Scales for Success!

Recently, I have placed a renewed emphasis on scales and arpeggios. Students often have no clue why scales are so important in their musical studies. I'd like to, just briefly, outline a few reasons why scales and arpeggios are so awesome.

• They help you work on your intonation. By hearing the same basic pattern in each of the major and minor scales, you can teach your ears and fingers to find the correct pitches.
• They give you the opportunity to become better acquainted with your fingerboard - with different positions and places to play the same notes.
• They provide a sweet opportunity to learn and practice shifting.
• They give you a fabulous chance to practice coordinating your left hand and right hand movements, especially when you combine your scales with various bowing and rhythmic patterns.
• They provide a chance to practice a simple pattern of notes at various speeds, playing at both slow and quick tempos.
• They, well, show up in many pieces, from solo works to orchestral parts. If you already know the scale or arpeggio, you can sight read the music better and will probably need less time to learn that part of the piece.
• They strengthen your hands and fingers and are great for warming up.
• They are also used in some auditions, so regularly working on them will keep you prepared.
• They give you an introduction to various aspects of music theory, like key signatures.
• They give you a chance to practice your memorization skills.

These are just a few reasons why practicing scales and arpeggios is so essential. Each student should be working on their scales each day; in fact, it is usually one of the best things with which to start a practice session. If you find that practicing your scales becomes boring, then give yourself a challenge by working up the tempo with a metronome, playing your scale with a new fingering, or playing it with a new bowing or rhythmic pattern. There are so many things you can do with scales, so have fun with them!