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Hey music makers!
You know that frustration when your progressions sound correct but feel flat? When everything's technically right but emotionally...lacking?
Here's what I've noticed: progressions that feel emotionally alive and surprising usually step outside the key at just the right moment. Not with a key change or fancy reharmonization. Just one or a few strategic colors that create the emotional shift the song needs.
Today I want to show you three practical ways to add emotional depth without abandoning the progressions you already know.
📻 REAL SONGS. REAL PROGRESSIONS
💿 "Ruin The Friendship" by Taylor Swift
Key: D major
Verse Progression:
D → Bmi → C → G
(I → vi→ VII → IV)
What makes this work:
I chose a simple progression for a reason. When you experiment with the borrowed chord ideas below, a straightforward foundation makes it easier to test your ideas and hear what each change actually does.
🧠 IDEA OF THE WEEK
Borrowed Chords (The Practical Approach)
What it is: Using chords from outside your key to add emotional color without changing keys or creating chaos.
Why it matters: When you stay strictly "in key," progressions can start to sound the same. One borrowed chord, used intentionally, can create the emotional clarity you've been missing.
Here's the framework I use:
1. Borrow Chord Types (Same Root, Different Color)
This means changing the type of a chord that already exists in your key. You keep the same root note but change whether it's major, minor, dominant 7, etc.
Example in C major: Changing the F chord
F7 suddenly feels tense and directional.
Fm feels reflective, almost fragile.
Same root. Different emotional temperature.
Why this works: This adds non-diatonic notes (notes not in your key), which creates a different color. You're not leaving home, you're just adjusting the lighting.
Most commonly substituted chord types in a major key:
ii becomes II (D minor becomes D major in C).
iii becomes III (E minor becomes E major in C).
IV becomes iv or IV7 (F major becomes F minor or F7 in C).
V becomes v (G major becomes G minor in C).
Try this: Take any major IV chord in your progression and change it to minor (iv). Notice how it shifts from bright to introspective instantly.
2. Borrow Roots From Parallel Minor (With Restraint)
This means using a chord based on a root that is not in your key at all.
The most useful borrowed roots:
♭III (in C minor: E♭)
♭VI (in C minor: A♭)
♭VII (in C minor: B♭)
These roots come from the parallel minor key. In C major, you borrow from C minor.
The key principle: Use one at a time. One borrowed root can create a lot of depth.
Why this works: These chords come from the parallel minor (C minor shares the same tonic as C major), so they feel somewhat related but unexpected.
Try this: In a simple I-vi-IV-V progression, replace the IV with ♭VI. Listen to how the progression suddenly feels wider and more emotional.
3. Use Secondary Dominants for Emphasis
A secondary dominant is a chord that acts like a V chord but points to a chord other than the tonic.
Think of it like this: It's a chord that sits a fifth above another chord in your key.
Instead of thinking: "V of V" or "V of ii"
Think: "Pay attention, something important is coming."
Examples in C major:
D7 → G (this is V/V because D is a fifth above G)
A7 → Dm (this is V/vi because A is a fifth above D)
Why this works: Secondary dominants create temporary tension that makes the target chord feel more significant. They're emotional emphasis markers.
Try this: Before any chord in your progression, insert its dominant 7th chord. Play it, then remove it. Notice which moments actually benefit from that emphasis.
The Practical System
Here's the approach that I like to follow:
Step 1: Establish your progression clearly first. Don't reach for color before the song has a center.
Step 2: Identify one moment that needs more emotional weight.
Step 3: Try one borrowed chord using the simplest method first (chord type, then root, then secondary dominant).
Step 4: Listen without judging. Sometimes the meaning reveals itself slowly.
The goal isn't to sound sophisticated. It's to match the emotion you feel with the harmony you play.
🎯 CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK
Take a progression you already know or the one from the beginning of this newsletter, and add one borrowed chord:
Option 1 (Easiest): Change one major chord to minor (or vice versa)
Example: I-IV-V-I becomes I-iv-V-I
Option 2 (Medium): Replace one chord with a borrowed root from parallel minor
Example: I-IV-V-I becomes I-♭VI-V-I
Option 3 (Advanced): Add a secondary dominant before an important chord
Example: I-IV-V-I becomes I-IV-V/V-V-I
Play each version. Notice which one creates the emotional shift you're looking for.
I used to play it safe and stay "in key" because I thought the alternative was too technical. What I didn't realize was how much expressive range I was giving up.
The breakthrough came when I stopped asking "Is this allowed?" and started asking "What does this feel like?" Borrowed chords aren't complex theory moves. They're emotional tools, and having just a few under your fingers gives you enough range to match what you're feeling with what you're playing.
I keep notes on how different borrowed chords make me feel. Your reactions might be different, and that's the point. What matters is building your own map of which colors do what for you.
That personal map of emotional patterns became more useful than any theory rulebook. It's not about knowing every borrowed chord. It's about knowing which ones speak your language.
