Adapted from The Complete Singer-Songwriter — Adapted from *The Complete Singer-Songwriter*

Go ahead: grab an open-position E chord on your guitar and give it a few good, hard strums. Do the same on a D chord and then an A. Get a steady rhythm going and keep circling around, E–D–A. Stand and sling your guitar down at your hips (or, better, knees); shades are optional but recommended.

The E, D, and A are what Patti Smith, in her memoir Just Kids, calls the classic rock chords—played by Lenny Kaye in Smith’s seminal version of Van Morrison’s “Gloria.” Guitarists particularly love these chords since they can all be played in easy shapes with open bass strings. Many a garage band has been formed with not much more.

Part of what gives this chord progression its character is the D chord—which, viewed from the perspective of E major, is a ♭VII chord. Using the ♭VII gives a distinct blues/rock edge to a song in a major key, and there are two other related chords that have a similar effect: the ♭III and the ♭VI (in the key of E, these are G and C, respectively). Let’s check out how these chords work, and how you can use them in your own songwriting.

Born in the blues

The ♭III, ♭VI, and ♭VII chords are based in blues harmony, which plays with the tension between major and minor tonality. As discussed in this lesson, each key has a set of naturally occurring diatonic chords. In the key of E major, for instance, the diatonic chords are as follows:

I E
ii F♯m
iii G♯m
IV A
V B
vi C♯m
vii° D♯dim

And here are the diatonic chords in the parallel minor key, E minor:

i Em
ii° F♯dim
♭III G
vi Am
v Bm
♭VI C
♭VII D

Notice that the ♭III, ♭VI, and ♭VII are diatonic chords in a minor key—not in a major key. So when we use these chords in a major-key song, we are borrowing chords from the parallel minor key. In essence, the ♭III, ♭VI, and ♭VII add a minor-key quality to a major-key song.

Let’s look at how these chords work in common progressions.

The ♭vii

The ♭VII chord is widely used not just in blues and rock but folk, bluegrass, country, and more. Here are some examples using the I, ♭VII, and IV.

“Gloria,” Them (Van Morrison):

I ♭VII IV

“What I Like About You” (Romantics):

I IV ♭VII IV

“Franklin’s Tower” (Grateful Dead)
“Night Moves” (Bob Seger):

verse I ♭VII IV ♭VII

“Fire on the Mountain” (Grateful Dead):

I ♭VII

“Sweet Child o’ Mine” (Guns N’ Roses):

verse I ♭VII IV I

chorus V ♭VII I

If you’re working on a song that uses the I, IV, and V, try substituting the ♭VII for the V to give the progression a different feel.

In general, you can use the ♭VII to add zing to a progression otherwise made up of diatonic chords. For instance, the Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin’ Man” uses a I–♭VII–I in the beginning of the chorus (“Lord, I was born a ramblin’ man”) to make that line stand out in an otherwise standard country/folk progression with the diatonic I, IV, V, and vi chords.

“Ramblin’ Man” (Allman Brothers):

chorus I ♭VII I IV V

IV I vi IV I V I

Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush” has the same set of chords and accentuates the ♭VII to add to the song’s mysterious mood.

“After the Gold Rush” (Neil Young):

I IV I IV

I V IV V

vi ♭VII IV ♭VII

I V ♭VII IV

Explore the sounds of the ♭VII in this episode of Guitar Sessions. Chord charts for the lesson are available on Patreon.

The ♭III

Add the ♭III to a progression, and you can really start to rock out.

“After Midnight,” J. J. Cale:

I ♭III IV 2x

I ♭III IV V

I ♭III IV I

“50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” Paul Simon:

chorus I ♭III IV I

“Back in the USSR,” the Beatles:

verse I IV ♭III IV

chorus I ♭III IV

The ♭III also works well with the ♭VII in a progression. One example in a country vein is “Amie,” which uses the ♭III en route to the IV and V.

“Amie,” Pure Prairie League:

verse I ♭VII IV 4x

IV ♭lll IV ♭III V

The ♭VI

The ♭VI chord is most often heard in edgy rock tunes. One function of the ♭VI is to lead to the V, before resolving to the I. You can hear this in J. J. Cale’s “Cocaine,” which in the refrain (“She don’t lie . . .”) uses the descending line I–♭VII–♭VI–V. On guitar, this sequence is easy to visualize with barre chords: from the I chord (say, an E barre chord at the seventh fret), slide down two frets to the ♭VII, down two more frets to the ♭VI, and, finally, down one more fret to the V.

“Cocaine,” J. J. Cale:

verse I ♭VII

refrain I ♭VII ♭VI V

You’ll also find the ♭VI in a common chord sequence moving up the neck: from a ♭VI barre chord, go up two frets to the ♭VII, and up two more frets to the I. John Fogerty uses this ♭VI–♭VII–I sequence in “The Old Man Down the Road” on the title phrase.

“The Old Man Down the Road,” John Fogerty:

chorus I7 ♭VI ♭VII I7

All together now

One classic song that gives these blues/rock chords a complete workout is the Kinks’ “All Day and All of the Night.” The signature riff uses speedy barre-chord slides to and from the ♭VII (two frets below the I) and the ♭III (three frets above the I).

“All Day and All of the Night,” Kinks:

♭VII I ♭VII ♭III I

From there, the song transitions via the ♭VI and ♭VII to the same sliding-barre-chord riff starting from the II chord (down two frets to I, up three frets to IV) and then the V chord (down two frets to IV, up three frets to ♭VII). It’s a very inventive—and totally rocking—way to use these chords.

As you work on your own songs, try substituting the ♭III, ♭VI, or ♭VII into a diatonic progression that sounds a little ho-hum—they may be just what you need to shake things up.

You can use these chords for just a touch of bluesiness, as in “Ramblin’ Man,” or for full-tilt rock ’n’ roll, as in “All Day and All of the Night.” These chords will change not only the accompaniment but also your melodic options—your voice can play in the zone between major and minor just as your instrument does.

Dig deeper

For more on understanding chord progressions, see The Complete Singer-Songwriter.

More songwriting lessons

Blues/rock chord changes