As guitar players, it's natural for us to think of 'patterns', and the 4 note per string pattern is often said to be the chromatic scale/excercise.
Unfortunately, that's not really correct. The chromatic scale refers to a scale built using notes a minor 2nd apart.
So we essentially end up playing all the 12 notes in western music.
If we play the 4 note per string pattern on guitar, we actually end up skipping 2 notes. So we play a total of 10 notes.
And that's clearly not a chromatic scale even though there is some level of chromaticism there.
In this blog, we will learn a couple of ways to play the chromatic scale on the guitar across 2 octaves.
Why Should We Know The Chromatic Scale?
There's really no reason to not know it. Infact, as you keep progressing in your musical journey, you will find some serious use for it.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't play the 4 note per string chromatic exercise though. It's a great excercise for bigenners for building some finger strength.
Just like any other sequence of intervals/scales, the chromatic scale also has it's own place in composition and improvisation as well.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's learn a couple of ways to play the chromatic scale on the guitar.
For the purpose of learning and simplicity, we will use 'A' as our root.
Shape Number 1
In this method, we will start by playing 4 notes on the 6th string, then 5 notes on the 5th, 4th, and 3rd string.
We further continue with 4 notes on the 2nd string, and then end with 2 notes on the 1st string.
Shape Number 2
In this method, we will start by playing 5 notes on the 6th, 5th, 4th, and 3rd string.
We then continue with 4 notes on the 2nd string, and then end with 1 note on the 1st string.
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Here are some of the things I talk about in class:
Music fundamentals and theory
Ear-training
Composition
Improvisation
The guitar as a solo instrument
Musical, compositional, and improvisational philosophies
Artistry
Expression
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