It teaches your right and left hand to better coordinate with each other, but to also operate well separately. We also use scales to develop our tone, learning bow speed, sounding point, and pressure.
We'll practice different dynamics, such as piano and fortissimo. Of course, we learn the theory behind the execution and sound of a scale. We also can learn how keys and different chords are built from scales. Knowing a scale inside and out also sets a great foundation for improvisation. Finger patterns and rhythm practice will also build a better foundation for improvisation and playing back up for singers and other musicians.
Most music is a scale with some missing, added, and accidental intervals. Practicing the above means developing light-speed sightreading skills. It is no secret, then, that the best musicians are those who have mastered the fundamental execution of a scale. Your email. Create your account Lost password? First name. Last name. Stripping back the intricacies and details of music allows you to focus on perfecting the foundations:.
A good sense of internal time is a must for every musician. You need to be able to keep time accurately yourself, but also play together in larger groups.
Practising scales with a metronome helps you to learn to place each note in just the right place. Just set a slow metronome and try to fit four, then five, then six notes evenly into every beat. When you are learning a musical instrument your muscles need to get used to moving in detailed patterns with speed and accuracy. When it comes to training this muscle-memory, scales will be your best friend. Formal lessons are meaningless without hanging out with other musicians, playing socially, observing, listening etc.
Nadine, while I agree with most of what you said, I believe you may have slightly misunderstood what Noa is trying to say. That sounds a lot like what you said. Oliver, developing a set of tools that great analogy of diverse technical skills , in and of itself, does not require creativity. It certainly requires a sense of exploration to discover based on listening! I am a very basic musician. I play a lot of different instruments. Scales for me are primarily the mathematical ratios that make sound musical.
An octave is a doubling of the frequency of oscillations causing perfect resonance. The harmonic series are all ratios. The major scale is the harmonic series as I understand it. Each scale degree has a relationship of tension and release to the tonal centre. Singing solfeggio and being able to hear scale degrees in chord progressions and melodies from practiced ear training is musical literacy to me.
Because you can hear the resolution tones and the tonal centre. Practicing scales is familiarising yourself with this system of related frequencies and how they relate. Being able to reproduce them through your instrument. If I can jump to the 6th degree of A on my trumpet and then 5, 4 etc at will then I can sing do re mi through my instrument. All of this is fundamental to music IMO and is much more important than having an exquisite appreciation for tone and technique. Your mentioning of playful creative use of tonality is recommended by people who want to improvise and ear train.
I am exploring some prescribed exercises towards this goal. I could not agree more with your article. Thank you to bring it up for the world. Recently I defended a thesis that everyone should use the chamber music concepts to play any kind of music, even if he or she play along.
Your contribution about Natalia Gutaman was like a shine for me, because that is exactly what I meant and, therefore, it reinforces my assertion. The fundamentals. The old and good fundamentals…. Wow you just shattered my reality. That mindset served me well for a long time but at some point I started to realize that the lack of fundamentals was slowing my progress down.
Our bodies are our instruments and infinitely adjustable. We must be ever curious and explore the potential for timbre, breath control, phrasing. This is the joy of making music! Thank you for this inspiring reminder to keep exploring. Excellent article and many interesting comments. When I got back into the piano after a forty year absence my teacher encouraged scales to help technique. She showed me ways to vary the practice and hopefully avoid boredom.
Suddenly I found a perverse and unexpected pleasure in seeing how it helped my playing. It would take you forever. This also helps during sight-reading; you have less to worry about. Having a consistent fingering across your scale patterns is more important than the semantics of exactly which finger goes where.
The great thing about scales is that they are exceptionally versatile. For example, start with your basic C major scale. Work out a fingering, and stick with it. Again, I highly recommend going with standard scale fingerings as featured in your scale books. Go through every key, every scale, and learn which fingers to put where.
This is more important than anything else. However, nobody who can do this was born able to do it. They had to practice, just like you and I. They practiced slowly and methodically , too.
This advice stands for any music. Look up my concept of deliberate practice in an article I wrote about practicing the piano efficiently. This is related to the previous point, but you need to use a metronome when you start practicing scales because it will train your internal ability to keep time. Set the metronome to a slow speed, and run through one scale.
Keep doing this until you can reach your desired tempo. This is how you learn how to play scales super-fast. By the way - if you're a beginner working through a beginner book, you will also want to supplement your exercises and pieces with scales on a regular basis, as these books often don't emphasise the importance of good scale-playing. I truly believe scales are much more beneficial to your technique than anything else. Learn to play your scales! You should also be practicing your arpeggios and broken chords , as well as your sight reading.
The easiest way to do this is to buy a book of songs. Open the book, and just play through it. The key things are rhythm and continuity. Do not stop playing, even if you get lost; make something up. Think about it. The singer will never want to work with you again. Czerny is a good place to start, as well as some of the Bach inventions and sinfonias. Over time you can move onto Chopin studies and Bach Preludes and Fugues.
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