I was recently finishing a commissioned arrangement and had a spot that wasn’t quite working. That is, when I wrote it, it made internal sense despite going harmonically far afield.
But playing it in context, the harmony seemed too jarring – my ears didn’t have time to adjust. As I started experimenting with other possible options, a thought occurred: what if the notes aren’t the problem?
It didn’t take me long to find a solution that worked without changing a note. I simply had to adjust the rhythm. Basically, I was able to give each chords slightly more time so that the transitions weren’t so abrupt. With that accomplished, the harmony made sense again. The rhythm had to fit the feel of the overall arrangement, but that was easier to accomplish, and I was able to save the harmonic progression that I liked.
Don’t overlook the rhythm: choosing the wrong rhythm can make good note choices sound wrong.