do chromatic exercises really help?

[blahblah]

do chromatic exercises really help in improving your playing? yea i know it sorta helps build up strength and dexterity but does it really help a lot in your playing?

[tony4552]

yes it tightens ur playing up making u more disciplined and clinical

[DannyBoy]

most excercises help in alot of different ways . i agree with tony that chromatic excersises tighten up your paying etc .

When people say "chromatic exercises" are they just refering to running the chromatic scale, which is all 12 tones? Thats one aspect of chromaticism, but theres also a completely different aspect. Chromaticism is also when you just fill in little gaps in scales. Like if you're playing in C major, and you throw a Eb between D and E. Or throw in a F# between F and G. Etc. That still is just one way of using chromaticism. It is also when you use a note outside of the scale, directly under (a halfstep under) a note thats in the scale that you are targeting. This is the concept of a "chromatic leading tone". Take the notes of a C major triad (chord): C E and G. B is the leading tone to C. Eb is the leading tone to E. F# is the leading tone to G. This is called chromatic approach. Chromaticism also has to do with something called 2ndary Dominants, which i wont get into.
Anyways...Is this what you mean by chromatic exercises? Yes it opens up ones playing a lot. There are lots of possibilities to embellish things melodically with chromaticism. If anyone learns jazz you basically HAVE to have chromaticism down pat. Same goes for romantic period classical music (which inspired jazz).

[DannyBoy]

exactly what i would have said if i had the time [img]images/smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[blahblah]

woa brainpolice, i aint talking about these complex stuff..i mean like the normal "1234" exercises

[CanyonCarver]

Well, everything helps to some extent.
Try and work lots of exercises, using them as warm ups. Then you can play some improvs to backing tracks, using what you have learned.
Listen for your mistakes, and see where they can lead you. Making mistakes can sometimes open so pretty cool licks. It's happened to me often.,.. [img]images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif[/img]

[The Ulnarian]

Depends on your composition style, personally I use the chromatic scale A LOT in my songs. But yeah, I suppose its also a good way to get your alternative picking up to speed.

"woa brainpolice, i aint talking about these complex stuff..i mean like the normal "1234" exercises"
But what im talking about IS chromatic exercises LOL.

[Jeffery Bravo]

yes they do. And ppl should check out and comment on my chromatic jammer lesson do that cleanly at 130 bpm and you got some speed and also improved dexterity.

[Mr Crumb]

I love chromatic exercises... they really help me to improve my ability to play chromatic exercises.

[The Ulnarian]

lol

[mickey_g107]

when Vai was 15 ( i read on the site) he practiced from 9 to 12 hours a day and you can download his excerise programs somewhere. He did exercises, theory, improv, jamming, reading, research. fuck, thats more than im awake each day

[andrewtheshreddr]

i think chromatic exercises help with discipline and help with playing more fluidly and easily.