"Chromatic Scale"
| We will be
discussing chromatic licks. Once again a chromatic note is one that does
not fall into the notes of a particular key. If we are in the key of G
Major, the notes would be G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#. So if we played a Db
note it would be said to be "chromatic". As opposed to
"diatonic" which means being in the same key. Make sense? So
our chromatic scale is made up of playing all the notes you can on one
string, for example the first string. Start from the first fret (F note)
and play them all up to the 13th fret (F note octave). This
would be the chromatic scale.
Fortunately there are better ways to play it, and sensible fingerings to use. The example below is one way to finger the chromatic scale. Start with your 4th finger, then your 3rd, 2nd, and 1st , then slide your 1st down a fret to get the next note on that string. This takes awhile to get used to, as usually we are not sliding our first finger this much, but with some practice it becomes normal. You can then go right back up the scale the same way you came down. Chromatic chords involve using notes that are not within the key you are playing in. Therefore chromatic harmony also is a method of using notes outside the key to create interesting harmony. Many classical composers used the chromatic scale quite beautifully, including Paganni in his 24 Caprices. It is a good idea to listen to different composers and see if you can pick out when they are using the chromatic scale as well as other musical concepts. This makes music interesting to listen to, and will definitely advance your own understanding and mastery of your instrument. |
Click here to listen to this riff
