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5.5.2 Melodic vs Harmonic: The "Star Spangled Banner" Tune
In modulation, it's not a case of melodic vs harmonic. Rather, modulation is both melodic and harmonic in nature. What follows is an example of a brief modulation. Chapter 6 goes into more depth about the various types of modulation and the kinds of chord progressions you can use to modulate.
How exactly do you modulate? One way is to exploit the brain’s recognition of the semitone move from 7 to 1 (8), from the leading tone to the key note of the scale. For example, stick a semitone move in an unexpected place and use it to signal a modulation—a change to a new key with a different tonal centre.
This is what happens near the beginning of “The Star Spangled Banner,” on the notes to the words, “early light.” The tune does not proceed along the scale like this (the numbers represent scale degrees):
Instead, the tune has a sharpened scale degree 4, creating a semitone between 4 and 5:
