BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
3437 / 18210 · Workshop 16 — “Autumn in New York”: Chromatic Major-Key Ballad, Borrowed Chords, Secondary Dominants, and Elegant Inner-Voice Motion← prev⊞ allnext →

16.2The first borrowed color: iv

In C major:

IV = F major.

Borrow the minor iv from C minor:

Fm

Fm = F A♭ C

So:

F → Fm → C

F → Fm → C

gives one of our most important emotional progressions.

The crucial inner line is:

A → A♭ → G

A → A♭ → G

That line matters more than the chord names.