Chromatic Scale
| 1 | b9 | 2 | b3 | 3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | b6 | 6 | b7 | 7 | 8 (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | Gb | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C |
| Db | D | Eb | E | F | Gb | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db |
| D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B | C | C# | D |
| Eb | E | F | Gb | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb |
| E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B | C | C# | D | D# | E |
| F | Gb | G | Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F |
| Gb | G | Ab | A | Bb | Cb | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | Gb |
| G | G# | A | A# | B | C | C# | D | D# | E | F | F# | G |
| Ab | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | Gb | G | Ab |
| A | A# | B | C | C# | D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A |
| Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | Gb | G | Ab | A | Bb |
| B | C | C# | D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B |
Major Diatonic Scale
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| Db | Eb | F | Gb | Ab | Bb | C | Db |
| D | E | F# | G | A | B | C# | D |
| Eb | F | G | Ab | Bb | C | D | Eb |
| E | F# | G# | A | B | C# | D# | E |
| F | G | A | Bb | C | D | E | F |
| Gb | Ab | Bb | B | Db | Eb | F | Gb |
| G | A | B | C | D | E | F# | G |
| Ab | Bb | C | Db | Eb | F | G | Ab |
| A | B | C# | D | E | F# | G# | A |
| Bb | C | D | Eb | F | G | A | Bb |
| B | C# | D# | E | F# | G# | A# | B |
To read the Chromatic scale and the Diatonic Scale tables above, a guitarist like you must know and remember these rules:
- Each letter on the Chromatic and Diatonic scale is a musical note name.
- The note name is always uppercase.
- The numbers in the top row are numbers that represent the sequencing of the notes in a musical scale.
- One column in the Chromatic Scale table is one fret on the guitar’s fretboard.
- One row is one scale.
- You are ascending the scale by going from the left towards the right. You are descending the scale when doing the opposite.
- Note 1 is called the “root” note of the scale. It is the name of the scale as well as the key signature of the scale.
- The Chromatic Scale table can be used to construct every scale in music and every guitar chord you already know or do not know yet.
- The Chromatic Scale shows you the distance between any two consecutive notes within the Diatonic Scale. That distance between two consecutive notes in a scale is called an interval.
- The interval between two notes in the sequence can either be whole tone, which means two frets apart, or semitone, which means two frets next to each other.
- No matter which key signature you are in, the interval between E and F is always semitone.
- Except for the key of Gb, the interval between B and C is whole tone.
- In the Major Diatonic Scale, the interval between notes 3 and 4 is semitone. Same thing with notes 7 and 8.
- Semitone and half step mean the same thing. Whole tone and whole step mean the same thing.
- The term accidentals mean the sharp (#) or flat (b) notes within Diatonic scale.
- Want to know how many sharps (#) or flats (b) there are in any major key? Just look at the Diatonic Scale.
You can play the 12 unique notes in the C chromatic scale on one string by playing those notes starting from the root, note C on the 1st fret of the 2nd string, then moving up one fret higher each time until you reach the B note on the 12th fret.
The next fret higher than the seventh note of the scale is the root note C once again. However, instead of thinking of it as note 8 of the scale, think of it as also the root note 1. This shows you that you are repeating the C Chromatic Scale scale again at that point. While playing your guitar, knowing where the root note is, on the fretboard, will help you remember what key you are in and which notes will sound good when played together in your melody or in your chords.
Playing the C Major Diatonic Scale means avoiding all the notes under the black shaded columns. You can create beautiful melodies in the key of C Major by simply playing only the light shaded notes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
The C Diatonic Scale is in the 2nd row. The C note under note 8 sounds an “octave” higher than the C under note 1. The same thing applies to the rest of the keys that are listed in Diatonic Scale table.
