# Keeping scales interesting....



## trojan-rabbit (Nov 27, 2007)

Do you guys do anything to keep grunt work like scales interesting? I'm going to be doing a lot of this this summer, and I just want your opinions.


Kevin


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## BuddhaBandit (Dec 31, 2007)

Horowitz, apparently, never practiced scales; only études. This, I believe, is a very good idea; I've been improvising piano for over 5 years and haven't once practiced scales.


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## trojan-rabbit (Nov 27, 2007)

Really? That's fascinating 

My teachers would never let me get away with that haha


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

I get told to practice Chromatics on the way up and the normal scale on the way down. I also have to do arpeggios, all kinds of different keyboard forms and improvising.

I do scales for 30 mins to an hour everyday before I practice.


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## Guest (Jun 22, 2008)

Kezza said:


> I get told to practice Chromatics on the way up and the normal scale on the way down. I also have to do arpeggios, all kinds of different keyboard forms and improvising.
> 
> I do scales for 30 mins to an hour everyday before I practice.


Your teacher is giving you the correct advice, you cant be too good at the basics, all scales and arpeggios in all keys etc over the whole range of your instrument untill you don't even have to think about it.


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

Andante said:


> Your teacher is giving you the correct advice, you cant be too good at the basics, all scales and arpeggios in all keys etc over the whole range of your instrument untill you don't even have to think about it.


Yeah every time I get good at what I'm supposed to be doing he just turns around and makes it harder for me -_-


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2008)

Kezza said:


> Yeah every time I get good at what I'm supposed to be doing he just turns around and makes it harder for me -_-


That's what learning is all about, as soon as you learn to do one thing then you move onto the next which is usually harder


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

Andante said:


> That's what learning is all about, as soon as you learn to do one thing then you move onto the next which is usually harder


I just find it amazing how hard he can make scales. And he always plays it perfectly for me I watch his hands and they're going crazy and I'm just like.... Damn

So scales are always interesting.


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## Guest (Jun 25, 2008)

*I know the feeling well lol.*
perhaps not interesting, try dotted and different meters, you will be surprised at how much easier improvisation becomes, that is if you do improvise.


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## trojan-rabbit (Nov 27, 2007)

Oh well 

I still haven't learned the scales in thirds and fifths, so I should be kept busy


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2008)

For the rest of your life,


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## trojan-rabbit (Nov 27, 2007)

Thanks 

haha


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## stevesachse (Sep 4, 2008)

I use a metronome and improvise.


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## YsayeOp.27#6 (Dec 7, 2007)

stevesachse said:


> I use a metronome and improvise.


You improvise on the metronome?


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## stevesachse (Sep 4, 2008)

Well of course, what else?


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## fox_druid (Feb 12, 2007)

I Cannot do scales for more than 10 minutes a day. They're awfully boring. Perhaps melodiously better etude could substitute...


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## R-F (Feb 12, 2008)

I grudgingly learnt scales, major and minor, in all the keys. That was barely scratching the surface of scales, yet my piano teacher just seemed to stop me there. He's very laid back when it comes to teaching. I quite liked the thought of doing no more scales at first, but now I'm starting to feel the side-effects. My left hand is lagging behind right hand quite a lot now so I've started doing some scales again. However seeing as my piano teacher doesn't really care about whether I do scales or not, I might try just doing etudes. Sounds much more interesting.


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## Guest (Sep 7, 2008)

R-F, Why not look for another teacher, if your present one is so laid back that scales are considered as not important? as you say the difference is noticeable since you stopped, I don't know what the attitude is to day regarding scales but IMO they are one of the basics of playing, even 1/2 hr a day will help.


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## R-F (Feb 12, 2008)

Well, to be honest, he's not that great a teacher. He's very superficial when it comes to criticism meaning that I only have myself to judge to see if I'm playing a piece right, and I can only assume that my technique and posture etc. are fine seeing as he's never mentioned them! But he's a really good _friend_ to be honest, and he's taught me a lot about expressing emotion in my playing. 
If I was to have a different teacher I'd know who to go to- the principal teacher at my High School is a fantastic pianist, who also does private piano lessons, and I know him quite well. Although, if I did change teacher I don't know how I would tell me orignal teacher- I'm sure he thinks he's a good teacher y'see. He keeps going on about how I'm his best pupil. Sure, he doesn't teach many pupils, but I'm not really _that_ good. I just practice a lot.


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

You could always try having both teachers at once for a while. And if you start getting awesome because of the new one you will just have to let your old teacher down gently. For all you know you could be being taught the wrong things!

My girlfriend had a violin teacher for most of her life and she wasn't that good and so my girlfriends playing suffered. Then she got a new teacher who was head violin of the ANU school of music in Canberra and she is really really good. Anyways my girlfriend had to re-learn how to play basically, like holding the bow and different bow strokes etc and she is better at rhythm and counting now too because her teacher never helped her with that before.

I also never had a teacher except for in primary school where we had the main percussionist for this organisation that taught at my school teaching me how to play. but she was actually a flute player.

Now when I got a proper teacher about 8 or 9 years later, I had to relearn how to hold my sticks, change my wrist action and all my rudiments were being played wrong so I had to fix them too. I've improved ten-fold since getting. 

So what I think I'm saying for you is try the new teacher and I reckon you'll learn a bloody lot!


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## nosnjoh (Nov 27, 2007)

I write all the different elements down on pieces of paper for my students, i.e. A major scale, b minor arpeggios, etc. I tell them to put the papers in a bowl, then draw them out one at a time. This serves two purposes: it puts a little bit of surprise into practicing the scales, and it prevents them from unconsciously practicing their favourites more than the others.


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## strika11 (Oct 12, 2008)

I have a book by Trevor Wye for the flute, and he has many different scale exercises and the like in there which make scales interesting for me, I've never really practised scales that much until about 2-3 months ago, and since i've started the difference it's made is phenomenal. At the moment i'm getting really nit picky cos i don't play everything even enough


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## Mr. Terrible (Oct 17, 2008)

Mental image of man rocking out on metronome is delightful!
"Play dat crazy click, man!"
Do you use an electronic Metronome or are you a traditional acoustic player?

Not piano but the principle is the same.
I make my lot work up and down the neck of their instruments (guitar or bass guitar)
until they know where every note is and can hit them without thinking.
My rationale is that the object of getting good at playing instrument is to remove the intermediate mental process where you think of a sound, think of where it is on the instrument and then play it.
The closer you can get to "think it and the sound is there" the better player you will become. 
And if that means practising scales till you are sick of them, think of it as enabling yourself on the instrument.
The day you open a manuscript, look at it and find your hands falling unbidden in the right place to play you`ll see what the scales etc were really all about. 
Another way to liven it up is to play your scales in alternating notes across your two hands.
EG Go up one note at a time, ist degree left hand second right hand and so forth.
Then descending, then opposite directions.
Still boring but it will improve your dexterity AND make you think. 

Alright it`s a pain but I promise you it IS worth it.


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