How do you feel about practicing scales and arpeggios? Boring?? Sure.... believe it or not, I feel the same way. But, let me try to give you a "visual" example to try and change your mind about them. Have you ever been in a professional auto mechanic's garage?? If so, did you see the huge tool box the mechanic owns? Of course you did!! It was probably red or black and depending on your age at the time was somewhere between 4 to 15 feet long and 5 to 8 feet tall. Looking at it, you likely thought it had about 10,000 drawers or other compartments.... all holding tools. I think the average mechanic's tool chest is about 4 feet long, stands about 5 feet tall, and has around 30 drawers and compartments.
Now, let's say you open a drawer and see a set of wrenches. You've seen wrenches like these before - maybe your father or grandfather have a set just like them. But, you open a drawer just above or below and find another set of wrenches. They look much like the first set but are slightly different. You open yet another drawer and see a third set of wrenches. They look like the second set but again, are slightly different and even more different than the first set.
Why? Why would a professional mechanic need three or four or even more sets of wrenches that look and obviously work nearly the same way? Efficiency!! Those different sets of wrenches give the mechanic the ability to do his job more efficiently. Learning scales and arpeggios in different manners is the way to make yourself more efficient on your instrument. The more different ways you know how to play a C Major scale (for example), the easier it is for you to perform on your instrument in C Major. Now, add F Major, B-Flat Major, etc.... Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?? Scales and arpeggios are the most essential tools for your "tool box"!!
Here is the most "popular" rendition of a C Major scale I have seen in US educational circles. From this point on, click the scale example to download a .pdf file of the scale form shown.
Ex.png)
BORING!!!!! Yes, it's a C Major Scale..... almost every band director in the US (world?) teaches this scale format. And usually only in 3 or maybe 4 keys. How about the format below? It is very nearly the same thing plus, it extends the range of the scale to the 9th (2nd scale degree but up one octave). It's still symetrical and, in my opinion, gives the student musician more listening opportunities while they are practicing.
ScaleEx.png)
I think this is a better start for students. In the last 30 years or so, I've seen too much simplification of technical studies in the music education world - especially directed at students in the 10-15 year old age group. Mind you, I'm expressing my opinion here but I grew up practicing and performing the original Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, etc, charts. And that is when I was in high school!!! These days, I hear far too many talented and capable school bands performing watered down (over-simplified) pop tunes in their "jazz" bands.... ughhh..... If you're going to call it a jazz band or jazz ensemble then, teach jazz!! Sure, you can throw in a hip, well written pop tune here and there but, there's so much history just waiting to be taught and while your students may at first think it's "square" or "boring", once you start making historical connections between Louis Armstrong and Arturo Sandoval (just my examples!!), they'll dig into it!! TEACHERS!!!!! CHALLENGE your students!!! Trust me on this. Challenge your students and they will rise to the occasion!!!
Ok, I'm down off my "soapbox" now, back to improvisation!!
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