Borrowed chord

A borrowed chord (also called mode mixture,<ref name="Romeo">Romeo, Sheila (1999). Complete Rock Keyboard Method: Mastering Rock Keyboard, p. 42. Template:ISBN. Bouchard, Joe and Romeo, Sheila (2007). The Total Rock Keyboardist, p. 120. Alfred Music. Template:ISBN.</ref> modal mixture,<ref name="B&S" /> substituted chord,<ref name="White">White, William Alfred (1911). Harmonic Part-writing, p. 42. Silver, Burdett, & Co. Template:Pre-ISBN.</ref> modal interchange,<ref name="Romeo" /> or mutation<ref name="K&P 246">Template:Cite book</ref>) is a chord borrowed from the parallel key (minor or major scale with the same tonic). Borrowed chords are typically used as "color chords", providing harmonic variety through contrasting scale forms, which are major scales and the three forms of minor scales.<ref name="B&S">Benward & Saker (2009), p. 71.</ref> Chords may also be borrowed from other parallel modes besides the major and minor mode, for example D Dorian with D major.<ref name="Romeo" /> The mixing of the major and minor modes developed in the Baroque period.<ref>Benward & Saker (2009), p. 74.</ref>

Borrowed chords are distinguished from modulation by being brief enough that the tonic is not lost or displaced, and may be considered brief or transitory modulations<ref name="White" /> and may be distinguished from secondary chords<ref>Sorce, Richard (1995). Music Theory for the Music Professional, p. 332. Scarecrow Press. Template:ISBN.</ref> as well as altered chords.<ref name="Romeo" /> According to Sheila Romeo, "[t]he borrowed chord suggests the sound of its own mode without actually switching to that mode."<ref name="Romeo" />

Common borrowed chords

Template:Image frame Sheila Romeo explains that "[i]n theory, any chord from any mode of the scale of the piece is a potential modal interchange or borrowed chord. Some are used more frequently than others, while some almost never occur."<ref name="Romeo" />

In the minor mode, a common borrowed chord from the parallel major key is the Picardy third.

In the major mode, the most common examples of borrowed chords are those involving the Template:MusicTemplate:Music, also known as the lowered sixth scale degree. These chords are shown below, in the key of C major.<ref>Kostka, p. 344.</ref>

viiTemplate:Music7: B–D–F–ATemplate:Music iiTemplate:Music: D–F–ATemplate:Music iiTemplate:Music7: D–F–ATemplate:Music–C iv: F–ATemplate:Music–C		<score sound="1"> { \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c' { \clef treble \time 4/4 1_\markup { \translate #'(-7.5 . 0) { \concat { \small "C Maj.:" \hspace #1 \normalsize "vii" \raise #1 \small "o7" \hspace #3.5 "ii" \raise #1 \small "o" \hspace #5.5 "ii" \raise #1 \small "ø7" \hspace #5 "iv" } } } <d f aes> <d f aes c> <f aes c> \bar "||" } } </score>

The next most common involve the Template:MusicTemplate:Music and Template:MusicTemplate:Music. These chords are shown below.<ref>Kostka, pp. 346–347.</ref>

i: C–ETemplate:Music–G Template:MusicVI: ATemplate:Music–C–ETemplate:Music iv7: F–ATemplate:Music–C–ETemplate:Music Template:MusicIII: ETemplate:Music–G–BTemplate:Music Template:MusicVII: BTemplate:Music–D–F		<score sound="1"> { \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c' { \clef treble \time 4/4 <c es g>1_\markup { \translate #'(-7.5 . 0) { \concat { \small "C Maj.: " \hspace #1 \normalsize "i" \hspace #6 "♭VI" \hspace #6 "iv" \raise #1 \small "7" \hspace #5 "♭III" \hspace #4.5 "♭VII" } } } <aes' c es> <f aes c es> <es g bes> <bes d f> \bar "||" } } </score>

File:Cesar Franck Variations Symphoniques mm 5-9 excerpt with 'chromatic analysis'.png

Phrase from César Franck's Variations symphoniques (1885), with chromaticism from use of borrowed chords and descending linear motion and, "resolute movement from V of V to V to I."<ref>Cooper, Paul (1975). Perspectives in Music Theory, p. 216. New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company. Template:ISBN. Original with Roman numeral analysis only.</ref>File:Cesar Franck Variations Symphoniques mm 5-9 excerpt with 'chromatic analysis'.mid

Chord progressions may be constructed with borrowed chords, including two progressions common in rock music, I–Template:MusicVII–Template:MusicVI–Template:MusicVII, common everywhere, and I–Template:MusicVI–IV ({{#if:Borrowed chord I bVI IV.mid|{{#ifexist:Media:Borrowed chord I bVI IV.mid|<phonos file="Borrowed chord I bVI IV.mid">Play</phonos>|{{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Borrowed chord I bVI IV.mid" not found}}Template:Category handler}}}}), used by bands like Genesis, Yes, and Nirvana.<ref name="Romeo" /> Template:MusicVII is from Mixolydian and Template:MusicVI is found in both Aeolian and Phrygian.<ref name="Romeo" /> The Template:MusicVII–I cadence with Template:MusicVII substituting for V is common, as well as Template:MusicII–I, Template:MusicIII–I, and Template:MusicVI–I.<ref>Romeo (1999), p. 43.</ref> In popular music, the major triads on the lowered third (Template:MusicIII), sixth (Template:MusicVI) and seventh (Template:MusicVII) scale degrees are common.

Borrowed chords have typical inversions or common positions, for example iiTemplate:Music⁶ and iiTemplate:MusicTemplate:Su, and progress in the same manner as the diatonic chords they replace except for Template:MusicVI, which progresses to V⁽⁷⁾.<ref name="B&S" />

See also

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External links

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• "Mode Mixture", Robert J. Frank (2000), Theory on the Web.
• Template:YouTube and Template:YouTube
• "Glossary: Terms Used in Writing Skills", Berklee.
• Mike Campese. Guest Column: "Modal Interchange", Guitar Nine Records.
• "Altered Chords in Jazz: Modal Interchange 0 –Altered Chords", Taming the Saxophone.
• "How Modal Interchange Can Transform Your Music", Sebastian Karika, Mindful Harmony.