BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
730 / 18210 · Module 16 — Improvisation from Chord Tones: How to Stop “Running Scales”← prev⊞ allnext →

16.39Secondary dominants change your target notes

Take:

Cmaj7 → E7 → Am7

Cmaj7 → E7 → Am7

If you continue playing only C-major notes, G natural may clash with E7's G♯.

So over E7, emphasize:

G♯

Then resolve:

G♯ → A

G♯ → A

This is exactly the same chromatic line we studied harmonically.

Now you're improvising through it.