Epic Borrowed Cadence I-bVI-bVII-I
Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.
The 'cinematic' rise. Two chords borrowed from the parallel minor — the flat submediant (bVI) and flat subtonic (bVII) — step up into the tonic, producing the triumphant, anthemic lift heard in film scores and stadium rock.
What each degree does
Feels like home — complete rest, where the piece departs from and returns to. The major tonic, where everything settles.
The flat sixth major — borrowed from the minor mode, a dramatic, epic colour. It falls over the key like a large shadow before the dominant.
The flat subtonic — a major chord borrowed from the minor/Mixolydian mode, a whole step below the tonic. It gives the classic rock turn and the 'backdoor' approach to I.
Feels like home — complete rest, where the piece departs from and returns to. The major tonic, where everything settles.