Mod of the Day

Take 6 | O Come, All Ye Faithful

The second installment of this week’s a capella series features a 1991 version by TAKE 6, with a really slick modulation up a minor third at 0:54. Enjoy!

Pentatonix | O Come, All Ye Faithful

Happy Monday! We’re gonna do something a little different this week by featuring five different a cappella versions of “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” all containing (at least) one modulation, of course. Kicking off the week with the 2016 version by Pentatonix, key change at 3:00.

NSYNC | Home for Christmas

Happy Friday! Closing out the first full Xmas week with NSYNC’s “Home For Christmas” (1998). Key change at 2:55. Have a great weekend!

Brenda Lee | Go Tell It On the Mountain

Throwing it back with Brenda Lee’s rendition of “Go Tell It On The Mountain” (1991), with a modulation at 1:45.

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band | Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Changing it up with an instrumental selection today — “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Modulation at 1:29.

Voctave | You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Happy Tuesday! Today is our first feature of a group you will see numerous times over the next few weeks, Voctave‘s “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” (2017). There are a bunch of key changes at the beginning, but you have to listen all the way through just to hear that last chord!

Sarah Brightman | In the Bleak Midwinter

Happy Monday! Kicking off this first full holiday week with Sarah Brightman’s “In The Bleak Midwinter” (2015). Key change at 1:55.

Simon + Garfunkel | America

Released in 1968, Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” doesn’t modulate outright, but features a sense of restless change (befitting its road trip theme) as well as several key-of-the moment sections. AllMusic‘s review deemed it a song whose “sophisticated harmonic invention is toppled by its message,” while Classic Rock History described it as “wistful and optimistic, personal and universal, and most of all, uniquely American.”

James Taylor + Ray Charles | Sweet Potato Pie

Today we feature James Taylor’s “Sweet Potato Pie,” performed here with Ray Charles (2004). Key changes at 1:59 and 2:14.

Rufus Wainwright | The Sword of Damocles

Singer/songwriter/pianist Rufus Wainwright, a dual American/Canadian national (the son of American folk artist Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk artist Kate McGarrigle), is known for his cutting societal commentary. His 2018 release “The Sword of Damocles” is no exception.

At 3:14, a bridge of sorts sends the tune into a series of keys-of-the-moment; at 3:26, there’s a full-blown modulation.