 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Nicko
Date: 2000-07-02 12:27
I'm preparing for my associate diploma examination on clarinet and Im having a hell of a time with scales. Scales have always been my weakness, which im sure is the same with alot of other cases. I know all the key signatures and I can get them correct playign slowly, but I get so confused when I play them up to speed (which is very fast) and i get everything wrong. When im playing I don't really even think of the notes as Im playing, I just do it and hoe my fingers have it programmed in what to do. Ive been tryign to change this approach for a while but its not easy. Could anyone give me suggestions or tell me what approach they find best with scales?
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-07-02 13:45
If you are sight reading then you can try highlighting the notes. If it isn't your music just tick them with a pencil.
have a great day---bob
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-07-02 14:08
The main problem with scales is that people don't realize how much time it does take to make the scales "automatic".
Take a scale that is giving you trouble. Play it as many times slowly as it takes so that you don't have to think about the notes and you can play it smoothly. Then increase the speed *slightly* and do this again. As you master it at each faster tempo, just keep increasing the speed.
Also just take one scale at a time for now. If you try to master them all at once, you'll continue to have the problems you currently have.
Work on that one scale that you pick for as long as it takes to get it before moving on to the next.
It is boring, tedious work that can't be skipped. It helps to have a book of scales that has a variety of rhythmic patterns (triplets, sixteenths, eighths, dotted, and mixed) to help break up the tedium.
You will find, though, that good scale practice really pays off in the end. Lots of music has fast scalewise runs and if you are proficient in your scales, these become fairly easy to sight read even at a rather brisk tempo.
Speaking of common patterns, another good thing to drill on are the normal arpeggios in each scale. These patterns also occur with great frequency in music and thus also make many things easier to sight read.
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Author: Dave Goss
Date: 2000-07-02 14:22
I'll second on the book of scales. It gets extremely boring to sit and play scales over and over. I recently started using the Albert Scale Book, sorry I can't remember the exact title. It provides scales in each Major and Harmonic minor. I can't remeber if it goes into Melodic or Natural, maybe I should go practice my scale book.  Each page is a new scale written out in the same rhythmic progression for each lesson. They are written in eigths, sixteenths, triplets, arpeggios, etc. It's a nice concise way to practice scales.
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Author: earl thomas
Date: 2000-07-02 16:53
Hamelin's "Gammes et exercices" (Alphonse Leduc & Cie.) is one of the few books that prints only the Harmonic Minor scales. It is excellent, but very, very expensive, tho' it once costs only 1.80 US! The Albert Scale book (Carl Fischer) prints only melodic minor, as does the very famous and very necessary Baermann 3rd Division, otherwise known as the "old testament" of scales from which those of us in the late 40's at Juilliard had to play the section on 3rds completely and from memory in order to stay in the program. If I may, I recommend both Hamelin and Baermann III as a daily ritual: one day in the Major and the next day in the relative minors. This should be done as long as you are alive, and also should afford you a flawless technic and sub-concious confidence in nearly all sight-reading. All the best, ET
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Author: Al
Date: 2000-07-02 20:47
Too often, students who find scales, 3rds, arpeggios etc. try to memorize scales by "muscle memory" RIGHT FROM THE OUTSET. It might be better if they think the pitch names and start slowly. Eventually, the exercise should be automatic,hopefully, but thinking key signatures and pitches seems to me to be best for those who find scales difficult. On the other hand, some students take to these exercises like a fish to water. I never did... so I taught myself to think keys an pitches many years ago and it worked for me.
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Author: BAC
Date: 2000-07-03 02:20
I've been marking the notes with the sharp and the flat sign on my book on scales since I've just started scales. Now after reading these comments, I wounder if this is a good idea or not - will I find it harder to rid myself of them later?
Another question on speed - given a scale in eighth, how fast should one be able to do these?
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2000-07-03 02:32
I think that the best approach to scales is one-at-a-time, and played slowly.
As far as thinking about the notes, I wouldn't worry about that. One of the greatest advantages of the system of scales and key signatures is that it actually frees you from having to think about the notes. The scale itself acts as a cookie cutter for your fingers. They can follow that scale all over the piece, and you don't have to think about which notes are sharp or flat in the key signature--your fingers are already covering that. Your concious mind has only to worry about accidentals.
Work each scale from a book, with the proper fingerings marked in. Do it SLOWLY so that you don't make mistakes. If you practice too fast (the most common of faults) you risk programming mistakes into your fingers. Keep your speed down and let your fingers get used to making the right fingerings and find the most efficient way between them.
There's a scale guide online here at the Clarinet pages. Go to "Study" on the main menu and then to "Scales." This will give you several types of scales with the optimum fingerings for each.
How long before your exam, and what scales are required in what keys?
I think that you should devote a fair amount of time to each major scale; running it, memorizing it, applying it to sight reading, and using it to play simple songs by ear. Do 3rds and arpeggios well. You can't rush this process but so much.
I ask my students to think of themselves as a blind person in a 12-room house. You have to get comfortable with the floor plan of each of those twelve rooms, or your shins will be terminally banged up. Same with the 12 keys. (3 of which have enharmonic twins)
Do it right from the git-go and take the time that you need. You will be richly rewarded for the effort.
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Author: Robin
Date: 2000-07-03 05:32
I agree with Al.
If you do scales slowly well, try doing it with the metronome at that speed and incrementally speeding up by notches.
Be disciplined about this - move up a notch at a time and find out where your limit is. Your limit is not where you can vaguely get the notes, but where you feel comfortable, in control and yet still challenged. Work from that benchmark, and remember that examiners would rather see a player in control at a lower speed than an uncontrolled maniac at a faster speed.
Good luck, Nicko,
Robin.
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Author: Nicko
Date: 2000-07-03 08:25
I have to do a bunch of major scales (B, Ab, Db, E, Bb i think) and their relative harmonic minors, melodic minors, major + minor arpeggios, scales in 3rds both major and melodic minors, dominant 7ths, diminished 7ths, wholetones, chromatics.....the works.. *fun fun fun*
I think I already sort of knew that I HAVE to practice them slow, but it's hard and I have trouble stopping myself from going faster... But i think I'll just have to physically force myself to because the exam is in october and I don't know how ready Im going to be. My pieces are already perfected (almost). Im doing a Cavellini study, weber 2nd concerto and the Finzi concerto. thanks for all your help
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Author: col
Date: 2000-07-03 14:28
I think you need to really spend some serious time on scales if you are playing pieces on that level which is quite high you have to have a strong technique which is partly acquired through scales. Try to incorporate scales into your practice everyday and go through every one you have to do for the exam. Where i am studying you have to do every key and then all forms of scales around 125 in total. at first it took me around 2 hrs to get through them all but after about 6 mnths work i can now push them over in less than half and hour and i can really feel the improvement in my technique.
A good idea might be to write the each scale on a small piece of paper and put it in a shoe box then go through them that way one at a time. This means you will get a different order every time and you will not get use to do the scales in a particular order , especially good for exams because you never know which one they will pick and in what order.
Best of Luck
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Author: Justin
Date: 2000-07-04 04:47
Just try internalizing your scales like you do to your music. I have the problem in which I didn't take the time to memorize the note names, only the fingerings, and I am only now learning what line is e, what space d is and so on.
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Author: Robin
Date: 2000-07-04 14:53
I agree with col, Nicko.
Look through the all of your pieces - most of the Weber is made up of scales and arpeggios. Don't think of it as a drag, because you'll be amazed inspired at how quickly technique and sight reading comes along when you nail your scales.
good luck, from someone who loves his scales and whose scales love him! (shock, horror i hear your say)
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Author: Meri
Date: 2000-07-04 19:48
Odd how no-one has mentioned the idea of making all scales sound 'easy'--we tend to tense up when playing scales with more than three flats or sharps.
Or even using different scales to focus on a particular aspect of our playing.
Meri
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Author: Kim L.
Date: 2000-07-04 21:43
For my jury, I got asked what scales I wanted to play. I thought I knew all my scales...should have thought that over. Well, the professor asked me which scale I started on and I said E. Disaster struck. I kept practicing the same mistakes, and made the same mistake in front of the jury. Aced my piece though.
I agree that scales require religious practice, although they can be tedious. I don't like practicing slowly, and I'm sure most people don't. That's the problem.
Best of luck!
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-07-05 03:12
Scale exercise should be done:Everyday change what to start. Do not always start with C major. Even within a scale, you should change the starting note every time.
Karmen Opperman's 'Modern clarinet technique'(I have) or 'Grand Velocity Study'(I don't have) might be good to you.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-07-05 03:14
Scale exercise should be done:Everyday change what to start. Do not always start with C major. Even within a scale, you should change the starting note every time.
Karmen Opperman's 'Modern clarinet technique'(I have) or 'Grand Velocity Study'(I don't have) might be good to you.
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-07-05 14:41
I'd love to get the bumper sticker or T shirt that says something like "Scales are life, everything else is just details". This really isn't too far from the truth. I personally practice a piece of scale work from Baermann III during every practice session. It's horrendously slow work to get it down perfectly (even at 20 beats per minute because accuracy beats speed every time), it's pure boredom for my family, and it's not always fun. Sorry, no instant gratification from this stuff. It's not possible. Okay, that's the negative part of it. Now, look at the positive part of it. Get it absolutely perfect in thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths, octaves, arpeggios, you name it. Take it easy and very slowly at first. Then, work on getting it right on the mark in time and in tune. Then, play any piece of music you want from there. Poof! The difficult stuff is "suddenly" very easy. Music is a joy instead of work.
I need to give a bunch of heartfelt thanks to the folks who posted references to my Scales files above. I'll never claim that the fingerings posted in the files are "the ideal" fingerings. Rather, the fingerings printed on the files are suggested patterns to help guide raw beginners and show them fingering strategies that can work for each particular scale. More advanced clarinetists may wish to use other fingerings to meet the need. That's great, go for it. Just don't ask me to add your favorite fingering to a file. 1920 sets of fingerings for 60 scales in two octaves, ascending and descending, is enough for now.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-07-05 18:24
Nicko wrote:
-------------------------------
I'm preparing for my associate diploma examination on clarinet and I’m having a hell of a time with scales. Scales have always been my weakness, which I'm sure is the same with a lot of other cases. I know all the key signatures and I can get them correct playing slowly, but I get so confused when I play them up to speed (which is very fast) and I get everything wrong. When I'm playing I don't really even think of the notes as I'm playing, I just do it and hope my fingers have it programmed in what to do. I've been trying to change this approach for a while but it's not easy. Could anyone give me suggestions or tell me what approach they find best with scales?
Nicko -
In your later post, you say you have until October to prepare for your audition. That gives you barely enough time to get your scales down cold. You will not particularly enjoy the regime, but there's only one way to do it right.
WHAT AND WHY?
As to pure scale studies, there is no such thing as "something different." They're all basically the same, and lay the foundation for your technique. The most complete is book 3 of the Baermann method, known as the "clarinetist's bible." It goes up, down and around through every possible scale and arpeggio.
You need to learn to make music even when playing scales. Still, this is nasty medicine, and the first 100 times through, say, the scale of D# minor (6 sharps) in thirds about as much fun as eating light bulbs. It's also essential. If you don't get these fundamental elements completely "in your fingers" then you will be helpless when a piece modulates through that key. It's like trying to read without knowing the whole alphabet.
BASIC METHOD
Now as to the method. You absolutely **must** start dead slow and with a metronome. For an unfamiliar scale, you may have to set the metronome to 60 and play one note per beat. Keep setting the speed **slower** until you can play the exercise without difficulty. Then move the speed up one notch at a time.
After you get slightly familiar with a scale, you will find that you can jump up to a higher speed (as you say, "very fast"). THIS IS A TRAP. You must build up gradually, through each intermediate speed. Otherwise you're just faking it. There is always an intermediate speed (say, sixteenths at 96) where you start to stumble because some changes from note to note are easy and some are hard. Unless you work your way through this point, your technique will always be uneven and unreliable at faster speeds.
EVENING OUT THE CHANGES
Sometimes moving from one note to the next involves just one finger (say, low C to low D), and sometimes it involves many fingers in contrary motion (as in going over the break). The more complex movements tend to take more time, and it's also hard to keep them as clean as the easy ones.
Therefore, you need to single out the hard finger movements and clean them up. You do *not* achieve this by just running through a passage over and over. The following method isolates each interval and lets you work on it individually.
Beginning *very* slowly, play the passage in pairs of quadruple-dotted 16ths and 128ths, repeating each quick change until you have it clean and snappy. At the beginning, play just the first note; stop and take a small breath; then "snap" from the second to the third notes as quickly as possible, repeating until it is clean; stop and take a small breath; then "snap" from the 4th to the 5th note, and so on. Then leave out the breaths and work up gradually to close to performance tempo. Notice that you are working on the transition between notes 2 and 3, then 4 and 5 and so on.
Then, begin again with a 128th followed by a quadruple-dotted 16th. This isolates the transitions you skipped, between notes 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and so on.
Work up both versions slurred and tongued.
When you finish, you will have isolated and cleaned up the transition between each note and the next. Then, go back to straight 16ths, which will be almost magically smooth.
If you want to play at the professional level, you have no choice but to work completely through Baermann 3 in this way. It can be done. Furthermore, it's something anyone can do. Every professional player has paid these dues and lived. When it gets tough, remind yourself that you're creating your own tools, each of which will last you the rest of your life. It's a great feeling to come to a new piece of music *knowing* that nothing can surprise you -- that you've run every possible combination 1,000, 10,000 times or more.
Now you understand why I said at the beginning that you have just barely enough time before October to do what needs to be done.
It's exhausting work. Give it your very best time, at the beginning of each practice session. Get just one new exercise completely smooth. Then reward yourself with something easy and pleasant.
If you want to be a pro – if you want the respect of other pros – you can't avoid this work. And once it's done, you have to keep after it to keep your tools honed sharp. When you have done it, you get a wonderful sense of pride and ease.
Good luck. Now go home and practice.
Ken Shaw
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