Key changes are sometimes written in by the songwriter as a natural occurrence (like in Cheryl Crow's “Every Day Is a Winding Road”). Just as often, though, a key change is a production decision made when a song seems to be bogging down at a certain point. This kind of key change is usually used between back-to-back verses (like in George Jones's “He Stopped Loving Her Today”) or to give a final chorus a little extra “oomph” (as with Bon Jovi's “Livin' on a Prayer”). Key changes sometimes add just enough difference to a song to keep the short attention span crowd from tuning out.

Although a key change is a convenient way to solve a problem without changing the lyric, melody, or structure of the song, it's easy to overuse this quick fix. Before you change keys, ask yourself if the song needs anything extra. If a song is rolling along just fine, a key change can muddle up a good thing and make charting, playing, and singing the song more difficult.