The article is devoted to one of the musical-theoretical topics - the chromatic scale. From the material you will learn what chromatic gamma is, how to build it correctly in frets of major and minor mood. The following keys were chosen as an illustrative example for the construction: C major, D major and A minor . You will also learn the most interesting statements of famous music theorists about chromatic scales.
What is gamma chromatic?
This is such a gamut that consists of solid halftones. It can be either upward or downward. It is by no means a separate fret system, despite the fact that it was formed due to the filling of absolutely all plexuses from large seconds with chromatic halftones. That is, the seven-step scales of both minor and major modes served as the basis. In the ascending chromatic scale, sound-increasing signs of alteration are used: sharp, double sharp, bécar (with flat flats in the key). In the descending chromatic scale, sound-reducing signs of alteration are used: a flat, a double-flat, a bekar (with sharps in the key). If you do not emphasize the palm base principle with specific harmonic chords or emphasize the steady steps of the fret with the metro-rhythmic means, then hearing the tone and harmony of the performed chromatic scale is completely impossible task. It is more realistic to reveal its mode mood and tonality visually. Since during its construction strict rules are observed.
Chromatic Spelling
When writing the chromatic scale, the following rules are taken into account:
• Notation is carried out when taking into account the supporting steps of the diatonic minor or major. These steps never change. That is, for the successful and correct construction of the gamut, you need to write stable steps of the selected key, without painting over them. For clarity, all chromatic sounds should be shaded.
• When the chromatic scale is built up, the construction is carried out as follows: absolutely all diatonic steps that are one (whole) tone apart from the next ones will be elevated by a half tone. The exception is the sixth step in the major fret and the first in the minor. They do not rise. But how then to get a chromatic scale? To do this, it is necessary to lower the seventh step by half in a major, and in the minor - the second.
• When the chromatic scale is built down, you should be aware that absolutely all diatonic steps that are one (whole) tone away from the next ones will be lowered by half a tone. The exception is the fifth. As you may have guessed, it does not go down. Instead, the fourth step rises.
An interesting point is that the writing of a chromatic scale in minor when moving downward fully coincides with the notation of the same major (of course, with all the necessary key signs of alteration).
Chromatic gamut construction
To build the chromatic scale up and down in the major and minor frets correctly, you need to remember the following rules:
• When constructing the gamut in the upward movement of the major mood, it is necessary to leave the third and sixth steps unchanged.
• When plotting in a downward movement of a major mood, it is necessary to leave the first and fifth steps unchanged.
• When constructing the gamut in the upward and downward movements of the minor lad mode, the first and fifth steps should be kept without chromatic changes.
The construction of chromatic scales in major
C major in upward movement: C (c), C sharp (cis), D (d), C sharp (dis), E (e), f (f), F sharp (fis), salt (g), salt Sharp (gis), A (a), B flat (b), B baker (h), before (c).
In a downward movement:
to (c), B (h), B flat (b), A (a), A flat (as), salt (g), sharp (fis), f (f), mi (e ), E flat (es), d (d), d flat (des), before (c).Key with two signs -
D major . Chromatic gamma in an upward movement in this key:
re (d), sharp sharp (dis), mi (e), sharp sharp (eis), sharp sharp (fis), salt (g), sharp sharp (gis), a la ( a), for sharp (ais), si (h), before (c), to sharp (cis), pe (d).In a downward movement:
re (d) - to sharp (cis) - to baker (c) - si (h) - B flat (b) - a (a) - sharp salt (gis) - salt (g) - sharp (fis) - fa baker (f) - mi (e) - e flat (es) - pe (d).According to this sample, adhering to the basic rules, you can build any scale of major mood.
Chromatic gamma: minor. Building
In the upward movement in A minor : a, b, h, c, cis, d, dis, e, f, fis, g, gis, a . In a downward movement: a, gis, g, fis, f, e, dis, d, cis, c, h, b, a .
If you follow the basic rules, then from this sample you can build absolutely all the scales of minor inclination.
Statements by famous theorists on chromatic gamma
Academician B. M. Teplov rightly noted in his research that chromatic gamma is much more difficult to intonate in voice than diatonic. And indeed it is. Each musician will confirm this fact. The difficulty of its performance is explained by the fact that singing is realized thanks to a subtle sense of feeling of harmony. When the chromatic scale is vocalized intonally, it is rather difficult to rely on the fret. Some believe that if you focus not on the freak, but on an interval flair, then singing such a gamut will not be difficult. But this opinion is erroneous, since the support nevertheless falls precisely on the way, and not on intervals.
He supports the opinion of B. Teplov about the mood of feeling as an important basis for singing the chromatic scale of Y. Tyulin. He believes that when the chromatic scale is intoned, the singer focuses not on the absolute value of m.2 (small seconds) and b.2 (large seconds), but on the consonant intervals of diatonic. So, for example, if you want to sing the chromatic scale from the note to the top, then the salt will also be the reference sounds. If you add up these sounds: do-mi-salt , then a tonic triad of tonality in C major is formed . The same sounds are stable in this tonality. When expressing such thoughts, Yu. Tyulin was based not on a dry theory, but on the conducted experiments. As “material for research”, he chose four vocalists-performers who confirmed the opinion put forward.
Thus, the chromatic scale consists of twelve sounds (not taking into account the repetition of the fundamental tone) and is not a separate fret system. It is built in all the keys of the major and minor moods. In order to learn how to build it, you need to know certain rules. The samples given in the article (tonality in C major, D major, A minor, E minor ) will certainly help you independently construct various chromatic scales.