Piano scales - why bother?

http://bit.ly/billsbook

A video tutorial on the basics of piano scales, and why they're useful - even if you're mainly interested in improvisation styles rather than classical piano

Category:

Music

Tags:

• piano scales
• c major scale
• piano tutorial

[vonNaaat]

Great vid :) I can play them separately fine but I'm dire when I try putting them together? Is it usually difficult?

[billhiltonbiz]

@vonNaaat It's usually difficult - at least at first! The trick is to try it really slowly at first, focussing on getting your fingers in the right place on the keyboard. Then build up the speed very slowly, remembering to keep everything as accurate and even as possible. Good luck!

[numanuma20]

How should I do scales? One every couple of monikers or one a day?

[billhiltonbiz]

@numanuma20 If you're still learning them, one or two new ones a week is fine - it's better to be able to play a few scales well before you can play them all badly! Once you've mastered them, it's up to you. I try to practise all my major and melodic minor scales every day, though it usually ends up being 4-5 days a week. It takes about 20 mins.

[jeranbrown1]

Great video, Bill!

Speaking of scales and classical exercises, what is your opinion of Hanon? I do a few of them, but I read that a lot of piano teachers find them dangerous, and a lot of teachers love them. Rachmaninoff credits them for his speed. What's your take?

[billhiltonbiz]

@jeranbrown1 Good question. Neither of my piano teachers (when I was a kid and when I was at university) ever even mentioned Hanon. That said, although I love playing classics to this day, I only studied piano to an intermediate level. My general feeling is all exercises have some use and can't do much harm, but I'll put the question to a couple of classical pros I know and see what they have to say.

[ajguy8]

I've just started taking lessons and out of those five years of playing on my own, I never did scales. Now they're such a pain because I have to keep control within every turn of the third and fourth finger. It's very difficult to be relaxed, but nevertheless, bad habits are possible to break with the will to do it.

[numanuma20]

I have a book like the one you recommended. It made me realize that I become forced to learn the note names particularly the ones not one the staff line.

[numanuma20]

How should I practice scales? I use to take piano lessons and never learned mush about scales. Do I do a key for then monikers and go to the next? Two?

[Solcius123123]

Great lesson !