Let's Learn the Chromatic Scales on the Guitar

As a guitar student some 26 years ago, I never really saw the value of practising the chromatic scales. But without fail, my classical guitar teacher would make me do it repeatedly at the start of each lesson. It was boring, but I never gave up.

Fast forward to today, I believe chromatic lines are essential in developing the ears when playing. In addition, it expands your ears and brain to know where you are during play, which is especially important when arranging fingerstyle guitar music. 

So let's dive into some exercises you can do to learn the chromatic lines. Before we begin, what in the world are chromatic lines?

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A chromatic scale is all twelve notes arranged in an ascending or descending order of pitch. In the guitar's context, each note in the chromatic scale moves up or down one fret space. That's it! Simple, right?

Chromatic Lines on the First String

Chromatic Lines on the Second String

Chromatic Lines on the Third String

Chromatic Lines on the Fourth String

Chromatic Lines on the Fifth String

Chromatic Lines on the Sixth String

Some guidelines to playing:

1. Use all 4 fingers
2. Shift down the neck systematically in fret groups of 4
3. Start slow

Have fun! Keep checking this space for upcoming lessons!