Parallel Minor Chords (1)

Now, let’s introduce some completely new chords!

3. Flat Root Chords

IIIVIVII involve flat roots, giving a strong sense of departure from the original key. Consequently, they possess the power to drastically change the musical atmosphere.
Preferrable patterns for the proggresions using these chords are relatiely limited, as it is (in principle) required to go back to the original key sooner or later.

^♭VII : Ethereal Levitation

Among the flat-root trio, I believe VII is the most commonly used. In the key of C major, it corresponds to the B chord.

^♭VII→V

One typical pattern for VII is placing it before V.

II_m7I_Δ7VII_Δ7V

This creates an unheard kind of sound! Verbally describing the texture of flat-root chords is particularly challenging, as they don’t conform to the bright/dark contrast seen in major/minor quality changes. However, VII seems to evoke a sensation of levitation, as if suspended in the air.

In the latter half of the verse of “To Be With You”, the progression includes IVIIVIVIIV. After a calm sequence of 4-1, VII is used to alter the mood before heading into the chorus. In this context, it adds a touch of spice as a prelude to the dominant chord.

^♭VII→IV / ^♭VII→VIm

Another pattern using VII is placing it before IV or VI_m. In this form where V isn’t involved, the ethereal quality of VII is used to create a sense of mystery or tranquility.

The chorus of “A Rush of Blood to the Head” uses the progression IVII₇IVII₇VII. The first occurrence of VII loops back to IV, while the second leads to the VI_m of the interlude. Throughout this section, in an environment without V, the otherworldly character of VII plays a crucial role in constructing the developmental climax.

In particular, the VII→VI_m transition involves a half step root motion, resulting in a remarkably smooth and beautiful progression. So far, the only instance of a half step motion was between III and IV, making such sounds feel fresh and distinctive.

^♭VI : Mysterious Quality

VI stands out with its enigmatic character, making it slightly less versatile than VII. In the key of C major, it corresponds to the A chord.

I_Δ7III_m7VI_mVIV_sus4V

As you enter the third chord, you’ll notice a dramatic change in the atmosphere. This is a typical use of VI, creating a mysterious ambiance. One common use is to smoothly descend a semitone to V, as demonstrated in the above example.

The chorus part of “Hello, Goodbye” starts with I, bass gradually descending by step like 1-7-6-5, then forms IVVII at “Why you say goodbye, I say hello”. Do you feel the music gets somehow twisted on entering VI? This is the result of deviation from oridinary tonality.

The interesting point is the on the next loop, the progression is changed to IVVIII, replacing VI with VII. So two different parallel minor chords are used here! The melody is totally the same so listeners won’t explicitly recognize the difference, but such small arrangements may make a song more attractive.

Similarity to IVm

This chord shares a similarity with IV_m in that it has la♭, and sometimes it can create a similar atmosphere.

Super Mario Bros. Stage 1-1 theme has a distinctive part where it repeats VII progression. Flattened la creates a mood of pathos, casting a slight shadow on music. In this case, you can well substitute VI for IV_m.

Mario Cadence

By the way, this track also has a noticeable progression at 0:30, that is, VIVIII. This is a successive whole-step progression with all major, something similar to the IVVI authentic cadence, but a lot more twisted.

This is frequently used not only in game music but also rock and other genres, and is casually called the Mario Cadence.

^♭III: Smooth Transitional Role

III also has various musical expressions, but a bit diffcult to handle. Its most common use is as a transition from IIIm to IIm, creating a smooth half-step descending motion.

IV_Δ7VIII_m7VI_mII_m7VI

A progression of 4-5-3-6-2-5-1. Let’s change VI_m to III.

IV_Δ7VIII_m7III_Δ7II_m7VI

This time, I used it as a seventh chord. Normally, a stable VI_m should be the “landing point,” but the sudden appearance of a non-prime chord provides an unexpected surprise. Furthermore, the smooth half-step descent from III_m to III contrasts with the powerful 5_▼ motion of III_m→VI_m. Additionally, the two notes out side the key, mi♭ and ti♭, disrupt the tonality, creating a very unique mood.

4. Rock-Style Usage

Borrowing chords from a minor key can blur the lines between major and minor. In that sense, there may be something akin to power chords. Particularly, III, VI, and VII are very commonly used in rock songs. Here are a few chord progression samples for your reference.

^♭VII→IV

IVVIIIV

This is a straightforward punk-style chord progression. all chords being major, the progression have a bright taste, which works well for punk music.

“Here It Goes Again” by OK Go uses this entire progression in verse. Incorporating chords from the parallel minor key allows for various variations using just major chords!

^♭VII→I

VII–I Repeat → IV

Simply alternating between I and VII is enough to create a decent riff.

^♭VI → ^♭VII

Successive parallel minor chords VI→VII progression is also common, just as you’ve seen in the case of the “Mario cadence”.

IVVIIVVVIVII

IVVVIVII, a progression of the chain of ascending steps, is also a classic in rock. Within prime chords, going up from V leads to VI_m, and the flow settles there. However, by transitioning to VI, you can continue ascending without giving a sense of landing! That’s the strength of this pattern. In the subsequent section of the sample, I also used the repetition of I and VII.

“Lithium” by Nirvana uses a unique progression, IIII_mVI_mIVVIVIIVVII (all actually in power chords).

Descending ^♭VII

VII often resolves to I, but in reverse, descending to VI_m or VI is also common.

IVIIVIV

The continuous whole-step descent from I→VII→VI creates a powerful and majestic impression.

^♭III with I or IV

Other than III_m–III–II_m half-step motion, III connects with I or IV to create powerful rock mood.

IIIIIVV

When everything is played with power chords, it is literally impossible to distinguish whether it’s in C major key or C minor key, which is an interesting point in rock music with power chords.

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So, IIIVIVII have been added! Unlike the quality change where only major/minor changes, these flat-root chords have the power to dramatically change the mood of a song. Finally, let’s summarize the standard progression patterns once again.

Progression	Typical Character	Typical Part of Insertion
IVIVmI	Touching and calm	End of the chorus
IImIIImIVmV	Melancholy and emotional intensity	Just before the chorus
VIIV	Elevation from a levitated feel	Just before the chorus
VIIIV	Landing from a levitated feel	Anywhere
VIV	Mysterious	Anywhere
IIImIIIIIm	Smooth transition	In the middle of the chorus
VIVIII	Dramatic rock-style	End of the chorus

It’s quite diverse and varied, isn’t it? What’s important is to understand these characteristics and use them appropriately for what you want to express. Of course, this is just one example of verbalization, and in practice, they can show a wide variety of expressions depending on how they are used.

Return What You Borrowed

I explained this during the “secondary dominants” as well, but these chords are temporarily “borrowed” from other keys (or scales). By promptly “returning” them, you can keep the stable tonality while expanding it a bit. Therefore, looking at the standard progressions above, except for VIVIII, you can see that all of them return to the prime chords after borrowing chords.
It’s true that using them in an extreme way can be also interesting in its own right, but for constructing standard popular music, it’s good to think that returning with at most 1 or 2 borrowed chords is the basic manner.

There is still a lot to supplement about parallel minor chords, but now it’s full of information so I will cut the article here for now…

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