Chromatic Mediant I-bIII Chord Progression
The Chromatic mediant I-bIII is the chord progression I-bIII. In the key of C major it is C Eb, and in the Nashville Number System it is written 1 b3.
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
Two major chords a minor third apart share just one note: in C, the G is the fifth of C and the third of Eb. It sits outside the key and works as a surprise that prolongs the tonic, not as a functional step. Wikipedia counts bIII as one of the four chromatic mediants of a major key.
Songs that use it
These are the chords as played in each song, in the song's own key.
| Song | Artist | Section | Chords | Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linus and Lucy | Vince Guaraldi | theme | Ab Ab6 Cb Cb6 Ab | Ab major |
Chromatic Mediant I-bIII Chord Progression: 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
- Chromatic mediant I-III: C E
- Major line cliche: C Cmaj7 C7 F
- bIII-V7 cadence: Eb G7 C
- Mixolydian I-v-IV: C Gm 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 Chromatic mediant I-bIII in each key?
In C major: C Eb. In G major: G Bb. In D major: D F. In A major: A C. In E major: E G.
Which songs use the Chromatic mediant I-bIII?
Songs that use it include Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi.
