As you might expect from a scale whose name comes from the Greek word for ‘colour’, the chromatic scale is not just something your music teacher forces you to learn as a beginner student, but a centuries-old way of creating tension, movement and, indeed, colour in music of all styles.
In this article we’ll explain exactly what the chromatic scale is and why we think of it as the musical alphabet. We’ll then look at some of the most interesting examples of its use, from Rimsky Korsakov’s famous “Flight of the Bumble Bee to the 1940s bebop of Charlie Parker.
We’ve covered modes like the mixolydian and dorian scales to hear how they each add their own unique sound-world to music.
The chromatic scale is a little different…
In fact, some people feel that it’s not really a scale at all, considering the fact is contains every note available in Western music.
It’s a bit like the alphabet, really; whilst you might not recite it in full very often, it’s one of the earliest and most important things to master as a beginner, providing you with the building blocks of language.
So let’s dig into the details of this musical alphabet…
What is the Chromatic Scale? (Definition)
The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone (or ‘half step’) apart. It’s fundamental in Western music theory, serving as the building blocks for composing and improvisation by incorporating every note available within an octave.
Starting with C, the ascending chromatic scale looks like this:
When descending, it would read like this:
C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G, Gb, F, E, Eb, D, Db, C
Because it contains every note, you cannot really say that it has a tonal centre the way a traditional major or minor scale does.
However, the semitone intervals do allow you to create a powerful sense of tension that can be resolved in a variety of ways. This makes the chromatic scale a great tool for classical composition as well as jazz improvisation.
How to Play the Chromatic Scale
To play the chromatic scale, you begin on any note you want, then move up or down in pitch in consecutive semitones or half-step intervals until you finish the octave.
It’s easiest to visualise on a piano: pick a note to start on, then play every single key (white and black) until you get back to the note you started on, just like this example here.
If you don’t have a piano handy, see if you can sing or hum along with that video.
As with any scale, it can be played either ascending (up) or descending (down), and in just one octave, or through multiple octaves.
Many beginner instrument exercises are based on the chromatic scale, as it ensures you know how to play every note on your chosen instrument.
In short, the chromatic scale is a powerful tool that you can use to improve your technical ability, command of your instrument and musicianship.
How to Use the Chromatic Scale
The chromatic scale is used by musicians and composers to create a variety of musical effects, in particular heightened tension or dissonance, which is then resolved or ‘released’ in the melodic line.
While the chromatic scale contains all twelve tones used in music, one cannot say, like you would with the major scale, that it has a tonal centre or tonic.
Because the chromatic scale contains all of the tones contained within an octave, it is always made up of the same 12 notes, just played in a different order.
Atonal music, sometimes called “12-Tone” music, pioneered by 20th Century composers like Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and Alban Berg, put the chromatic scale to use in a variety of interesting ways.
Because atonal music, by definition, lacks a tonal centre, it requires some other unifying agent like melodic and rhythmic motifs, called motives, to give it a sense of coherence. This is also true of the use of the chromatic scale in jazz music.
Examples of The Chromatic Scale
Of course, the theory of scales and modes is important to understand, but nothing beats hearing them in action!
Of course, our focus at Jazzfuel is on jazz music, but it’s impossible to showcase the importance and effect of the chromatic scale without first checking out some famous examples in classical music.
The Chromatic Scale In Classical Music
In classical music, the chromatic scale serves as a versatile tool for composers to express emotion, create tension, and enhance harmonic complexity.
Historically, composers like Bach and Wagner skilfully employed chromaticism to add depth and nuance to their works.
For example, Wagner’s use of the chromatic scale in his operas contributed to the development of the leitmotif technique, enriching the narrative and emotional impact.
Bach, on the other hand, took things more literally, with his piece “Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue” which is notated on the video below, complete with long chromatic runs.
As you can see, there’s a long tradition in classical music for composers to utilise chromatic passages to navigate through intricate harmonies and convey a wide range of expressive qualities, showcasing the scale’s universal significance across musical genres.
The Chromatic Scale In Jazz Music
You will often hear jazz musicians use the chromatic scale (or ‘chromatic lines’) to make improvisation more melodic and harmonically interesting.
The emergence of bebop in the 1940s with artists like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie brought the use of chromatic passing notes to the fore, adding tension and release – often at lightning fast speed!
It wasn’t restricted to the melody (or ‘head’) either; it can be heard throughout the solos, as this example from Donna Lee shows.
The music is so fast, and the chord changes so complex, that one had to develop a high level of virtuosity to simply keep up.
Such was the importance of this sound in bebop that there is even a scale – the bebop scale – which adds an additional note to a normal seven-tone scale to give that extra bit of chromaticism and to act as those all-important passing notes.
Notating the Chromatic Scale
The chromatic scale can be written (or ‘notated’) using either sharps or flats.
As a standalone scale, it’s usually written using sharps when ascending, and flats when descending, like this:
C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G, Gb, F, E, Eb, D, Db, C
When working this into a musical composition, though, the accidentals (sharps and flats) usually are determined by the key you are in, so you should refer to the key signature to know whether or not to use sharps or flats.
For instance, if you use the chromatic scale in a piece that is in A Major, whose key signature is 3 sharps (F#, C# G#), your chromatic passing tones will be written as sharps, and when you play F, G, or C natural notes as a passing tone, you should use the natural accidental to designate that it is natural.
If the piece you are writing is in F major with a key signature of one flat (Bb), the, you should use flats when you work chromatic notes into the composition.
All Chromatic Scales (List)
Looking to learn the chromatic scale starting on a specific note? Here’s the complete list of all chromatic scales, both in their ‘flat’ and ‘sharp’ formats.
In Sharps:
C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C
C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#
D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D
D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#
E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E
F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F
F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#
G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G
G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#
A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A
A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#
B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B
In Flats:
C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C
Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db
D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D
Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb
E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E
F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F
Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb
G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G
Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab
A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A
Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb
B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B
Looking for more?
Check out our guide to scales and modes which include some of the most popular ones used for jazz improvisation, with examples.