Chromatic scale common conception of the chromatic scale before the 13th century was the Pythagorean chromatic scale (). Due to a different tuning technique, the twelve semitones in this scale have two slightly different sizes. Thus, the scale is not perfectly symmetric. Many other tuning systems, developed in the ensuing centuries, share a similar asymmetry. In Pythagorean tuning (3-limit just intonation) the chromatic scale is tuned as follows, with sharps higher than their enharmonic flats: These are 17-EDO Pythagorean tuning approximations. In 5-limit just intonation the chromatic scale, Ptolemy's intense chromatic scale, is as follows, with flats higher than their enharmonic sharps,
Diatonic scale Pythagorean tuning: Six of the "fifth" intervals (C–G, D–A, E–B, F–C', G–D', A–E') are all = 1.5, but B–F' is the discordant tritone, here ≈ 1.423828125. Extending the series of fifths to eleven fifths would result into the Pythagorean Chromatic scale. It would add pitches for the five "piano black key" notes, for instance A–E–B–F–C–G–D–A–E–B–F–C–G. A and G are commonly thought of as being the same note, but as worked out in this way, G is higher pitch than A by about 1.01364 (, the Pythagorean comma, about 24% of a semitone, = ). Depending on whether one chooses A