Borrowed chords and modal mixture
Music theory · Tonal harmony · Level 5 · 13 min
C major and C minor share the same tonic. So nothing stops us from borrowing some chords from the minor mode while in major (and vice versa). This is modal mixture. These borrowed chords bring a sudden shadow, a nostalgia, a “cinematic” colour.
The most common borrowings (in C major)
| Chord | Notes | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| iv (Fm) | F A♭ C | wistful tenderness, often after IV: F → Fm → C |
| ♭VI (A♭) | A♭ C E♭ | grandeur, dark brilliance |
| ♭VII (B♭) | B♭ D F | rock, Mixolydian colour |
| ♭III (E♭) | E♭ G B♭ | heroic, epic |
| iiø7 (Dm7♭5) | D F A♭ C | softened predominant before V |
M:4/4
L:1/4
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
K:C
[V:RH] "C"[EGc]2 "F"[FAc]2 | "Fm"[F_Ac]2 "C"[EGc]2 | "Ab"[_E_Ac]2 "Bb"[DF_B]2 | "C"[EGc]4 |]
[V:LH] "_I"C,2 "_IV"F,2 | "_iv"F,2 "_I"C,2 | "_bVI"_A,,2 "_bVII"_B,,2 | "_I"C,4 |]
Bars 1-2: the “minor” plagal cadence (IV → iv → I), a staple of ballads and hymns. Bars 3-4: ♭VI – ♭VII – I, a triumphant rise heard constantly in film and video-game music.
The Picardy third
The reverse borrowing: a piece in minor that ends on a major chord. C minor… and the final chord is C major (E♮). Very common in the Baroque (many of Bach's minor-key preludes and fugues end this way): an unexpected light at the very last moment.
To hear mixture: play C – F – C, then C – Fm – C. A single note changes (A → A♭) and the whole emotion tips over. Try it when accompanying a simple song: the effect is immediate.
Spelling: write A♭ (not G♯) in F minor, and ♭VI is spelled A♭–C–E♭. The figure ♭VI shows that the root is lowered relative to the major scale.