: a musical scale consisting entirely of half steps
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Its layout doesn’t follow a regular chromatic scale, so a half step between notes can necessitate a giant leap across the instrument.—Jane Bua, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 Before the middle of the second measure, Mahler-Werfel has run through all twelve tones of the chromatic scale.—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 The upper limits of baritone range were successfully traveled by Jonathan Nussbaum as the humorously demonic valet, whose one-note recitative slowly, uncomfortably climbs up the chromatic scale with each line.—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2023 Resisting this hurry, Jyoti’s voice drags, slips backward down a chromatic scale, stops, changes keys, rises, turns corners and reconsiders.—New York Times, 11 Mar. 2021 The quick march returns, but this time a dramatically slow rising chromatic scale for woodwinds, brass and strings brings the emotional level to its zenith with the last climactic repeat of the trio melody.—Barrymore Laurence Scherer, WSJ, 4 Sep. 2020
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