Summary: Passing Chords To connect chords that are a whole step apart or more, composers often use passing chords, which use some of the pitches in between a key's chords. One example is a chromatic passing chord, which simply moves in half step motion between two chords as heard in "I'm a Man" by The Spencer Davis Group (G-F#-F-E). Diminished Chords Another type of passing chord is a diminished chord. Diminished chords sound very dissonant and unstable by themselves, almost unusable. But when placed between the right chords, they make complete sense. Just listen to "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks for a good example. The verse uses the chords A-A#dim-Bm-E. Augmented Chords Sometimes an augmented chord functions as a passing chord, bridging the gap between chords with chromatic half-step movement as heard in "Crying" by Roy Orbison. This song features the chord changes D-Daug-G-Gm-D-A7. Guitar Theory In music, it's important to not only learn the chords that belong to a key, but the different types of passing chords that can be played in between them. This free guitar lesson is based on Guitar Theory For Dummies Chapter 10. Learn more about the book and watch a video trailer at: http://www.guitar-music-theory.com/guitar-theory-for-dummies/
