FIERCE GUITAR
Passing Tones
One of the approaches I’ve found to be very
effective in spicing up solos is the use of
passing tones. Passing tones are often regarded
as scale tones residing between two chord
tones. While this may be accurate by official
definitions, it seems to me that the overly
vague nature of such a definition does very
little to provide useful information to someone
genuinely interested in exploring this concept.
So, for the sake of practicallity, passing tones
might best be thought of as notes residing
between two scale tones that are a whole tone
apart. For example, any one of the following
notes could be used as passing tones in a C
major scale application: C#, E%, F#, A% or B%.
Simply put, a passing tone is basically a nonharmonic tone maintaining the primary function
of transitioning from one scale tone to another.
They are embellishments that can serve to
add depth, tension, and an overall element
of sophistication to almost any solo if used
Ex. 4A
Ex. 4B
GREG HOWE
fittingly. Traditionally, it has been taught that
passing tones should fall on weak beats or
upbeats; however, I don’t personally adhere
to that rule unless the specific soloing section
seems to lend itself to that approach. In
most cases (but not all), it would generally be
considered musically inappropriate to land
on or linger on a passing tone. But again, this
really is subjective territory, and the only rules
that should ever really be obeyed are the ones
that enable you to sound your best.
Historically, the reccuring use of specific
passing tones within the context of traditional
scales has often resulted in permanent
modifications whereby the passing tone
is subsequently included as part of the
modified version. Such is the case with many
contemporary scales, most notably the bebop
scales and the classic blues scale. There is
still some debate as to whether or not the
modded versions qualify as legitimate scales at
all. My personal opinion is, “Who cares?”
The following examples are designed to imply
a D7 tonality. They’re basically comprised of
D Mixolydian notes (same notes as G major)
along with passing tones. While these licks
initially seem to imply a D7 tonality, they can
also work equally well in the following G major
related modes: Dorian, playing the licks over
an Am chord, and Lydian, playing the licks
over a C major chord.
Greg Howe
Greg Howe has enjoyed a successful recording career
since bursting onto the scene in 1988, and his talents
have been sought after by some of the biggest names
in the music entertainment industry, such as Michael
Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Enrique Iglesias.
