How To Use Borrowed Chords To Add Depth And Variety To Your Music
by Simon Candy
In this video, you learn how to play and create music using borrowed chords on guitar. Some of the greatest songs ever written have used the concept of borrowed chords to great effect.
Borrowed chords, as the name suggests, are when you borrow chords from other keys outside of the one you are in.
Instead of sticking strictly to diatonic harmony (ie. only playing chords that belong to the key), borrowing chords allows you to momentarily step out of the key to add great interest to the progressions of a song.
In this lesson, I break down the concept of borrowed chords in detail using the key of G major. First, I will run you through the diatonic chords of this key, before laying out the options of borrowing chords from the parallel key of G minor.
I then provide a great example of borrowed chords in action from the song “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden.
Watch the video below to learn more:
Discover these essential chords for your guitar playing