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Beethoven
Beethoven realized his artistic ambitions in spite of his hearing impairment!
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Scales, who needs them? Why and What For, Anyway?!
(06 Oct 03)
What Scales Are, Technically, And Why We Practice Them
Musically speaking, we have seen that scales are the "building blocks" of music. Many times in playing all types of music, we find ourselves simply playing scales, backwards and forwards, and in lots of other patterns. So it would seem natural that it would be a good idea to know how to play them, and it is!
If we think about scales in terms of technique, in terms of what it takes to actually play them on the guitar, we realize that simply because a scale is a string of notes, the simple act of playing a scale is quite a demand on the player. And the faster the scale, the greater the demand. In fact, for guitar players, scales are a whole lot more difficult than they are for most other musicians. A piano player only needs one finger to play one note, but a guitar player needs the co-coordinated action of TWO fingers (or finger and pick) to produce one note, and that has profound implications. As a guitar player, you would be wise to reflect on and appreciate this fact.
Almost all guitar students are unprepared for effective scale practice when the first scale comes along. The concept of truly independent finger action must have already begun to become a physical reality in the hands in order for scales to begin to be practiced with benefit, and not harm.
Segovia wrote, in his famous collection of scales for the classical guitarist "the study of scales will solve a greater number of technical problems in a shorter amount of time than the study of any other technical exercise." In other words, if you are able to successfully play scales, and get one finger after another to do what it needs to do to get those notes, then there are a whole lot of other things you will also be able to do. So this means that the study of scales is one of the best things we can do in our practice sessions to develop and maintain our technique.
And this is one of the main points I want to get across here: scales are, at the very least, a primary technical exercise for all types of guitarists. For non-improvising guitarists such as classical guitarists, this is, in fact, their main purpose. A classical guitarist does not need a million scales at his fingertips. Since scales are serving only the purpose of providing excellent exercise for the fingers, we only need to select and practice the ones we feel give us that exercise. In fact, in Segovia's collection, most of the scales are simply the same finger patterns moved around the neck.
Of course, there is a world of things to know about the CORRECT way to practice scales so that our fingers actually do learn to play them well, and so that the practice of scales helps us technically, rather than hurts us. For far too many students, scale practice gets them nowhere. That of course, is a whole other subject which I have addressed in other essays. At the least, you should realize that practicing scales successfully is a complex matter, not to be underestimated, and not to be undertaken without a lot of effort to understand HOW to practice them correctly.
With this is mind, we could interpret Segovia's statement to mean "if you can figure out how to learn scales well, you can figure out a lot of other technical challenges that playing the guitar poses".
What Scales Should You Know? How scales are used musically by Guitarists
As you probably suspect by now, exactly what scales, and how many scales a player should know, depends on the style that player is playing. Here are some general guidelines to help you figure out what YOU should be doing about scale practice in your own playing.
ALL players should learn and practice major scales in the first position in the common keys of C, G, D, A, E, and for the ambitious, the relative minors of these major keys.
ALL players should learn movable scale patterns. Major scales that begin with the 2nd finger on the 6th string, as well as the pattern that begins with the 2nd finger on the 5th string should be learned. After that, the major scale pattern that begins with the 4th finger should be learned, first from the 6th string, then the 5th.
Ambitious players should then learn the major scale that starts with the first finger on the 6th and 5th strings. Having these scales in your fingers (six major scales) also puts all the arpeggios and modes into your fingers as well.
For those wishing to play blues and rock, you should learn the first pentatonic scale inside and out, backwards, forwards, and various patterns. There are 5 pentatonic scale positions in all, and you should gradually learn them all. Of course, you must learn the licks that come out of them as well, and how to use them in improvising in the common keys (A & E first).
For players wanting to improvise in the more sophisticated styles, such as jazz, or fusion styles, all the above should be learned. After that, you are a prime candidate for one of those gigantic, monster scale books we talked about earlier!
Of course, there is a whole lot more to know about the subject, but I hope I have provided the basis for a little clarity, especially for those new to the instrument. Good luck finding which scales are right for you!
Copyright 2003 Jamie Andreas. All rights reserved.
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The Principles Of Correct Practice For Guitar by Jamie Andreas, continues to bring the highest acclaim, world renowned as The International Bible For Guitarists. With a straight forward writing style, her tried and true, result oriented guitar book powerfully reveals the correct practice methods, taking the student from the beginning stages to the highest levels of virtuosity. Get 10 free things you can do right now to become a better guitarist! Visit GuitarPrinciples.com
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