Chromatic Scale

The chromatic scale is every note there is: all twelve, each a half step (one fret) from the next. On its own it doesn't belong to any key and has no mood. Its value is in the gaps it fills. A single chromatic note slipped between two scale notes gives a line forward motion, the slinky sound you hear in blues, jazz, rockabilly and metal.

This chapter starts on A. The first lesson, free for everyone, explains the formula, the one-finger-per-fret position at the 5th fret and the open position, and how players use chromatic notes as passing tones. The second lesson is technique: two-octave runs, groups of four, a finger-independence permutation and a line that shifts from the open position up to the 5th fret. These double as some of the best warm-ups you can do. The third lesson takes chromatic passing and approach notes into a blues-rock shuffle in A, with two original licks that slide into chord tones from a half step away.

Every exercise plays in the browser, so you can hear each passing note do its job.