{"id":1782,"date":"2020-08-25T08:05:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-25T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=1782"},"modified":"2023-06-30T11:33:59","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T18:33:59","slug":"how-to-practice-piano-scales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-practice-piano-scales\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Practice Piano Scales: 3 Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In this lesson, I&#8217;m going to teach you how to practice piano scales in a way that <em>won&#8217;t <\/em>put you to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practicing your scales is an essential part of learning how to play piano. But playing scales over and over, up and down, can get very boring very fast! Traditional scale practice can kill your motivation, which makes you practice less, which isn\u2019t great for technique and progress!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which is why we love coming up with ways to make piano scale practice more interesting. In this lesson, we\u2019ll share three big tips on how to best practice your scales on the piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#why-practice-piano-scales\">Why Practice Piano Scales?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#tip-1-use-a-backing-track-instead-of-a-metronome\">Tip #1: Use a backing track<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#tip-2-play-with-different-articulations-staccato-legato-etc\">Tip #2: Play with different articulations<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#tip-3-practice-with-a-chord-progression\">Tip #3: Practice with a chord progression<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#how-to-practice-piano-scales-more-tips\">How to Practice Piano Scales: More Tips<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Subscribe to <i>The Note<\/i> for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-practice-piano-scales\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Why Practice Piano Scales?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>But why practice scales anyway? There are several reasons (and it\u2019s not just to play fast!):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scales improve technique. <\/strong>Practicing scales up and down and hands together will improve your finger dexterity and hand independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scales teach you theory. <\/strong>Scales, chords, and keys are closely related. By practicing scales, you also practice recognizing keys and chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scales help you read music faster. <\/strong>Music is made up of patterns and scales are a common pattern. Being familiar with scales will help you recognize more patterns in sheet music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tip-1-use-a-backing-track-instead-of-a-metronome\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Tip #1: Use a backing track instead of a metronome<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping tempo is an important part of practicing scales. Metronomes are a popular tool for this, but many people find the sound of a metronome monotonous, boring, or even annoying!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So consider using a backing track instead. Backing tracks contain real music, not just a beep. Your practice session will feel more like a song and less like an exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can download <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wikiloops.com\/backingtrack.php\">free backing tracks<\/a> online. Or use this one we\u2019ve created for our video lesson:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/d1923uyy6spedc.cloudfront.net\/Scales-backing-track-1687815766.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FREE BACKING TRACK<\/a><\/center>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tip-2-play-with-different-articulations-staccato-legato-etc\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Tip #2: Play with different articulations (staccato, legato, etc.)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A fun way to challenge yourself <em>and <\/em>keep things interesting is to practice scales using different articulations. Try these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Staccato: <\/strong>Play the notes of your scales short and detached.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legato: <\/strong>Play smoothly, connecting all the notes together.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tenuto: <\/strong>Play each note for its full length, with emphasis and intention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mix and match: <\/strong>Practice with an alternating pattern of articulations! This is more of a mind-bender, but will definitely make things less boring.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tip-3-practice-with-a-chord-progression\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Tip #3: Practice with a chord progression<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is one of our favorite tips. By pairing your scale with a chord progression in your other hand, you\u2019ll not only end up with an exercise that sounds musical, but you\u2019ll also practice your chord progressions in every key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our video lesson, we use a <strong>I-vi-IV-V<\/strong> progression. Here\u2019s what that looks like in every major key, along with scales in every key:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Key<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Chord Progression<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Scale<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>C<\/td><td>C-Am-F-G<\/td><td>C-D-E-F-G-A-B<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>D\u266d<\/td><td>D\u266d-B\u266dm-G\u266d-A\u266d<\/td><td>D\u266d-E\u266d-F-G\u266d-A\u266d-B\u266d-C<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>D<\/td><td>D-Bm-G-A<\/td><td>D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>E\u266d<\/td><td>E\u266d-Cm-A\u266d-B\u266d<\/td><td>E\u266d-F-G-A\u266d-B\u266d-C-D<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>E<\/td><td>E-C#m-A-B<\/td><td>E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D#<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>F<\/td><td>F-Dm-B\u266d-C<\/td><td>F-G-A-B\u266d-C-D-E<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>F#<\/td><td>F#-D#m-B-C#<\/td><td>F#-G#-A#-B-C#-D#-E#<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>G<\/td><td>G-Em-C-D<\/td><td>G-A-B-C-D-E-F#<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>A\u266d<\/td><td>A\u266d-Fm-D\u266d-E\u266d<\/td><td>A\u266d-B\u266d-C-D\u266d-E\u266d-F-G<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>A<\/td><td>A-F#m-D-E<\/td><td>A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>B\u266d<\/td><td>B\u266d-Gm-E\u266d-F<\/td><td>B\u266d-C-D-E\u266d-F-G-A<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>B<\/td><td>B-G#m-E-F#<\/td><td>B-C#-D#-E-F#-G#-A#<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-scales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Piano Scales: Types &amp; How to Apply Them<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-practice-piano-scales-more-tips\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>How to Practice Piano Scales: More Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>If your mind starts to wander, do something different. <\/strong>Switch from right hand to left hand, or do staccato instead of legato.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Relax once in a while. <\/strong>Breathe, shake out your hands, and double-check your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/perfect-posture-at-the-piano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posture<\/a>!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t overwhelm yourself. <\/strong>A good rule of thumb is to focus on one key per day for 5-10 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be patient. <\/strong>Mastering scales takes time, so take it slow and don\u2019t rush.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Stick with it and you&#8217;ll get there. Happy practicing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Learn Piano With Real Teachers<\/b><\/h2><p>The best way to learn piano is with real teachers, but not everyone has the time and money for a private instructor. At Pianote, you can get real feedback from real experts\u2026all from the comfort of your own home. Explore our Method and community yourself with a free 7-day trial.<\/p><p><\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><p><\/p><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to practice piano scales so you can see better results. You know you should practice piano scales &#8212; here&#8217;s how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":1785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1108,1112,509],"tags":[1069],"class_list":["post-1782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-musicianship","category-practice-musicianship","category-technique","tag-gsotp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1782"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14476,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1782\/revisions\/14476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}