Practicing Scales

[fenderbender4]

I was wondering if anyone had any good exercises for practicing scales, but using more intervallic leaps. I've been on the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th degrees (using the CAGED approach) for 12 keys C#-Db.

Ex. Key of C, C-B, D-C, E-D, F-E, G-F or C-F, D-G, E-A, etc.

I guess the focus here is more the "muscle memory" part of it for now. I was wondering if anyone had any good practice exercises to maybe expand it out more, perhaps stacking intervals on top of one another?

Thanks.

[GovernorSilver]

I like this scale practice method - it applies just as much to guitar as it does to violin:

http://www.grahamviolin.com/Scales.htm

The 1st exercise is where you practice intervals against the root for each of the modes of the scale. 2nd, 3rd, 4th... up to 7th

The 2nd exercise is where you practice ascending/descending broken intervals - 2nds up to 7ths.

I don't recommend you skip the chord section. This is where you practice the triads and tetrads.

Yes, there is no information in this method on fingerings to use. I asked him about it and he said it's up to you to decide on fingerings and what part of the neck you want to work on. So don't practice this method on the same part of the neck all the time, nor use a pet fingering scheme like 3 notes/string all the time. And yes, you may have to write out some notes, if, say you decide you want to base your practice on Db melodic minor (the modes of Db melodic minor, the notes of the intervals, the triad notes, etc.)

[tvegas99]

thanks!

[Agitator]

Thanks for posting. For awhile, I've just been practicing straight scales and modes, and a "zig-zag" scale (i don't know what it's called), e.g. 1-3-2-4-3-5-4, etc. Just last night I was thinking that I need to find some way to expand my practice routine, and voila!

[deadhead]

Bump for more input and exercise links. Liking this thread

[craigoslo]

There are lotts of variations, some of them very useful. Right now I'm working on Groups of 3, 4, and 6. Here are some examples, but feel free to come up with your own.
123, 234, 345 etc
1234, 2345, 3456, etc
123454, 234565, etc
or more broken
135 642, 357 864 etc
1357 8642, 3579 3164 etc

[FatJeff]

There is a classic and famous text for pianists called the "Hanon Exercises" that are great for this sort of thing. Basically, take a melodic motif, and move it through the scale diatonically. This is a great way to break out of your normal everyday patterns. I've done the first several on the guitar (you have to figure out your own fingerings) and they are quite good technique builders.

Here's the first 33 on Scribd:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14052713/Hanon-Exercise-Exercises-1-to-33

[Elektrik_SIxx]

There is a classic and famous text for pianists called the "Hanon Exercises" that are great for this sort of thing. Basically, take a melodic motif, and move it through the scale diatonically. This is a great way to break out of your normal everyday patterns. I've done the first several on the guitar (you have to figure out your own fingerings) and they are quite good technique builders.

Here's the first 33 on Scribd:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14052713/Hanon-Exercise-Exercises-1-to-33
Wow! Thanks for that. Great opportunity to brush up on my bass-clef reading too...
Besides these, I also like the scale/mode exercises that John McLaughlin presents on his instructional DVD.

[Custom Deluxe]

There is a classic and famous text for pianists called the "Hanon Exercises" that are great for this sort of thing. Basically, take a melodic motif, and move it through the scale diatonically. This is a great way to break out of your normal everyday patterns. I've done the first several on the guitar (you have to figure out your own fingerings) and they are quite good technique builders.

Here's the first 33 on Scribd:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14052713/Hanon-Exercise-Exercises-1-to-33


Love it, thanks.

[Tomo]

I was wondering if anyone had any good exercises for practicing scales, but using more intervallic leaps. I've been on the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th degrees (using the CAGED approach) for 12 keys C#-Db.

Ex. Key of C, C-B, D-C, E-D, F-E, G-F or C-F, D-G, E-A, etc.

I guess the focus here is more the "muscle memory" part of it for now. I was wondering if anyone had any good practice exercises to maybe expand it out more, perhaps stacking intervals on top of one another?

Thanks.

How about diatonic triads over set strings (1&2 etc). For 6th intervals. Several ways to play. Avoid muscle memory. Maybe look for harmonic familiarzation.

Tomo

[GovernorSilver]

There are lotts of variations, some of them very useful. Right now I'm working on Groups of 3, 4, and 6. Here are some examples, but feel free to come up with your own.
123, 234, 345 etc
1234, 2345, 3456, etc
123454, 234565, etc
or more broken
135 642, 357 864 etc
1357 8642, 3579 3164 etc

I practiced like this once. I didn't find it particularly effective for drilling the intervals.

[purestmonk]

I would put more emphasis on learning the triads and arpeggios within the scales .. those are very nice and useful exercises

[JonR]

More ideas here:
http://www.zentao.com/guitar/patterns/