music

Cool Chromatic Scales

Let an "N regular chromatic scale" be a sequence of 12 notes such that each note after an arbitrary starting note N is exactly one half-step above its preceding note. Example: a "C regular chromatic scale" is

	C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B				(figure 1).

This pattern is taught as an elementary scale for practicing dexterity and hearing all 12 notes in an octave, usually terminating at note N an octave above the starting note N. Consider a more advanced device.

Let an "N cool chromatic scale" be a sequence of 12 notes such that each note after an arbitrary starting note N is an "absolute" perfect fourth above its preceding note, where "perfect fourth above" is what would be an upwards interval of 5 half-steps, and "absolute" refers to confining any note in the sequence between the ocatve from N to N.

To illustrate, consider numbering the notes in an octave:

	C  C# D  D# E  F  F# G  G# A  A# B
	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12			(figure 2).

A "C cool chromatic scale" is the sequence of numbers

	{1, 6, 11, 4, 9, 2, 7, 12, 5, 10, 3, 8}			(figure 3)

and the "absolute" sequence of notes

	{C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#, B, E, A, D, G}		(figure 4).

Observe the interchangeable naming of A# and Bb, D# and Eb, etc, purely for the sake of style.

Notice how this scale allows you to hear all the notes in one octave, but in a different way than the standard music class chromatic scale. Playing the notes in sequence provides dexterity practice.

One variation would be an "M cool chromatic scale bound between N". That is, confine yourself between the octave N to N, but start at note M, and create the sequence of absolute perfect fourths ("absolute" as defined above). Consider again the ocatve of numbered notes in figure 2. The "G cool chromatic scale bound between C" is the sequence of numbers

	{8, 1, 6, 11, 4, 9, 2, 7, 12, 5, 10, 3}			(figure 5)

and the "absolute" sequence of notes

	{G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#, B, E, A, D}		(figure 6).

Another variation is a 12 note "cool chromatic" sequence of absolute perfect fifths ("absolute" as defined above, and "perfect fifth" defined as what would be an upwards interval of 7 half steps). This exercise is left to the reader.

Playing challenges:

play a "C regular chromatic scale" with your left hand, and simultaneously play a "C cool chromatic scale" with your right hand.
play a "C regular chromatic scale" with your left hand, and simultaneously play a "G cool chromatic scale bound between C" with your right hand.

You can, of course, repeat any of the challenges with other starting notes and octave boundaries, giving lots of room for variation and complexity while practicing. You can also use these patterns to add sophistication to improvisation beyond the traditional "blues scales" and "pentatonic scales", etc.

And one more application: if you repeat an "N cool chromatic scale" over and over, basically cycling the notes in an octave, it will almost sound like the "Press Your Luck" sound effect during, "No Whammie, no whammie... STOP!"