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Borrowed into a major key

Music theory, Diminished sevenths in major keys, 12 minutes

The diminished seventh in a major key: its 7th is the flattened submediant, borrowed from the minor.

A borrowed 7th

In a major key the seventh chord on the leading note is half-diminished.

Lower its 7th by a semitone, borrowing the minor key's submediant, and it becomes a full diminished seventh: in C major, B, D, F, A flat. It is labelled VII°7.

In C major: II, then VII°7 (A flat borrowed), then I

The rest of this lesson and its 4 practice questions are in Brainlag Music Theory.

Screen 1 of 2, free to read.

4 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards

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