How to Write a Melody on Piano Using Passing and Landing Tones
To write a melody over a chord progression on piano, land on chord tones on the strong beats or longer notes, and use non-chord passing tones from the scale on weak beats and off-beats to add colour and tension before resolving.
Key points
- Landing tones are chord tones, placed on strong beats or held longer.
- Passing tones are non-chord notes, usually on weak beats or off-beats.
- A catchy rhythm can turn plain chord tones into a melody.
- Try every inversion of the chord for different melodic flavours.
- Hold a tension for colour, then resolve it to 1, 3 or 5.
This lesson shows you how to build a melody in your right hand over an existing chord progression, using two kinds of notes: chord tones (landing tones) and non-chord tones (passing tones). It suits pianists who know their basic triads and want to start writing or improvising melodies, especially for pop, rock, country and folk.
The chord progression
Jason Zac uses a progression in the key of Bb major, played in the left hand so the right hand is free for the melody:
- G minor (G Bb D)
- Eb major (Eb G Bb)
- Bb major (Bb D F)
- F major (F A C), sometimes as Fsus resolving to F
Step 1: Make a melody from chord tones alone
Start with just one chord, G minor. Playing G, Bb and D as plain quarter notes on the pulse sounds dull. Instead, play the same three notes one after another in an interesting rhythm and in an unpredictable order. A melody is single notes in sequence, not notes pressed together.
The rhythm alone can carry the tune: if you can tap or sing the pattern without pitches and it still sounds catchy, you have something. Because every note belongs to the chord, everything sounds consonant. You can even try swinging the rhythm.
Use every shape of the chord
Each inversion gives the melody a different flavour:
- Root position: G Bb D
- First inversion: Bb D G
- Second inversion: D G Bb
Improvise on each shape, then weave them together. You may be surprised how much music comes from a single chord.
Follow the chords as they change
When you move through G minor, Eb, Bb and F, your melody notes must change too, because they follow each chord's tones. Keep it simple: on some chords you can hold just one chord tone. This approach sounds clean and by the book, like many pop melodies.
Step 2: Add passing and landing tones
Landing tones are the chord tones. Land on them on the strong beats of the bar, especially beat one, or make them longer in duration than the notes around them.
Passing tones are notes that are not in the chord. Over G minor, the diatonic passing notes from Bb major are:
- A: the 2nd or 9th
- C: the 4th or 11th
- Eb: the b6th or b13th
- F: the b7th
These sound less stable than the root, minor third and fifth. They add colour and spice, and when held they are called tensions.
Way 1: Hold a tension, then resolve
Start on a non-chord tone, hold it long enough to establish its colour, then resolve to a chord tone (1, 3 or 5). You cannot stay on the tense sound forever, so the resolution brings it home.
Way 2: Move in a line
Move stepwise up (ascending) or down (descending) through the scale. Over G minor, A and C can slip between the chord tones as passing notes. Place them on weak beats or off-beats, and let the longer notes, such as finishing on G, be chord tones.
Once this works over one chord, weave passing and landing notes across the whole progression. Chromatic passing notes, outside the scale, are another option, saved for a later lesson.
How to practise
- Play G minor in the left hand and improvise with only G, Bb and D in the right hand, focusing on rhythm.
- Repeat in first and second inversion, then combine all three shapes.
- Move through the full progression using only chord tones until it feels comfortable.
- Add diatonic passing notes on weak beats and off-beats, landing on chord tones on strong beats.
- Experiment with holding a tension and resolving it.
- Let the melody grow naturally rather than forcing it.
Questions about this lesson
What is the difference between a passing tone and a landing tone?
A landing tone is a chord tone that you land on at a strong beat or hold for longer. A passing tone is a non-chord note used on weak beats or off-beats to move between landing tones and add colour.
Which passing notes can I use over G minor in Bb major?
The diatonic non-chord tones are A (the 9th), C (the 11th), Eb (the b13th) and F (the b7th). The chord tones G, Bb and D remain your landing notes.
How do I make a melody from just chord tones without it sounding boring?
Play the chord tones one at a time in an interesting, unpredictable rhythm and order instead of plain quarter notes. Using different inversions of the chord also changes the flavour.
Can I hold a non-chord tone for a long time?
Yes. Holding it creates a tension that sounds colourful, but you should then resolve it to a chord tone such as the root, third or fifth.
Practise it
- RunwayExplore runs, fills and licks with a chosen start and landing note.
- Melodic CurvesSketch a melodic contour, choose a scale and hear the line take shape.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- How to Write a Melody on Piano Using Chord TonesTo write a melody over a chord progression, pick one chord tone from each chord (such as the third), play it in the right hand while the left hand plays the chords, then bring it to life with rhythm patterns that grow from semibreves to minims, crotchets and quavers.
- How to Write a Melody on Piano Using the Pentatonic ScalesTo write a melody over a chord progression on piano, build the major pentatonic (scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, 6) or its relative minor pentatonic, then create tunes from mechanical note patterns, by singing phrases and playing them back, and by repeating a short motif that fits every chord.
- How to Write a Melody on Piano Using a Motif (Building Phrases)To write a melody from a motif, create a short melodic-rhythmic phrase over the chord tones, then keep it fresh across a progression by changing its landing note, transposing it to start from each chord's root, and adding or removing notes.
- How to Improvise Over One Chord and One Rhythm Pattern (Part 1)To start improvising over one chord, fix a single swung two-bar rhythm, play only the chord tones of a Bb major triad (Bb, D, F) on its hit points, then colour the melody with the major 6th (G) or the dominant 7th (Ab).