Borrow chords from the parallel minor (or major) to add unexpected colour while staying in your key.
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Lo que aprenderas
- What modal mixture is and why it works.
- The most common borrowed chords in major (iv, bVI, bVII, bIII).
- How a single borrowed chord can pivot the mood of an entire chorus.
- How to spot mixture in songs you already know.
El concepto
Every major key has a parallel minor key with the same root but a different set of notes. C major and C minor share the note C but differ in three pitches. Modal mixture is the trick of pulling one or two chords from C minor while a song is otherwise in C major.
The most common borrowed chords in a major key are the minor iv, the flat VI, and the flat VII. Each adds a touch of darkness without leaving the home note behind. The result is bittersweet, nostalgic, or dramatic depending on where you place it.
En la guitarra
In C major play C, F, then Fm, then C. That Fm is borrowed from C minor and instantly changes the colour of the cadence.
Try the progression C, A flat, B flat, C. The A flat and B flat are b VI and b VII borrowed from C minor.
Ejercicios
- 01
Take a I IV V progression and replace IV with iv. Hear the difference.
- 02
Add a bVII before the V in any major key and analyse the new pull.
- 03
Write a four bar progression that uses one borrowed chord per bar.
Errores comunes
- Borrowing so much that the key disappears. Modal mixture is a seasoning, not a meal.
- Forgetting the bass line. A borrowed chord usually wants its bass note approached by step.
Escucha, toca, crea
- Listen: Creep by Radiohead pivots between major and parallel minor textures via a famous borrowed chord.
- Play: cycle I IV iv I and improvise a melody that lands on the minor third of iv.
- Create: write a verse that uses bVI and bVII as a hook.
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Lectura adicional
Borrowed chords are how you keep one foot in your key while letting the other wander. Used sparingly, they make a song unforgettable.