After looking through your blog, it seems to appear that you write out your scales, chords, and arpeggios for your students. Why do you do this versus using a book? And, if I would prefer to have a book that already has scales, chords, and arpeggios written out for me, do you know of any such high quality book?
Good question! Actually, I don’t even write out the scales, chords, and such for my students. They learn it all by theory/rote. One of the fundamental concepts I teach my beginning students is half step v. whole step. Once they have that down, we learn the Major pentascale pattern. They have to memorize the pattern, and then we start working our way around the Circle of 5ths learning each of the Major pentascales. At the same time, we are also playing either triads or chord shells, depending on the size and coordination of the student. From there we move on to minor pentascales, then octave scales.
The reason I don’t have them play these things from a book is because I want them to really understand the theoretical concepts that underlie the scales, chords, etc. If they are merely playing notes from a book, the chances of them fully comprehending the theory that is the basis for the scales is much smaller.
There are several scale-based books that I’ve used before for various purposes. Here are some ideas:
Keys to Success by Kevin Olson – there are three books – Major pentascales, minor pentascales, and Major scales. Each key includes a technique exercise, a short mystery tune that the student is supposed to identify after playing the non-staff notation in the specified key, a short composition exercise, and a short piece.
Get Ready for Scale Duets and Get Ready for Chord and Arpeggio Duets – I haven’t actually used these, but they look like a fun complement to scale playing!
Scales, Patterns, and Improvs – I used this book with my piano camp this summer and it was a lot of fun!
I would love to have some input from other teachers on this. Do you use scale books with your students? Why or why not? Have you found any other scale/chord/arpeggio-related resources that have been helpful?
Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!
From a student’s point of view, being taught the theory behind a musical concept such as a scale is so much more helpful than playing from a book. For instance, when a student learns the theoretical construction of a scale, he begins to recognize the pattern in its make-up, and he can then apply that knowledge anywhere on the keyboard. It would take a lot longer to recognize a pattern, especially as a beginner student, when playing from a book. Plus, the whole idea of pattern recognition is an invaluable tool for beginning students. If they are taught to think by recognizing patterns, they are more likely to begin recognizing patterns on their own- even to concepts they have not yet been taught.
Hmmm. Rebecca’s thoughts are really interesting to me. I have always thought that by using scale books, students would reinforce the scale patterns. And we discuss the theory behind the make-up.
But truth be told, I am sick to death of teaching scales. It’s not that I don’t think it is important, I do. I am just lacking incentive to go at it again with my students. They are in shock! Perhaps I need to rethink my approach and we will all be more successful. I’d take any incentive ideas you have for getting through all the scales.
Thanks for being such a challenging blog for me!
I also like to teach scales by rote like Natalie. I have my students say the scale steps as they play the scale going up – “Tonic, Whole, Whole, Half, Whole” (for major pentascale). I recently discovered the FJH Achievement Skill Sheets which I use for them to review all of the scales they have learned while seeing them written on the staff. FJH Skill Sheets start w/ 5 finger patterns & cross hand arpeggios and progress up to 2 octave scales, arpeggios and cadences. I laminated them for my music library and just have the students check them out when they’re ready. The improv book sounds like fun.
I’m going to try something new for Christmas this year to help my students see the application of all the I – V- I Cadences (Chord Progressions) which I have taught them by rote. I want to do sightreading duets at their lesson. I will play the melody from a simple Christmas song book & they will play harmony by reading chord symbols I’ve written below each measure. For a challenge I’ll show them a few variations of accompaniment patterns (blocked, broken, waltz, aberti). Then my “easy” books won’t just collect dust on the shelf and I’m hoping my students will catch the vision of how cool chords can be:)
I completely agree that not teaching scales from a book is the best method. My father is a band director and taught me the theory behind them and how to write them out. I noticed when I was younger that I seemed to have an advantage over other musicians my age who had learned just from reading scales in a method book. I could play scales in any key because I knew how they were constructed, while my classmates would struggle to figure out the notes.
This is interesting. I had taught scales by rote for many years but a couple of years ago switched to using scale books (while also making students memorize them so they were not completely dependant on the printed page) in hopes that will be able to recognize the printed scale, chord, arpeggio patterns in the repertoire. My thinking is, if students have never actually seen the patterns written out, how can they be expected to visually recognize them? Since I only started doing this recently, it’s too soon to see what the long-term results are, but I’m hoping for the best.
LaDona,
This is what I was thinking also. So, Natalie, can you address this part of how you transfer the scale information to the page for students?
Scales are an important part of every lesson for me. I try to make my students understand how useful they are, and I show them how to use them in their improvisations. So usually we have fun with scales!
I teach the sharp keys without music, but write down/ let the student write down the flat keys because of the fingerings. There was too often “I couldn’t practice because I didn’t remember the fingering!” What are your experiences?
I also like teaching blocked scales, for example in B-Major: play 1 – 23 – 1 – 234 – 5. You can watch your arm movements and the sound of the thumb, and its easier to play really fast!
Does anyone of you teach pentascales with a 1 – 2 – 3 – 1 – 2 – fingering? I didn’t until now, but I was thinking about it. It would be logical and make the transition to scales maybe easier.
Coming out of my lurking hidey-hole on this one because I really love discussing scale teaching methods
My partner and I are teachers of brass and woodwind at a primary school, we run the whole band program of about 40 kids aged 8-12 there, and we’ve had a whole lot of success with teaching them scales. Most of our senior students are playing between 9 and 12 major scales – and they love it! I have students asking me to learn more scales, it’s pretty exciting
I don’t use theory books or any written material. I was fed a bit of that while I was in high school and learnt nothing much from it. We use the cycle of fourths method and teach formulas to find one scale from the next (count to the 4th note to find the new scale, then flatten the 4th note of the new scale to find the new flat) That way, whenever they learn a new scale, we simply put it to them that it’s only one note different to their previous scale. It also means that they’re learning these scales by heart.
I’m not sure if that makes any sense but when we draw up all the diagrams and write out the formulas for them, most students catch on pretty quickly. I find it a great way to teach them when they can’t see the notes laid out for them, like on a piano.
Apologies for the novel of a comment, I can get a little carried away
That’s so great that you teach the theory behind the scales. I’ll never forget a scale-related question one of my school students asked me. We were learning one of 6 major scales we play in the elementary orchestra, and I was teaching about key signatures. This student asked me, “Okay, but where are the half steps?” His violin teacher teaches scales the same way you do, by the placement of the half steps. His question totally threw me off, but also got me thinking about different ways to approach the teaching of scales.
When I was a piano student, my first teacher never wrote out the fingering, but just explained it. This frustrated me and hindered my success, until my second teacher actually wrote it out. He did this until I “got it” and then I played them from memory. In my own teaching, therefore, I write it out first, so that they know the fingering, and then I have them transition to playing from memory by knowledge of the now-familiar pattern. I could, however, be better at teaching the half-step whole-step pattern. I’m curious to know how those of you who teach scales without a book ensure that the students practice the correct fingering during the week. Isn’t it possible to use a book to reinforce fingering and still have them say their half-step whole-step patterns?
After introducing C, G, D, A, and E major scales…at B major I introduce what I call the Volkswagon Rule. I have the student make a V with fingers 2 & 3, and place those on the set of 2 black keys. They then make a W with their fingers 2, 3 & 4. This is the fingering for the black keys used in the next set of scales! In the weeks to come as the student studies B,F#, C# and other scales if they miss their fingering, all I haev to say is Volkswagon! and they are back on track.