The i-iv-bVII-bIII progression i-iv-bVII-bIII
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.
ivFm
The minor subdominant — a IV borrowed from the minor mode. That bittersweet, nostalgic plagal colour of a chord that 'should' be major arriving tinged with sadness.
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.
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.