Which term means going from one key to another?

• A. Transposition
• B. Key Change
• C. Modulation
• D. Harmony

Answer: (C)

Modulation is the act of moving from one key center to another within a piece. It involves establishing the new key so the music feels rooted there, often using a pivot chord that belongs to both keys or guiding the harmony to a cadence in the new key. This is different from transposition, which simply shifts every pitch up or down by the same interval without necessarily changing the tonal center. It’s also more precise than the informal phrase “key change,” which people might use casually; modulation is the technical process of changing the home key within a composition. Harmony, by contrast, studies how chords relate and progress, not the act of shifting keys itself.