How to go about practicing new scales

[J J]

ok guys

i've been learning new scales and all, i just need to download some types of music to play to

any suggestions? Or if there are other ways to go about practicing these, through them at me.(BTW, i dont have a loop petal or anything)

[A String]

Great Gilmore pic!

 

I like to put on a song in the style I'm trying to learn and then solo over it. You can also try a program called "Band In The Box". It lets you chose a style and then play over it to your hearts content while it plays all of the backing instruments.

[Bbach1]

Originally posted by A String:

Great Gilmore pic!

 

I like to put on a song in the style I'm trying to learn and then solo over it. You can also try a program called "Band In The Box". It lets you chose a style and then play over it to your hearts content while it plays all of the backing instruments.

Good suggestion A String. I have been using simple rythms on my drum machine and playing over that. Seems to work better than just running up and down the scales.

[SuperFreak]

There are some really good midi files available for free download.

Ok...some REEK...but there are many great efforts available.

 

And although I'm TOTALLY AGAINST illegal file sharing, I've HEARD that there are lots of great MP3 'Jam Tracks' available online.

(Classic...and modern...rock played by a band minus the guitar tracks)

These can always be purchased legally online too.

 

I suppose what I'm getting at is that it is always better, IMHO, to practice to tunes...as opposed to wailing away on scales.

 

Learn your scales, but practice them in a real context. Make them make sense musically. Learning what works over given chord sequences or voicing is as important as anthing else you'll ever learn...if not more so.

 

Oh...and don't forget...google is your friend.

[Bbach1]

quote:

---

Originally posted by A String:

Great Gilmore pic!

[I I mjrn]

I gave some opinions recently in this thread ;forgive me for not retyping it here.

 

Other than what's said there, I can only suggest playing through the sort of material you like & seeing how things sound.

 

Super Freak's advice about contextualizing your practices is spot on.

[Bbach1]

Strings I have to tell you, that "Band in a Box" is way cool. You can pick any key, plug in a chord progression, pick a style (of which there are a million) and just jam. It's a great way to work on your scales and your chord progressions. What fun! Thank you for the idea.

[J J]

where might you get this "band in a box" deal?

sounds fun

[J J]

nevermind

i found a few demos of band in the box that i'll try out when i get time

[A String]

Originally posted by cwfno:

Strings I have to tell you, that "Band in a Box" is way cool. You can pick any key, plug in a chord progression, pick a style (of which there are a million) and just jam. It's a great way to work on your scales and your chord progressions. What fun! Thank you for the idea.

[Billster]

Even a simple cassette recorder with a rhythm guitar you record yourself (Use a metronome!!!!) and can play along to.

 

As stated, play tunes, not just scale runs and licks. Find the melody

[musicalhair]

Every time I go to post here, I feel like asking "what scale are we talking about", but in a sense it don't really matter-- but I can't past that, if it is a 7 note/octave scale, five/oct, 8/oct or any other type that sort of matters.

 

But, practice it on each single string as far as you can run it in all twelve keys. Watch for all the different ways to shift positions, by which finger the shift occurs on and which finger the shift ends on. Then look for chords that fit or belong with what your playing and see how to get in and out of them. Then on two strings which for major scales would mean going up like a forth on one string and goin up the rest on the other for the other string, but more can be done with that, and single string scale exercises can become nice riffs ornamented by adding things on adjacent strings. Same goes for chords seeing where they fit in with the fingering of the scale your working with. When getting into three or more strings you can start looking at a really good mix of chords and scales. It can really be endless-- at least it is for me endless.

 

Play them up an down straight 8ths, swung 8ths, dotted 16th/16ths, doubling some notes doubling all ...

 

up a third, down a second ... then down a third up a second to get back down, up a forth, down a third, down a second .... etc.

 

Really, there is no time to play any songs!

[Bbach1]

Originally posted by musicalhair:

Really, there is no time to play any songs!

Boy, it does seem like that is exactly it. A person can spend all his free time practicing theory and never get to the song learning. One thing I'm personally struggling with now is this: When I am listening to a rythum to practice a scale with, I hear in my head what I want to play as a lead, but I cannot as of yet put my fingers to the task. Got some work to do.

[musicalhair]

Hey cfwno, that is some avatar! I'm going to check out that thread about FunkJazz's avatar and see about maybe getting a more unique avatar I can use like universally in these various forums.

 

But, there are some-- not nearly enough-- etudes that allow you to play a tune and practice scales, arpeggios etc.

 

One I used to always play pretty early on in a da was called "Scherzo-Estudio" my I think the guy was called Daniel Fortea, but there are also alot of of like written out cadenzas in some of the Guiliani stuff like Opus 100 or 48. I guess that is why no classical teacher I had really emphasized scales and such. One just said flat out she don't play scales, she works on peices. Another helped me on some scales type work, showing me during part of a lesson a couple of things that people did in her college.

[I I mjrn]

Re: last two posts:

 

An etude is in fact a piece designed to explore the nature of a particular musical device. They're great for that but this can also be done with any song. If you think there 's not one for what you want to practice, make one up!

Theory is often misunderstood as "the rules" for music but if you look back on history (or across the world at other cultures), you'll see that it's an evolving thing. It's point is to allow one to analyze/understand the way a particular musical effect works or to communicate extra-musically with other musicians.

In any case, it's of primary importance to always focus on scales or any other effect in a musical context...otherwise you become like a painter who's good at drawing certain shapes but can't make an interesting picture.

 

CWFNO, if you can't find the way into what you want to play, slow down & think more clearly. What's the first note you hear in your mind for what you want to inject? Find the notes. They may not even be in any single scale or directly related to what you started to practice.

Always follow the music.

[Bbach1]

I'll try that Michael's Real Nose. (so are you kind of flat and fat?) Anyway, I enjoy theory because I like to know the "why" about things. I do agree with other posters that theory is not a total necessity, it just is for me. I appreciate all the tips I see on this forum, even if I don't express my appreciation enough.

[I I mjrn]

Oh, theory may not be a necessity but it's a vitally important tool for understanding & communication.

I just think that people, especially at learning stages, tend to "put the cart before the horse".

Now quit crying!

[musicalhair]

Hey Micael Jackson's Real Nose, you are right. If I may offer an excuse I think I was typing with like two different ideas in my head.

 

Carcassi's first of the melodic and progressive etudes is really nice and focuses on scales. Many of Guilianni's (the cadenza type etudes) do a good job of it. Villa-Lobos has an arpeggio etude that is a bit like the one I mentioned above, but is really very good. Note a scale etude, but Villa-Lobo's etude no. 1 is endlessly useful.

 

I do think that for improvising purposes, there needs to be a lot more than just what can be found in etudes or other tunes in terms of scale/arrpeggio practice. I don't really love the Schearer scale book, and the Slonimsky book is a good starting point that has to be like worked on like a baker kneads dough to get the full use out if it.

[Bbach1]

Originally posted by musicalhair:

I don't really love the Schearer scale book, and the Slonimsky book is a good starting point that has to be like worked on like a baker kneads dough to get the full use out if it.

I'm kind of finding that to be true of any scales book. You got to work it to get it. (good grammer). However, as the lightbulb begins to come on from that work it becomes more and more fun. I shuffled my way down to a local music shop the other day and bought a couple "encyclopedias" for chords, scales, and chord progressions. They've really shed a lot of light for me on how things come toghether. Music is indeed some cool stuff, but the guitar fretboard is the way coolest. I can say "way coolest" because I have a ten year old who talks very weirdlike and it rubs off.

[BlueZet]

go to wholenote - it's a bit like band in a box, but online and FREE... lots of good lessons/articles too

[I I mjrn]

Originally posted by musicalhair:

Hey Micael Jackson's Real Nose, you are right. If I may offer an excuse I think I was typing with like two different ideas in my head.

 

I do think that for improvising purposes, there needs to be a lot more than just what can be found in etudes or other tunes in terms of scale/arrpeggio practice.

Well, my point wasn't so much to "correct" anyone but to suggest that an etude or any study piece can be devised by anyone with at least intermediary skills.Take some element of playing that you wish to develop (whether a scale or a fingering technique, etc.) & start working with it. As you play you'll undoubtedly find areas that give you ideas or seem interesting. As you work the device over you'll be in effect creating an etude.

Now it may not be particularly musically interesting until (unless?) you reach a point of compositional skill but it will be a learning device perfectly suited to your intent.

 

Tangent

Anyone read the recent Kevin Eubanks feature in Guitar Player?

One of the finest bits there is the closing, wherein Eubanks mentions that, while he loves sharing info & ideas, he never teaches because, as he puts it, "too many don't want to learn, they want to be taught".

What's the difference?

Consider how often people ask for tabs, etc., for particular songs or recordings that they undoubtedly have copies of. I see these sometimes asking for material that would require a considerable skill level to execute [ex: there's one on this forum now, asking for a tab of Jeff Beck's performance of a song].

Why not study the tune & figure it out youself?

I'm noty suggesting t6hat one can't benefit from studying what others do---that's inherently how we all begin & there's always someone who can teach us somethinbg---but to develop our musical ears & personal approach we all must put what we've (supposedly) learned to work at some point & begin to fly on our own.

Sometimes very good new things can even result from our mistakes as we try to learn.

[Gifthorse]

play the scales with a metronome and master them so you can play in time with no screw ups. also in addition to this, solo over your favorite stuff. put it on and the find the key center and use your ear to guide you. i think practice with a metronome or drum machine is very important though. you should practice the technique stuff then play along with your fav music. that way you are using what you are learning and developing your ear at the same time.