 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maruja
Date: 2011-06-14 14:14
I know this is not strictly a clarinet question, more of a general musicianship one, but perhaps someone has some clever ideas for learning scales and arpeggios. I can do these reasonably well normally as I have learned them rather robotically. But I was floored yesterday at my lesson when my teacher asked me to play them from a random note mid-scale. I can see the sense of this as that is how they occur in real life but it occurred to me that my automaticity and lack of flexibility hadn't prepared me for this. I have tried to learn them by saying each note to myself, kinesthetically by noting the fingering and by audition (how it sounds) - I guess the latter is the way forward for picking up at any note. Any ideas would be most welcome
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-06-14 14:19
What do you mean by a "random note mid-scale?" Do you mean starting a C scale, as an example, on F?
Karl
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2011-06-14 14:25
For me it is best to know the key signature. For example, A major is the same as C but with C#, F#, and G#. If you look at a scale that way you can start on any note. Beginning on different notes does give you flexibility and brings you more deeply into the key in which you are playing. What you are looking for is an automatic reaction to any key without thinking too much about what sharps or flats are there. That way you can concentrate on the music!
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-06-14 15:42
I've always focused on the tonic note, wherever it was located in the scale. I can then hear the scale starting at some other scale degree in relation to tonic and the scale doesn't seem foreign.
This doesn't always work as well when you're actually playing in a mode other than ionic/major or aeolian/minor because the "final" of the mode is now different, but for scale passages and fragments in major/minor, mostly diatonic music it's helpful.
It shouldn't be a difficult thing, though maybe time consuming, to practice at least one or two scales during your warm-up starting on each note of the scale, just to warm you ear up to it.
Karl
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2011-06-14 15:52
Practice short bits. ie in C major 5,6,7,8 rhythm is three eighths leading to quarter note on tonic. Quickly do this in six easy keys. Make up your own segments.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-06-14 17:28
Many of the older methods provide exercises using broken scales starting successively on the next higer scale note so practising these will give your muscle memory a chance to learn the patterns starting on every note and not just the tonic.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2011-06-14 18:09
One could start by playing scales from the tonic to the top note you can play in that key, descending to the bottom note in the key and then returning to the tonic.
After you get comfortable doing this, you could then begin practicing from the lowest to the highest in the key, rather than starting and ending on the tonic. It would help get you comfortable before moving to randomly starting on any pitch.
There are some great scale books that could be helpful in getting one away from always starting on the tonic, such as the Stievenard book, which also mixes different rhythms, meters and articulations as well.
Good luck and have fun with it.
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Author: Tony M
Date: 2011-06-14 22:58
Two things that I have come across across might help. One comes from the (I think) Mark Levine book on jazz keyboard. That is to practise scales from shifting notes, i.e., C to C then, remaining in C major, D to D, E to E, etc. The aim is specifically to take away the dependence on the root when improvising in jazz. And jazz players often get fixated on modes unsurprisingly.
The other comes from playing harmonica and the specific layout of the chromatic harmonica (at least this is where I got it from and if anyone needs to know more I can find the book and give proper credit). This method is to learn scales in relation to the instrument, i.e., learn C major from the low E (concert D) on the Bb clarinet so you learn the scale as E-F-G-A-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, etc. The idea here is to encourage the use of the full range of the instrument when improvising (but not in every solo, please).
Have fun.
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