BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
3603 / 18210 · Workshop 18 — “Have You Met Miss Jones?”: Sudden Key Centers, Major-Third Modulations, and Staying Oriented When Harmony Jumps← prev⊞ allnext →

18.5Major-third relationships

One especially striking sound in this tune comes from key centers separated by major thirds.

For example, conceptually:

B♭ major → G♭ major → D major

or similar distant relationships depending the exact section/version.

These are not adjacent on the Circle of Fifths.

They create a more surprising, almost geometric kind of modulation.