(MJS) Chromatic Scales Lesson

Chromatic Scale

The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a half-step or semitone above or below another. On a modern piano, all the half-steps are the same distance apart. In other words, the notes of an equal-tempered chromatic scale are equally spaced. An equal-tempered chromatic scale is a nondiatonic scale having no tonic because of the symmetry of its equally spaced notes. The words diatonic or nondiatonic refer to notes that are within a key (diatonic) or notes outside of that key (nondiatonic).

Chromatic scale on C: full octave ascending and descending

The term chromatic derives from the Greek word chroma, meaning color. Chromatic notes are traditionally understood as harmonically inessential embellishments, shadings, or inflections of diatonic notes.

The chromatic scale may be notated in a variety of ways.

Ascending and descending:

The chromatic scale has no set spelling agreed upon by all. Its spelling is, however, often dependent upon major or minor key signatures and whether the scale is ascending or descending. The images above, therefore, are only examples of chromatic scale notations. As an abstract theoretical entity (that is, outside a particular musical context), the chromatic scale is usually notated such that no scale degree is used more than twice in succession (for instance G flat - G natural - G sharp).

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