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Chromatic Scale

The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone or half step apart.

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Chromatic scale full octave ascending and descending on C


The most common conception of the chromatic scale before equal temperament was the Pythagorean chromatic scale, which is essentially a series of eleven 3:2 perfect fifths. The twelve-tone equally tempered scale tempers, or modifies, the Pythagorean chromatic scale by lowering each fifth slightly less than two cents, thus eliminating the Pythagorean comma of approximately 23.5 cents. Various other temperaments have also been proposed and implemented.

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, starting on B, a half step lower than the chromatic scale on C. ()

Spelling

Ascending chromatic notes are generally spelled with sharps, and descending chromatic notes are generally spelled with flats (or, in reference to diatonic sharped notes, with natural signs):

Ascending chromatic scale with reference to the C major scale: C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C.

Descending chromatic scale with reference to the C major scale: C B Bb A Ab G Gb F E Eb D Db C.

Ascending chromatic scale with reference to the A major scale: A A# B B# C# D D# E E# F# FX G# A.

Descending chromatic scale with reference to the Eb major scale: Eb D Db C Cb Bb Bbb Ab G Gb F Fb Eb.

Keyboard fingering

Here is the standard keyboard fingering for a chromatic scale; where 1 means the thumb; 2 the index finger; 3 the middle finger:

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Chromatic scale fingering

Historical usage

The ancient Greeks wrote of three genera of tetrachords: the diatonic, the chromatic, and the enharmonic. Some theorists, such as Ptolomy, assigned specific frequency proportions to these genera and others, such as Aristoxenus, did not. The tetrachords proceeded in descending order, the diatonic genus filling a perfect fourth with two whole tones and a semitone, the chromatic genus filling a perfect fourth with a minor third and two semitones, and the enharmonic genus filling a perfect fourth with a major third and two quarter tones.

The chromatic scale in Chinese music

The ancient Chinese chromatic scale is called Shi Er Lu.

Audio examples

Bassoon chromatic scale
A bassoon playing a chromatic scale from B-flat1 to B-flat4, ascending then descending. |
Problems listening to the file? See media help

See also

External links

Scales in music by number of pitches :[ edit ]
pentatonic | hexatonic | heptatonic | octatonic | chromatic


In music, a scale is a collection of musical notes that provides material for part or all of a musical work. Scales are ordered in pitch or pitch class, with their ordering providing a measure of musical distance.
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Pitch is the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. While the actual fundamental frequency can be precisely determined through physical measurement, it may differ from the perceived pitch because of overtones, or partials, in the sound.
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semitone
Inverse major seventh; diminished octave
Name
Other names minor second
or diatonic semitone;
augmented unison
or chromatic semitone
Abbreviation m2; aug1
Size
Semitones 1
Interval class 1

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semitone
Inverse major seventh; diminished octave
Name
Other names minor second
or diatonic semitone;
augmented unison
or chromatic semitone
Abbreviation m2; aug1
Size
Semitones 1
Interval class 1

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An equal temperament is a musical temperament. It is a system of tuning in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. Equal temperaments are often intended to approximate some form of just intonation.
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perfect fifth
Inverse perfect fourth
Name
Other names diapente
Abbreviation P5
Size
Semitones 7
Interval class 5
Just interval 3:2
Cents
Equal temperament 700
Just intonation 702 The
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The cent is a logarithmic unit of measure used for musical intervals. Typically cents are used to measure extremely small intervals, or to compare the sizes of comparable intervals in different tuning systems, and in fact the interval of one cent is much too small to be heard
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In music theory, a comma is a small or very small interval between two enharmonic notes tuned in different ways. For example, an A flat tuned as a major third below C in just intonation, and a G sharp tuned as a major third above E, will not be exactly the same note.
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musical keyboard.]] A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers on a musical instrument which cause the instrument to produce sounds.

Keyboards almost all share the common layout shown.
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In ancient Greek music theory, a genus is a family of divisions of the tetrachord (four notes spanning a perfect fourth) used to create musical scales. The three genera are distinguished by their characteristic largest intervals, between the upper two notes.
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Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterise scales, and are also applied to intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony.
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Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterise scales, and are also applied to intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony.
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In modern music, an enharmonic is a note (or key signature) which is the equivalent of some other note (or key signature), but spelled differently. For example, in twelve-tone equal temperament (the modern system of musical tuning in the west), the notes C♯ (C sharp) and
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music of China dates back to the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC).
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黄钟－大吕－太簇－夹钟－姑洗－中吕－蕤宾－林钟－夷则－
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The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers and occasionally even higher. It is called das Fagott in German, il fagotto in Italian, and le basson in French.
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In music chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. These may be unrelated or as secondary pitches.
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diatonic scale (from the Greek διατονικος, meaning "[progressing] through tones", also known as the heptatonia prima
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Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterise scales, and are also applied to intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony.
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Atonality in its broadest sense describes music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Atonality in this sense usually describes compositions written from about 1907 to the present day where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used as a primary foundation
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In music, a scale is a collection of musical notes that provides material for part or all of a musical work. Scales are ordered in pitch or pitch class, with their ordering providing a measure of musical distance.
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A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five pitches per octave as compared to the major scale which is made up of seven distinct notes. Pentatonic scales are very common and are found all over the world, including but not limited to Celtic folk music, African-American
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A hexatonic scale is a musical scale with six pitches or notes per octave. Famous examples include the whole tone scale, C D E F# G# A# C, the augmented scale, C D# E G Ab B, and what some jazz theory calls the "blues scale", C Eb F F# G Bb C.
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A heptatonic scale is a musical scale with seven pitches per octave. Among the most famous of these are the diatonic scale, C D E F G A B C; the melodic minor scale, C D Eb F G A B C ascending, C Bb Ab G F Eb D C descending; the harmonic minor scale
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The diminished scale is a musical scale the pitches of which ascend in alternating whole tones and semitones. It is called the diminished scale because it can be conceived as a combination of two interlocking diminished seventh chords, just as the augmented scale
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