Improve Your Piano Scale Technique | The Piano Prof with Kate Boyd

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Do you practice scales on a regular basis? Why or why not?

[@scarlettrhettforever]

Yes I do practice scales. I even use the 5 finger exercises to get use to tucking the thumb that my teacher gave me. When learning piano many years ago don’t remember ever learning tucking the thumb doing scales. I look forward to see more wonderful videos from you. Look forward to hear what you think of hanon exercises, Schmitt exercises, czerny and tone touch and technique for young pianist byMax Cooke.

[@georgehardisty8948]

Just saw this post this morning. I started learning piano just before I retired, and started with the 12 major scales. I still play them every day and enjoy them. Never thought they were not musical. When I finally started taking lessons, my teacher encouraged me to continue with the scales. I only do 2 octaves but I am only learning for my own entertainment. No plans for performing.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

That's great! sounds like scale practice has a healthy role in your daily practice routine. Any plans to learn the 12 minor scales, too? Thanks for watching, and good luck with your scale practice!

[@Hollycb12]

Yes! Every day multiple times a day! Working on my technique is one of my priorities at the moment!

[@user-sn7ut5ox3h]

After 10 years of playing on and off, I picked up piano again with the goal of really getting better at technique / sightreading / being more musical. I've learned most of the major scales over the winter but it's an everyday job. I feel like when sightreading it gets easier to play thanks to the knowledge of some scales and arpeggios, but I really struggle making things musical enough! Thanks for your videos, they are great, I wish you to do more ;-)

[@truermu]

I teach my students all 48 scales over the course of their first couple of years, 2 octaves counting, and then we return to them in 4 octaves to work on velocity and basic technique. Usually the C-major takes months, and the rest come fairly quickly, and I tell them there's no hurry, no agenda. I tell them that scales are the bones of music - by themselves they seem barren and hard to love, but that they undergird all of music and that understanding them means learning new pieces becomes much easier. Thank you for your great summative, and I look forward to exploring my own scales a little more thoroughly!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

This is great! I love the order that you teach the scales, and it's similar to my approach as well. By the time students come to me, it's usually a matter of reviewing what they already know. They play them in the order of the circle of fifths, going through the relative majors and minors. As you pointed out, this helps underscore the key relationships and make them easier to recognize in the music. Thanks for sharing your insights! 🎹

[@michaelbeall4904]

Terrific teacher! Amazing font of knowledge and talent to communicate!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks so much- glad you're here! 😊🎹

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I have a good friend who is a professor at our Conservatory, and I've seen him once for a brief lesson. He was happy that I was playing scales hands together in my first year. He told me to keep playing scales. I listened to him, and I'll listen to you. You did throw arpeggios in with scales, and I have to do more of them. I like your videos. I tend to watch a lot since I row for several hours each day for my shoulder. Why not educate myself?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Wonderful! Scale playing is really good for building a foundation, along with a good progression of repertoire at the appropriate level. Glad you are here!

[@backtoschool1611]

I LOVE doing technique work its almost zen like going from major to minor, and inverting exercises etc.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Glad you like it! 😊

[@backtoschool1611]

@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd Do you have anything for thumb passing, and arpeggios?? Also, while at college, when doing 5-finger drills, our professor had us lift fingers high, and foe scales of 1 to 2 notes per click, yet for scales, etc we were to play close to the keys for 3 to 4 notes per click of metronome. Have you heard of "finger articulation", as in "play with high finger articulation, or low finger articulation"? If so what does this mean? Heres a stupid question: After practicing, later in the day or the next, I noticed my hand, and/or knuckles ache as if they ran a zillion miles!! Is this normal for hand and fingers that are weak/not trained in strict finger work like piano?? ps. I switch between organ and piano, piano finger work is weaker. Could do a video on these. I am just trying to make sence of these terms and what is going on when I do practice. Thanks for posting!

[@clarencethomas2789]

Thank God, you’re the best teacher I’ve found on the internet thus far. You make the complicated simple to understand. Please keep up the excellent work. C. Thomas. USA.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Wow, thank you! Glad you're here!

[@mariofranda6186]

Hi!!. I follow your lessons with so much pleasure...from Italy. You' re serious Prof. and this' a very important way to teach and to get students to following you. Really so many thanks for your whole teachings and trasure material to go on effettively with improving piano techniques!! Have a wonderfull day and so many regards from Mario...😊😊🙂

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thank you very much! Glad these videos have been useful to you!

[@bunnyhollowcrafts]

Love your teaching style! I’m 63, have played all my life but was not technically trained. I knew my notes and that’s about it. With retirement and online lessons, theory has changed my life. I’m now a Berklee Online, 3rd semester student. I’m taking a scales class, and trying to overcome bad habits of the self learner. Your videos are helping! Thank you!!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Wonderful!

[@zionhawk7942]

So grateful I came across your channel!! Such a blessing. Thank you for sharing. 😊

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Glad you're here! Thanks for you comment, and happy practicing!

[@keith4230]

I’m pretty new to piano and have no problem practicing scales. It’s a great way to form good technique and is the first thing I do. Second is site reading, ugh. I watched the Dorthy Taubman videos and concentrate on proper rotation and from your video, alignment. After those I’m rewarded with practice.

[@user-he5ym3cf6e]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I came up through the ranks when scales were out of fashion. Of course, I was on the west coast so there was a lot of experimentation during the 70s. I never fully understood how I was advanced without a technical foundation! It didn't seem to be an issue with regard to my pieces, but it did become an issue when I began teaching...how to communicate the essence of technical exercises without having experienced them myself? The only authoritative reference point I had was that scales were 'soul-killing',,,same with Hanon exercises. I have since reworked my thinking and understand the rightful place of scales in practicing. However, it really is all about the presentation of the information isn't it? I am grateful for your videos. Everything scale related is as I understood it, but now I'm confident on how to teach it!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and your perspective! I am so glad you've found this helpful and that you've been able to apply it to both your playing and your teaching! 😊

[@TheTmackey]

When I was taking lessons I worked on one scale a week and demoed it to my teacher. I was improving. The lessons came to an end as did my scale practice and now, several years later, my fragile technique has collapsed. You have motivated me to motivate myself: the Alfred has been ordered! Thanks!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Yay! That's great! I personally find my daily scale practice to be meditative and puts me in the head space to concentrate on my practice. I hope you find the same to be true for you!🙂

[@JD-72191]

I like to practice my scales, chords and arpeggios and Hanon exercises first thing in the morning. It is the least fun for me to do but because I am fresh in the morning I can focus. I spend about an hour doing this. Then I go about my day. Then I take a total of another 2 hours later in the day to practice pieces, learn new repertoire and sight read. Thank you for your tips. It do try to play scales and Hanon with some musicality to keep it more interesting.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I'm glad you've been able to commit to a diligent practice routine that works well for you- thank you for sharing! Hope this video has helped you! Happy practicing!

[@nav662007]

I have been remiss in practicing scales, but I certainly will incorporate them into my technical exercises now. I'm 57, retired, and finally I have the time and focus to do the right things to improve my piano skills (I'm a lifelong play-by-ear type).

[@jcappo152]

I use exercises and scales to warm up.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Great! Keep it up!

[@josiahlemay2660]

Been eating up your videos as of late. All very informative; it’s almost too much to take in. I’m wondering if you would be willing to make a video about developing a practice routine: how much time you would set aside for practicing scales, working through pieces, etc.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Yes I can do that - it's all so individual it's hard to generalize, but I'll put some thought into it. Glad you're finding the videos useful - thanks for watching and engaging; it's very gratifying to hear!

[@Hollycb12]

I am so happy I found your channel. I've been teaching myself piano and have been looking for good videos on technique and you've got exactly what I've been looking for! I have a background in music, starting with the trombone in 6th grade and played for about 15 years. My mom had an upright piano in our house growing up, so I used it to play around on, and finally took a piano class in college as well as music theory. I had a keyboard for about 10 years, but never took it very seriously. It's been about 5 years since I sold my keyboard and my wife got me a new digital piano as an early Christmas present in the beginning of this past December (2023) and I have already logged over 100 hours of practice, really taking it seriously this time. It helps a lot that I'm not a complete beginner, but I definitely have a long way to go!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks for sharing your story - sounds like you have been making a lot of progress! Great work - keep it up! 😊

[@user-od7nb8ey1c]

Absolutely… scales were taught to me as a chore! As an adult relearning my piano … I see the importance of practing scales and quickly see the correlation between scales and my repertoire… my piano playing has improved . I have been using the blue Alfred scale book . Thank you for your gentle encouragement, knowledge and pleasant voice on your videos ..

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

You're welcome! Glad you are re-discovering the value of scale practice!

[@michelprimeau4531]

You said it, it's great for playing classical. I know I commented on that in another video but I play hymns among other genre. Sometimes there are scale with 2 voices (like 4 consecutive pair of 2 notes) All I've learned so far for scales goes out of the window.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Check out my longer answer over in your other question on the wrist circles video. What you are asking about is finger substitution and legato playing. A very good topic - since we pianists often encounter multi-voice choral playing.

[@michelprimeau4531]

@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd I still practice scale because I am told that I need to practice scale. But no more than 2-3times 2 octaves and it depends on how I feel. C, D, E, F, G most often. F is annoying. And E is surprisingly easy when you know your C scale. B is also simple. I don't practice flat or sharp scale.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

@@michelprimeau4531 As you are finding, E Major is actually the easiest scale. Some teachers start with E, because it fits so well under the hand and the black keys help keep you oriented. C Major is the hardest one because there are no black key landmarks! 😂 Sounds like you already feel comfortable with white keys; maybe consider adding a black key or two to your rotation. D-flat Major is a good one to start with. Good luck!

[@richard135b7]

This is great content that I will apply, so practical and insightful! This video came to me at the perfect time because I currently learning all 12 major scales and each of their diatonic chords all at once and separately from any piece I'm working on. I'm now realizing that focusing on scales is the core of music theory and is giving me superpowers at the piano : ) Thank you!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Glad it was helpful! Yes, theory is a magic language that unlocks so much at the piano!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I play at least one scale every day, but I should practice my arpeggios more. I'm watching this again just to get your tips and tricks.

[@michaelandersson1904]

Thank you!!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching! 🎹😊

[@BalatonDreamer]

"Meditative and Grounding" - exactly my experience. I like to start with scales to get dialed in physically and mentally. Often that's it for the day but if I hit a low point I'll sometimes fall back to scales or arpeggios for a few minutes to get my focus back on track. Sometimes I combine scales with other techniques, for example polyrhythms (4:3 , 4 in R against 3 in L, run both hands up and down until they come back together on the tonic), but I wasn't sure how effective that is as scale practice because I can't do it as fast as a straight parallel scale.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Practicing in polyrhythms is a great way to practice scales - any kind of variations: using different articulations (e.g., staccato in one hand, legato in the other), different dynamics, or even different keys simultaneously can be extremely helpful. I like your tip to using scales/arpeggios as a "reset" during your practice, too! Best of luck to you! 🎹🧘🏼‍♀️

[@BalatonDreamer]

Thanks for the ideas! I've tried simultaneous different keys and it seemed weird. But now that you mention it I've seen studies (very rarely) with different key signatures in base/treble clef as well. I'll give it another try. I've tried dynamic variations and it's useful. But what I've been unable to do at all is any variation that requires contrary volume directions. For example contrary motion scales with crescendo going up and decrescendo going down. Since the hands are going in opposite directions the volume is also opposite, and I can't do it. I assume I need to get back to contrary volumes when I have more practice with simpler dynamic variations.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I wouldn't worry about doing opposite dynamics from one hand to the other - i.e., crescendo in one hand and diminuendo in the other hand simultaneously. It's very difficult and doesn't really appear in the literature that often. However, doing practice with one hand loud and the other soft, or one hand staccato and the other legato, and then switching, can be very helpful.

[@BalatonDreamer]

As a retiree and piano hobbyist, I actually enjoy what I think of as piano brain-bender exercises. Sometimes I tackle a problem just because it looks challenging and (so I imagine) the harder something is the more it helps keep my mind active. But I don't want to pointlessly beat my head against the wall and contrary dynamics feels a little bit like that, so I appreciate the advice.

[@stevenspringer7153]

Thank you! I love your videos - they are both encouraging and enlightening!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Glad you like them! Thanks for watching!

[@Frank-in-NY]

Hi Kate....I never minded practicing scales. Since I recently purchased a new Digital Piano with a Key action that is considerably heavier than I'm used to, I started to practice scales first before playing anything else. It has helped me tremendously building strength and speed. I'm having fun!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Wonderful!

[@bluepearl4806]

Thank you very much Kate you explain what ever you teach so clear and helpful way so wonderful!!! I am highly musical person music moves me deeply I even cry with songs. But technique is technique. I always study first tecnique saparated from the music then become musical again. ((by the way my technique were so wrong I am trying to correct it after so many years. My teacher thought so many wrong things to us...) A good musician is a kind of experimental scientist at the same time. However that would be also great if beautiful musical scales and arpeggios were written for practicing like Chopin did.. Although I don't have any book yet but I will have the one you recomend soon. Thank you so so much for all your wonderful explanations they help a lot!!!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks for your comment - I'm so glad you are finding the videos helpful! It sounds like you're on a path of self-discovery with regard to your technique. Good luck with your piano playing - and happy practicing! 😊🎹🔥

[@oldsportpianogeek440]

I used to practice scales a lot when I was active in college. But I guess that due to the lack of advancement based on my poor technique, I lost interest and haven't been practicing until recently when I started taking lessons with a classically trained instructor. While passing the thumb under I was moving my wrists in a lateral motion which I am working on correcting now. Your videos help me a great deal because your instruction is handy to me every time I need more explanation and visualization to learn the concepts well. I appreciate you very much!

[@oldsportpianogeek440]

I will be patient and work one hand at a time. Not rushing and taking my time to do it right.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Patience is really important: build up your skills and then build one on top of the other. It's helpful to set weekly practice goals.

[@dobertebanks6027]

I have taken some lessons but i havn't taken any in quite some time.I'm still continuing to prictice my scales but without any guidance.But after watching this video i am more aware now of how my hand should be.Does the left and the right should look level?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I recommend working with a teacher because they will be able to address your specific questions. Generally speaking, I would say you will want the left and right hands to look level as a default position. Here's a link to a database where you can look for a teacher near you. Good luck! www.mtna.org/MTNA/FindATeacherAddress.aspx

[@AndresFigari]

Love your videos, would love your tke on double note scales :D (3rds, 6th and 8ves)

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Great idea - so noted! Just to clarify: do you mean double-thirds (6ths/octave) scales (2 notes in each hand), or do you mean one note in each hand, with the hands playing at the interval of 3rds, 6ths etc?

[@AndresFigari]

@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd Awesome! Yes double notes in each hand! Thanks, looking forward to this!

[@RanBlakePiano]

Trying to find your lessons in recommended order

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I think this playlist is in order: kzbin.info/aero/PLpg8MpXPJea7ntlyMKrtqYRfmS6I7Ma0Q

[@jaykavanaugh8975]

I was a saxophone major who never took piano lessons. I was jazz and imrovisation focused so knowing scales and arpeggios cold was a requirement. I stopped playing completely for 20 years. Now at 75 I started piano from scratch. Playing legato without holdover is one of my biggest challenges. Help!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks for your comment! You might want to check out this video about legato if you haven't already: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kH-6ZIR6e62iaJY I hope it's helpful!

[@jaykavanaugh8975]

@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd thanks! I did watch it. Your videos are a great help in my journey. I see myself making the very mistakes you mention.

[@said1949]

These are great informations, I trained on scales slowly when I got problem in my linker hand thumb , in this period I founds on basic of musically and mathematic skill new scales or modes ,added to the known 7 modes, further I wrote some piano peace with that scales, write on its chords and chord progressions, its relations and interaction ,and use with natural scales, extr.. but I stoped because of lake of time while I want get time to train on piano playing, Now I find that I can get a time to continue on the free colour scales as I named My qustion is Wat is your advice if I go further in theory , or melody and harmony writing . , wat is your advice ?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

If you're staying on KZbin, I suggest looking for a channel geared toward music theory. "Music Matters" is a good one to try. Good luck!

[@said1949]

@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd thank you , I learned music theory online different courses on Coursera and reading different Theoretical books , I will see Music Matters also

[@tuantranproduction]

Helpful, thanks. How about other scales?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Here are some other scale videos with more examples! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3nTXpiNqq6peaM kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZPbd3-AZbOZhNU kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHvCY2ePnKlrerM

[@alexandrefelipemuller]

I play guitar... since 15 yo, so for... 20 years.. and started piano 4 months ago... What I feeling difficult on piano is to find scales, the basic major and minor chords I can play well, but I cannot understand scales when I see the images, it doesn't make sense to me..

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Keep at it! Scales use recurring patterns of half steps and whole steps. Once you know the patterns you don't need to use music to find the notes; you can just transpose to other keys. Good luck!

[@rainermarien5869]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙏

[@scarlettrhettforever]

Do you tuck your thumb under after playing the thumb as you play finger 2 doing scales ?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Yes, the thumb tucks under - but I would say I tuck it as I play finger 3. That is part of Principle #2 "closing the hand" - I'm definitely going to be talking about my approach to the "thumb-tucking" issue when I unpack this in a future video. But the short answer for now is: yes, I tuck my thumb as I play finger 3, in an effort to position it for the next part of the scale.

[@allanjmcpherson]

I think technical exercises can make you unmusical *if* you play them unmusically. The key is to play them as if they were melodies. As the aphorism goes, play your etudes like pieces and your pieces like etudes.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I totally agree! Love that aphorism!

[@Linda-learns-piano]

I practice scales every day--

[@Linda-learns-piano]

I do this not only for the repetition, and to imprint the pattern in my mind/muscle memory but additionally when practicing scales I find it is beneficial to incorporate the relative minor of the scale. I continually add new concepts to what I know and repeat this every day-- I feel like I get a lot more bang for my buck because I'm constantly reinforcing what I already know while adding something new