The i-bVI-bIII-bVII progression i-bVI-bIII-bVII
Level: EssentialMode: minor
Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.
What each degree does
iCm
Home, but in shadow — the minor tonic. The same rest as I, coloured dark and melancholic.
bVIAbmaj
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.
bIIIEbmaj
The flat third major — in a minor key it's the relative major, a ray of light out of the gloom; borrowed in a major key, a bright, surprising turn.
bVIIBbmaj
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.