How To Write Better Progressions Using Borrowed Chords

by Simon Candy

In this video, you learn how and why to use borrowed chords on guitar.

Borrowed chords will provide you with an amazing amount of additional options when it comes to writing and playing chord progressions on your guitar.

Typically, when writing music you have what are called diatonic chords. These are chords that belong to the key, in that they are inside the key.

Many songs use diatonic chords exclusively, and while this sounds fine, it can get a little monotonous and boring after a while.

Enter Borrowed Chords.

This is when you borrow chords from another key that is parallel to the key you are in.

In this lesson, you learn how to create several chord progressions using very common borrowed chord options.

I will take you through each of these progressions so you can understand exactly where the chords are coming from, before looking at some examples of combining the borrowed chord options we cover into a single progression.

Watch the video below to learn more:

Borrowed Chords

Progression 1: Borrowed ivm Chord

The following progressions borrow the iv chord from the parallel minor key. This is one of the most common borrowed chords and can be heard a lot in songs by The Beatles among many others:

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

Progression 2: Borrowed bVI Chord

The following progressions borrow the VI chord from the parallel minor key:

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

Progression 3: Borrowed bIII Chord

The following progressions borrow the III chord from the parallel minor key:

(i)

(ii)

Progression 4: Borrowed bVII Chord

The following progressions borrow the VII chord from the parallel minor key:

(i)

(ii)

Progression 5: Borrowed Chord Approaches Combined

The following progressions combine a number of the borrowed chord options from above for a very cool, less predictable sound you typically hear in C Major:

(i)

(ii)

Learn how to create great sounding music using block chords on guitar