chromatic scale
1
7.4
- noun
- /kroʊˈmætɪk skeɪl/
- Specialized
:
escala cromática
- Now, if I play a chromatic scale... ...there's no measurable response.
- tones in the chromatic scale
Examples
-
Perhaps restrict the bass line to six pitches of the chromatic scale and have them write a melody derived from the same (or the remaining) six pitches.
Academic text (2001) -
The voices of people around them were merry and indistinct, blending like the reeds of a harmonica up and down the chromatic scale, open throats buzzing.
Fiction book (1997) -
Now, if I play a chromatic scale... ...there's no measurable response.
-
The colors represent triads, and the numbers are the 12 tones in the modern-day chromatic scale.
Academic text (1998) -
There are two main assumptions: (1) the meters and tempos are practical for a given set of players, and (2) among them, they can play a complete chromatic scale.
Academic text (2000) -
Mastering the interval of sol-mi in singing, reading, and writing music launches a structured sequence that adds one tone at a time, leading eventually to the chromatic scale.
Academic text (2005) -
The frets are positioned on the fretboard at precise points that divide the scale length, and every fret's pitch is equal to a half-step interval on the chromatic scale.
Blog text (30) -
The chromatic scale includes all twelve pitches within an octave.
-
Musicians practice the chromatic scale to improve their technique and familiarity with different keys.
-
Composers often use the chromatic scale to create tension and color in their music.
Antonyms
- Specialized
1
6.0
A pattern of seven notes that makes the familiar major and minor sounds
How Chromatic
- Specialized
1
7.4
- Specialized
1
6.0
- Specialized
1
7.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: the adjective 'chromatic' specifies the type of 'scale', so it denotes a scale made up of chromatic (i.e. all semitone) notes. This modifier+noun pattern is literal and common in musical terminology (and across languages), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Chromatic scale comes from a Greek word meaning 'color', because musicians used the idea of 'colored' notes to name tones that fall between the main notes. So a chromatic scale is a scale that uses 'all the notes' in small steps, like showing every color in a rainbow.