Scale practice on the classical guitar is probably the first thing that comes to mind when we think of practice and technical development. The idea that practicing scales makes you a better musician seems to be universally accepted yet in the case of the classical guitar the concept of scale practice seems a little misunderstood.<\/p>\n
Before I get to the big mistake people make, let’s have a look at why scale practice is so useful.<\/p>\n
Would you like a free classical guitar scale book<\/a> to go with this lesson?<\/p>\n Scales on the classical guitar combine several elements of technique into one process.<\/p>\n And the list goes on…<\/p>\n In fact, out of all the exercises you might use on the classical guitar,\u00a0scales provide the most efficient synthesis<\/strong> of technique. It is that synthesis that is so special and it it something that we don’t always find in other exercises.<\/p>\n Scales can provide almost all of the technical challenges found in repertoire but they allow us to work on individual elements away<\/em> from the music. In this process we can prevent ourselves from treating pieces of repertoire in a “technical” or “mechanical” manner.<\/p>\n Scales occur frequently in music written for violin, flute and piano but they rarely<\/em> appear\u00a0in the guitar repertoire.<\/p>\n A full octave scale is actually quite hard to come by in much of the literature and when there is a long scale passage in a piece of repertoire, it stands out partly because it is<\/em> so rare. Examples include the Concierto de Aranjuez<\/em>\u00a0by Rodrigo, Capricho Arabe<\/em>\u00a0by Tarrega<\/a>, and Fantasia para un Gentilhombre <\/em>again by Rodrigo.<\/p>\n Another famous example is the Bach\u00a0Chaconne,\u00a0<\/em>however, this piece was originally written for the violin.<\/p>\n Violin and piano repertoire is absolutely littered<\/em> with virtuosic scale runs that span genres from the Baroque to the present day. So it makes sense for those instruments to incorporate scale practice into their routine for the sake of repertoire demands.<\/p>\n For us, though, it does not make a lot of sense to practice scales in preparation for the occasional scale run that pops up in a piece of repertoire.<\/p>\n They are simple frameworks that we can use to hone in on specific technical elements. Once those elements have been worked on in isolation they can be incorporated into music making, which is the ultimate goal of any technical work.<\/p>\n Without a specific focus<\/span> to practicing a scale then the time is wasted<\/span> without any goals being reached. The scale itself may become familiar and fluid but seeing as there are few actual applications of a scale in a piece the process really is, pointless.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Using goals in scale practice allows us to divide our focus and more easily manage different musical elements one at a time.<\/p>\n One goal might be to practice crescendo<\/em> and diminuendo<\/em> another could be to practice staccato<\/em> articulations yet another is a variety of rhythms.<\/p>\n Here is an example of a scale incorporating dotted rhythms and crescendo\/diminuendo:<\/em><\/p>\n Scales can provide a blank canvas for working on so many different technical or musical elements, like: <\/span> But that’s a lot to manage all at once. Thus, in order to get the most out of your scale practice, it’s important to practice with a goal. Goal-oriented practice with our scales allows us to focus on each of these different elements in isolation and develop them more easily.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The ways to use a scale to work on technical aspects is almost as diverse as your imagination and to inspire you I have created a video that splits up scales into five levels, each with different focus areas. You can watch that here:<\/p>\n And here are some more specific examples of technical aspects you can use in your scale practice:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div> One example of a specific way to use scale practice is to develop fluency in different right hand alternations. More often than not we use i and m in alternation and they have proven effective for many people. Other finger alternations\u00a0can have specific sounds, speeds and articulations so it can be worth your time to investigate other options. If you would like to use the free scale book to accompany this lesson, please feel free to Download Your Daily Scales Now<\/strong><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n The pi combination \u00a0is very clear and articulated but it can also sound a little staccato on the treble strings due to the opposing direction of the thumb and finger. One solution to this is to use a combination of p-i and i-m. Use p-i for the basses, and i-m for the trebles. \u00a0Personally I find this combination of fingers \u00a0incredibly useful. It balances the hand and it is accurate and fast.<\/p>\n One issue that might arise is the natural tendency of the thumb to be louder than the finger, giving the notes played with the thumb a bit of an accent. To combat this, try practicing some scales with accents on the index finger, with \u00a0goal of obtaining an equal volume and sound quality for each digit and a smooth transition between i m and p i.\u00a0Accenting individual digits will also help you practice any sting crossing issues that come up. Of course, if p-i isn’t your cup of tea you can try p-m, or p-a. It really depends on what works best for you, because in the end, we are all individuals. \u00a0(If you are up for a challenge try p i m.) \u00a0 If you have your own combination that you would like to share please leave a comment and let us know!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div> In a similar way of focusing on a very specific aspect of technique we can work on left hand pressure through “buzzing” scales:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div> <\/h3>\nBenefits of Practicing Scales on the Classical Guitar<\/h2>\n
![\"Scale](\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarcorner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Scale-Practice-on-the-Classical-Guitar-400x398.png\")
<\/a>They can incorporate:<\/p>\n\n
The big mistake<\/h2>\n
![\"Chaconne](\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarcorner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Chaconne-Scales-750x212.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSo why<\/em> do we practice scales ?<\/h2>\n
Scales are tools.<\/h3>\n
Goal Oriented Scale Practice<\/h1><\/div>
![\"Classical](\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarcorner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Classical-Guitar-Practice-750x125.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n\n
<\/span><\/li>\n
<\/span><\/li>\n
<\/span><\/li>\n
<\/span><\/li>\n
<\/span><\/li>\n
<\/span><\/li>\nAlternation with “p i”<\/h2>\n
Left Hand Pressure<\/h2>\n
Slur Scales<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarcorner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Simons-Slur-Scales-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarcorner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Simons-Slur-Scales-2.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarcorner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Simons-Slur-Scales-3.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n