This is a more advanced topic but I though I’d throw it in as a bonus for the Music Mechanics 101 Course participants.  “Chromatic” means by 1/2 step in general, but that does not mean that they have to be all 1/2 steps in a row.  Often they are spread out within a musical phrase, and they clash against the backing chords.  Sometimes chromatic means just “outside” of the key.  Jazz players are often praised for playing “outside.”  Whether you like that kind of sound or not, is your choice, but at least these are good studies to further hone your “Theory Chops.”

Chromatic exercises: (mix major and minor intervals)

1. 1 3 b3 3 
2. 1 8 b7 5 b5 5 b3 3
3. 1 6 5 6 b7 5 7 8
4. 1 b3 3 1 4 b5 5 b2
5. 1 2 b3 b2 1 3 4 1 b5 5 b7 6 5 b6 7 8 1
6. write some of your own!

Experiment and be creative with this.  Try them as replacements for your bass lines even.  We’ll have you composing symphonies in no time!  More on this kind of thing later…

When done, you can click here to go back to the Music Mechanics 101 Table of Contents.

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