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6.6.3 Harmony and Melody: Scale Neighbors are Very Different
Just as scale degrees 7 and 2 are scale neighbours of the tonic note in melody, so in harmony the V chord is the scale neighbour of the I chord, the tonic chord.
And that means the chord change V – I is the smallest scale move you can make in harmony. The V chord and the I chord are, therefore, harmonic scale neighbours.
This is precisely the opposite of the situation in melody.
For example, in the key of C major:
- Melodically, the notes B and C are close together. They’re melodic scale neighbours. The notes C and G are as far apart as you can get—definitely not melodic scale neighbours.
- Harmonically, the chords C major and G major are close together. They’re harmonic scale neighbours. But the chords C major and B major are far apart—definitely not harmonic scale neighbours.