Who Else Wants To Learn Essential Passing Chords For Beginners?

Our focus in this lesson is on essential passing chords for beginners on the piano.

After learning primary chords (the 1-chord, 4-chord, and 5-chord) and how they are applied in accompaniment and harmonization, there is need to also explore passing chords because they add an extra dimension to chord progressions.

Attention: If you’re beyond the beginners skill level, then this lesson is NOT for you. You may check out this lesson on passing chords for intermediate players.

The goal of this lesson is to get you started with super basic passing chords that you can spice up chord progressions with at the moment.

Let’s take a look at the concept of passing chords before we proceed.

Passing Chords — Explained

A passing chord is [usually a chromatic] chord that connects two diatonic chords. For example, the movement in the key of C major:

…from the 1-chord:

…to the 5-chord:

…is known as the 1-5 chord progression.

The two diatonic chords in the 1-5 chord progression can be connected with a passing chord. The passing chord comes after the 1-chord and before the 5-chord.

The passing chord that connects the 1-chord and the 5-chord is the D major triad:

…which is a chromatic chord.

“So, Here’s The 1-5 Chord Progression Using The Passing Chord…”

The 1-chord:

…the passing chord:

…the 5-chord:

Although the 1-5 chord progression sounds pretty good, introducing a passing chord in-between to connect both chords adds more momentum to the chord progression.

“Oh Come All Ye Faithful [Regular Progression]…”

Oh come:

…all ye faith:

…ful.

“Oh Come All Ye Faithful [With Passing Chords]…”

Oh come:

…all:

…ye faith:

…ful.

You can see how the passing chord added more momentum to the chord progression.

Essential Passing Chords For Beginners

Let’s go ahead and explore passing chords to the scale tone chords you’re already familiar with:

The 1-chord

The 2-chord

The 3-chord

The 4-chord

The 5-chord

The 6-chord

All examples will be given using root position chords (triads) in the key of C major:

Feel free to invert and transpose the chords.

The Passing Chord To The 1-Chord

The 1-chord in the key of C major:

…is the C major triad:

…and its passing chord is the first inversion of the G major triad:

…with a B-note on the bass:

Altogether here’s the passing chord:

…to the 1-chord:

The Passing Chord To The 2-Chord

In the key of C major:

…the 2-chord is the D minor triad:

The passing chord to the 2-chord is the A major triad (played in first inversion):

…with a C#-note on the bass:

So, here’s the passing chord:

…to the 2-chord:

The Passing Chord To The 3-Chord

Still in the key of C major:

…the 3-chord is the E minor triad:

The passing chord to the 3-chord is the B major triad (played in first inversion):

…with a D#-note on the bass:

Altogether here’s the passing chord:

…to the 3-chord:

The Passing Chord To The 4-Chord

The 4-chord in the key of C major:

…is the F major triad:

…and its passing chord is the first inversion of the C major triad:

…with an E-note on the bass:

Altogether here’s the passing chord:

…to the 4-chord:

The Passing Chord To The 5-Chord

In the key of C major:

…the 5-chord is the G major triad:

The passing chord to the 5-chord is the D major triad (played in first inversion):

…with an F#-note on the bass:

So, here’s the passing chord:

…to the 5-chord:

The Passing Chord To The 6-Chord

The 6-chord in the key of C major:

…is the A minor triad:

…and its passing chord is the first inversion of the E major triad:

…with a G#-note on the bass:

Altogether here’s the passing chord:

…to the 6-chord:

“Why Is There No Passing Chord To The 7-Chord?”

Final Words

Congratulations! You just made it through to the end off this lesson and you’ve learned 6 passing chords that you can progress to different scale tone chords with.

Like I recommended earlier, after learning these chords, feel free to invert and transpose them to other keys.

See you in the next lesson.

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Chuku Onyemachi

Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group

Onyemachi "Onye" Chuku is a Nigerian musicologist, pianist, and author. Inspired by his role model (Jermaine Griggs) who has become his mentor, what he started off as teaching musicians in his Aba-Nigeria neighborhood in April 2005 eventually morphed into an international career that has helped hundreds of thousands of musicians all around the world. Onye lives in Dubai and is currently the Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group and the music consultant of the Gospel Music Training Center, all in California, USA.

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