Chromatic scale: all 12 notes, how to spell and hear it
The chromatic scale plays all 12 notes in half steps. Hear it up and down, learn how to spell it with sharps and flats, and tell it from the whole tone scale.
The chromatic scale contains all 12 notes of Western music, each a half step (1 semitone) from the next: C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B C. By convention it is written with sharps going up and flats going down. It has no tonic of its own: every note is equally far from its neighbours.
Listen: C chromatic scale
C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B C
What is the formula of the chromatic scale?
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Notes | 12 |
| Semitones from the tonic | 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Step pattern | H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H |
What does the chromatic scale sound like?
Slippery and tense when played fast; slow, it sounds like a slow climb with no landing. Composers use it for passing notes, tension and special effects.
How to recognise it by ear
- Every step is the same size, so it has no "home": that is how to tell it from any other scale.
- On a piano: play every key, black and white, in order.
- Written going up with sharps (C, C♯, D) and coming down with flats (D, D♭, C).
Quick test: which scale is it?
Three scales. Name each one by its sound.
Score: / 3 (your score updates as you answer)
The chromatic scale written out
Going up with sharps: C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B C
Going down with flats: C B B♭ A A♭ G G♭ F E E♭ D D♭ C
Frequently asked questions
How many notes are in the chromatic scale?
Twelve different notes, each one semitone apart; the 13th note is the octave.
How do you write the chromatic scale?
Usually with sharps going up (C C sharp D D sharp E F F sharp G G sharp A A sharp B C) and flats going down (C B B flat A A flat G G flat F E E flat D D flat C).
Is the chromatic scale major or minor?
Neither. It contains every note, so it has no major or minor quality and no natural tonic.
What is the difference between chromatic and diatonic?
Diatonic scales (major, minor, the modes) use 7 notes with a mix of whole and half steps; the chromatic scale uses all 12 in half steps.