Chord Secret: The Minor 4th

Borrowing Chords from Different Key

Hey guys, let me show you this simple chord secret I like to use a lot. In this lesson, I am going to show you how to substitute chords from different keys.

We are going to use a concept called “Modal Interchange” or “Borrowed Chord,” in which a chord borrowed from the parallel key (E minor) is used to create more interesting chord progressions.

Borrowed chords are typically used as “color chords,” providing harmonic variety through contrasting scale forms, which are major scales and the three types of minor scales.

One of the most frequent modal interchanges is the one on the 4th degree of the scale.

Example: In the key of E major, the chord on the 4th degree of the scale is A major. We can borrow the chord from the 4th degree of the E minor scale (Parallel key) which is A minor to give a completely different sound to the progression we are playing.

Today we are going to learn the relationship between the E major chord (I degree) and the A minor chord (IV degree of the E minor scale).

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