A Short Video About These 2 Chords

[00:00:00][clears throat] [sighs] >> One >> [music] >> This short video is about the minor six chord [music] in a minor key and why it is so cool.

[00:00:18]First, let's talk a bit about mode mixture and what chords belong to what modes. Just like how there are seven unique notes in any given scale. Let Let's use B flat major as an example.

[00:00:28]There are also seven unique chords [music] in any given scale.

[00:00:31]And just like the notes, we refer to them by their scale degree or in layman's terms, their number. The first note is the one and thus the first chord is what we call the one chord.

[00:00:42]>> [music] >> The second note is the two and thus the second note's chord is what we call the two chord, etc. etc. These chords are only made up of notes from within the scale. So, mode mixture [music] is when we take a chord from a parallel mode.

[00:00:56]Parallel meaning starting on the same notes. [music] So, let's say we have this chord progression in B flat major.

[00:01:05]>> [music] >> And then instead of the usual diminished seven, we take that major seven chord from B flat minor instead.

[00:01:16]>> [music] >> Mode mixture isn't just locked to the major and minor though. You can borrow a chord from the Phrygian mode while in major. Like maybe a flat two chord.

[00:01:31]Grab the major two from Lydian for a bit.

[00:01:34]>> [music] [music] >> This chord progression is an example of borrowing a chord from a major key while in a minor key. In this case, we borrow the minor six [music] chord from the parallel major.

[00:01:51]Now, how is this minor six chord even used in tunes? I think the first time I heard and was able to label a minor 6th chord in a minor key was in the song Chrono Trigger from the game Chrono Trigger.

[00:02:11]>> [music] >> This chord is also really effective in the truly iconic tune Secret of the Forest, also from Chrono Trigger, which fans of the channel know I have something of a recurring fascination with.

[00:02:41]Both of these examples choose to surround the minor 6th chord with chords usually [music] found in minor, like the flat 7th, the flat 6th, and the minor 4th.

[00:02:51]Let's quickly talk about extensions on the minor 6th chord. By putting a minor 7th on top of it, you give it another note in common with the original key.

[00:03:03]But, if you choose to put a minor [music] 9th on top, then you get another dose of crazy out-of-key color.

[00:03:12]If you'll stay with me for a moment, if we look at a minor 6th chord from the lens of the major key, it's made up of the key's 6th, root, and 3rd. And if we add the 7th and 9th, we also get the key's 5th and 7th. The important things to note are that this minor 9th chord has the 3rd and the 7th of the parallel major. And that is really where all the color comes in, cuz those are the notes [music] that are different from our usual minor key. Knowing this, you can put extra focus on those notes when you use the minor 6th chord to really bring out the color of the chord. This is something that the song Chrono Trigger from the game Chrono Trigger does, throwing the 9th in the melody for all to hear.

[00:03:52]Another tune that highlights the minor nine in the melody is a tune I really, really love and it's Kirby 64's Ripple Star map theme.

[00:04:07]I'd argue that this chord choice is the tune. Like that chord makes the tune exactly what it is and so much of why this tune is so memorable and meaningful.

[00:04:16]Now, why do I love this chord so much and why do I choose to spam it in so many of my tunes?

[00:04:36]To me, this chord is like the cooler Picardy third. The Picardy third is a classical convention where in a minor key, you bar the major one, usually to end a piece. The nerds watching know that the six and one are both tonic function chords and that minor one to minor [music] six isn't actually that different from minor one to major one, but to me, the minor six perfectly strikes that balance of being a shot of unexpected brightness and out of key color without sounding saccharine and overly cheery like a major one might sound because it is still a minor chord.

[00:05:10]Before I end this short video, here are some other video game tunes that use this chord in cool ways.

[00:05:15]Road Taken from Fire Emblem Fates uses it more quickly for this super cool and modern sounding progression.

[00:05:28]>> [music] >> Final Destination from Super Smash Bros.

[00:05:36]Brawl uses it as a reharm of the main theme.

[00:05:52]>> Rivals of Aether 1's main menu and other variations of this tune use this chord in a descending progression, which sounds really cool and leads really well to the flat six [music] chord.

[00:06:12]>> [music] >> If you want to learn more about this chord and mode mixture as a whole, [music] I'd highly recommend this video by Cadenza Era. If you were to follow her method of access interchange, the sixth minor chord in a minor key would be borrowed from sharp vertex.

[00:06:28]Thanks for watching.