chromatic scale

American  

noun

Music.

1. a scale progressing entirely by semitones.

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chromatic scale British  

noun

1. a twelve-note scale including all the semitones of the octave

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Etymology

Origin of chromatic scale

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chromatic scale

It doesn’t take long for Mozart to use every note in the chromatic scale, and when he gets to the last one, a D-flat, he lets you know with great, unresolved emphasis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2020

"Randy Wolfe did not create the descending chromatic scale," Anderson told jurors.

From Reuters ● Jun. 22, 2016

Instead of using the 12-note chromatic scale, he worked with a 43-note system, derived from overtones, and he created a small orchestra’s worth of odd instruments to help him produce the sounds he envisioned.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2015

All 12 notes of the chromatic scale are heard, defying the traditional musical structure that would insist on a home key and a limited subset of harmonically related notes.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 3, 2013

There is basically only one chromatic scale; you can start it on any note, but the pitches will end up being the same as the pitches in any other chromatic scale.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones