In their songs the Beatles showed a predilection for this chord. In this respect Beatles' experts often point to the Fab Four's songbook as an important source of inspiration for other songwriters. Then, within the span of just a few years its share multiplied. Up until the 1960s the bVII-chord was still sparsely used in popular music. This, however, does not explain why the chord has become a favourite of songwriters since the mid-twentieth century. On the level of music theory, the kinship between scales and modes may explain why the flat-seventh can be inserted in a major key. For that reason, when found in the context of a major key, the flat-seventh is often seen as a "borrowed chord", lent by one of these scales or modes and ready to be used as a substitute for one of the basic chords - generally the dominant ( V). Most closely it fits in with the Mixolydian mode. In both the Aeolian and Dorian modes they are native harmonic choices, where the tonic is minor, and the chord is called VII, not bVII. However, it does fit in with most related minor scales or modes. In a major key the root of the flat-seventh is a note that is not a member of the scale or mode in question. For example, in the key of A it is the G major chord and in the key of D it is the C major chord. That is why it is also known as the subtonic. It is rooted on the pitch that is one whole step below the 1st degree of the actual key. The so-called flat-seventh or bVII is a most peculiar chord, especially in the context of a major key. Left: The Everly Brothers (1958) - between 19 the duo released no less than 13 bVII-songsĪ most peculiar chord. Pinter goes back in time, looking for the flat-seventh in the popular songs of the decade before the Beatles' hits topped the charts. ![]() The chord's rise to acceptance coincides and therefore is often conflated with the successes of the Beatles. That has been quite different in the past. Nowadays the flat-seventh is a fully accepted member of the family of chords that populate the inlands of popular music. The remarkable rise of the flat-seventh chord in late 1950s' and early 1960s' popular music
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