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6.9.8 Chromatic Chords and Chromatic Progressions
The term chromatic chord (relating to color or colors) literally encompasses any chord that contains one or more notes that are not in the scale of the prevailing key (and therefore add tonal 'color'). But in the present context, the term chromatic chord means a chord whose root note is not a note of the prevailing scale.
So a chromatic chord progression is a chord progression that includes at least one chord
with a non-scale root. For example, in the key of C major, the progression C major –
B♭ major is a chromatic progresson because the root of any B♭ chord is a non-scale
note with respect to the key of C major, whose scale notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.
The visual pattern shows an arrow connecting a chord from the circular harmonic scale with a chromatic chord outside of the circle (this is the "exit"). Another arrow connects the chromatic chord with a chord of the circular harmonic scale, which is the "return." (Figure 72).
Sometimes the same circular harmonic scale chord is used in both the exit and return. This is represented by two side-by-side arrows pointing in opposite directions.
FIGURE 72: Four Chord Maps Showing Examples of Chromatic Chord Progressions