MODAL MIXTURE
This page is a supplement to The Complete Musician: Chapter 21 - Modal Mixture
HAVE YOU HEARD OF DIATONICS ANONYMOUS?
It’s a 12 TONE pROGRAM.
MODAL MIXTURE or BORROWED CHORDS (this is the term I learned and it’s more commonly used in jazz and pop theory) is the intentional use of chords outside of the tonic key but still modally related to tonic in some way. This most often manifests itself as chords from the parallel minor key showing up in a piece that is in major.
What is a Mode?
Just to be sure we’re on the same page, a musical MODE is just a scale pattern. Major is a mode, all the various types of minors are modes. There are “Church Modes” like Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, etc. and lots of jazz modes like the Bebop scale. To mix modes means we’ve already established one mode as our tonic but then borrow chords from a different mode/scale pattern starting on the same pitch.
THE ♭6 IN MAJOR KEYS
The most oft-used non-chord tone in a major key is probably the ♯4. This is because ♯4 is the leading tone of V so it is necessary to make a V/V chord - which is probably the most oft-used non-diatonic chord. However, the V/V is a tonicizing chord, temporarily shifting the key center to the dominant (V). When modal mixture is considered - the use of non-diatonic chords that are not tonicizing other keys or areas - the most oft-used non-chord tone is the ♭6. 6 to♭6 is a versatile and attractive non-chord tone for the following reasons:
The 6/♭6 does not effect the tonic chord (1 - 3 - 5)
♭6 is only a half step above dominant 5 and therefore has a strong pull down to it
the three diatonic chords that have a 6 in them (ii, IV, and vi) are all predominant - which is often where the magic happens
Since the tonic 1 scale degree is the 3rd of a vi chord, then a vi⁶ chord has the 1 in the bass and that is a powerful position for a chord to hold
By lowering the 6, you can access the following new chords while still in a major key:
iiᵒ/iiø⁷ (2 - 4 - ♭6 /2 - 4 - ♭6 - 1)
iv (4 - ♭6 - 1)
♭VI (♭6 - 1 - ♭3)
Because the roots of the 2 and 4 chords don’t change, they are called MELODIC MIXTURE chords. The bass isn’t changing, but the change to a ♭6 is likely taking place in the actual melody.
iiᵒ EXAMPLE
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” features four big chime strikes at the beginning on I - I⁶ - IV - iiᵒ⁶⁴ with the bass movement of 1 - 3 - 4 - ♭6
The iiᵒ in major is really not that common. What you will more commonly see is a ♯iᵒ as the tonic root moves up a half step (keeping the other two notes of the major tonic chord) before shifting to the minor ii chord. This creates tension and a chromatic bassline of I - ♯iᵒ - ii.
iv EXAMPLE
In “My Life” by The Beatles, the four-bar chord progression goes: I - V - vi - V/IV - IV - iv - I. You’ll hear the chromatic movement from IV - iv on the words “life” and “gone” in the first verse.
Because the root of the 6 chord is changed, it is called a HARMONIC MIXTURE chord. Since the bass is changing, the melody might not be - using a ♭VI chord is a sneaky way to replace a vi chord already occurring in the chord progression without changing the melody, especially if the lyrical text painting reflects a change in the story, feelings, or mood of a song.
Notice that to spell a proper ♭VI chord, you must use ♭6 - 1 - ♭3. Where did the lowered third come from? Well, 3 is also lowered in this moment because if it is left as a 3, then ♭6 - 1 - 3 spells an augmented ♭VI⁺ chord and for whatever reason, classical theorists have a big problem with augmented chords (until Impressionism comes on the scene in the late 19th century, then everyone loves them …).
A ♭VI will literally be called a “flat six” chord - but don’t let that confuse you. In this case, the ♭ is just “lowering” the sixth scale degree by a half step. If the sixth scale degree was sharp, then the “flat six” has a nature root; if the sixth scale degree was flat, then the “flat six” is a double flat root, and so on. ♭VI chords can be used exactly as if they were vi chords. There is no alteration of function.
A ♭VI chord may use a ♭6 - 1 - ♭3 but this isn’t the only time you might come across a ♭3 …
♭VI EXAMPLE
In Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” above, the main chord progression is: I - vi - ♭VI - V. Notice that this progression is only one chord away from the 50’s/Doo-Wop progression of I - vi - IV - V and it is much more hip. Thanks, Stevie Wonder <3
THE ♭3 IN MAJOR KEYS
As stated above, the ♭3 can serve as the chordal 5th in a ♭VI chord, but it can also serve as the root in a ♭III chord (♭3 - 5 - ♭7) or even the lowered third in a tonic chord! So adding a ♭3 to your major key allows you to use the following chords:
i (1 -♭3 - 5)
♭III (♭3 - 5 - ♭7)
♭VI (♭6 - 1 - ♭3)
Because the same risk of augmented triad arises here as it did with the ♭VI chord, the ♭III chord will utilize a ♭7 as the chordal fifth. The ♭III chord serves all the same mediant functions of a iii chord and perhaps a few more. The route of a ♭III chord is an excellent way to bring a ♭VII chord into a progression by making it a V/♭III.
♭III EXAMPLE
In Reel Big Fish’s “Drunk Again,” the 8-bar chord progression is: I - ♭III-♭III⁷ - IV - V-V⁷. With I - IV - V being such a common chord progression, the ♭III serves as a predominant transition chord between the clearly tonic I and the clearly predominant IV. The movement from the triad version of the “flat three chord” to the dominant version also creates more tension that must be released. The chordal 7th of a♭III⁷ is a ♭2 which is only one half step above tonic (the chordal 5th of IV).
i EXAMPLE (or lack thereof)
Don’t let this confuse you, this is not just hearing a tonic i chord in minor, but instead, intentionally using a minor i chord in major. When the opposite tonic chord is used in the “wrong” tonality, it is called an ALTERED TONIC. The result is to completely disrupt and destabilize the foundational sense of major - so it should be used sparingly and only in careful moments to deliver maximum impact. We already know the opposite function: when a major tonic I chord is used in a minor key (usually at the final cadence), it is called a PICARDY THIRD.
I’m not going to lie, I spent hours trying to find just ONE example of this outside the book and I really can’t find anything interesting, so I’m not leaving anything here. In general, the replacement of I - i somewhere in a chord progression is grotesquely cheesy and not really fitting with any modern aesthetic. If you want to give a minor feeling out of nowhere, replace I with vi and give your listener a deceptive cadence … mmm, the good stuff.
WHEN TO USE MIXED MODES …
In general, the chord possibilities above can be used to replace their diatonic counterpoints but with the addition of a little unexpected flare. These lowered notes should be resolved by half steps down as often as possible. In addition, a “rule of accidentals” could apply here where an introduced modal chord should continue to be the default chord of its scale degree until a dominant area is reached (at which time, you can reset the quality of the chords).
The availability of these chords also help us to write not only melodic bass lines, but CHROMATIC BASS LINES in which the bass moves up (but most often down) in half step motion. For example, instead of descending in minor from 1 - 7 - ♭6 - 5, one could add the missing chromatic pitches to create the effect of 1 - 7 - ♭7 - 6 - ♭6 - 5 with the use of modally mixed chords outside the diatonic to bring out the missing chromatic tones.
When going for this chromatic movement, you can pull off one more level of intention by incorporating CHROMATIC VOICE EXCHANGE where one voice (usually the bass) moves chromatically and another voice (often the soprano) moves in the opposite direction - the two voices swapping starting and ending pitches with each other. When this occurs, due to number of notes in the sequence, the secondary voice hardly ever moves in perfect chromaticism to match the first; but rather, repeats a note or steps a whole note distance at some point to reach the intended target note at the right beat.
https://www.simplifyingtheory.com/borrowed-chords/
The diagram to the left shows borrowed chords from different modes you could substitute in for the original PARENT KEY’s chord in that position. This chart includes all of the seventh chord variations but you could easily subtract the seventh to see the triad version of each borrowed chord.
HOW TO USE MIXED MODES …
A few rules to follow for better mixed mode voice-leading:
Don’t double the accidental unless it is the root of the chord
♭6 should always move chromatically to and from 6 and 5 (6 -♭6 - 5 descending or 5 - ♭6 - 6 ascending)
Remember to keep whatever borrowed chord accidental you’ve introduced until you hit a dominant chord. Think of the dominant chord like a bar line and the borrowed chord like an accidental.
THE HOLLYWOOD CADENCE
P.S. I am pretty sure Steven Laitz coined “The Hollywood Cadence” explicitly for this textbook - I can’t find it referenced anywhere else other than sources that lead back to Laitz. It’s a cute, effective term, but not widely-used, so be advised …
Hollywood does everything extra so why not add more tension and drama to a traditional IV - V - I cadence? For the HOLLYWOOD CADENCE, the V chord is subbed out for a iiØ⁷ (usually the first inversion). Because the chord doesn’t have a 5 in it at all, it is technically still part of the predominant area, so the movement of IV - iiØ⁷ - I would be considered a plagal cadence (with an extension between the IV and I). iiØ⁷ is a borrowed chord because in major, it would normally be a ii⁷. The iiØ⁷ lowers the chordal 5th for a tritone off of the root. Most often, the iiØ⁷ chord appears in first inversion to keep the 4 in the bass. Again, couldn’t find an example of this IRL but I didn’t look very hard …
MAJOR III AND VI IN MAJOR KEYS
Diatonically, the chords on the third and sixth scale degrees are minor (iii and vi). In the previous examples, by lowering the roots (♭3 and ♭6), we could achieve major chords borrowed from the parallel minor of the key. However, there is another way to create major chords on these two scale degrees while leaving the root intact:
III (3 - ♯5 - 7)
VI (6 - ♯1 - 3)
III EXAMPLE
Radiohead’s “Creep” has the very interesting 4-chord progression of I - III - IV - iv, so in this example we have both a borrowed chord (iv) and a chromatic mediant chord.
VI EXAMPLE
Encountering a VI is rare because these notes (6 - ♯1 - 3) would more commonly be the V/ii in a major key. Still, VI can move to IV so then it is not serving as an applied chord in that context. If you do happen to see it written as VI or called “major six,” don’t confuse VI with something like Cᴹᵃʲ⁶ in pop chord changes. Cᴹᵃʲ⁶ is a different type of chord called an “added 6” chord and would actually be a C triad with an added 6 (C - E - G - A) … which is the same as an Aᵐ⁶⁵ … music theory is whack, y’all. In John William’s Star Wars: End Title Theme below, there is a really weird chord progression of I - VI - I - VI - ♭III - I - VI. If that seems wild, go check out the Neo-Riemannian music theory at the bottom of this page …
Neo-Riemannian Tonnetz Donut
The III can often be found in a chord progression that goes I - III - (IV) - V and VI is often found in a progression of I - VI - IV - V. Notice that they are a bit interchangeable in the two examples. Using one versus the other would depend on the direction you want to move the bass. I - III - IV has an ascending bass while I - VI - IV has a descending bass. III and VI chords are fairly common but do not count as a Tonicization (extending the dominant area) or as a Mode Mixture/Borrowed Chord (extending the predominant area). Instead, we refer to them as “third relations” (in The Complete Musician) or CHROMATIC MEDIANTS, a practice in music in which you can move between chords as long as the root of the new chord and the previous chord are a major or minor third apart. Chromatic Mediants are expanded upon in music theories based on Hugo Riemann’s practices which I have outlined below in the non-required “Deep Dive Zone” … proceed at your own peril :)
DEEP DIVE ZONE
The following wasn’t covered in your textbook but implied based on the “third relationship” discussed above. You can turn back if you don’t want to learn more! Neo-Riemannian Theory is maybe the coolest way of navigating Western Classical Music Theory - especially modern and Romantic Era chord progressions that are so interesting and gorgeous, so …if any of that interests you, read on!
NEO-RIEMANNIAN THEORY (MEDIANT HARMONY)
Neo-Riemannian theory suggests that any two triads are related (and thus you can move from on to another) as long as one common tone from the original chord is retained. This mostly works with only major and minor triads. So let’s look at all the chords you could move to after a C Major Triad:
A TONNETZ grid shows how any three notes can make a triad and all the other related triads to it depending on which scale degree you select.
C MAJOR (C - E - G)
C MINOR (C - Eb - G)
A MINOR (A - C - E)
E MINOR (E - G - B)
Ab MAJOR (Ab - C - Eb)
E MAJOR (E - G# - B)
F MAJOR (F - A - C)
F MINOR (F - Ab - C)
G MAJOR (G - B - D)
G MINOR (G - Bb - D)
Notice that in each of these movements, one or two chord tones are changed, leaving two or one common tones with the original chord. In addition, the notes that move only move on half step or whole step away from another chord tone. Neo-Riemannian chord progressions would have a great deal of inversions in order to keep the common tones in the same voice from chord to chord.
So back to the Star Wars example above, the chords are:
I - Bb: Bb - D - F
VI - G: G - B - D
♭III - Db: Db - F - Ab
… which really doesn’t make sense in a traditional Roman numeral analysis but does make sense when Neo-Riemannian Music Theory is applied.