Tag Archives: scales

Everything in G major – Piano

Here you go – increased level of difficulty for the little ‘tune’ bits. The idea is that you pick and choose what your student it ready for, and award points/stickers or ‘well done’s as appropriate. Add your own fingering, write … Continue reading

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Everything in C major

Almost everything. The Music Hub I work for has revised the curriculum for each of the Stages in piano and keyboard teaching. So I now find myself teaching things that I was never taught, rather I ‘acquired’ the knowledge much … Continue reading

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41/60 The “Father Christmas” scale

When I’ve young piano pupils learning their scales at this time of year, I sell them D major as “The Christmas Scale”. Yes, I know, offering a scale as a Christmas Treat might not seem to be totally in the … Continue reading

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95/100 Scales – Start at the top

Here’s a thing; Suppose the brain is like a battery, that runs out of energy when it is used; When your student is playing a scale, especially if it is a new one, (and I’m talking piano here because that’s what … Continue reading

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1/100 Scaley Tunes

1st January 2016 1/100? That’s because I have challenged myself to write at least 100 posts for The Music Jungle this year. I’m getting off to a fine start… I shall be teaching scales to a couple of keyboard ensembles, to … Continue reading

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Issue 128: Chunking up piano scales

The first “hands together” piano scales are actually the hardest ones to get to grips with. In fact I still remember being withdrawn from my Grade 2 piano exam, because I couldn’t (wouldn’t?) manage to do the proper fingering for … Continue reading

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Issue 125: Kerplunkers at the Keyboard

You must know what I mean? When your students play their “hands-together” scales, and the fingers of each hand aren’t coordinated, so that the notes don’t sound together at the same time? The solution to so many technical problems is … Continue reading

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Issue 114: Practising major scales through improvisation

I learned this from my saxophone teacher, back in the days when I suddenly decided that I wanted to learn to play the saxophone. The first step is, or course, to teach the scale, on what ever instrument you happen … Continue reading

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