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Tired of practicing piano scales over and over… and over again? While repetition is great for your muscle memory, getting bored won’t do you any favors. Here, New York, NY piano teacher Nadia B. shares four ideas for how to practice scales in new ways…
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced piano player, practicing scales can be hard work! But there are lots of ways to make it fun.
Here are four tactics that you can use to make scales more engaging and help you build your skills faster.
How Do You Practice Music Scales?
Practicing music scales is an important part of learning any instrument, as it helps with technical skill building and warming up. Here are some tips for how to practice scales piano:
- A great place to start is to begin with major and minor scales – these are the foundation for most melodies, so getting a solid understanding of them is key.
- To practice efficiently, break the scale into manageable chunks and focus on one section each time.
- Visualizing what is being played can also be helpful, such as imagining the fingerboard or keys in your mind’s eye.
- Use metronomes or backing tracks to help build speed and accuracy.
- Finally, don’t forget to listen closely to the nuances in how each note works together – that way you can become a better musician overall!
Ready to take your piano scales practice routine to the next level? Your best bet is to sign up for piano lessons. Not only will you learn everything you need to know about practicing piano scales, but you’ll also learn new skills like what you see in the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wQ1ZXph1HI
Does Practicing Scales Help Piano?
Practicing scales is an important part of learning piano and can help players improve their technique and overall ability. Scales allow the pianist to become familiar with both hand movements and notes on the keyboard.
By playing scales regularly, they become comfortable enough that they do not have to think about what each individual note or finger movement is.
As the musician develops their skills with scales, they can even use them as ingredients for memorable solos. The regular practice of scales also contributes to a better sense of timing because it is easy to lose track if you forget where your hands should be placed.
Consequently, making sure you understand and consistently practice scales on the piano will contribute greatly to your overall progress as a musician.
How Long Should You Practice Piano Scales?
When it comes to how to practice piano scales, many pianists are unsure of how long or how often.
Practicing piano scales builds the foundation for many different genres of music, and so should be an integral part of any serious pianist’s practice routine. To get the most from your practice time, it is best to aim for practicing scales for at least 20 minutes per day.
The exact duration that is right for each person will depend on how long they have been playing, but as long as you focus on quality over quantity, 20 minutes per day should become a good habit over time.
You can also vary your practice sessions by focusing on different scale patterns or using different fingering techniques: these variations help to keep things interesting while also spurring further progress!
How Can I Practice Scales Without Getting Bored?
It’s no doubt that learning the fundamentals of piano — like major and minor scales, arpeggios, and so on — make a huge impact on your success as a musician. However, these exercises are often avoided at the piano, out of fear that they will be boring and useless. How many times have you done all your major scales, over and over, in the same rhythmic pattern and tempo, two hands at a time, two octaves, and with the same articulation? Practicing in this way can leave little motivation to repeat the sequence every day, as it can be boring, unmusical, and stiff.
Fortunately, there are many different ways to practice that can really shake things up! Piano practice should be deliberate, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be boring.
The following ideas will show you how to practice scales and other piano fundamentals in a way that is fun, inspiring, and useful. And once you see the door that scales and arpeggios open, you will want to “play” through them, over and over, deepening your understanding of the fundamentals and the musical expression they enhance.
1. Try Them in Contrary Motion
Contrary motion is when one hand moves up while the other moves down (or vice versa). It’s a great way to get comfortable with playing two different directions at once. Try taking your scales through contrary motion by having the left hand move up the scale while the right hand moves down, or vice versa. This will help you practice coordination between your hands and make it more fun to practice scales.
2. Play with Dynamics
Dynamics are all about how loud or soft you play the notes on the scale. For example, you could start off playing each note loudly and then transition into soft dynamics as you come back down the scale. Or try alternating between loud and soft notes as you progress up and down each scale. Playing with dynamics will make your scales sound more interesting while still helping you build coordination between your hands.
3. Play with the Tempo
If you find yourself getting bored with practicing your scales, try changing up the tempo! Start slow so that each note rings out clearly, then gradually speed up as you go through each scale until finally going as fast as possible without sacrificing accuracy or clarity of notes. This will give your fingers a workout while also making it more enjoyable to practice your scales.
4. Explore Rhythmic Alterations
Rhythm is an important part of any musical performance, so why not incorporate rhythm into your scale practice? Instead of playing straight eighth notes (1-e-&-a) for each scale, try altering the rhythm by adding syncopation or quarter notes (1-2-3-4) where appropriate. You can also mix up rhythms within one scale by having some parts be eighth notes and others being quarter or even sixteenth (1 e + ah) notes. By experimenting with different rhythms, you’ll make your practice time more interesting and challenging!
Piano Scales Practice Infographic
Want to learn more about practicing piano scales – in a visual way? Here’s an infographic of how to practice scales in new ways…
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What is the Best Way to Practice Piano Scales?
Practicing piano scales is an essential task for any musician, and there are many effective methods of doing so. One of the best techniques is to start slowly, playing one octave of a given scale at a slow but steady pace. Once comfortable with that speed and mastery of the notes, gradually increase the tempo until the desired speed is reached.
By following the steps above, musicians will be able to perfect their scales in no time! Ask your music teacher for help if you’re struggling to perfect your piano scales.
Take pleasure in your exploration of scales and arpeggios; as your fingers and brain become more nimble, it will feel more and more like play at the piano. Have fun!
Nadia B. teaches flute and piano in New York, NY, as well as through online lessons. She acted as principal flutist of the orchestra and wind ensemble at California State University, Sacramento, and then went on to receive her degree in Music Performance from New York University. Learn more about Nadia here!
Photo by dajing
Suzy S.