But why so much time on the pain-stakingness and redundancy of scales?
Why am I so picky about scales?
Because scales are the ultimate foundation of music. All music is built off of scales. Scales and the keys they represent are what separate music and melody from noise and chaos.
By playing scales and working on precision, a student can train him or herself to play in tune at all times. It not only trains the fingers and creates muscle memory, it also trains the ears to hear when pitch is off.
If a runner aspires to run a marathon, they do not show up on that day and simply run the entire distance. There is training to be done. They have to know themself and their body and how it works in order to do their best. In the same way, a musician cannot hope to be a professional without first putting forth the effort to know the basic fundamentals of music.
I'm not talking about knowing all 12 major scales plus all the scary minor and pentatonic and whatever scales. But basic scales to help the student excel at learning music and playing what is put in front of them.
Don't underestimate the power of scales. They are helpful and beneficial to players at all skill levels. To put it bluntly, if you're pursuing music as a future, you cannot even hope to get far if you do not know your scales.
So be diligent! Trudge through the muck and boringness of scales and you will emerge with a skill set and beautiful tone you couldn't have gotten any other way.
Happy practicing! Stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment