[hammock]

D-E-F and its relatives are used everywhere. Examples

Pink Floyd Comfortably Numb First chord of verse

Eye of the Tiger (Survivor) First chord of verse (“Rising up” lyric)

You can say it’s a different bass note, and so it is. There is something about the chocolate-dill-cayenne example as well that if the harmony was 90% cayenne it probably wouldn’t work. Dill, it would work a bit better. Chocolate, it would work the best.

Same with the foyer. Dominant brass might be tougher than dominant evergreen or mint.