BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
10744 / 18210 · Workshop 88 — Harmonic Memory: How Earlier Chords Change the Meaning of Later Chords, How Repetition Rewrites Function, and How to Make a Listener Hear Long-Range Relationships← prev⊞ allnext →

88.108The larger lesson about harmony

We often analyze:

Cmaj7 → A7 → Dm7 → G7.

But the listener may also be hearing:

“This is the progression from the intro.”

That identity can be more important than chord function.

Harmony can therefore operate simultaneously as:

  • function
  • color
  • voice leading
  • thematic memory