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The Non-diatonic Chord: Chromatic Chord Progressions
- This provides a basic vocabulary of seven triads (three major, three minor, one diminished) in any given key, each with root-third-fifth structure and overtones all reinforcing each other.
- The brain interprets and processes all of these simultaneously-sounding tones with reinforcing overtones as the sonic delight, harmony.
However, chords can also progress by non-diatonic chords—intervals whose roots are not in the diatonic scale of the prevailing key. Such chord changes are called chromatic chord progressions.
For example, in the key of C major, you would call the progression from the chord C major to the chord to E♭ major a chromatic chord progression.