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Rimsky-Korsakov, Practical Manual of Harmony in English

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov · section 55 of 96

False relations

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§ 53. — 1) The immediate connection of chords belonging to the different modes — natural and harmonic — results in chromatic motion in one of the parts.

The connection of chords of the natural minor mode with chords of the harmonic minor mode produces ascending chromatic motion:

Example: ascending chromatic motion, G to G♯.
Fig. 216 · See it in the reader

The connection of chords of the natural major mode with chords of the harmonic major mode produces descending chromatic motion:

Example: descending chromatic motion, A to A♭.
Fig. 217 · See it in the reader

2) The chromatic motion must absolutely lie in one and the same part, to avoid what is called a false relation, which is strictly forbidden to the student:

Example: false relation — the chromatic step is split between two parts (G in the bass, G♯ in the treble; A in the treble, A♭ in the bass), shown by connecting
Fig. 218 · See it in the reader

3) Connections of chords belonging to different modes are called polytonic successions. (*)