![a chromatic scale a chromatic scale](https://image2.slideserve.com/3743663/slide1-n.jpg)
Ascending and Descending Chromatic Scales To learn more, I suggest you check out Other Harmony: Beyond Tonal and Atonal. Where the notes in tonal structures rely on each other, in atonal composition, the notes of the Chromatic scale do not, and operate independently.
#A chromatic scale full
For this, composers tended to use the full length and breadth of the Chromatic scale. The only rule is, “Does one tone sound good with the next?” And then where two are played, with each other. It would start and finish in its key and its harmonies and structures based around its designated key.Ītonal moves away from that. This resulted in atonal music, noted for its lack of tonality. This led to Chromatics being incorporated into the music. They wanted to move away from writing everything in a set key. Some chroma, if you like.īut during the later Classical and Romantic periods, composers wanted more freedom of notation. They did this to add some “color and embellishment” to the music. The composers would use what they called “accidentals” to operate outside of the notes of the keys. These formal keys could be major or minor, but the patterns were set. Though there were some exceptions as composers experimented. Up until the late 1700s, music was usually written in formal keys. The original function of the Chromatic scale in music was to decorate and embellish the sound of the music.
![a chromatic scale a chromatic scale](https://i2.wp.com/mypianonotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/c-chromatic-scale.jpg)
![a chromatic scale a chromatic scale](https://shawndavidanderson.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/A-condensed-Chromatic-scale.jpg)
Wouldn’t be music without its ‘rules,’ would it? From the GreekĬhroma is a Greek word describing color. No examples for descending scales, I hear you ask? We will deal with that later as there is a ‘rule’ about that. Starting with E for the ascending scale, we would have:Į – F – F# – G – G# – A – A# – B – C – C# – D – D#. The scale rises by one semitone or half step each time. Giving you twelve notes.īut you can play a Chromatic scale starting from anywhere. If we are to play an ascending Chromatic scale in C, then the notes would be:Ĭ – C# – D – D# – E – F – F# – G – G# – A – A# – B. One semitone, or half step at a time.įor a more in-depth explanation, I recommend The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios & Cadences: Includes All the Major, Minor (Natural, Harmonic, Melodic) & Chromatic Scales. But whichever way you choose, the same rules will apply. I say below because a Chromatic scale can be played in ascending order or descending. Each note is, therefore, a semitone or a half step above, or below, the last note. Unlike the notes in a major or a minor scale, the notes are the same distance apart. If you were to carry on, the next would be the 13th note which would be the start of the next Chromatic scale. If you look down at the keyboard of a piano, organ, or similar, the Chromatic scale is all of the white and black keys in one octave.įor example, if you start with C and play every note, white and black, you will play 12 notes, and that is your Chromatic scale. But there is only one scale that uses all the notes, or pitches, available, and that is the Chromatic. There are, of course, differences between major and minor scales. Octatonic or Diminished scales – 8 notes.
#A chromatic scale plus
Heptatonic scale – 8 notes (the Diatonic plus the Octave).However, I should mention some of the better-known ones… I am not going to go too much into this because I want to concentrate on the Chromatic scale. A Guide To The Chromatic Scale – Final Thoughts.Some more rule regarding Chromatic scales.Ascending and Descending Chromatic Scales.