Scales and modes
Chromatic scale
The chromatic scale is the sequence of all twelve notes in an octave, each a half step apart; on guitar, it means playing every fret one after another.
What is the chromatic scale?
The chromatic scale contains all 12 notes of Western music, each a half step from the next. It has no particular tonic and no major or minor colour: it is the complete palette that every other scale is drawn from.
Ascending from A: A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A. Descending, it is usually written with flats: A A♭ G G♭ F E E♭ D D♭ C B B♭ A. A# and B♭ are the same fret on the neck, which makes them enharmonic equivalents. Whether you write sharps or flats mostly depends on the direction of the line.
How do you play the chromatic scale on guitar?
On guitar it is the easiest scale to see: every fret adds a half step. Play the open A string, then frets 1 to 12, and you hear the full chromatic scale from A to A.
To play it in one position over two octaves, starting from A (low E string, 5th fret), one finger per fret:
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5, 6, 7, 8 | A A# B C |
| 5 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | C# D D# E F |
| 4 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | F# G G# A A# |
| 3 | 4, 5, 6, 7 | B C C# D |
| 2 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | D# E F F# G |
| 1 | 4, 5 | G# A |
Your first finger covers frets 4 and 5, your little finger fret 8. To compare this full grid with the seven notes of a given key, show both on the fretboard with the guitar scales tool.
Chromatic exercises for your fingers and ears
The 1-2-3-4 warm-up: on each string, from low E to high E, play frets 5, 6, 7, 8 with your first, middle, ring and little fingers. Come back down 8, 7, 6, 5. Start at 60 bpm, one note per beat, keeping your fingers close to the strings.
It is not a scale you solo with as is, but it powers chromatic approach notes: landing on a chord tone from the fret just below. Over Am Dm E7, try G# to A (low E string, frets 4 to 5), C# to D (A string, frets 4 to 5) and D# to E (A string, frets 6 to 7).
Key takeaways
- 12 notes, each a half step apart.
- On the neck, one fret equals one half step.
- Sharps going up, flats going down, by convention.
- Uses: warm-ups, passing notes and chromatic approaches.
Frequently asked questions
How many notes are in the chromatic scale?
Twelve different notes per octave. If you write it from A to A you play thirteen notes, the last being the octave of the first, exactly twelve frets higher on the same string.
Should the chromatic scale use sharps or flats?
By convention, sharps going up and flats going down, because an altered note tends to keep moving in the direction of its alteration. On guitar, A# and B♭ are still the same fret.
How is the chromatic scale used in improvisation?
To connect the notes of your main scale with passing notes, and to target chord tones from a half step above or below. It is a core ingredient of jazz, blues and rockabilly lines.
Related terms
Practise in the workshop
Take it from theory to the fretboard
Open the workshop tools and see this idea across the whole neck. Free account, no card needed.