Chromatic Scale

IF this scale is just every note, then how is it used? Each scale is different and stays in its key, but the chromatic scale uses every note, so wouldn't that mean not really being in any key? If someone could explain this it would be great.

Think of scales as being the intervals over an octave. The chromatic scale goes "semi-tone, semi-tone, semi-tone, semi-tone, semi-tone etc", which happens to encompass everynote on the fret board. No songs are based on the chromatic scale but it has a definition because its all part of the lingo!

what about flight of the bubmble bee..that whole song is basically chromatics..still very interesting tho

you know what my rule for all that stuff is? THERE IS NO RULE and the HIGHEST JUDGE IS MY EAR. no matter what all those "i ate theory with a golden spoon"-folks say.

i see theory as guidelines..u dont have to follow them but they can help you when needed

Even though the flight of the bumblebee is mostly written using choromatic passages, there are still enough important tones to understand which key it is written in, the other notes being tensions.
You can't really find a tune that's written "really" on the Chromatic scale, unless it is an exercice, like in dodecaphonism, where every note of the chromatic has to be played to be used again.
When you use a "chromaticism" you actually go from a scale tone to another scale tone using a "tension", that's used quite a lot in be-bop. You don't really use the chromatic scale, otherwise that would mean no tone is more important than another.

I agree with Azreal, the only rule a musician should follow is follow your ear. I may have stated this a million times but the best way to use theory is to understand music. Say you hear this great tune and you want to understand why that sounds so great. Figure out the parts on your instrument and then use your theory knowledge to understand what was done and why it sounds so good. Then you can later use what you learned in your own playing. The best thing is it doesn't take alot of theory to apply. Say you hear a tune with a D dominant 7 chord and you notice the lick had a G# to A transition, if you like that as I do (especially over a G natural). You know you can use that over any dominant 7 chord. You learned something new. When music follows too many rules it lacks invention.

The chromatic scale is a unique scale for harmonizing over pedal tone or drone. It's most effective when you just play it ascending or descending in semi-tones, like flight of the bumblebee. This would be it's particular quality just like all the other scales have there own quality or sound.

[Edited by noticingthemistake on 08-04-2003 at 10:45 AM]

I think of the Chromatic scale as just a way to add more sounds into a scale i'm already using. If I'm playing in the G Major Scale, and all of a sudden i want to build up for a climax, it makes alot of sense to do a chromatic run up the G scale to the next octave (and sounds nice, too). Playing the chromatic scale well is one of the most difficult things to do, because distinguishing between each semi-tone (and there are no whole-tones on the chromatic scale), it takes alot of 'touch'.

Alot of Jazzers were into chromatics, check out any random jazz player to find his scales filled with chromatics, as well as all the modes you can think of.

~Incidents