The chromatic scale on bass:
notes, formula and position

The chromatic scale has 12 notes: 1 ♭2 2 ♭3 3 4 ♯4 5 ♭6 6 ♭7 7. In A, that gives A, B♭, B, C, C♯, D, D♯, E, F, F♯, G and G♯. All twelve notes, each a half step apart: not a scale for writing, but the basic exercise for coordinating both hands, and the source of every passing note.

Also called: Chromatic, 12-note scale.

Formula and notes

1 ♭2 2 ♭3 3 4 ♯4 5 ♭6 6 ♭7 7

The steps between the notes, from the root to the octave: half step – half step – half step – half step – half step – half step – half step – half step – half step – half step – half step – half step. In A:

One position on the neck

The chromatic scale in A, in the 5th-fret position: one finger per fret, from the 4th to the 8th fret, on all four strings. The numbers are the degrees; the root is in gold.

The same position as bass tab (fret by fret, from the low E string to the G string):

G|-4--5--6--7--8-|
D|-4--5--6--7--8-|
A|-4--5--6--7--8-|
E|-4--5--6--7--8-|

For another key, move the whole shape: the root on the E string sets the key (3rd fret for G, 8th fret for C).

The sound of the chromatic scale

All 12 notes. Technical exercise. Trains left-hand/right-hand synchronization.

You mostly hear it in technical practice, jazz and classical music.

Practice it with UnitBasse

This diagram shows a single position, in a single key. In UnitBasse, this scale is shown across the whole neck and in all twelve keys, as note names, intervals or degrees, with one color per degree. You can listen to it, see the chords that go with it, switch keys in one click, and play it over a chord chart with BackTrack, the app’s backing band. The app has 69 scales in 12 families.

Frequently asked questions