Major or Minor? Why that's the Wrong Question

How modern film composers are moving beyond traditional keys.

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TL;DR

Film music isn't bound by major or minor keys the way classical music is. Instead of focusing on tonal centers, modern composers focus on the direct relationships between chords — using patterns, transformations, and textures that prioritize vibe over traditional function.

Why Classical Tonality Isn't the Only Way Anymore

For centuries, composers have been taught to think along the lines of, "Is this piece in major or minor?"

It's a fair question — especially if you're working in classical or traditional songwriting settings, BUT in the world of modern film and media music, that question is often irrelevant.

Why?

Because modern scoring isn't always about a key, it's about color, texture, and emotional energy.

In fact, many of the most impactful film cues aren't based on a clear tonic at all. They're built around progressions, textures, or recurring harmonic cells that evoke mood without relying on traditional tonal functions.

Neo-Riemannian Theory and CRs: A New Lens

One of the key tools behind this shift is a system that's been around for over 100 years: Neo-Riemannian Theory.

Instead of focusing on keys and cadences, this branch of music theory explores harmony through chord-to-chord relationships — often in pairs — called Triadic Transformations or what I like to call CRs (Chord Relationships).

CRs describe how one triad moves to another in a way that feels smooth, evocative, and often highly emotional, without worrying about staying inside a specific key or "resolving" to a tonic.

| If you're unfamiliar with CRs or how they work emotionally, you can check out my post How Chords Portray Emotion (with chord and emotions chart) to learn more.

This approach opens up a TON of freedom. You don't need to "stay in D minor." Or worry about modal interchange, or anything like that. You just need to link chords together in a way that feels emotionally right to you.

How to Build Progressions Without a Key

Understanding this theory is one thing. Using it in your writing is another.

Here is a simple method to start composing progressions without relying on diatonic harmony:

STEP ONE: Pick Your Starting Chord

The first chord in your progression helps set the emotional tone, so choose it with intention. Even if you're not writing in a specific key, starting with a major or minor chord can still anchor the vibe you're aiming for. I recommend thinking about the emotion you want to convey (and possibly the CR you'd like to use), then picking a chord that helps set you up for success.

STEP TWO: Pick a Cadence

A cadence is simply a combination of 1-3 chords used to signal the end of your progression. It doesn't have to follow classical rules — in fact, any pair of chords with little or no common tones can feel like a cadence, especially if you return to your opening chord or land on one that shares 2 or more notes in common with it.

That said, there are plenty of tried-and-true options worth exploring.

• The authentic cadence = V → I

• A deceptive cadence = V → vi

• A "Heroic" Cadence = Isus4 → Isus2 → I

• A "Romantic" Cadence = IV → iv → I

The goal is to create a sense of arrival at the end of your progression — whether bold, unexpected, or beautifully unresolved

STEP THREE: Fill in the Middle Using a Pattern

Here's where the magic really begins. Your job is to choose a pattern — any pattern — that creates a logical sense of forward motion, and repeat it until you reach your cadence (the cadence can always interrupt the pattern, if need be). This is the core principle behind all chord progressions (and honestly, most music in general).

The pattern doesn't need to be diatonic or traditional — it just needs to feel internally consistent. As long as there's a recognizable logic behind your chord choices, your progression will sound intentional and emotionally effective.

You're always free to invent your own, but here are a few of the most flexible (and cinematic) progression patterns to try:

SENTENCE STRUCTURE (AABC)

A = CR choice 1 A = Repeat CR choice 1 (sometimes with inversions) B = CR choice 2

C = Cadence

Period Structure (ABAC)

A = CR choice 1

B = CR choice 2

A = Repeat CR choice 1

C = Cadence

Absolute Progressions

Choose a single CR that you really like, and repeat it obsessively — changing inversions until the cadence interrupts.

Common Tone

Every chord in your progression shares the at least one common tone (e.g., they all contain a C-natural). Until interrupted by the cadence.

Constant Structure

Start by writing an interesting bassline, then harmonize it using chords of the same quality (e.g., all minor 7th chords).

Interval Based Movement

Move each chord by a fixed interval (e.g.,. always up a third by root, or down a P4 by root), until interrupted by the cadence.

So...Major or Minor?

The truth? It doesn't matter. What matters is how your chords connect. What colors they create. What story they tell — with or without a specific key.

You don't need to justify your harmony with scales. You just need a starting point, a goal, and a pattern that gives your progression purpose.

That's the magic of film music:

You don't have to play by old rules. you just have to mean what you write!

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Want to Learn How to Write Like This?

This blog is just scratching the surface. If you want step-by-step guidance on how to write emotional, story-driven music. Check out my textbook The Musical Storyteller: Translating Worlds, Characters, and Emotions Into Music.

📘 Grab the full textbook here

Or grab my free eBook - The Composer's Roadmap — a free guide to teaching yourself film composition.

🎓 Or enroll in my class on portraying emotion with music — built to help composers write with emotional clarity.