The chromatic scale

hi ....i ve questions about the chromatic scale ,,

1- how to use the chromatic scale ?

The answer to this can really take a lifetime of study, but the simple answer is that you'll use chromatic tones to create momentary tensions which are then resolved back into the song's native scale.

Chromatic notes can be used just about everywhere to great effect, but unless someone has a really good ear for providing strong resolutions, it's generally best to use them sparingly. Too much 'spice' in the soup can make it inedible.

Some of the best uses of chromatic tones come when resolving a phrase. One of my favorite ways to end a blues phrase is to step down chromatically from the b7 to the 1, holding the b7 a bit for effect.
2- how to harmonize it ?

In Western music we use tertiary harmony. So you would harmonize non-diatonic tones in precisely the same way you would diatonic ones. But you are given more choices. If you're in the key of C and you decide you wish to play an Eb chord, the chord is already going to sound out of place, so it doesn't really matter if it is major or minor or whatever.

That said, except for using a chord to slide into a chord within the key, it is very unusual to see songs where chords are built and held on tones not related to the key of the song.
3- the songs (where ever i may roam) and ( the call of ktulu ) for metallica ....what is the key of these songs .. is it chromatic scale? if not tell me in what key please ,..

No Idea, I don't play those tunes.
4- while using the chromatic scale , then is there a key called chromatic ??, i mean can we say. (( in the key of C chromatic or E chromatic))???

No.

I use a lot of chromatic tones when soloing. Except, um...if you don't do it on purpose, I think they're just called mistakes. :oops:

But seriously, I feel like playing outside the native scale, or one of the scales that "fits" within a given key or a given chord is more a matter of using your ear than using patterns for most players.

I have a riff in a metal piece I'm writing that takes kind of the signature sound of the song, then adds a single note, a semitone higher...an almost horrible sound. Then it goes back to the main key signature chord in a loud, fully driving way. I think this is the kind of thing people talk about doing with chromatics.

The way it got into the song, though, is that I hit the wrong note, heard it, quickly jumped off it in a way that I thought would "cover" it, and thought, "hey, I like this!"

Just my thoughts- chromatics get into the zone of "sounds you like" versus "sounds you don't like." The "screaming wrong note" feel that you can do with chromatics can be great, if you go back to your main theme or sound in a big way. If you don't do it too often. If you get a lot of those screaming notes in there, though, it sounds like a 5 year old beating randomly on the geetar.

Best,
Ande

I hit the wrong note, heard it, quickly jumped off it in a way that I thought would "cover" it, and thought, "hey, I like this!"

As soon as my students start improvising, I have them start practicing handling mistakes. A few tips:

No matter what common scale you are using - pentatonic, major, minor, blues, etc, any note you could possibly play is only ONE FRET from a 'right' (i.e. in the scale) note. You just need to figure out which direction to move.

As soon as you make and correct your mistake, make it again as soon as you can. This does two great things....

It tells the audience you haven't made a mistake - you've just done something they didn't expect. If you do it once, it's a mistake; if you do it twice, it's part of the program.

It also buys you time to figure out the rest of the program. :)

Like Thelonius Monk said, "if a note ain't right when I start with it, it's right when I'm done with it"

Like Thelonius Monk said, "if a note ain't right when I start with it, it's right when I'm done with it"

Really great advice, NoteBoat.

Another thing I'd add is that when composing, as opposed to performing, you have the luxury of just trying things out. Some of the coolest resolutions come from patterns using notes that, at a glance, are completely wrong.

And, some of the worst sounds in the world come from essentially the same technique. And I don't usually know which I'm gonna get till I try it.

Best,
Ande

As soon as you make and correct your mistake, make it again as soon as you can. This does two great things....

It tells the audience you haven't made a mistake - you've just done something they didn't expect. If you do it once, it's a mistake; if you do it twice, it's part of the program.

It also buys you time to figure out the rest of the program. :)

Like Thelonius Monk said, "if a note ain't right when I start with it, it's right when I'm done with it"
Another way to accomplish this is to NOT move. Embrace that tension, let the wrong note ring out and shove it into the audiences face and take that time to figure out where to go from there. In jazz, at least, the audience will think you're just hipper than them, particularly if you give a big smile and nod knowingly to yourself while you hammer on that wrong note ;)

So it all comes down to bad notes and attitude...yes finally I found the secret!!

I definitely can excel at this.

believe it or not, that's not really that far off.

Being good at soloing starts with having the courage to do it. If that's not about ego, I don't know what is.