Scales
C Chromatic Scale
C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B
All twelve notes — every semitone in the octave, and the raw material every other scale is selected from.
C Chromatic Scale
C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B
Fingering on the piano
| Hand | Fingering | Notes | Play it on your instrument |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 3 1 3 1 2 3 1 3 1 3 1 2 | C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B · C | |
| Left hand | 1 3 1 3 2 1 3 1 3 1 3 2 1 | C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B · C |
One octave ascending; 1 is the thumb. A standard fingering, not the only one.
Tap a key or a fret to hear it.
Scale degrees
C Chromatic is made of the notes C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B. Each is a degree counted from the tonic, and the gaps between them are the step pattern H H H H H H H H H H H H.
Read on: scale degrees · building any scale
Related scales
C Chromatic is a selection of notes from larger scales rather than a seven-note scale of its own, so it has no chords of its own: it takes them from the scales that contain it, listed here with the scales it contains and its related keys.
Scales inside it
C Major PentatonicC · D · E · G · A
Every note of this scale is in C Chromatic.
C MajorC · D · E · F · G · A · B
Every note of this scale is in C Chromatic.
C MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · Ab · Bb
Every note of this scale is in C Chromatic.
C Major BluesC · D · Eb · E · G · A
Every note of this scale is in C Chromatic.
C Minor BluesC · Eb · F · Gb · G · Bb
Every note of this scale is in C Chromatic.
C Melodic MinorC · D · Eb · F · G · A · B
Every note of this scale is in C Chromatic.
Understanding C Chromatic
Names and spellings
The chromatic scale is all twelve notes, so there is only one of them; starting it on a different note changes nothing but its name. Its spelling follows the key around it: sharps going up, flats coming down.
How it is built
On C the scale is C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B, following the step pattern H H H H H H H H H H H H. Every step is a half step, so it is symmetrical in the strongest possible sense: there is only one chromatic scale, transposed anywhere.
How it is used
It is not a key. Having no internal hierarchy, it establishes nothing on its own, and it is used for motion between notes rather than as a harmonic home.
In practice that means passing tones, chromatic approach notes and the connecting runs between chord tones. It is also the standard technical exercise, because it is the only scale that uses every finger on every note.
Learn this properly
Chapter 2: Pitch, Notes and the OctaveCommon questions
- What notes are in the chromatic scale?
- All twelve: C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B.
- Can you write music in the chromatic scale?
- Not as a key, because it has no hierarchy to establish a tonic. It is used for motion between notes, and serially in twelve-tone composition.
- How many chromatic scales are there?
- One. Every transposition produces the same set of notes.
- How do I play C Chromatic?
- On guitar start with the 1st position, played from the lowest string upward; the instrument panel on this page shows its frets and the positions further up the neck. On the piano the right hand ascends 1 3 1 3 1 2 3 1 3 1 3 1 2, with 1 as the thumb. Every position plays when you press it.
- What notes are in C Chromatic?
- C Chromatic contains the notes C · C# · D · D# · E · F · F# · G · G# · A · A# · B, measured from the tonic C as the intervals 1P, 2m, 2M, 3m, 3M, 4P, 5d, 5P, 6m, 6M, 7m, 7M. Play them in order for the scale: every note on this page sounds when you tap it, and the step pattern under the degrees shows the distance from each note to the next.