BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
3883 / 18210 · Workshop 21 — “Stella by Starlight”: Ambiguous Tonal Center, Non-Diatonic Harmony, and Hearing Function Without a Comfortable Home Key← prev⊞ allnext →

21.1Tonal ambiguity is not the same as randomness

A progression can sound difficult because it does not immediately establish a tonic.

But the chords may still have very clear local relationships.

You might hear:

dominant → destination

ii → V

half-diminished → dominant

chromatic approach → arrival

even though the global key remains uncertain.

That is enough to navigate.