Does your piano teacher assign scales for you to practice? Is playing major scales part of your piano kid’s practice routine?
I remember playing scales as part of my homework assignment at times but I never really connected them to the pieces I was playing. In my mind, they were a separate chore.
I wonder if your piano kid sees the value of learning and playing scales as part of their musical abilities.
Listen to the full episode here
According to Brenden Hogan, founder of Musiah, here are some reasons for practicing scales:
- scales develop your awareness of tonality and knowledge of the keys
- scales help you develop fast fingers
- playing scales helps you learn to move your thumb under your hand
- scales improve keyboard geography
- playing scales helps coordinate hands playing together
Ultimately, a scale is a series of notes that provide a combination of sounds within the group. Just like a road map will help you get to your chosen destination, notes within a scale provide the boundaries of expected sound.
Reading music can be overwhelming
When children learn to play the piano, they are given a sheet of music that contains a massive amount of details. They have to learn what each music symbol represents. They must notice where the note is placed on the staff to play the correct piano key. They need to recognize the instructions for playing loudly and quietly. Massive detail!
Just when they are starting to become familiar with sharps and flats written next to certain notes, they are taken away and the student must notice and remember altered notes based on the key signature.
Composing and improvising music can be overwhelming
Sometimes teachers will help their students gain a better understanding of written music by having their students write their own music. This is a valuable exercise but it comes with its own sense of overwhelm.
Sitting at a piano with no music to read or looking at a blank piece of sheet music that you must fill with notes that sound good can be very overwhelming!
What if we could make music differently?
Have you ever created art using a dot-to-dot pattern? Have you ever done a “paint by the numbers” project?
I’ve created a Music Maker – Scales sampler that will help your piano kid easily play familiar folk songs.
With Music Make – Scales, your piano kid will learn to follow scale degree numbers to play three folk songs in any key they choose.
Could you solve this scale code? Choose a major scale and play the indicated scale degrees: 3 2 1 2 3 3 3 2 2 2
You may have to hold some notes longer and other notes shorter to discern the musical code. Once you do, what melody to you hear?
If you enjoyed cracking that code, I’ve got a few more for you here:
Resources mentioned in today’s show
If you are ever planning a vacation in the United States and enjoy finding quirky stops to break up the trip, Roadside America is a great website to explore.
From the PPP Archives:
PPP182: Playing Major Scales with One Hand
PPP239: Music Maker – Intervals
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