I’ll explain what I mean by these two rules with some examples. You must not have more than two notes on any pitch.You must have at least one note on every pitch.In practice, composers will write in the most convenient way taking into account any notes in the key signature as well.īut, in the context of music theory, there are two rules that you must follow when writing a chromatic scale which are: The first thing to mention is that it’s common to use sharp signs when writing an ascending chromatic scale: Ascending chromatic scaleĪnd then use flat signs when writing a descending chromatic scale: Descending chromatic scale Ascending and Descending Chromatic Scales Unlike most music scales which have only one correct way to notate them, you can write a chromatic scale in a number of different ways.įor example, you could start a chromatic scale with the notes C, C sharp, and D:īut you could also notate it with the notes C, Db followed by D natural:īoth of these are okay but there are a few rules and conventions to follow. This led to chromatics being used more and more and gave rise to atonal music, which doesn’t have any sense of tonality. This is why we call them chromatics as they bring color and emotion to the music without changing the key center.įrom the 19th century onwards, composers wanted to get away from writing music in a given key. Composers used notes outside of these keys (called accidentals) to embellish the melody and add color to the music. We use the word chromatic as it allows us to add color and embellish the notes of major and minor scales.ĭuring the 1600s, music was generally written in major and minor keys. The word chromatic comes from the Greek word “ chroma” which means color. To descend you play the note one half step lower until you reach your starting note. Here is an ascending chromatic scale, starting on C written out on a stave: C chromatic scale ascendingĪnd here is a descending chromatic scale starting on C: C chromatic scale descendingīut, you can start a chromatic scale on any note, just play the note one half step higher until you reach the starting note an octave above.
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