Scales?

[phade314]

It has come to my attention that learning/practicing scales may help improve my technique and musical comprehension or whatever you call it. I don't mean to sound flippant, I'm just that ignorant, but i do love playing my classical guitar. I am currently working through Aron Shearer's Classical Guitar Technique Volume 1, and I have Volume 2 on deck for when I finish that.

I have a copy of the Guitar Grimoire, but holy cow is that book hefty. is there something a little less inclusive, or a little less "here is an obscure scale from the Persian Region circa 73 B.C.. Is there some definitive book or technique i should be looking into?

I know it must bore everybody else, but I'm not the most musically inclined person, I'm not "natural" like a lot of my friends. When it comes to music i do good with structure. the one scale pattern I know I can sit and pick or pluck at for hours if no one else is there, its meditative for me.

[charles Tauber]

Perhaps, the definitive set of scale exercises for the classical guitar is that of Segovia's Diatonic Major and Minor Scales. It should be widely available.

[Carey]

This one is quite good, and not too daunting:

https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.co...les-arpeggios/

..also, just working on the scales you know while using, for instance, vibrato or
slurs with your clumsiest finger(s) can be a big help. Melodic fragments can be even better, IMO. Sing what you're trying to play, too.

[mr. beaumont]

Since this is in the "classical" section, a big +1 on the Segovia scales. They're very "musical," particularly for nylon strings, in the way the patterns utilize shifts to maintain a gradual transition in timbre. Easily something you can get "meditative" about-- the beauty in just getting a good tone from the guitar...

[smwink]

I like the scale patterns that Christopher Berg has in "Mastering Guitar Technique: Process and Essence." This is a pretty comprehensive book that includes scales, arpeggios, finger independence exercises, etc. There is also some interesting up-front material on the anatomy and physiology of the hands that explains why certain patterns tend to be easier for most players (if you're interested in such things).

[Carey]

Originally Posted by smwink

I like the scale patterns that Christopher Berg has in "Mastering Guitar Technique: Process and Essence." This is a pretty comprehensive book that includes scales, arpeggios, finger independence exercises, etc. There is also some interesting up-front material on the anatomy and physiology of the hands that explains why certain patterns tend to be easier for most players (if you're interested in such things).

I also think this Berg book is a very good one, as is his 'Giuliani Revisited' RH
book.

[smwink]

Also, in terms of overall finger dexterity and not scales per se, I really like the Pujol Method Book 3. Parts of this are more intermediate/advanced, but the left and right hand pattern exercises in there are great, especially if you have the patience for monotonous pattern exercises! I still use these as daily warm-ups.

[Carey]

Do you have any particular favorites from Book 3?
I have it but haven't really used it.

[Trevor B.]

And in conjunction with scales and arpeggios there's the Segovia compilation of Twenty Studies by Fernando For (published by Edward B Marks Music Corporation/Belwin Mills) and the Segovia edited Douze Études by Villa-Lobos (published by Éditions Max Eschig).

[phade314]

Thanks for the suggestions and insight everybody. I found a bunch Segovia stuff in PDF format online. I also purchased the Bradford Werner PDF, because it was cheap and there are video lessons online to supplement it. I just got paid actually, so I may purchase the Christopher Berg book as well.

[Carey]

Excellent!