18.2 · Cadences & Color

Borrowed colors

The borrowing lessons taught the move: chords on loan from the parallel minor, home unchanged. This lesson is about where songwriters spend the loan: at the cadence, the last two chords of a phrase, where one borrowed note colors the whole landing.

The refresher: one borrowed note

Major IV, then borrowed iv, side by side. One note moves, A down to A♭. Everything below builds on this one move.

The minor plagal cadence

18.1's plagal cadence (IV → I), with the IV turned minor on the way in. Same landing, one borrowed note, and the ending turns bittersweet. The Beatles close phrases with it constantly.

C
G
F
C

The plain amen ending, all diatonic.

C
G
Fm
C

The same ending with F minor in IV's place. One semitone of borrowing, aimed at the last chord.

Borrowed approaches to home

The flat-side majors work as cadences too: bVII walks up into I from a whole step below, and bVI–bVII–I climbs home in two borrowed steps. Rock endings live here.

C
F
Bb
C

B♭ major stepping up into C. No dominant anywhere, and it still lands.

Ab
Bb
C
C

Two borrowed majors climbing a whole step at a time into a bright home. Final choruses and film codas.

Quiz

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The minor plagal cadence is…

Score 100% on every quiz and game to complete this lesson. A perfect run sticks: a later miss never undoes it.Secondary dominants →