A punchline is like a sudden shift in rhythm, a tiny harmonic surprise. If you swap it for a full chord, the surprise spreads, turning that one laugh into a whole chorus of echoes, a melody of mirth that swells across the room. So it doesn’t stay a joke—it becomes an entire emotional dialect.

Sure, sarcasm can be like a sharp, unexpected interval—just make sure you hear the whole progression, not just the one note. It’ll keep pace if you let the harmony breathe around it.