Everything about The Chromatic Scale totally explained
The
chromatic scale is a
musical scale with twelve
pitches, each a
semitone or
half step apart.
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.
Notation
Although composers have not been consistent, music theorists have divided the notation of any chromatic scale into two types:
| The harmonic chromatic scale |
|
| The melodic chromatic scale |
|
The
harmonic chromatic scale has a set form that remains the same whether ascending or descending and regardless of key signature. It is created by including all the notes from both the major and minor (melodic and harmonic) scales and then adding the flattened 2nd and sharpened 4th degrees from the starting note. The harmonic chromatic scale therefore has every degree of the scale written twice, apart from the 5th and the key-note or starting note at the top or bottom.
The
melodic chromatic scale has no set form that's agreed upon by all. However their form is dependent upon
major or
minor key signatures and whether the scale is ascending or descending. The image above therefore is only an example of the melodic chromatic scale, as it has no set form. That no scale degree should be used more than twice in succession (for instance G flat - G natural - G sharp) is however a principle upon which most are agreed.
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:
Historical usage
The ancient Greeks wrote of three
genera of tetrachords: the
diatonic, the
chromatic, and the
enharmonic. Some theorists, such as Ptolemy, 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 Lü.
Audio examples
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chromatic Scale'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://chromatic_scale.totallyexplained.com">Chromatic scale Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
