Chromatic Scale
A scale comprising all twelve semitones within an octave
Category
scales
Pronunciation
kroh-MAT-ik SKAIL
Origin
Greek
Length
91 words · 1 min read
About Chromatic Scale
The chromatic scale ascends or descends entirely in semitones, using every available pitch. It is tonally neutral — belonging to no particular key — and is used for colour, tension, and virtuosic display.
More scales terms
Melodic Minor Scale
View all scalesterms →A minor scale that raises both the sixth and seventh degrees when ascending, then reverts to natural minor when descending.
Octatonic ScaleAn eight-note scale built from alternating whole tones and semitones, widely used in late Romantic and modern music.
Whole-Tone ScaleA six-note scale built entirely from whole tones
Pentatonic ScaleA five-note scale found in musical traditions worldwide
Major ScaleA seven-note scale with the pattern tone–tone–semitone–tone–tone–tone–semitone
Compare with similar terms
v1 · 09/04/2026Browse all terms →