Scales and arpeggios do seem to get a bad name for themselves and are often the unlovable part of practising.
Many people learn scales and arpeggios in music lessons without really overly understanding the purpose and benefits. If I squint when at when I was studying music as a child, I was told that I had to learn unrepealable scales and arpeggios to pass the ABRSM graded music exams. I was never really told the reason overdue it; just that I had to learn them! There were so many!
So why are scales and arpeggios so important to learn?
When a composer is writing a piece of music they will unchangingly pick a specific key for the first section of music. This is often referred to as the tonic. From the key signature selected, the notes of the scale will be used to create the melodic line. In a majority of melodies there will be both scalic and arpeggio movement.
If we examine the piece When the Saints Go Marching In, the key (tonic) of the music is G major (1 sharp in the key signature). If we squint in increasingly detail at bar 5 and 6 the notes are D, B, G, B – all notes from the G major arpeggio. If we squint at bars 7 – 9 the notes move up and lanugo by step – A, B, A, G. So plane in this very simple 5 note piece, there are examples of scalic and arpeggio movement. Imagine how much easier it would be to learn if you just practice the G major scale and arpeggio.
When composers wanted to create longer works they would link sections of music together through key relationships. For example, If I was creating a piece that was ternary structure (ABA), the first section could be in the tonic key of G major and then for the B section I could modulate to a related key. This was often the relative minor (E minor) or the dominant (D major). For the final A section I would go when to G major and play the first melody again. Ternary structure has been virtually for hundreds of years and I am sure you will have played pieces in ternary form without plane realising.
When we understand how important keys are to creating melodies and harmonies, then it becomes increasingly obvious why scales are so important to learn – they are going to be in every piece you play!
So how can we make learning scales a little easier? Here are my 5 top tips:
- If you can say it you can play it!
When you learn a new scale or arpeggio make sure you say it out loud first surpassing playing it on the instrument. This gives the smart-ass a endangerment to process the notes of the new scale and learn the towardly key signature first surpassing subtracting in the instrumental technique.
So for Ab major say out loud – Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab G F Eb Db C Bb Ab.
It’s equally important to be worldly-wise to say it in both directions – ascending and descending. Lots of musicians struggle with descending. We are unchangingly just so glad to safely reach the top of the scale that the concentration goes and we stumble when lanugo and make errors.
2. Practice your scales equally in both directions
This leads me on to the need to practice scales in both directions. The majority of the time the errors occur in the descending section and this is considering we can lose concentration or we just haven’t practised this part enough.
Again – if you can say it out loud it will help with playing it.
Ab major descending first – Ab G F Eb Db C Bb Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
3. Say the notes in your throne
When you are playing your scales and arpeggios are you guessing where you are in the pattern or are you saying the letter names in your throne as you play each note? Try practising saying the reports out loud and then saying them in your throne as you play each note of the scale or arpeggio. It will help you stay focused on where you are in the scale and not lose concentration.
4. Practice the nonflexible ones!
I know it is obvious, but truthfully we all like practising the scales and arpeggios that are easy to play and sound good. We can rattle up and lanugo those at super speeds and finger awesome. However, the harder ones may have variegated fingering patterns; this is the specimen for the scales starting on the woebegone keys on the piano. Or the scales that take us up to worrisome fingerings on the flute or clarinet and sound a bit squeaky are the ones we want to avoid.
The only way to get largest at those increasingly challenging scales and arpeggios is to not stave them. Start with one of the nonflexible scales as part of your practice routine and when you finger good well-nigh it then treat yourself to a scale you can play easily. This is a healthier tideway than leaving the nonflexible ones to the end, making mistakes, getting frustrated, wanting to throw the instrument wideness the room and giving up LOL. Honestly, we have all been there!
5. Variation is key
Scales can get wearisome at times but are an essential part of your practice routine to modernize your tone, technique and unconfined melody playing. So consider spicing up your scales by varying:
- the tempo
- the dynamics
- articulations
- rhythm patterns (double notes on each, triplets, etc).
- Swing the rhythm
- Buy some technique and study books that are often created to help with good scale playing
- Play each scale in the order of the keys on the piano – moving up chromatically.
- Play each scale in the order of whirligig of 5ths
- Play the minor scales in the same way. Play both the melodic and harmonic minor, expressly if you are taking graded music exams.
- Sing the scales with variegated sounds – letter names, numbers, vowels, consonants, nonsense words
- Write the scales out using letter names and notating virtuously on a stave.
- Improvise short melodies with the scale and arpeggio you are learning. That’s what composers do each time they create a new piece!
- Put your favourite song on the sound system and jam along. See if you can work out the tonic key aurally and then try to work out the melody using the notes of the scale and arpeggio.
- Study your music – squint at the key signature, practice the towardly scale and arpeggio and then squint for everywhere it appears. Your sight-reading will modernize so much!
