chord substitutions

Chord Substitution: 9 Substitutes For The 1-Chord In The Major Key

There are substitutes for the 1-chord in the major key and we’re covering them in this lesson.

Who Else Wants To Learn What Borrowed Chords Are?

Today, let’s talk about borrowed chords.

They are chords literally borrowed from what we call the “parallel” minor or major key.

Let’s not mix up “parallel” with “relative.”

If we were in the key of C, as we’ve learned in other lessons, A, the 6th degree of C, is the relative minor of C. Likewise, C is the relative major of A. That’s not what we’re talking about here.

Parallel keys have the same tonic note… or home base. That means…

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What My 4-Year Old Could Teach You About Chord Placement

I knew I had to share this story because there are some lessons about chord placement here.

So Jadyn, our oldest daughter, comes in our room this morning and while I never noticed, Sarah says “Jadyn, you have on your little sister’s pajamas!” We all busted out in laughter.

Now, Layla, our youngest daughter is cute and chunky! Probably in the ninety percentile weight and height for 1 year olds so I’m not surprised Jadyn could fit into her pajama pants.

How does this relate to chord placement?

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A 9-Second Method to Chord Substitutions

I touched on primary chords and chord substitutions in a post last week, but today, I want to take it a step further.

(I recommend you go check out that post on primary chords as a primer to this lesson.)

In short, every key has primary chords built off the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones of the scale. In C major…

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11 Ways to Enhance Your Chords and Playing (Part 1)

In this post, I’m answering a question from member Jamal Howard on how to enhance chords. I give a detailed list of 11 chord enhancements anyone can make right away. The first 4 are covered in this post. Look for the rest soon!

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