How To Really Practice Scales - Part 1
Channel: Jason Zac - Nathaniel School of Music
Date: 2020-11-06

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Here’s a 5-part series with “creative rhythmic approaches” to practice Major scales ascending & descending. All of the exercises given will work on your improvisation skills while holding the shape and fingering of the exercise. This set of tutorials aims to be a lot more interesting than just playing the scale up and down, where the only intention might be speed & dexterity

Part 1: https://youtu.be/6ApAMyX0LxI  

A scale has 7 notes which provide for a rather odd sum of notes (14 up and down). We transform this journey over 4 beats to a measure and end up making one note longer than the others both ascending & descending. The result achieved by maintaining a steady left-hand pulse and counting an eighth note time feel

Part 2: https://youtu.be/yFU0BwwQ5yA  

We play the scale ascending & descending in irregular (odd-number) groupings of 3s and 5s while maintaining the same pattern of notes

Part 3: https://youtu.be/YBY_m-FN8es  

We develop the “Swing” feel, commonly used in Jazz & Blues music to practice our scales with a keen sense of groove and the off beats ( 2 and 4)
 
Also, check out how to use the Metronome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3zw7PE9pW0 

Part 4: https://youtu.be/rGtOfiIJ5o0  

We use one of the most iconic Latin rhythms, the Son Clave, and play the Major scale ascending & descending

Part 5: https://youtu.be/rGtOfiIJ5o0 

We take a beat-division system of let's say 3 beats or 4 beats and define a rhythm pattern around simple binary permutations using notes & rests

#pianoscales #practicescales #majorscale

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