Scales are the building blocks of music. In the beginning when I started learning guitar, I initially thought scales as those exercises that I had to play before I played the fingerstyle pieces in the book. I didn’t know how they related to the bigger scheme of things.
Later on when I went to music college, I learned about how to practice scales especially when I started studying jazz. This page is a summary of the most important things I’ve learned about learning scales.
Step 1:
Decide on the scale that you’d like to explore.
Some possible choices include:
a) The Major Scale
b) The Melodic Minor Scale
c) The Harmonic Minor Scale
d) The Harmonic Major Scale
Step 2:
Choose one interval that you’d like to practice.
Some possible choices include:
a) diatonic 3rds
b) diatonic 4ths
c) diatonic 5ths
d) diatonic 6ths
e) diatonic 7ths
f) octaves
Step 3:
Practice playing diatonic triads in the scale. You can practice playing them harmonically (as chords) or melodically (as melodies).
Step 4:
Practice playing diatonic 7th chords in the scale. You can practice playing them harmonically (as chords) or melodically (as melodies).
Step 5:
Create your own melodic motives and sequence them in the scale. This is a great way to really get personalized sounds within a scale. When I studied with Berklee Professor Ed Tomassi in his famous Harmonic Considerations in Improvisation classes, this was a major part of our studies.
Hope this helps you in your practice!
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Best wishes,
Az