Do You Know Your Scales?

Do you know your scales?

I’d love to know this from every one of you. Do you know your scales? That is a broad question, so let me narrow that down.

Do you know your major scales?

I am on day #376 of #100DaysOfPractice. For those of you who are professionals or perhaps university/conservatory players, my commitment of 15-minutes a day of practice is laughable. But let me tell you something, the consistency of practice is shaping me up tremendously.

What is my “go to” to practice during that time? Well, I’m a busy guy, finding the 15-minutes is tough. Sometimes, I throw the clarinet together, practice, and get onto life. I often do not have music present with me. So, I PRACTICE SCALES!

I have always known scales well enough to do well in high school band, make all state bands, pass university auditions, pass juries with flying colors, get into graduation school and do well on those chair auditions, and then eventually make an Army Special Band (the only audition that did not ask for scales directly). So, why would I continue to practice scales?

Scales are the primary music pattern to play music well. All written music is comprised of patterns and these patterns are based off scales. I practice scales and their significant related patterns of arpeggios, thirds, and broken seven chords. I listen to make sure the scales are clean, rhythmically accurate, smooth (can get through all the registers without hearing breaks). Throughout my career the scales are faster, but only faster retaining the positive qualities already listed.

Here are the MAJOR SCALES in the order of the Circle of Fifths: C MAJOR, G MAJOR, D MAJOR, A MAJOR, E MAJOR, B MAJOR, F#(Gb) MAJOR, Db MAJOR, Ab MAJOR, Eb MAJOR, Bb MAJOR, F MAJOR.

COME TO THE CLARINET NOW CLARINET SCALES PAGE FOR THE FOLLOWING TIPS AND RESOURCES:

1. DOWNLOAD YOUR CLARINET SCALES FREE PRINT-OUT

2. CLARINET SCALES STRATEGY VERSES MUSICALITY

3. THE CLARINET SCALES STRATEGY IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF FREE POINTS

4. TYPES OF CLARINET SCALES

5. THE MAJOR SCALE PLAN (12-WEEKS)

6. LINKS TO THE BEST CLARINET SCALE BOOKS

One more time, to you know your scales?


Best,

Chris Jones @clarinetnow

Check out my method book Bumblebee Loops.

@ClarinetNow Facebook

@ClarinetNow Twitter