Borrowed Chords

Borrowed chords occur when chords from the parallel major or minor key are used and substituted for the normal chords of the prevailing key. In the key of C-Major, we have the normal pattern of major, minor, and diminished chords built on each scale degree.

The chords in the key of C-Major
The chords in the key of C-Major

These are the chords that normally occur in the key of C-Major. The following shows the chords that occur in the key of C-minor. C-minor is the parallel key of C-Major.

The chords in the key of C-minor
The chords in the key of C-minor

This minor scale also has its own pattern of chords built upon each scale degree. To create a borrowed chord, we take one of the chords from the parallel key and use it in the original key. For example, in the key of C-Major, the chord built on the fourth scale degree is normally an F-Major chord, but in the parallel minor key it is an F-minor chord, and if we instead use this F-minor chord, “borrowed” from the parallel minor key, in place of the normal F-Major chord, we then have a borrowed chord. This mixing of chords from parallel keys is also called mode mixture.

A chord progression containing a borrowed chord
A chord progression containing a borrowed chord

The following shows some more examples of borrowed chords.

Examples of borrowed chords - Example 1
Examples of borrowed chords - Example 2
Examples of chord progressions containing borrowed chords