Make it part of your daily regimen until it is memorized. Practice reading and playing the chromatic scale starting on the same note every time. This scale is the easiest one to play because all you have to do is play the next possible notes in consecutive order. In a one-octave chromatic scale, there are 12 tones total….13 if you repeat the first note. This scale can begin on any note with the key signature not making a difference on how we treat the scale. We read sharps when the scale is ascending and flats when the scale descends. The chromatic scale is made up of half steps. Just look at the first note, the top note (know where you are going), and play every half step in consecutive order in between, starting on the beginning note until you reach the top note. This is especially true if you have the scale memorized in your fingers! With this little bit of knowledge, you will be able to identify a chromatic scale when you see one in your music and play it without having to read every single note.
#Chromatic scale piano how to
It is very helpful to know how to play it before you run into situations where you need to read and play it in your music. This scale is found in a lot of music passages. Yep, every instrument will use the chromatic scale as part of your foundational learning and technique. All kinds of cool patterns begin to emerge! Do All Instruments Play this Scale? That’s what happens when a scale is created by half steps. G#/Ab-A-A#/Bb-B-C-C#/Db-D-D#/Eb-E-F-F#/Gb-G-G#/AbĪ-A#/Bb-B-C-C#/Db-D-D#/Eb-E-F-F#/Gb-G-G#/Ab-AĪ#/Bb-B-C-C#/Db-D-D#/Eb-E-F-F#/Gb-G-G#/Ab-A-A#/Bbī-C-C#/Db-D-D#/Eb-E-F-F#/Gb-G-G#/Ab-A-A#/Bb-Bĭo you see how the chromatic scale can start on any note? Also, notice how you can see the chromatic scale vertically (up & down) in this chart, as well as, horizontally (left to right). Moving to the right on the piano is ascending (pitch getting higher) and moving to the left is descending (pitch getting lower).
Remember that you read sharps going up and flats going down. A descending chromatic scale uses flat signs.ĭescending: C-B-Bb-A-Ab-G-Gb-F-E-Eb-D-Db-C When the scale goes down, it is called descending. An ascending chromatic scale uses sharp signs.Īscending: C-C#-D-D#-E-E#/F-F#-G-G#-A-A#-B-B#/CĢ. When the scale goes up, it is called ascending. If you repeat the first note at the end of the scale, then there are 13 notes total. The chromatic scale has a total of 12 different notes. How is this different from other scales? All the other one-octave scales have a total of 8 tones with the first and last note being the same. In a one-octave chromatic scale, there are 12 different tones. The key signature does not make a difference since the scale is made up of half steps.įor once, you don’t have to think about the key signature! All you need to remember is to move by half steps or the next possible note you can play.Ĥ. Since this scale moves only by half steps, you can start anywhere!ģ. It does not matter what note you start on. Think of it this way, the next note you move to is the next possible note/key you can play. You will never find a whole step in this scale. Movement from one note to the next is by consecutive half steps. This includes both white keys and black keys.
On the piano, that means you start on one key and play every single key after that…in order.
Why is that? Well, this scale is completely made up of half steps that move in consecutive order. The chromatic scale is the easiest scale to learn and play.
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