bIII-V7 Cadence (bIII V7 I)
The bIII-V7 cadence is the chord progression bIII-V7-I. In the key of C major it is Eb G7 C, and in the Nashville Number System it is written b3 5(7) 1.
Chords from outside the key of C major: Eb.
Jump to the chords and audio in C, G, D, A and E
Why it works
A close cousin of the bVII-V7 cadence: a chord borrowed from the parallel minor moves to the dominant seventh and resolves to I. The bIII and V share one note, so the jump sounds abrupt and colourful before the strong dominant pull takes over. Wikipedia describes it alongside bVII-V7.
Songs that use it
These are the chords as played in each song, in the song's own key.
| Song | Artist | Section | Chords | Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Something | The Beatles | intro and link into the verse | Eb G/D C | C major |
| Where Did You Sleep Last Night | Nirvana | verse | G B E in half-step-down tuning, sounding Gb Bb Eb | Eb major |
bIII-V7 Cadence: Chords and Audio in C, G, D, A and E
Press play to hear each key. The diagrams show the shapes used in the audio, and every chord links to its full page.
More progressions like this one
- Mixolydian I-v-IV: C Gm F
- I-bVII-IV: C Bb F
- I-II-IV-I: C D F C
- I-V-bVII-IV: C G Bb F
All guitar chord progressions →
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
FAQ
What are the chords of the bIII-V7 cadence in each key?
In C major: Eb G7 C. In G major: Bb D7 G. In D major: F A7 D. In A major: C E7 A. In E major: G B7 E.
Which songs use the bIII-V7 cadence?
Songs that use it include Something by The Beatles, Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Nirvana.
