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Neil (or anyone else that may know the answer),

I keep hearing the phrase "borrowed chords", however, I am not finding anything on this site that describes it in much more detail than "x and y are both chords in the key of z, but n is borrowed from another key". Perhaps I haven't run across it, yet. I have done the usual Google search on the topic and found a lot of sites with more information than I can parse and still keep my sanity. A lot of it just doesn't make sense to me. I would rather see how it is explained here in a lesson by Neil.


So, here are my questions.

- Is there a lesson that already explains "borrowed chords" on this site? Where is it?

- If there isn't already a lesson, could one be done in the future and included in the Acoustic Genius Series? How do I request it? Can this be requested in "Recommend A Lesson"?



Other things I am curious about.

- What are some examples of songs with "borrowed chords"?

- When is it a good time to use a "borrowed chord"?

- When songwriters use "borrowed chords", do most of them do it by conscious effort and careful planning, or is it by trial and error, by experience, or by accident?

- Am I already using "borrowed chords" when I improvise?

Thanks,
Hydroman52

Thanks

I think that's a great question, and I have one more:

What are the rules of borrowing chords?

Hydroman:

Good question. Neil has certainly touched on the subject, but I am not certain either if there is an actual lesson on them, or if one would be possible. I know in the process of transcribing a bunch of songs over the last year or so I run into them all the time and they throw me off quite a bit.... Tunnel Vision and all.....

I do run across the "5 of 5" quite a bit. Meaning the fifth degree of the fifth in the key..... Say you are in the key of C. The 5th would be a G. The fifth of G would be a D. There seems to be a lot of that scenario in what I have done. I would love to hear the theory behind that, or the "reason it works/why it is done". I am sure it all has to do with chords setting you up for the next one, but I am lacking on the deeper theory sadly.

MJ

wrench wrote:

I think that's a great question, and I have one more:

What are the rules of borrowing chords?

When i borrow something it must come back but that's a baut sugar


but i am courius what it does in or to a song(if that''s a question)

Hey Dermot - Thanks for the support here. From the information that I have found so far, borrowed chords are taken from a parallel key (with the same tonic) and not the relative minor. I had originally thought it had to do with the relative minor, too, but I now see that is not the case. For example, from what I understand, a parallel key of the Key of C major is C minor (with the same tonic or root), and this is the basis of most borrowed chords . . . . between major (Ionian mode) and minor (Aeolian mode). I would think that chords could be borrowed from other modes (Dorian, Mixolydian, etc.), but I'm not sure . . . . this is where some guidance would help. It's probably one of those things where the sky's the limit.

Wrench - Thanks for the additional question.

MJ - Good to see someone else is running into this. Interesting "5 of 5" thing . . . . . . never hear of that. You've given me something else to explore. Thanks.

Willem - Always good to hear from you, thanks for the support . . . . hope you get that sugar thing straightened out.

I see that Neil mentioned the borrowed chord topic at the end of his weekly video news wrap-up, yesterday. Looks like it's in the queue and perhaps we'll get some insight soon.

Thanks everyone,

Hydroman52