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Tag: Guitar Scales
33 Ways to Improve Ears, Fingers, and Fingerboard Familiarity
Moveable Scale Forms for Development
by Leo Garcia
After watching Eliot Fisk demonstrate all of these, I thought I would write them out and share them with students. I confess that although I practiced scales religiously (and still do), I seldom went through modes. There are many reasons to work on these, though: ear training, technique development, and fingerboard familiarity.
The first form has the root starting on string 3, the second form has the root starting on string 4; and the third form works for both strings 5 and 6 . . .
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Mastering Scales, Part 6: Phrasing
Mastering Scales, Part 6: Phrasing
There are infinite ways to develop more speed, accuracy, and fluidity in your scale practice. Using rhythmic manipulation, extensor training, patterns, repeated notes, fragments, and phrasing are favorite devices. They will all explained in the next several posts. Once you are familiar with the various techniques, apply them to scales (or even troublesome spots) in your repertoire to either problem solve or build a stronger foundation.
Throughout the following series of posts use the following fingerings (basic patterns in bold) focus on efficient and relaxed alternation, tone, consistency, and rhythmic pulse. More advanced students could expand them with articulations such as staccato and legato, dynamics, and tempo. Practice the material between repeats more than twice when necessary.
Rest-stroke fingerings: im, mi, ma, am, ia, ai, p, ami, ima, imam, amim, aimi
Free-stroke fingerings: im, mi, ma, am, ia, ai, pi, pm, pa, ami, ima, imam, amim, aimi, pmi, pami
Phrasing your scales using subtle accents, articulations, and dynamics to convey note groupings is one of my favorite ways to think about music while working on scales. A slight change in articulation or accent will make your phrase move forward gracefully or plod along like an elephant. Apply the basic ideas below as a start and then apply it to repertoire.
For scale sources and further study: Mastering Diatonic Scales.
Use accents or articulation to delineate a group or phrase:
Use dynamics:
Think phrasing:
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Mastering Scales, Part 5: Fragments
Mastering Scales, Part 5: Fragments
There are infinite ways to develop more speed, accuracy, and fluidity in your scale practice. Using rhythmic manipulation, extensor training, patterns, repeated notes, fragments, and phrasing are favorite devices. They will all explained in the next several posts. Once you are familiar with the various techniques, apply them to scales (or even troublesome spots) in your repertoire to either problem solve or build a stronger foundation.
Throughout the following series of posts use the following fingerings (basic patterns in bold) focus on efficient and relaxed alternation, tone, consistency, and rhythmic pulse. More advanced students could expand them with articulations such as staccato and legato, dynamics, and tempo. Practice the material between repeats more than twice when necessary.
Rest-stroke fingerings: im, mi, ma, am, ia, ai, p, ami, ima, imam, amim, aimi
Free-stroke fingerings: im, mi, ma, am, ia, ai, pi, pm, pa, ami, ima, imam, amim, aimi, pmi, pami
Practicing and developing the ability to play fast or expressive fragments is arguably as important as practicing long scale forms primarily because most repertoire contains small melodic fragments consisting of groups of three to seven notes. Spanish repertoire, in particular the music of Joaquín Rodrigo, is an example of where long scale practice pays off but among the music by every other composer, from Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco to Heitor Villa-Lobos, it is difficult to find many instances of scale runs beyond two octaves.
Using familiar scale forms, work on small extracts of 3-7 notes in various ways to discover which right-hand fingerings feel most comfortable and which present challenges to overcome.
For scale sources and further study: Mastering Diatonic Scales.
Short Fragments
Step 1
Extract a group of notes from a familiar scale form
Step 2
Develop all possibilities with incremental addition of notes.
Three notes: 134, 341, 413, 431, 314, 143.
Four notes: 1341, 3413, 4134, 1343, 3431, 4313, 1434, 4341, 3414, 4143, 4314, 3143, 1431
Five Notes* (my favorite): 13431, 34313, 43134, 31343, 14341, 43413, 34143, etc…
* not all possibilities listed
Longer Fragments
Step 1
Box off a larger group of notes and play in various combinations.
Step 2
Fiddle with the order of notes to yield and practice melodic fragments:
Further Development
To both the shorter and longer fragments, add slurs, articulations, accents, and character to experiment with expressivity.
Mastering Scales, Part 3: Scale Patterns
Mastering Scales, Part 3: Scale Patterns
There are infinite ways to develop more speed, accuracy, and fluidity in your scale practice. Using rhythmic manipulation, extensor training, patterns, repeated notes, fragments, and phrasing are favorite devices. They will all explained in the next several posts. Once you are familiar with the various techniques, apply them to scales (or even troublesome spots) in your repertoire to either problem solve or build a stronger foundation.
Throughout the following series of posts use the following fingerings (basic patterns in bold) focus on efficient and relaxed alternation, tone, consistency, and rhythmic pulse. More advanced students could expand them with articulations such as staccato and legato, dynamics, and tempo. Practice the material between repeats more than twice when necessary.
Rest-stroke fingerings: im, mi, ma, am, ia, ai, p, ami, ima, imam, amim, aimi
Free-stroke fingerings: im, mi, ma, am, ia, ai, pi, pm, pa, ami, ima, imam, amim, aimi, pmi, pami
Though by no means extensive, use the following three and four-note scale patterns to develop coordination and to combat awkward string-crossing moments. Combining alternating right-hand fingerings with triplets or three finger patterns with sixteenths will further develop fluidity in your right-hand technique.
For scale sources and further study: Mastering Diatonic Scales.
Three Note Patterns
Step 1 – im, mi, ma, am, ia, ai, pi, pm, pa
Pattern 1
Pattern 2
Step 2 – ami, ima, pmi
Pattern 1
Pattern 2
Four Note Paterrns
Step 1 – im, mi, ma, am, ia, ai, pi, pm, pa
Pattern 1
Pattern 2
Step 2 – ami, ima, pmi
Pattern 1
Pattern 2
Mastering Scales, Part 1 – Rhythmic Manipulation
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Give Your Scales Purpose
You may enjoy playing scales as much as I do. The organizational aspect of it, the ear training, the mechanical and athletic component, and the results scale practice produces keeps them on the top of my technique practice log. All musicians know how important scale work is for their musical and technical development. So if you are in the habit of running through scales as part of your routine, one simple adjustment can help: giving your scales direction.
We augment results when musical intent is paired with technical practice. To this end, start adding simple phrasing to your scales:
Step . . .
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Jacob Cordover Interview
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