Film · Advanced · major key

Chromatic mediants (I–♭VI–I–♭III)

I – ♭VI – I – ♭III — Big, dramatic jumps between major chords — the sound of epic film scores.

Chord shapes in E major (standard tuning)

Using a different tuning? Open it in the Looper — it finds playable shapes for whatever tuning you choose.

How the chords work

Written in Roman numerals, this progression is I – ♭VI – I – ♭III — in C major that is C – Ab – C – Eb. Each numeral is a step of the scale; upper case is a major chord, lower case minor.

• I — the home chord — the progression feels finished when it lands here.
• ♭VI — a major chord borrowed from the minor key: epic and dramatic.
• ♭III — a major chord borrowed from the minor key (the relative major in a minor key).

Chromatic mediants (I–♭VI–I–♭III) in all 12 keys

Practice ideas

• Beginners: play one strum per chord and say the chord names out loud, then two strums, then a steady down-down-up-up-down-up pattern.
• Change keys with a capo: keep the E major shapes and move a capo up — the capo calculator shows which fret gives the key you want.
• Solo over it: loop it in the Looper and improvise with the E major pentatonic or E major scale — the scale pages show every position and play a backing track.
• Train your ear: the progression ear trainer mixes this with similar progressions until you can tell them apart.

Similar progressions

• I–♭VI–IV–I I – ♭VI – IV – I
• Epic I–♭VI–♭VII–I I – ♭VI – ♭VII – I
• Tadd Dameron turnaround Imaj7 – ♭III7 – ♭VImaj7 – ♭II7
• Power-chord I–IV–♭III–♭VI I5 – IV5 – ♭III5 – ♭VI5
• Lydian I–II–IV–I Imaj7 – II7 – IVmaj7 – Imaj7
• Bird blues (Parker changes) Imaj7 – viiø7 – III7 – vi7 – II7 – v7 – I7 – IV7 – iv7 – ♭VII7 – iii7 – VI7 – ii7 – ♭III7 – ii7 – V7

← Minor plagal (I–IV–iv–I) · Lydian vamp (I–II) →

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