Chromatic Scale Diagram And Finger Pattern
The chromatic scale uses only semitones to create a sequence of notes that includes every note within one octave. The C chromatic scale is shown here:
The same scale could be written out using flats, however it is more common to do this when descending as such:
Because each chromatic scale contains every possible note within one octave, once you have learned one you have basically learned them all. As an example the A chromatic scale contains exactly the same notes as the C chromatic scale, the only difference between them being the note upon which they start. This starting note, in all scales, is referred to as the root note, tonic or key note.
Chromatic Scale Fretboard Diagram
The next example contains all the notes of the chromatic scale in music notation starting on the open E string and ascending up to the high C. There is a shift (change of position) on the first finger between the first and the second fret on the G string (G#/A). Shifts are discussed in more detail in the following sections.
