Is it important to practice scales?

[Dllacy]

This is a great forum, so much to glean and learn.

[Dalegreen]

depends on your level / time spent playing (imo)
Just like a jogger, you do your stretching before starting to run to minimize unwanted strains / muscle pulls, etc
When you spend several hours a day with your instrument in your hand, scale playing is a great warmup tool, and of course don't just stick with the usual suspect's, expand your scale knowledge and at the same time enhance your ear's ability to interpret the tonal variations.
That is what I do 20-30 minute's every day, and again, mostly to warm up the hand muscles.
Also gets instilled to all of my students as it really helps them to become fluid on the neck of the guitar and it really does enhance their ability to improve at a good pace

[s2y]

It never hurts to practice, unless your technique makes practice hurt, but that's another topic.

I don't practice scales unless a scale is in a song I'm working on. In a given key, the notes are exactly where they were the last time.

[SantaCruzOMGuy]

Originally Posted by 815C

I probably have practiced scales more than that average bear. I wrote a 386 page scale/arpeggio book that was used at Berklee School of Music for awhile, and which was added to jazz education icon Jamey Aebersold's catalog.

Yet, when I perform, I almost never think of scales. I just let whatever has seeped into my subconscious from all the scale practice come out.

Scales are an exercise - like weight lifting for a football player. Makes you a better player, but you don't bring weights out onto the field. However, scales are just one aspect of playing. If you focus too much on scales and neglect learning songs, you will end up sounding analytical/dry in your playing vs. creative.

I find that as I arrange finger style pieces (like the one below), having worked on scales for so long has brought the fretboard to life for me - showing me endless possibilities.

That vid was amazing

Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk

[ombudsman]

I play them a lot and recommend a varied regimen of scales as part of the daily routine to other players.

I think sometimes there are some assumptions about playing scales that cause misunderstanding. I don't play them, as a rule, in order to know what notes are in the scales, or know the fingerboard, at least not in a conscious way. I already know them well (at least as far as most of the scales I would play; sometimes I will get into more exotic ones).

The main benefits of playing scales, to me, have to do with reinforcing automatic (adaptive unconscious) high speed knowledge of the fingerboard, including being agnostic about key and enharmonic equivalents, and consistency of tone and control of dynamics across string and range changes.

Arpeggios and transposed phrases and ornament patterns are great for that too. The main thing is to have something that you do consistently, yet can vary from a larger group of exercises so that you have a method to know how you are doing from one day to the next as well as a tool to use to warm up when you can tell that you are not having one of your best days from the moment you first start playing.

[stanron]

I am now closer to 69 years old than 68. The amount of time available to me is limited. I have a number of objectives I would like to achieve before I topple off this mortal coil. My immediate objective is to record nine tunes and ten songs to a standard that satisfies me. I have recently moved from an 11 thou first string set to a 12 thou set. As a result my playing is kind of clumsier but the tone is better. Practice will get me used to the new gauge. If I'm lucky I will get this lot recorded in a month or two. Every day I record the nineteen tracks and gradually they come into focus. Playing scales will not help me achieve this objective. Playing those tracks will.

I started playing in 1962. I've been playing for fifty three years. I embrace the conceit that I am 'quite good'. I admit that this opinion is not universally default. Who cares? (hookers) (sad rugby reference)

In your teens, twenties and thirties you have the opportunity for scales practice to make a difference to your playing. This is assuming that your current level of technical ability is already above beginner. I guess what I'm saying is that there is a band in a persons development where scale playing is relevant, pertinant and useful. Before and after that it isn't.

[rrgguitarman]

I started playing in 1962. I've been playing for fifty three years

I also started playing in 1962 at the age of 10.

In your teens, twenties and thirties you have the opportunity for scales practice to make a difference to your playing

I took up learning the scales about 5 years ago because all of my life I've been able to play by ear. I am blessed to be able to figure the chords and melodies, but I did not have a clue what notes I was playing or how they came together or why. Learning scales did not make be a better player, but it is really cool to play a song and know the notes that I'm playing and sometimes tweek it a bit to sound different.