Learning Scales a Different Approach
Muse Eek Publishing Blog by Bruce Arnold
Learning Scales a Different Approach
Learning Scales a Different Approach
Learning scales is a long term process for musicians. When a student is starting out making sure they have the correct approach is crucial. I recently wrote a book called “Scale Analysis” which I think will greatly help musicians understand how to balance the idea of key center and chord sound.
It applies the “Contextual Ear Training” concept to specific chord progressions which through example shows you that there are really 28 scales (plus their modes) that are commonly used in improvisation. Understanding, hearing and applying these modes based on a key center will revolutionize your musicianship. This is a completely new way of thinking about chords, scales, their names and functions. It basically teaches you how to think the way you hear and hear the way you think. Overtime you will find that your ability to improvise over extremely difficult chord changes will be a breeze once you work with this new concept.
For many years students have been asking how to apply scales to chord progressions while at the same time using their ear training skills. This new course tackles that issue with a 700 page PDF, over 4 hours of video and additional MP3s and Midiifiles for all exercises. At the heart of this course you are taught how to hear an entire chord progression in one key center. A Major Blues, Minor Blues and “Rhythm Changes”chord progressions are used to demonstrate these concepts. You will work through 36 chord progressions that teach you what my guru Charlie Banacos called the “Natural Scales.” These “Natural Scales” are what you naturally hear on any given chord. There is a process to understand and hear natural scales which is explained in the book. Most importantly this course will help you develop both the intellectual and aural understanding of how scales and chords relate to each other when thinking of an entire chord progression in one key center.
Besides the worksheet where you write out the scales, there are many other parts to the course that give you extremely valuable information about chord scale relationships. Here is some of the other parts of this course:
- A list showing you what chords tend to be used with specific scales when you are relate them to one key center.
- A list showing you the location of the scales and their related chords within all 36 chord progressions so you can see pattens.
- A list showing you all possible chord scale relationships for each scale used in the chord progressions A list showing you all possible subsets for the scales used in the chord progressions.
- A list showing the South Indian “Melakarta” scales and their relationship to the scales used in this course.
- A list of all alternate names used for the scales found in this course.
Additional ear training exercises which help you apply the techniques learned in this course to popular tunes or your own compositions. One of the most common questions I receive is “How do I fit this course into my practice schedule?”
There are 36 chord progressions in this course and I would do one chord progressions a week. It would be easy to do more but you need to apply the information. Filling in the scales for most students would only take a few minutes but you need to apply this information! I would recommend spending 20 minutes a day doing the following:
Singing through the scales over the MP3s of the chord progressions all in one key center. Applying the scales by improvising over the chord progression. If you just do that you will improve see amazing improvements to your musicianship.
The Historic Precedents Of This Kind Of Music Education
You might enjoy checking out the “Music Education Genealogy Chart” located on my artist’s site. You will clearly see the historic progression of pedagogy that is the basis for Muse Eek Publishing Products. Great musicians throughout history have been studying the ideas presented by Muse-eek.com which derives its content from a a lineage that stretches back to Scarlatti!