BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
3440 / 18210 · Workshop 16 — “Autumn in New York”: Chromatic Major-Key Ballad, Borrowed Chords, Secondary Dominants, and Elegant Inner-Voice Motion← prev⊞ allnext →

16.5Borrowed harmony should sound temporary

If you play Fm briefly and then return to C:

it sounds like color.

If you remain in C minor for many bars with cadences there:

then you may actually be modulating.

The difference is not just the chord.

It is:

  • duration
  • cadence
  • tonal emphasis