We will have to use an enharmonic equivalent (see lesson 2) instead. This is because we need to keep the letter name "B" for only the start and end notes. When we come to write the second note of this scale then, we find we can't use B natural, even though it's the next semitone up from Bb. In this case, it means that we can't use the letter name B or F anywhere else in the scale. For this reason, we keep these two notes "clean", meaning that we don't use those letter names anywhere else in the chromatic scale. They are used for working out what key the music is in.
These two notes (Bb and F, here) are the most important ones in harmony. (Don't forget to add any necessary accidentals!) When you have worked out the 5th above the start note, write it on the stave, more or less in the middle. This means you'd need to add a sharp to the F, making F#, if the start note of the scale was B natural). (As another example, count the semitones between B natural and F: there are six. Then count the semitones between Bb and F (there are seven, so you don't need to add any sharps or flats). Or, count five letter names: B-C-D-E-F to find the letter name F. This is the 5th note (dominant note) of the Bb scale (you can use the major or minor scale - the result is the same).
The note a perfect 5th higher is F natural. Or you can count five letter names to find the correct letter name, then seven semitones (half steps) to work out if it needs an accidental. You can work this out as the 5th degree of the scale (or dominant note) counting from the start note. Next, write in the note which is a perfect 5th higher than the start note. You will need plenty of space to add the other eleven notes between these two! Write the end note right at the end of the given blank stave. For example, a scale which starts on Bb must also end on Bb: not on B natural, or A# (even though it's the same note on the piano!) Make sure that if there is an accidental on the start note, you add the same accidental at the other end of the scale. They must be the same note, an octave apart. You can choose whichever method you prefer in the exam.ġ) The Tonic / Dominant Method (or "harmonic" method) There are two standard methods for writing chromatic scales. We wrote 13 notes in total, but the first and last note (D) are the same note name. If we start on D, we play these notes:Īs you can see, the scale contains 12 different notes. To play a chromatic scale, simply start on the note of your choice, and then play ALL the semitones until you reach the starting note again. We can talk about a chromatic scale starting on C, for example. Instead, we identify chromatic scales by the note which they start on. We can't talk about the "chromatic scale in the key of C", for example. Diatonic scales all contain 7 notes and are firmly based on a key - and the keynote, or the first note of the scale, is the TONIC.Ĭhromatic scales are not in any particular key. The scales you have studied up till now - major and minor - are in a group called "diatonic" scales. The word "chromatic" actually means "colourful" - the scales are very colourful since they use ALL 12 different notes available instead of just 7 of them! Grade 4 Music Theory Lesson 4: Chromatic ScalesĬhromatic scales are new at grade four.
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