BookatlasPiano Rabbit Hole: Improvisation Theory & Practice
193 / 18210 · Module 6 — Cadences, Phrase Structure, Harmonic Rhythm, and Hearing Musical “Punctuation”← prev⊞ allnext →

6.30Melodic sequence and harmonic sequence

Suppose you have a melodic idea:

C D E

C D E

Move it up one scale degree:

D E F

D E F

then:

E F G

E F G

That's a melodic sequence.

Harmony can sequence too.

For example:

Am → Dm → G → C

Am → Dm → G → C

Roots move by fifths.

Then:

F → B° → E7 → Am

another chain.

Sequences create forward motion while preserving recognizable structure.