Chromatic Scale Patterns

The chromatic scale is the most basic scale in music. It's important to understand this scale because it is the progression of notes that all other patterns are created from.

The chromatic scale contains all 12 notes of the 12-tone system.

Practicing the chromatic scale can help you understand exactly how the notes on the guitar work. A critical task for advancing beyond the intermediate level is to be comfortable going across the strings. Beginners generally learn to visualize intervals up and down a single string very quickly, but it takes some time to see the same intervals going across strings. Learning the chromatic scale will help with that.

Chromatic Scale - 2 Octaves

This pattern, which is the focus of this lesson, shows how to play all of the chromatic notes across the fretboard strings.

Key Exercises

• Learn, memorize, and apply the chromatic scale.
• Use the chromatic scale to envision steps across the strings, especially whole and half-steps.
• Practice the chromatic scale as an alternate picking speed-exercise using a metronome.