modulant

Modulant is a term used in music theory to describe a harmonic element—such as a chord or musical gesture—that facilitates modulation, or a change of key, within a piece. In analyses that employ this concept, a modulant functions as a bridge or trigger that helps move from one tonal center to another, rather than simply fulfilling a local dominant or subdominant function in the current key.

In practice, modulants can take several forms. They may be pivot chords that are diatonic in both the original and target keys, chromatic chords that imply the new key, or dominant-type sonorities whose resolution points toward the destination key. The important feature is not the complete establishment of a new key on its own, but its capacity to steer harmony toward that key and to prepare the listener for the modulation.

The term modulant appears in some European theory writings and is less common in contemporary English-language discourse, where terms such as modulator, modulation, or pivot chord are more frequently used. When employed, it emphasizes the functional role of the harmonic element in creating or revealing a modulation rather than labeling a final key center by itself.

See also: Modulator (music), Harmonic modulation, Pivot chord, Common-tone modulation.