Practising Scales (2)

Here is another example of how Musicarta can help you learn your scales efficiently. Use this and other Musicarta scale practice patterns and techniques (use the Scales tab on the navbar, left) to revive your scale practice regime and start reaping the benefits of ‘knowing your keys’!

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This Musicarta module has MIDI support. You can download the MIDI files for this module using this link. The files are in a zipped folder called From Middle Thumbs MIDI – you can read how to ‘unzip’ the folder in the MidiPiano page - see the link in the next paragraph. The relevant MIDI files are shown in the table which contains the Flash audio player, below each musical example.

Musicarta strongly recommends you download and install the free MidiPiano application to use these files. Link through here to read all about MidiPiano and how to install it, or, if you are confident of your ability to get right to it, link through here directly to the MidiPiano download location.

'From Middle Thumbs'

Practising two-octave scales from the middle outwards

Musicarta tackles the problem head on with a scale practice pattern for Group One scales (C, G, D, A, and E) called ‘From Middle Thumbs’. You learn the two-octave scales from the spot where things usually go wrong – the middle of the two-octave scale where the thumbs play together – so you know the hardest part best of all.

The C major two-octave scale

This is where we start our ‘from middle thumbs’ build-up.

1. Put your thumbs on ‘the middle C’s’. When you play two-octave Group One scales, the fingers either side of those middle thumbs are fingers 2 and 4. . Rotate around the middle thumbs playing ‘true scale fingering’ fingers 2 and 4, where they are supposed be – although ‘you don’t really need to’.

Watch your hands carefully to make sure you are actually using fingers 2 and 4 and not some other fingers that feel a little easier.

2. Next, add the third finger either side of that. The finger threes always play at the same time in Group One scales.

Repeat this over and over to get your hands used to the feeling. Keep watching carefully to check you’re still putting finger 4 over the thumb.

3. The next note to add – both up and down – is the ‘thumb under’. When one hand is playing the ‘thumb under’, the other is using finger two – check visually that is happening. Note that, here, it helps to play the notes in groups of three, as in the audio and MIDI performance files. You’re now playing up and down four scale degrees. Repeat.

4. Add one more note to complete a fifth above and a fifth below and repeat.

5. Add the last three notes in one go. The third finger comes over to play the last three notes of the octave. Play the full two octave scale up and down and back to the middle again.

Play your two-octave C major scale from the bottom in the conventional way. Notice how your confidence in the tricky middle thumbs area has improved.

Here is the ‘From Middle Thumbs’ build-up straight through, with the conventional two-octave scale pattern at the end.

You can download the pdf of this file using this link.

Playing the ‘From Middle Thumbs’ pattern in other Group One scales

Try building up the other Group One scales from the middle outwards using the all-in-one-go build-up pattern above, without having the pattern written out in the other keys. (This is ‘transposing’.)

You do this by putting your thumbs on the new name-note (tonic G, D, A or E) and following the zig-zag shape and the fingering of the C major pattern you have just played, adding black keys according to the key signature.

For example, here is the first line of the build-up pattern in C:

If you put your thumbs on G’s and follow the pattern (and remember the F sharp in the key signature) you will play and hear this:

Or, in D (using both F and C sharps), this:

If you can’t transpose like this after a few attempts, open the music for the G major pattern here and play from that. Then, open the music for the D major pattern here and play the build-up in D. You can print both sheets for reference.

Next, read on and see about playing this useful ‘From Middle Thumbs’ pattern for the rest of the Group One scales from a unique ‘transposing clef’.

Introducing the C clef

The ‘transposing C clef’ is a Musicarta invention, and requires a little explaining.

Clefs are signs which tell you which real musical notes (pitches) the lines and spaces of the five-line stave represent.The treble clef (which you probably already know) is sometimes called the G clef, because the line which runs through the middle of the central spiral part of the clef represents the note G above middle C.

FMT012

FMT013

FMT014

FMT015 

… written in the C clef, will look like this:

Using the C clef as a transposing clef

That is

TO USE THE C CLEF TO ALWAYS INDICATE THE TONIC, NO MATTER WHAT KEY YOU ARE PLAYING IN

FMT019

There will be no need for key signatures – you will bring the black keys from the key signature ‘to the party’ yourself. And, there will only be one line of music to indicate both hands. The fingering for the right hand will be above the music, and the fingering for the left hand will be below.

So we only have to tell ourselves “play it in G” for this ‘transposing C-clef’ music:

to mean this:

FMT010 

Thinking ‘in D’, the same ‘transposing clef’ music will make us play this:

FMT011 

Here is the whole ‘From Middle Thumbs’ build-up in the ‘transposing C-clef’ notation, where the middle line represents the tonic (name-note) of the scale, whether you are playing in C, G, D, A or E major.

FMT018

Remember, the middle line of the stave always represents the tonic – the ‘middle thumbs’ name-note of whatever scale is being played.

The fingering for Group One scales is given, and also, how far above and below the tonic the pattern goes (2nd, 3rd, etc.).

Here are audio performance files of the ‘From Middle Thumbs’ pattern in the five Group One keys – C, G, D, A and E – together with the key-specific keyboards. The lozenge shape on the keyboards represents the tonic – one of them will be the ‘middle thumb’ note in each hand.

With these two patterns, you can quickly get on top of the Group One (sharp key) scales. Simply playing scales these five two-octave scales on a daily basis (even if the fingering isn’t always perfect!) will give you an invaluable overview of ‘key’. You see the sharps adding up, one by one, to guarantee a major scale starting on notes C, G, D, A and E.

This is a great improvement on conventional ‘noses to the grindstone’ scale practice, and will give you a head start when it comes to chord work and riffing in general.

Visit the Musicarta Scales home page regularly for additions to Musicarta’s collection of ways to make scale practice less painful and more useful!

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