Scales Are Our Friends
Scales are our friends
When I learned scales, it was a monotonous experience. It was a weekly thing, done drearily each practice and before we could get to the songs. There was never a reason given, I just had to do them. Like eating my vegetables. When I teach scales, I explain they are like friends. How? I show them how scales show up in songs. Joy to the World (for a beginner), or one of the most famous first measures in music from Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin. When students hear how scales apply, they get interested and get the idea, “I can do that.”
Making Scales Fun
Beginner student books are quick to point out the patterns of fingering for Major Scales in C, G, D, A,& E. Once a student gets comfortable with these, I challenge students to try the more complicated patterns. This is when scales become fun. They have an understanding how scales should be smooth and flow up and back down, so changing the pattern becomes a challenge to accomplish. It’s also fun to help students see the relationship between the fingering in the LH & RH. Some students find this easily by reading. Others only see it by hands on practice. Then I challenge them to play slowly to master 2 hands together before playing faster. In my lessons, after students get the patterns down, I pull out the stopwatch and time them. The desire to “kill seconds” the next week is motivating and fun when they see what steady practice produces.
Searching for Scales.
Last Christmas I passed out music for The First Noel and asked my students to identify where the Scale was hiding. They were given 30 seconds. Beginner students could definitely find the ascending scale but it took the full 30 seconds. With more advanced music and students, it took less than 5-6 seconds. Why does this matter? It helps students recognize that scales are a valuable tool they’ve already got in their tool box. Once a scale is recognized, students can approach a new song with greater confidence and have more fun learning it.
Fun builds skills faster
Scales build finger strength and tone and touch. Scales don’t need to be drudgery. Anyone who makes scales fun will see enthusiasm in identifying them and more importantly, playing them.
One of my favorite ways to teach proper scales is to give a horrible example first. Fast and slow, messing with fingering so it’s awkward and elbows are up. Want to make teaching scales fun? Model it wrong and explain what’s bad, show how they are used in songs already learned, set metronome challenges and challenge students to look for them in new music.
