Some Tips on Practicing Scales

[Guitars+gems]

You guys might like this very helpful and encouraging of creativity video.

[dkstott]

this will get your fingers moving and brain thinking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KJUrSESJO0

[Wyllys]

Originally Posted by dkstott

this will get your fingers moving and brain thinking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KJUrSESJO0

That guy has WAY too much spare time.

[dkstott]

I studied with him for almost 2 years. I'm still trying to absorb everything he taught me. Lol

[BigMoney]

Originally Posted by SunnyDee

I've seen this suggestion before, but I'm not sure I know what it means, exactly, what the thinking behind it would be, what you'd be learning/practicing. I'm not disagreeing, it seems like a good idea, I just want to understand what it is that we are doing with it. Questions that confuse me are...Once you are playing a different pattern of intervals, you're actually playing a different scale in a sense, aren't you? Or...If you're thinking of it as the major scale and, say, playing it in 4ths, then this is an exercise in knowing where the notes are, maybe? Or couldn't it also be an exercise in just playing intervals of 4ths? Or maybe this doesn't mean play 4ths, maybe it means play scale degrees counting by 4? Yeah... clearly I don't know what this means.

Could you explain it for me?

Haha no problem. If you play a C major scale, the note order would be C, F, D, G, E, A, F, B, G, C, A, D, B, E, C, F.

You're starting on C and then playing the note up a 4th from it which is G. The next scale degree after C is D. So you play D and then play the note a 4th up from that which is an G. Make more sense?

[SunnyDee]

Originally Posted by BigMoney

Haha no problem. If you play a C major scale, the note order would be C, F, D, G, E, A, F, B, G, C, A, D, B, E, C, F.

You're starting on C and then playing the note up a 4th from it which is G. The next scale degree after C is D. So you play D and then play the note a 4th up from that which is an G. Make more sense?

Yes, thanks. I would call this playing intervals of 4ths, although, a 4th up from F is Bb, so B would give an augmented 4th.

[Todd Tipton]

Originally Posted by SunnyDee

I always find it interesting that classical players seem to usually practice scales shifting up and down the fretboard making 2 octaves spread over 8 frets or so, while non-classical players practice vertically in a 4 fret wide box. I started out just instinctively playing the classical way, and only after a year or so did I realize that players of other styles were doing something different. Anyone have insight on reasons/efficacy for this difference?

I have a few ideas. First off, many of us really don't practice them the Segovia way. He wrote those scale patterns when he was very young, and many followed because...well, it was Segovia. Not a good enough reason, imo. But what we ALL practice most of the time is those 4 fret wide boxes you call them. There are five of them similar to the CAGED system. I think those five scale forms are fundamental is learning how the guitar works. In the CG world, everyone agrees they are a necessary component. It is also important to learn how those five forms connect, and that takes me to the extended scales (like Segovia):

As far as extended scales there are differing opinions. Consider this: The Segovia scales are really just one particular path through the five scale forms. There are multiple possible paths. How are extended scales played? It depends on the music. It depends on choices of the performer. In a unique situation, perhaps one large jump is a good solution. Perhaps slowly moving through the forms is a better solution. Perhaps quickly moving through a couple of scale forms on a single string is a better solution. We just don't know until we see the unique passage we are trying to learn.

For those reasons, some classical teachers say extended scales aren't important. Others say it is important to learn one way. And if you dig deep enough, they really don't disagree with each other. They both agree that practicing left hand shifts are an important technique. Some might practice them in extended scales while others practice them in other exercises.

If you think about it, this is very similar to what many electric players do: especially shredders or metal guitarists. Although there are seven forms for them because the music, and the build of their guitars better allows for 5 fret wide boxes. Regardless, they know those seven forms just like everyone else (classical players included) know our five forms. And we all move through those forms to create extended scales in the easiest way possible unique to the situation.

One final note: Aaron Shearer wrote a scale book an inch thick with many scales in all possible positions. The glue that holds the book together is the five scale forms (like CAGED). Not a single time are the forms explicitly mentioned. Not a single diagram is given. And I think that was a shame. To be fair, it is a very old book written in a different time. My point is, all classical players use the five scale forms (CAGED).

[nickw22]

Looking though this post I'm realizing I don't some of the terms and what you mean by practicing 2nds, 3rds, 4ths........etc. is there any way you could explain what you mean by that or guide me to a link that explains it? Also I like the idea of practicing in the classical way other than by just the 4 fret box method. Do you know how I could get some info on that also? I under stand the idea but not really sure how the scale would go. Thanks for any help! I really want to get better at scales so any info would be great!