Scales: What to

How is your scale coming along? Hopefully you're getting it down pretty quickly! In order to push towards a more effective practice, I've come up with a list of things to consider when practicing your scale.

1.) Relax your hand. If you find yourself feeling tension or strain in your hand, chances are you aren't relaxed. Roll your shoulders, open your hand, and be aware of the muscles in your hand and arm when you sit down in front of the keyboard. Try to stay loose, and if you feel yourself tensing up-- stop, take a break, and then start again.


2.) Go slow. The more time you can give yourself to think, the better. It's not a race to the end! It's about building discipline. I know this can often seem boring, playing a simple scale, but focus on each note as you play it. Pretend someone you care about is sitting next to you as you play, and your job is to make that scale as pure as you can. This is the goal!

3.) Keep a consistant beat when practicing your scale. If you rush from C to E, then pause to tuck your thumb under to F, you need to slow down. Give yourself some time to plan ahead. Speed will come. It's better to be slow and consistant than fast and rushed.

4.) Play only one note at a time. The moment you press the next key, the previous one should be released, like a see-saw. You want the notes to connect, but you don't want too much overlap. Think "pure"!


Many of these tips are similar to the overall exercise techniques, and can be applied to many different areas of piano practice. I once a heard a story from a colleague of mine that stuck in my mind as an ideal accomplishment for a scale. My colleague was sitting in a practice room in front of his piano, and he was about to start playing when he heard someone playing in the room next to him. He waited a moment to listen and heard and a simple C scale coming from the room next door. Although it was just a C scale, he then described that through the purity of sound, the attention to detail, and the consistency of the player, that scale was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard.

Keep this in mind when you're practicing! Although it is just a scale, there is a great deal of beauty in purity.