| Many times you hear that you need to practice skills to | | | | whatever pattern you come up with. Eventually this |
| become better at your instrument of choice. Without | | | | can become fairly challenging but also open up the |
| any other advice than this, practicing scales can be | | | | way that you hear the music. |
| confusing. If you learn how to practice scales, you will | | | | How do scales help develop your ear? |
| not only improve on your instrument but it will also | | | | As you hear these scales your musical ear will |
| develop your musical ear. | | | | become more familiar with the sounds. You will hear |
| What scales practice exercises can you do? | | | | the next set of notes in your mind before you play |
| The first exercise is to simply learn a scale. Most | | | | them because you are used to them. |
| scales will range somewhere around 5 to 8 notes so | | | | As you develop this skill you will start to hear the next |
| they really aren't that hard to memorize. Get used to | | | | parts in songs as you listen to them. At times this skill is |
| playing that scale starting low and moving up until you | | | | called relative pitch because you will hear the |
| get to the next octave. Do this until you have the scale | | | | differences between notes as you have practiced |
| memorized. | | | | these scales so much. |
| Another exercise is to take the scale you learned and | | | | My friend Alan played the Saxophone and a few |
| play it in different keys. Each scale can be played in all | | | | other instruments, although the sax was his primary |
| 12 keys. Practice each one of these so that your ear | | | | and favorite one. He was a competent player by most |
| can gradually start picking up the different notes and | | | | amateur standards, yet wished to play much better. |
| tones. | | | | He practiced endlessly, often to the dismal of his |
| Take a scale that you know and play the scale as | | | | housemates (like me). He just didn't seem to improve |
| high as your instrument will go then come back down | | | | despite practice, lessons, and playing in bands. |
| as low as you can go. Doing this will improve your ear | | | | To his surprise when his teacher suggested scales, |
| and your playing ability. | | | | something he new well, and he practiced those daily. |
| A much harder exercise is to play the scale but skip | | | | He began to improve. Within a few months the |
| every other note while going up and down the scale. | | | | difference was very noticeable! |
| This can also be done skipping every third note or | | | | |