what is chromatic harmony?

[varunkapahi]

so i understand the harmonization of a major scale, i know the basic theory. but how to get cracking at understanding this eluding fancy name sounding "chromatic harmony!?

[MalcolmAmos]

I had to look it up.
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatic

Chromatic harmony means harmony (chords) which use notes which do not belong to the key the music is in (they are not in the key signature). Although Bach in the 18th century used chromatic harmony it was the 19th century composers who used it more and more. Wagner wrote music which was very chromatic: there were lots of sharps and flats and it kept modulating to different key areas. The chord at the beginning of his opera Tristan and Isolde is so famous that it is known as the Tristan chord. It is very chromatic. The music is full of tension because it leaves us wondering which key the music is in.

http://beta.wnyc.org/articles/music/...ives/#ringtone

Not something I'll be adding to my gig bag.

[Bruce Lindfield]

A lot of Jazz, uses notes that are not from the notional key - and not particularly weird stuff either. There are a large number of Jazz standards which have parts in different keys and use notes like secondary dominants to spice up the harmony!

In fact, after listening to a lot of Jazz, music which is strictly diatonic, starts to sound a bit dull or "straight", actually...like hymn tunes!

[J-B'ass]

'Harmony' refers to how the different notes react to each other, and 'chromatic' refers to the set of all 12 notes, especially those notes that are not part of whatever parent key you happen to be using at the time.
Chromatic harmony is just the use of notes which are "outside" the key. A great example of clever and simple use of chromatic harmony is the bass part from Jimi Hendrix's cover of Hey Joe.

The chords go |C G |D A |E |E |

The bass plays on every 1/8 note, and the line is:

G|-------------------|-----------------|----------
D|-------------------|-----------------|----------
A|--3---------2-3-4-|-5---------4-5-6-|-7--------
E|----0-1-2-3-------|--2-3-4-5--------|----------


The bass uses a chromatic line to lead to the root note of each new chord.

Notice also that the diatonic notes land on every downbeat, which has the effect of re-establishing the parent key, whereas the chromatic notes land on the upbeats, which allows you to use notes from outside the key without giving the effect of changing key.

Hope that helps?

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by J-B'ass

'Harmony' refers to how the different notes react to each other, and 'chromatic' refers to the set of all 12 notes, especially those notes that are not part of whatever parent key you happen to be using at the time.
Chromatic harmony is just the use of notes which are "outside" the key. A great example of clever and simple use of chromatic harmony is the bass part from Jimi Hendrix's cover of Hey Joe.

The chords go |C G |D A |E |E |

The bass plays on every 1/8 note, and the line is:

G|-------------------|-----------------|----------
D|-------------------|-----------------|----------
A|--3---------2-3-4-|-5---------4-5-6-|-7--------
E|----0-1-2-3-------|--2-3-4-5--------|----------


The bass uses a chromatic line to lead to the root note of each new chord.

Notice also that the diatonic notes land on every downbeat, which has the effect of re-establishing the parent key, whereas the chromatic notes land on the upbeats, which allows you to use notes from outside the key without giving the effect of changing key.

Hope that helps?

i've been playing that songs for years and i always looked at that run like well a run, u know like a chromatic kind of a run leading to your target note
you jump to the maj3 from the root and then chromatically walk up to the next target
anyway so thats chromatic harmony hmm?

[slybass3000]

I would suggest that this mean connecting diatonic chords with chromatic diminished chords from below or above like this:

cMaj7-C#o7-dmin7-D#o7-emin7 or c/e-f-F#o7-g7 or c/g-G#o7-amin7-Bbo7-g/b-c

[J-B'ass]

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

i've been playing that songs for years and i always looked at that run like well a run, u know like a chromatic kind of a run leading to your target note
you jump to the maj3 from the root and then chromatically walk up to the next target
anyway so thats chromatic harmony hmm?

That's an example of chromatic harmony used in a bassline. Chromatic harmony in a chord progression would refer to the use of a chord which is not diatonic.
If you're in the key of C, then the following chords (expressed here as triads) are diatonic:
Cmaj Dmin Emin Fmaj Gmaj Amin Bdim

Anything else is considered chromatic.


Chromatic harmony could also refer to music which has no key signature.

[J-B'ass]

Originally Posted by slybass3000

I would suggest that this mean connecting diatonic chords with chromatic diminished chords from below or above like this:

cMaj7-C#o7-dmin7-D#o7-emin7 or c/e-f-F#o7-g7 or c/g-G#o7-amin7-Bbo7-g/b-c

That's an example of a chromatic chord progression in which the bass note moves by a semitone each time. This is one way to use chromatic harmony, but chromatic harmony doesn't have to mean semitone movement.
For example going from Cmaj to Dmaj involves no semitone movement, but if you're in the key of C then the Dmaj chord is still considered chromatic, because it doesn't belong to the key of C.

[slybass3000]

Originally Posted by J-B'ass

That's an example of a chromatic chord progression in which the bass note moves by a semitone each time. This is one way to use chromatic harmony, but chromatic harmony doesn't have to mean semitone movement.
For example going from Cmaj to Dmaj involves no semitone movement, but if you're in the key of C then the Dmaj chord is still considered chromatic, because it doesn't belong to the key of C.

Actually I was demonstrating all the possibilities in the key of C major. It doesn't have to be all that. These are just the chromatic chords in that key and it works both ways.

[J-B'ass]

Originally Posted by slybass3000

Actually I was demonstrating all the possibilities in the key of C major.

There are almost endless possibilities in any key :S You barely made a start.

Originally Posted by slybass3000

These are just the chromatic chords in that key and it works both ways

Chromatic chords aren't in any key, that's the point of them.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I want to avoid causing confusion for others.

[slybass3000]

Originally Posted by J-B'ass

There are almost endless possibilities in any key :S You barely made a start.




Chromatic chords aren't in any key, that's the point of them.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I want to avoid causing confusion for others.

Yes you're right it's only a start because there are others ways like parallel harmony, fourths voicings, shape voicings an so on.

But I think the diminished chords approach is easy to apply and figure out. And that is the beauty of them because they are not part of any key and their function is harmonize chromatic notes and resolve to the next chord. Plus there is only 3 diminished chords (co7,c#o7 and do7) that can be used in any major or minor keys. Pretty powerful to bring chromatic harmony in a song when needed

[J-B'ass]

Yes exactly.