10708 / 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 →
88.72Tension is relative to established norm
If the arrangement's normal language is very chromatic:
plain harmony can be surprising.
If normal language is simple:
one altered chord is surprising.
There is no absolute tension scale independent of context.