pivot Chord
A chord shared by the old and new keys — the hinge of a modulation
Related
A pivot chord belongs to both the old and the new key: the music turns on it from one key into the other. Modulating from C major to G major, an A minor chord is vi in C and ii in G — one chord, two identities, and the turn is made.
It makes a modulation sound smooth rather than cut: the ear first hears the chord as part of the old key, and only when the new dominant arrives does it realise the centre has moved. The usual mistake is to expect the pivot to "sound like the new key" — on the contrary, it must first sound like the old one to fool the ear.
Read deeper → modulation
Sources
- 共同和弦在转调中的用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Modulation"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.