"Fishy Things" (Scales) Brought to Life!

Scales are a necessary part of playing any musical instrument well. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but lack of playing scales and arpeggios results in poor technique. Like a body builder lifting weights, scales are “weights” for musicians. 


To practice scales, here are a few tips:

• Scales make up a good chunk of most music. If you practice scales “musically” minded, they will sound better when you actually play them in real music.
• Part of the goal in practicing scales is to try and make every note sound the same. Each note should have good tone quality. Listen carefully to “how” each note sounds.
• Always start slow. It’s better to practice slow and accurate than fast and sloppy.
• Slur! The reason for this is that finger “blips” will not show up when tonguing. This is the same for arpeggios.
• One octave scales are best for tone practice. Keep them slow so you can concentrate on tone quality.
• Play two-octave scales to build technique. Steady and accurate is the key here.
• ALWAYS play scales and arpeggios with a metronome. It doesn’t lie about tempos. Keep tempo slow until you’ve learned all scales. (The same with arpeggios.) 
• How do you choose the correct metronome speed? Take your slowest scale that you can play accurately. THAT is the tempo you should use for all your scales. Gradually add in other scales as you learn them.
• When practicing new scales, “work” them separately from already learned scales. Once the new scales are at the same speed as the other scales, add them into the scale warm-up routine.
• The goal is to eventually play all twelve major scales (and ultimately minors) at the SAME steady speed.
• Keep hands relaxed and fingers close to the instrument. The general rule of thumb is to not increase the metronome speed until fingers can stay relaxed through all scales.
• For other warm-ups and etudes, have a specific warm-up routine that involves areas that YOU need to work on.
• The basic warm-up routine should consist of long tones, tone studies, scales, arpeggios, articulation exercises, and possibly etudes (or other technical exercises)
• Consider adding sight reading into the warm-up. This will help with rhythm and learning music quicker.

Happy Practicing!