 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: gmofclarinet
Date: 2011-02-09 22:10
Hello everyone!
I have a few very young students that are having a difficult time figuring out scales. Does anyone have exercises that are "fun" to work scales? I try to get my students to from the beginning to listen to the scale than read the scale since in the long run we have to memorize the scale. Any feedback would be great! Thanks!
--Mindy
www.lochwoodacademy.com
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2011-02-09 22:18
I've had this encounter with some of my students who for whatever reason found memorizing scales difficult. I tried this and found a vast improvement.
Break the scale down like this:
C, D, E, F, G and have the student play this up and down in a repeated fashion. Employ articulation also to add variety. Next get them to play:
G, A, B, C and repeat the process as above. Doing this for the major scales shows the student how the scales are related. Then get them to put the whole lot back together.
Some students find it easier to retain smaller pieces of information than just bombarding them with the whole lot; especially when they are two or three octaves.
Hope it helps.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: mrn
Date: 2011-02-09 23:23
You can make a "duet" out of a scale by simultaneously playing a different scale at a consonant interval away from the student's scale. For example, if the student is playing a C Major scale, you could play an E Major scale. If there are three of you, you can make parallel triads (C Major, E Major, and G Major, for example).
Another similar idea is for both players to play the same scale but in different modes (e.g., you both play the C Major scale, but one of you starts it on E).
We used to do this for fun when training freshmen to march in high school band--it was more fun than simply playing a C Major scale while marching.
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Author: Evans
Date: 2011-02-09 23:52
There is a concer Bb scale (triplets) that are pretty good. It goes CDE,DEF,EFG,FGA,GAB,ABC,BCE, then a C whole note. The same thing goes well back down, too.
Evan
Evan B. Stanfill
1971 Noblet 45
Vandoran V360 Mouthpiece
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Author: clariniano
Date: 2011-02-10 02:06
I have a few different strategies for teaching scales.
One of these is using 5-note patterns. Start with the 1st-5th degrees of the scale, repeat several times, then 2nd-6th, then 3rd-7th, and finally 4th-8ve.
Also use the tetrachord: do the 1st to 4th degrees several times, and the 5th-8th degrees several times. Then combine them.
A third method is the add a step:
1-2-1
1-2-3-2-1
1-2-3-4-3-2-1
and so on until you reach the 8th degree.
Fourth, play along with them, either on your instrument or the piano.
A variation, group a couple of students of about the same level for them to do the scale practice, two is more fun than one!
Meri
Please check out my website at: http://donmillsmusicstudio.weebly.com and my blog at: http://clariniano.wordpress.com
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Author: William
Date: 2011-02-10 16:28
I have been playing what I consider to be a "fun" warm-up for years. It goes like this: E3 maj up one octave to E4; then (without stopping) go to F4 and down to F3; then on up to F#3 maj up to F#4 and on to G4, down...until I've gone through all of the major keys ending on C6. It's a non-stop sequence of scales and gets your fingers and brain functioning pretty quickly. I can do this with one breath, unarticualted from start to finish and have been playing it since I invented it in college. There's nothing like the Baermann Complete Bk of scales, but in a pinch, this little knuckle-buster loosens me up every time. It's not really as complicated as the description sounds......
BTW, the same chromatic idea works for arpeggios--E maj up, F maj down, F# maj up G maj down....etc, etc etc.
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Author: ThomasG
Date: 2011-02-12 00:42
Me and my friend would have "Scale Wars" When we would practice our scales for the All-State Audition.
It's very simple, you can get some index cards, or ripped pieces of paper, and write all 12 Major scales and 12 Melodic Minor scales or any variation of scales you like, and then shuffle them. Then, you have someone take a card, and what ever scale is on there, you must play.
You get two points for two octaves and one point for one octave, and no points for messing up. Once you go through all of your scales, pick out the ones you messed up, and do them slowly until you get them right, and then do it again.
you can paly this game by yourself, or even the whole band class. It's very fun, effective, and works. both me and my friend ended making state.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-02-12 02:29
ThomasG wrote:
> Me and my friend would have "Scale Wars" When we would practice
> our scales for the All-State Audition.
>
> It's very simple, you can get some index cards, or ripped
> pieces of paper, and write all 12 Major scales and 12 Melodic
> Minor scales or any variation of scales you like, and then
> shuffle them. Then, you have someone take a card, and what ever
> scale is on there, you must play.
>
> You get two points for two octaves and one point for one
> octave, and no points for messing up. Once you go through all
> of your scales, pick out the ones you messed up, and do them
> slowly until you get them right, and then do it again.
>
> you can paly this game by yourself, or even the whole band
> class. It's very fun, effective, and works. both me and my
> friend ended making state.
This method worked pretty well for me. I didn't take points, but I started with 10 random cards. And made sure I could play all of them first time through. Then added ten. If I played it right, it went on a "discard" pile. If I played it wrong, I would put it on the try again pile. Kept going through till I could play every scale three times in a row perfectly. Eventually got all 48 down.
Also, might want to add tempo markings to the card. And have them play at 1/2 their fastest, 3/4 their fastest, and then the fastest. Sometimes I have a harder time playing something slow and in time than fast.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2011-02-12 07:36
I would say to just give the student some music that has scales in it and have them practice that.
I have learned that during a child's development, there are things that kids sometimes can't mentally handle before a certain point. Remember that a person's brain is not totally developed until their late teens.
I would advice to put off the "proper" scales for a while. Just give them music/etudes that have parts of scales in them, but not just cold dry scales themselves. Then come back to the scales in two months and their brains might have developed by then. Pushing kids too much will often just frustrate them more.
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Author: gmofclarinet
Date: 2011-02-15 15:47
Thank you everyone for the ideas! a lot of them are the same that I've used. but all good ideas!
skygardener -- thank you for your words... that makes lots of sense... I will definitely use more of an exercise than straight scales for my young students... If you have any exercise books...etc... that you use I would love to get those titles ... thanks again!
--Mindy
www.lochwoodacademy.com
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