The One Passing Chord You Should Know
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What if I told you that my favorite passing chord isn’t fancy at all?
In fact, it’s one of the simplest chords I use.
And yet… it works over almost any song and style.
That’s because great passing chords don’t come from complexity — they come from compatibility with the melody.
If a passing chord is too complex, it won’t fit the tune. If it’s too simple, it sounds amateur.
This chord is different.
It adds richness and motion without ever getting in the way of your melody.
That’s why it’s my go-to passing chord — the one I can rely on in any musical situation.
And now, it’s yours.
The problem with passing chords is that there are hundreds — even thousands — of options.
And students quickly get overwhelmed.
I remember feeling this way myself. I just wanted to quit.
But then I realized something important:
Most pros don’t use infinite options.
They rely on a small set of tried-and-true “stock chords” that work again and again.
That realization changed everything for me.
Once I started collecting those stock chords, I finally cracked the code to improvisation.
This passing chord is one of those exact techniques.
And the real key to becoming a great improviser is simple:
Find what works.
Use it everywhere.
Then repeat.
I hope that you add this passing chord technique to your bag of tricks this year, and all the years go come.
Jonny May
Jonathan May is a pianist from Southern California who specializes in many styles of piano. At age eighteen, Jonny became the youngest pianist to perform at Disneyland. Each week he entertained thousands of guests with his arrangements of American classics and Disney songs. Jonny has also performed with the Youtube...
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