The supertonic passing tone is a non-chord tone that occurs between the tonic and supertonic (second scale degree) in a musical phrase. It creates melodic tension and adds movement to the line.
Imagine you're climbing up a staircase, but instead of stepping directly from one step to another, you add an extra small step in between. That extra step represents the supertonic passing tone, giving your climb a bit more excitement.
Leading tone: Another type of non-chord tone that occurs between the seventh and eighth scale degrees, creating strong melodic tension towards resolution.
Passing tone: Similar to supertonic passing tones, passing tones occur between two adjacent chord tones within a musical phrase.
Neighbor tone: A non-chord tone that occurs when a pitch moves from one chord tone to an adjacent pitch before returning back to its original pitch.
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