In order to define a gradient that can be used in your app, define it a resource file.
e.g. the resource file can be named as gradient.xml in the res/drawables directory of your project as:
res/drawables/gradient.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<shape xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<gradient
android:startColor="@color/White"
android:endColor="@color/Black"
android:angle="30"/>
</shape>
The above snippet defines a gradient which start with a white color and ends with a black one at an angle of 30.