Guitar Lesson -- So What's The Big Deal About The Chromatic Scale?
The Chromatic Scale appears to be one of the least known and underused scales in music as far as beginning guitarists are concerned
. It is often either ignored or misunderstood by many on-line guitar courses. The fact is that this scale is a foundational building block in music.
Much has been written about the Chromatic Scale (including from myself), and has been described in various ways -- sometimes in a simple way, and sometimes in a very complicated way.
Sometimes, in my opinion, too complicated.
Here's what it looks like (for those who have never seen it):
A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A
It's just a scale, like many other scales. But what makes THIS scale so darned special is that it represents all of the notes used in music.
Some instructors use this scale to teach about "semi-tones" and "perfect" intervals and the like. It's not that these things aren't important, it's just that not enough time and effort is placed on the foundational values of this scale.
I know this from the amount of confusion concerning certain music theory issues and misconceptions that permeate the web.
The absolute fact is that if you truly have a handle on this scale and have it memorized, you will be able to, or have at least a starting point on understanding several things:
1. Every note on your guitar or any other string instrument
2. Scale theory
3. Chord theory
4. Transposing music
All of these things are important and practical things to know, don't you think?
Let's examine this point by point:
1. Every note on your guitar or any other string instrument
The Chromatic scale is also called a half-step (1/2 step) scale because the numeric interval, or distance between each and every note is a 1/2 step. It is also a continuous scale that repeats over and over, in theory to infinity. Because of this, it can theoretically start from any note in the scale:
E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E
Guess what? The frets on your guitar are all 1/2 steps.
This means that each and every string on your guitar is a chromatic scale starting from the string name.
You can now find every single note on any stringed instrument without the use of charts or note slide-rule contraptions. All that you have to do is know and understand the scale.
2. Scale theory
Looking at the Chromatic Scale brings to mind certain questions. For example, some notes have two names. Why and what does it mean?
A sharp(#) by definition means to raise any note 1/2 step. A flat (b) by definition means to lower any note 1/2 step. Whether (for example) I call a note an F# or a Gb depends on where I am coming from. I will call a note F# if I am raising an F a half-step. I will call THAT SAME NOTE a Gb if am lowering a G a half-step.
All scales have "step formulas" associated with their construction. The formula for the Chromatic Scale is 1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2 etc.(Remember that this scale is also know as the 1/2 step scale.) Major scales also have a formula: 1 + 1 + 1/2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1/2.
If you understand that the Chromatic Scale is a 1/2 step scale, and if you understand that 1/2 + 1/2 = 1, and if you know the other rules associated with constructing a major scale, that means that you will begin to have a handle on major scales and incidentally, keys.
3. Chord theory
Chords are constructed in what are called "thirds", or "3rds". Using the Chromatic Scale as a base, you can learn what these 3rds are and mean.
4. Transposing music
This is seemingly a lost art and much misunderstood. But you can learn to transpose easily and quickly if you understand the Chromatic Scale.
And yes, you can learn all the other fancy stuff that this scale can teach you. Depending on the type of instrument that one plays and the environment that that instrument is played in (Classical music is a very theory-oriented environment), this "fancy stuff" can become more or less important to you.
But as a beginning or intermediate guitarist, the important thing is to know how to use the thing, instead of being bogged down in excess terminology that you may never use or even care about at this point in your development.
But above all, you need to understand that learning and understanding the Chromatic Scale is important and can allow you to understand the other basic concepts I discussed above.
Don't ignore it. Learn it and use it.
by: James Emery Vigh
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