Comments on: Prescription for Scale Sickness

By: kate

kate — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:23:31 +0000

To make scales more fun I incorporate scales with the modes idea of a chord makes the sound and the sound can be a mode enhancer.

By: Jeffrey Agrell

Jeffrey Agrell — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:50:16 +0000

To make scale study interesting and a lot more useful:

1. Play scales like music: vary tempo, articulation, dynamics, note values.

2. Play as duets with another player (imitate, play in canon, etc.).

3. Play different scale lengths – why should you only practice octaves?

4. Express something. Use the scale to depict a mood or emotion, animal, object, landscape.

5. Add accents: duple, triple, 2+3, 3+2, 2+2+3, 3+2+2, 3+3+2, etc. Play with another player who is playing a different accent pattern, e.g. you play duple, they play triple; you play 2+3, they play 3+2.

By: Marcia

Marcia — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:22:51 +0000

Keyboard skills – scales, chords, arpeggios – are a given, the first item on the student’s assignment sheet. ‘Completed all assignments’ is an item for composer bucks in my studio. Students understand why we study scales (or pentascales) when they can identify them in pieces they play. IMO the best way to excite students about scales and chords is to teach them within the context of a piece they love.

By: Mikaela

Mikaela — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:38:45 +0000

Natalie,
Do your students “get” the fingering of scales, or are you not concerned with that? I worry that, by losing the scale books, my students will use incorrect fingering…they struggle with that now, when they have it right in front of their faces!

By: eugene cantera

eugene cantera — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:58:26 +0000

I think too much time and energy can be wasted in either ‘convincing’ students that scales are important and/or creating sneaky interesting ways to include scales in a lesson plan.

Scales can be done as an ear training exercise (call and response) or as a warm up. In these ways, they don’t seem like the main emphasis of a lesson or add any undue ‘pressure’ on students.

By: Heidi N

Heidi N — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:52:40 +0000

My daughter’s teacher posted an all star scales chart in her studio and had the students move their “baseball player” around the bases for each group of scales they learned. She was really motivated by the competition and was excited one of the first to make it “home”.

I also found the Olympic approach to be very effective. One of my students was even more interested in passing off scales then learning her songs.

By: Mindy

Mindy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:22:47 +0000

Thank you, Natalie. After I posted that, I was afraid I sounded like I was whining. I’m anticipating reading all the ideas.