Klarinet Archive - Posting 000283.txt from 1997/05

From: TRACY ANN MOORE <TMOORE@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: College Auditions) -Reply
Date: Fri, 9 May 1997 14:02:47 -0400

I agree with part of what you wrote. Students should have to learn how
to play their scales without looking a written piece of music. This is the
way I make my students learn their scales. The only part of what you
wrote that I disagree with is where you wrote that everyone should be
able to learn to play by ear. By this, it sounds as if you meant scales
should be learned just by playing notes and finding a combination that
sounds right. When one of my student learns a new scale, I have them
orally tell me each note that is in the scale. The only part I have to tell
them is how many sharps or flats are in the scale.

>>> Douglas Sears <dsears@-----.org> 05/09/97 11:45am >>>

Without disagreeing with the value of learning to write music notation,
I'd like to go a step further: why do people need written music of any sort
for scales? It seems to me that scales and arpeggios are the most basic
stuff of music, which everyone should be able to learn by ear and play
from memory almost without thinking.

--Doug

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Doug Sears dsears@-----.org/~dsears