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Help learning scale pattern?

Author: bobmi74
Date: 2005-06-30 19:20

I use the Baermann Method for Clarinet book 3 edited by Hite. My teacher likes the scale patterns in there. anyways, I can't memorise them. I can do the majors and kinda do the harmonic minors, but the molodic minors are just....blah! I can play the crap out of them when i look, but my "recall" is basically non-existant. I had my double-jury in the spring and didn't do well at all on the melodic minor scales, or really even the others. Anyways, I do'nt know what to do. I've tried a couple of different methods of learning them, but I think it's the pattern ITSELF that i'm not recalling very well. Anybody know of any memory helper information i can look at, or anything else. any help at all? help?

P.S. I've played them SOOO many times, looking and not looking. BUT...sometimes i'll play them really good, with a "good feeling in my memory" or whatever and they're pretty solid...but the next day its' like i've NEVER LOOKED AT THEM BEFORE!! So yeah, i'm frustrated!

I'm learning the Manevich Concerto right now. I love this piece!!

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Re: Help learning scale pattern?

Author: David Peacham
Date: 2005-06-30 20:11

Rather than trying to learn the pattern in terms of tones and semitones, you might find it helpful to think of them as variants of major scales:

ascending melodic minor is the same as the tonic major scale, but with the third note flattened

descending melodic minor is the same notes (but not in the same order) as the relative major.

So, to take A minor is a nice simple example, we first learn the tonic major (A major) ascending:
A B C# D E F# G# A

and the relative major (C major) descending:
C B A G F E D C

To play A melodic minor ascending, play A major but flatten the third:
A B C D E F# G# A

and to play it descending, play C major but starting on A:
A G F E D C B A

-----------

If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.

To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.

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Re: Help learning scale pattern?

Author: GBK
Date: 2005-06-30 20:25

David's explanation is perfect, and as good as you can find anywhere...GBK

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Re: Help learning scale pattern?

Author: Meri
Date: 2005-06-30 22:43

Here's an approach that I find works for learning any scale pattern, which I've used myself and have used with several of my private students. The numbers refer to scale degrees. Each is to be repeated at least 8 times:

Play 1-2-1.
Play 1-2-3-2-1.
Play 1-2-3-4-3-2-1
Play 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1
Play 1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2-1
Play 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Play 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Have each octave done separately. Two of my students commented on this approach, which I happened to use in my own scale practicing on the piano one afternoon, made scales really easy (one who said "so easy it's ridiculous"(while he was learning Ab major), and another who used to find scales rather difficult, and now plays them very fluently since trying this approach.

Meri

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