BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
5258 / 18210 · Workshop 35 — “Stella by Starlight”: Ambiguous Function, Deceptive Resolutions, Local Key Centers, and Navigating When the Harmony Refuses to Behave← prev⊞ allnext →

35.75Mini-composition exercise

Write 12 bars with:

  • one clear minor iiø–V–i
  • one dominant that resolves deceptively
  • one temporary major tonic
  • one chromatic bass line
  • one half-diminished chord used ambiguously
  • one final structural tonic

Restriction:

Do not use more than two new chord symbols per bar.

The goal is directional ambiguity, not density.