Chromatic mediant harmony is often used in film music. Here are its different categories.
Minor chords in third relationships
A minor chord that moves to another minor chord located at one of the following intervals:
- Ascending minor third, e.g. : Am → Cm
- Ascending major third, e.g. : Am → C#m
- Descending minor third, e.g. : Am → F#m
- Descending major third, e.g. : Am → Fm
- Tritone, e.g. : Am → Ebm (although not a third interval, the sound is similar)
Examples of progressions:
- Am | Cm | Am | Fm
- Am | C#m | Em | Gm
- Am | Ebm | Am | Cm
Major chords in third relationships
- A major chord that moves to another major chord located at one of the following intervals:
- Ascending minor third, e.g.: C → Eb
- Ascending major third, e.g.: C → E
- Descending minor third, e.g..: C → A
- Descending major third,e.g.: C → Ab
- Tritone, e.g.: C → F# (although not a third interval, the sound is similar)
Examples of progressions:
- C | Eb | C | Ab
- C | E | Ab | C
- C | F# | C | E
Combination of minor and major chords in third relationships
A major chord that moves to a minor chord at a third interval (or tritone), and vice versa, as long as both chords do not belong to the same scale.
Examples of progressions:
- Cm | F# | Cm | A
- Cm | E | Cm | Abm
Other possibility
A minor chord moving to a major chord a half step lower (although not a third interval, the sound is similar).
Examples of progressions:
- Cm | B | Cm
- Cm | B | Cm | F#
Considerations
- If the music is meant to loop, the last chord of the loop should be in a chromatic mediant relationship with the first, since they will connect.
- It is common for chords in chromatic mediant relationships to be presented in root position (with the root in the bass). This creates a quasi-modulation effect at each chord change, as if harmonic functions continuously shift from the tonic of one key to the tonic of another.
- This type of harmony is very often used with triads (without extensions).