Borrowed chord

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A borrowed chord is a chord borrowed from the parallel key. If the root of the borrowed chord is not in the original key, then they are named by the accidental. For instance, in major, a chord borrowed from the parallel minor's sixth degree is a "flat six chord" written VI. Borrowed chords are an example of mode mixture.

Six chords borrowed from the parallel minor key are commonly found in the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras (shown here in C major):

• Diminished Supertonic Triad (ii°): D, F, A flat
• Half-Diminished Supertonic Seventh (ii^Ø7): D, F, A flat, C
• Major Triad on the Lowered Third Scale Degree, or "Flat Three" (III): E flat, G, B flat
• Minor Subdominant (iv): F, A flat, C
• Major Triad on the Lowered Sixth Scale Degree, or "Flat Six" (VI): A flat, C, E flat
• Fully Diminished Leading-Tone Seventh (vii°⁷): B, D, F, A flat

The following three chords are also found in Romantic era, albeit rarely:

• Minor Subdominant Seventh (iv⁷): F, A flat, C, E flat
• Major-Minor Subdominant Seventh (IV⁷): F, A, C, E flat
• Dominant Flat Ninth (V⁹): G, B, D, F, A flat

The Major-Minor Subdominant Seventh, which contains an A natural, is borrowed from the parallel ascending melodic minor scale.

In popular music, the Major Triad on the Lowered Third Scale Degree (III), the Major Triad on the Lowered Sixth Scale Degree(VI) and the Major Triad on the lowered Seventh Scale Degree, or "Flat Seven" (VII, in C major: B flat, D, F) are common.

Borrowing from a parallel major key is a common feature of grunge music,and can be occasionally be found in other styles of post-grunge Rock.Otherwise it is generally limited in western music to ending a minor piece on a major tonic triad, a chord which is then called a Picardy third, and use of the Major Dominant chord (in C minor: G, B, D). However, the latter of these could also be viewed as use of the Harmonic Minor scale.

v • d • e Chords
By Type	Triad	Major · Minor · Augmented · Diminished · Suspended
	Seventh	Major · Minor · Dominant · Diminished · Half-diminished · Minor-major · Augmented major · Augmented minor
	Extended	Ninth · Eleventh · Thirteenth
	Other	Sixth · Augmented sixth · Altered · Added tone · Polychord · Quartal and quintal · Tone cluster · Power
By Function	Diatonic	Tonic · Dominant · Subdominant · Submediant
	Altered	Borrowed · Neapolitan chord · Secondary dominant
With Names		Elektra chord · Hendrix chord · Mystic chord · Petrushka chord · Tristan chord · So What chord