"Do I have to practice my scales?", "Scales are so boring and tiresome!", "I hate playing scales!"

These are phrases that, as a music teacher or parent, you might have heard many times in the course of your child's musical journey. While it may seem cumbersome at first, explaining to the child the many benefits of scales may encourage and motivate them to practice them on a regular basis.

Are scales that important? The answer is a resounding yes! And in the paragraphs that follow, some of the benefits of scales will be discussed.

1. Scales help to develop technique - scales are very important in strengthening the fingers and providing the grip that each finger needs while playing the piano. Playing the scales fast and then slow can help with finger control and also in creating more finger flexibility when learning more complicated music pieces. Start by learning the C major scale which has no sharps or flats. Then move on to the scale that has one sharp, F#, which is G major. And then move on to the scale with 2 sharps and so on. Learn the flat scales in the same way.

2. Scales help to develop a good hand position on the piano - by keeping the fingers in a nice rounded position, scales help to develop good hand position. Scales are not difficult to master, so using them as a tool to learn other musical skills is very beneficial.

3. Scales teach key signatures - many children have trouble memorizing the key signatures of the different keys. Using scales, the key signatures can be easily learned and mastered. Reciting the sharps or flats before playing each scale will help to memorize them very quickly.

4. Scales enhance sight reading skills - while reading a piece of music for the first time, knowledge of the scale and the key signature will make sight reading enjoyable and easy. Recognizing scale patters in the piece (based on the knowledge of playing the scale) can aid in improving sight reading skills.

5. And lastly, scales can be fun, when played with different rhythms and in different styles. Instead of playing them at the same tempo always, incorporate different rhythms into them. For example, play one note short and the next long (dotted rhythm), or play them in triplets, or in the rhythm of your favorite melody. Play the scales from the low end of the keyboard, all the way up to the very top and then back down again. Another fun way to do it is to have the right hand play in eighth notes and the left hand play in triplets of eighth notes. These are fun and challenging ways to play the scales.

Scales can get boring, but they can be very fun too! So the next time you sit down to practice scales, remember the benefits of scale playing and it will put a smile on your face!

Learn more about this author, Rebecca Thomas.
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