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The Chromatic Scale

12 notes repeating through octaves

The chromatic is the fundamental scale in the West, from which all others are derived. The fretboard below is laid out in TAB format, with the open strings on the far left; strings 1-6 from top to bottom.

Octaves are numbered based on the piano (C1 – C8, 7 octaves in total). The guitar has a range of 3-4 octaves which is labeled E2-D6

Notice how a note is the same ‘colour’ in any octave. This helps us to see the scale degrees, a shorthand for their role within the scale; how they relate to each other and to the tonic = Do = 1. See below numerical scale degrees and Solfège, which we can use to sing the notes.

Above: scale degree’s expressed as flats♭, sharps ♯ and ‘solmisation’ (solfège). Naturals ♮ are neither flat nor sharp. This is the part they are playing in the scale

Moving one fret up or down on the guitar is a semitone interval and moving two is a tone, three is a minor 3rd, four a major 3rd, five a perfect 4th, six a tritone, seven a perfect 5th, eight a minor sixth, nine a major 6th, ten a minor 7th, 11 a major 7th and finally 12 is the octave (8ve).