- Home
- All exercises
- Scales
- Chromatic (5 notes)
Chromatic (5 notes)
Each next note a semitone higher. An extreme intonation test.
Five notes a semitone apart, up and back: root, minor second, major second, minor third, major third, then down again. The whole pattern spans only a major third, but every step is a half step, so there's nowhere to hide. It's the most demanding tuning test in the Scales category, because semitones are smaller than most singers expect. Sung on 'lah' at a moderate tempo. Each repetition is a semitone higher, until you're near the top of your range, then the pattern comes back down the same way.
How to do it
- Listen carefully to the piano; the notes are very close together.
- Sing on 'lah' and make each step deliberately small, almost too small.
- Read the piano roll as a tight staircase; every bar is only one row above the last.
- Aim for green on every note, not just the ends. Each pass is a semitone higher, until you're near the top of your range, then it works back down the same way.
Coach's tip: Semitones are smaller than you think. Sing “tight”.
What to watch out for
The typical result is oversized steps: by the fourth note you're a half step ahead of the piano, and the whole descent reads red. Think of each step as a slight lean, not a move. Sliding between notes is also a problem; separate them cleanly. If most notes read yellow, you're close but not centred; slow the tempo and place each half step deliberately. There's no vocal strain here, only concentration, so take breaks when focus fades.
Who it's for
For advanced singers and anyone chasing precise intonation, including choir members and harmony singers. Place it in the main block once the voice is fully warm, never first. Warm up with 5-note scale, then test yourself here, and finish with Broken thirds to widen the intervals again. Listed in the Intonation program.
Part of programs: Intonation
Opens the app in your browser. Free to start, no account needed. Put on headphones first.
Related exercises
- 9-note scale More than an octave – you pass through the passaggio both ways.
- Blues scale with the “blue note” The minor pentatonic plus a flattened fifth, the “blue note”. Three notes a semitone apart are the heart of blues and soul.
- Broken thirds 1-3-2-4-3-5-4-6-5... Trains thinking in intervals.
- Bebop scale down The mixolydian scale with one extra semitone between the octave and the minor seventh. Thanks to it, in swing the tones of the seventh chord land on the strong beats.