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You start way down on a low B flat on the tuba and you have a chromatic scale; you can match the colours all the way up, till you get to the top of the trumpet.
Gerry Mulligan

Meaning of "chromatic scale" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF CHROMATIC SCALE

chromatic scale play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF CHROMATIC SCALE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Chromatic scale is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES CHROMATIC SCALE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Chromatic scale

The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone above or below another. On a modern piano or other equal-tempered instrument, all the semitones are the same size. In other words, the notes of an equal-tempered chromatic scale are equally spaced. An equal-tempered chromatic scale is a nondiatonic scale having no tonic because of the symmetry of its equally spaced notes. Chromatic scale on C: full octave ascending and descending Play in equal temperament or Play in Pythagorean tuning . The most common conception of the chromatic scale before the 13th century was the Pythagorean chromatic scale. Due to a different tuning technique, the twelve semitones in this scale have two slightly different sizes. Thus, the scale is not perfectly symmetric. Many other tuning systems, developed in the ensuing centuries, share a similar asymmetry. Equally spaced pitches are provided only by equal temperament tuning systems, which are widely used in contemporary music. The term chromatic derives from the Greek word chroma, meaning color.

Definition of chromatic scale in the English dictionary

The definition of chromatic scale in the dictionary is a twelve-note scale including all the semitones of the octave.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE CHROMATIC SCALE

chromate
chromatic
chromatic aberration
chromatic adaptation
chromatic colour
chromatic printing
chromatic semitone
chromatically
chromaticism
chromaticity
chromaticity coordinates
chromaticity diagram
chromaticness
chromatics
chromatid
chromatin
chromatinic
chromatist
chromatogram
chromatograph

WORDS THAT END LIKE CHROMATIC SCALE

Beaufort scale
downscale
economies of scale
full-scale
grayscale
large-scale
limescale
locale
microscale
nanoscale
pay scale
pentatonic scale
rescale
scale
sliding scale
small-scale
subscale
timescale
upscale
wage scale
world scale

Synonyms and antonyms of chromatic scale in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «chromatic scale» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF CHROMATIC SCALE

Find out the translation of chromatic scale to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of chromatic scale from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «chromatic scale» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

半音音阶
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

escala cromática
570 millions of speakers

English

chromatic scale
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

रंगीन पैमाने
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

نطاق لوني
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

хроматической гаммы
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

escala cromática
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ক্রোমিয়াম স্কেল
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

gamme chromatique
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Skala kromatik
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

chromatische Tonleiter
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

半音階
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

반음계
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Ukuran kromatis
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

quy mô màu
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

நிறமான அளவு
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

रंगांचे प्रमाण
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Kromatik ölçek
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

scala cromatica
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

skala chromatyczna
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

хроматичної гами
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

scară cromatică
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

χρωματική κλίμακα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

chromatiese skaal
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

kromatisk skala
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

kromatisk skala
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of chromatic scale

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «CHROMATIC SCALE»

The term «chromatic scale» is regularly used and occupies the 89.773 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
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100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
58
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «chromatic scale» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of chromatic scale
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «chromatic scale».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «CHROMATIC SCALE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «chromatic scale» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «chromatic scale» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about chromatic scale

EXAMPLES

QUOTES WITH «CHROMATIC SCALE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word chromatic scale.
1
Gerry Mulligan
You start way down on a low B flat on the tuba and you have a chromatic scale; you can match the colours all the way up, till you get to the top of the trumpet.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «CHROMATIC SCALE»

Discover the use of chromatic scale in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to chromatic scale and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Basic Guide to how to Read Music
SECTION D The Chromatic Scale The word "chromatic" means colorful. A chromatic scale is the collection of all twelve half steps that fill each octave. A chromatic scale may start on any note and then ascend or descend through twelve ...
Helen Cooper, 1985
2
Scales Over Chords Gtr
In our study of improvisation we will explore the usage of the following scales: Chromatic Scale, Diatonic Major Scale and is its derivative scales, called Modes. CHROMATIC SCALE ILLUSTRATION ONE The interval sequence of notes upon  ...
Wilbur M. Savidge Randy Lee Vradenburg
3
Everything about Guitar Chords Book 2
The twelve notes of the musical alphabet played in succession, ascending or descending in pitch, is called a CHROMATIC SCALE. When the original tone is repeated, making thirteen notes, we have played one OCTAVE. Illustration one ...
Wilbur M. Savidge, 1993
4
Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory: A Complete Self-Study ...
Chromatic Scale The CHROMATIC SCALE is made up entirely of half steps in consecutive order. On a keyboard, therefore, it uses every key, black and white. When the scale goes up, it is called ascending; when the scale goes down, it is ...
Andrew Surmani, Karen Farnum Surmani, Morton Manus, 2004
5
The Jazz Language: A Theory Text for Jazz Composition and ...
W 1/2 W '/2 W 1/2 W +2nd i/2 +2nd i/2 +2nd i/2 The previous chart should make apparent the symmetrical nature of these scales. Example 1 shows each of the scales built on the note C. Example 1 Chromatic Scale Whole Tone Scale ...
Dan Haerle, 1980
6
Everything About Playing the Blues
... interval between notes (steps and half-steps). In our study of blues, we will explore the usage of six different types of scales: the chromatic scale, the diatonic major scale, the major pentatonic scale; the minor pentatonic scale, the blues scale ...
Wilbur M. Savidge, Randy Lee Vradenburg, 2002
7
Harmony & Theory
Asymmetrical scale is a scale that is built from a repetitive pattern of intervals. There are three symmetrical scales in common use: the chromatic scale, the whole tone scale, and the diminished scale. In this chapter, we will look at the structure ...
Keith Wyatt, Carl Schroeder, 1998
8
Essentials of Music Theory, Bk 2: Alto Clef (Viola) Edition
Chromatic Scale The CHROMATIC SCALE is made up entirely of half steps in consecutive order. On a keyboard, therefore, it uses every key, black and white. When the scale goes up, it is called ascending; when the scale goes down, it is ...
Karen Surmani, Andrew Surmani, Morton Manus, 1999
9
Essentials of Music Theory: Complete Book Alto Clef (Viola) ...
The CHROMATIC SCALE is made up entirely of half steps in consecutive order. On a keyboard, therefore, it uses every key, black and white. When the scale goes up, it is called ascending; when the scale goes down, it is called descending.
Andrew Surmani, Alfred Publishing, Karen Farnum Surmani, 2007
10
Chromatic Harmonica Lessons for Beginners: Teach Yourself ...
This includes all the natural notes (A B C D E F G), plus Fll, Cll, Gll, Dll, and All. Because each sharp note has another name as a flat, you also know Gb, Db, Ab, El, and Bl. If you play all twelve notes in succession, you get the chromatic scale.
LearnToPlayMusic.com, Peter Gelling, 2014

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «CHROMATIC SCALE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term chromatic scale is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Prince of the Player Piano
... 150:160 5⁄7:168 3⁄4:180:187 1⁄2:200:210:225:240:250:262 1⁄2:281 1⁄4, which is derived from the frequencies of notes in a chromatic scale. «The New York Review of Books, Jun 15»
2
The Puzzle Ornette Coleman Left Us
... spoke to me of Coleman's “quarter-tone pitch,” by which he meant that Coleman plays between the semitones of an ordinary chromatic scale. «Blouinartinfo UK, Jun 15»
3
Death in Venice, Garsington Opera
... Aschenbach's mind beating on emptiness to a miraculous tissue touching on all 12 tones of the chromatic scale – you're drawn into a strange ... «The Arts Desk, Jun 15»
4
Real Education Is the Apple, Not the (Common) Core
One time we had a chromatic scale problem and I did it right, but the teacher gave me no credit because I had the stems pointing the wrong way ... «Huffington Post, Jun 15»
5
My best performance is the one I'll give tomorrow: Louiz Banks
All the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale are at his disposal, but what he chooses, how he plays it, how he links them and at what intervals is ... «Daily News & Analysis, Jun 15»
6
Six of the best – Ornette Coleman through the decades
... and Coleman-sceptic Benny Green penning his famous lines: “By mastering the useful trick of playing the entire chromatic scale at any given ... «The Guardian, Jun 15»
7
Ornette Coleman at Ronnie Scott's, April 1966
By mastering the useful trick of playing the entire chromatic scale at any given moment, he has absolved himself from the charge of ... «The Guardian, Jun 15»
8
'My best performance is the one I'll give tomorrow': Louiz Banks
All the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale are at his disposal, but what he chooses, how he plays it, how he links them and at what intervals is ... «India.com, Jun 15»
9
Sarangi loses its best accompanist
Instead of being restricted to a limited twelve-tone chromatic scale, as in the West, usage of alankaras, gives the tunes added colour and variety ... «The News on Sunday, May 15»
10
10 of the best: redesigned pianos
... architect hasn't quite managed to recreate the right keys of the chromatic scale, or put all those strings and hammers across the living room. «The Guardian, May 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Chromatic scale [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/chromatic-scale>. May 2024 ».
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