In today’s lesson, we are going to learn how to spice up a chord progression in D major by borrowing a chord from the D minor key. This substitution is prevalent in pop music so if you are a singer, songwriter, or a guitar player looking for a magic chord you are in the right place.

So, what’s the minor IV chord in the major key? The minor IV is a borrowed chord that can be interchanged with the major IV. In D major key, for example, the G major chord (IV degree) can be interchanged with the G minor chord, borrowed from the IV degree of the D minor key. You can listen to the minor IV chord in songs such as No Surprise and Creep by Radiohead and Blackbird by the Beatles.

The minor IV is one of the most beautiful chords to play in a major chord progression because it adds so many emotions, sadness, and mystery to the music. In this example, we are exploring the D major key, but you can apply the minor IV to any major key.

You can learn how to use this chord in the video below. The tab is available on my Patreon page.

Enjoy this lesson.

The Chord Progression – D Major – G Minor Chord

In this example, I am combining two chords, the D major and the G minor chord. If you know a little bit about music theory, you know that in the D major key the G chord is major and not minor. We can borrow the G minor chord from the D minor key and substitute the G major with the G minor chord.

The I – iv progression works perfectly with any chord shape. You could play an open D major and a G minor bar chord and still write an awesome chord progression. Extended chords such as Dsus2 and Gm6 work beautifully as well. Make sure you try different chord shapes and inversions and use them in your songwriting and songs.

Is the Minor IV Good with All the Chords?

The I-iv is one of the most common modern chord progression. It works perfectly with chords such as the D major going to G minor or the B minor going to G minor. However, the minor IV substitution doesn’t work all the time. Progressions such as the vi – iv, E minor to G minor, doesn’t sound great. The best way is to experiment with different chord progressions to find the ones that work the best.

These are all the chords you can play in D major key: D major, E minor, F# minor, G minor, A major, B minor, and C# diminished. The G chord should be major, but for this exercise, you will play a minor chord.

These are some of the chord progressions that work with the minor IV chord:

• D – Gm
• Bm – Gm
• D – A – G – Gm

Should I Practice the Chords with Fingerpicking or Strumming?

One of the things that I love about the minor IV chord is that it works with both fingerpicking and strumming technique. In the video, I am going to show you how to play the chord progression with both fingerstyle and strumming so that you can get inspired to try both. However, the fingerpicking technique gives you more harmonic and melodic choices compared to the strumming technique.

In the video, we are going to start by learning the chords with the fingerpicking technique. The dynamics and tone we can achieve with the fingerpicking technique are unique. We can also arpeggiate the chords and single out some of the notes. For the D major chord, I am even playing a Dsus2, and for the Gm chord, I will play a Gm6/D.

With the strumming technique, you can add more rhythm and groove to the chord. In this example, I am playing basic chords such as B minor and G minor as well as inversions and extended chords. You will learn how to play a D/F# and a Gm6 chord. Each chord can be strummed with a downstroke but feel free to come up with a pattern of your choice.

Both strumming and fingerpicking are unique guitar techniques that allow you to express different moods and feeling. The fingerpicking technique is a killer when it comes to melody, arpeggios, and tone. The strumming is great for rhythm and groove. Practice the minor IV chord with both techniques to get the most out of your playing.

Why is the Minor IV Chord so Beautiful?

Now that you have been experimenting with the chords let’s talk about why is the minor IV so beautiful.

One of the reasons why the minor IV chord sounds so amazing is because of its harmonic function. The minor IV resolves nicely back to the tonic chord (G minor to D major) because of the two suspensions between the Root and 3rd. Let me give you an example between the D major and G minor chord.

The notes of the G minor chord are G Bb D. When this chord moves back to the D major the note G (the root note of G minor) moves back to the F#(the major 3rd of D major), and the Bb (the minor 3rd of G minor) resolves to the A (the 5th of D major). The connection between these two notes makes the G minor a beautiful chord to play before and after the D major.

You can see the harmonic function of the chord even better if we keep the same bass note for both the D major and the G minor chord. In the example below, the only two notes that move are the F# and A.

Related Questions

Can I use the minor IV chord in different keys? Absolutely! You can use the minor IV chord in any major key. Always start by identifying all the chords within the key, then change the 4th from major to a minor chord. In C major, for example, the chords are C Dm Em F G Am Bdim C. Change the F major to F minor and try different chord progressions.

I am Writing a Song. Can I sing a melody over the minor IV chord? Of course, you can. However, remember that the minor IV is borrowed from a different key so you will have to adjust the notes of the melody based on the minor chord you are playing. In D major key, the minor IV is the G minor chord which has the notes G, Bb, and D. If you sing a melody over this chord, you will probably have to use the note Bb instead of the B natural.

Let’s Wrap This Up

I hope you enjoyed this lesson. Once you become familiar with the chords in this lesson, you should go ahead and write your chord progressions. One of the most important aspects of learning new chords is to put them into practice and learn how to use them in different progressions.

Stick with the D major key for a while before you try a different one. Also, listen to a lot of songs that use the minor IV chord to train your ears to the sound, color, and function of the chord.

Practice the chords with both fingerpicking and strumming technique. When you play the chords with the fingerstyle, focus more on the melody and tone. Combine open strings and try the chords in different positions of the neck. With the strumming, stick with one or two rhythmic patterns and make sure to play each chord as evenly as possible.

Write all the chords down and keep adding until you have a bunch of great chord progressions. Learn many songs and have fun using this beautiful and creative chord.

Have fun with this lesson guys. The tabs are available on my Patreon page. Make sure you check it out here.

Keep practicing and playing!

Marco.