Printable worksheet
Chromatic Scale Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)
Free printable chromatic scale worksheet: write scales with sharps up and flats down, fill in missing notes, respell. Answer key included.
Chromatic Scale Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)
Sheet #
Name Date Score /
Answer key
Chromatic Scale Worksheet (Printable, with Answers) · Sheet #
How to use it
- Choose ascending, descending or both, and the type of exercise.
- Write all thirteen notes (twelve semitones and the octave), or fill in the blanks.
- Press Show answers to check the spelling note by note.
- Print the questions and the answer page, or press New sheet for new starting notes.
What this worksheet practises#
A chromatic scale moves by half steps only. The skill is in the spelling: knowing where a note needs a sharp or flat and where the next letter name comes straight away.
Convention used#
- Ascending: write the natural notes and use sharps for the notes between them: C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B C.
- Descending: use flats: C B B♭ A A♭ G G♭ F E E♭ D D♭ C.
- E to F and B to C are single half steps, so there is no accidental note between them.
Other spelling conventions exist (for example following the key of the piece); here only the sharps-up, flats-down spelling is marked correct.
Exercises#
- Write: all 13 notes on an empty staff, starting from a given note.
- Fill in: a printed row of note names with gaps to complete (3, 4 or 6 gaps by level).
- Respell (medium and hard, mixed mode): an ascending scale is shown with sharps; write the same notes descending with flats.
What each level contains#
- Easy: the seven natural starting notes.
- Medium: adds C♯ and F♯ going up, B♭ and E♭ going down; four gaps in the fill-in rows.
- Hard: all twelve starting notes (for example A♯ or D♭), six gaps in the fill-in rows.
Frequently asked questions
How many notes does a chromatic scale have?
Twelve different notes, moving by half steps through every key on the keyboard, and thirteen when you include the repeated tonic at the octave.
Should I use sharps or flats?
The usual convention, used here, is sharps when ascending and flats when descending: C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B C going up, and C B B♭ A A♭ G G♭ F E E♭ D D♭ C coming down. Some editions spell the scale according to the key instead.
Why is there no sharp between E and F, or B and C?
E-F and B-C are already half steps. In a chromatic scale you therefore write E F and B C directly, with no extra note between them.
Does every note need a different letter in a chromatic scale?
No. A chromatic scale has twelve notes but only seven letters, so letters repeat (C and C♯, D and D♯). Going up, each letter appears once natural and, where one exists, once sharpened.
Which starting notes appear at each level?
Easy: the seven natural notes. Medium: adds C♯ and F♯ (ascending) or B♭ and E♭ (descending). Hard: all twelve starting notes, and the respelling exercises.