Playing the scales on the clarinet is a good exercise to familiarize yourself with the various key signatures and expand your musical knowledge. Scales are extremely important in music. An example could be in Gustav Holst's first suite in E flat (chaconne), in which there is a phrasing of eighth notes in the clarinet part. This phrasing is essentially an E-flat scale. The scales are used in all musical genres, and are a subject of examination in every conservatory. Learning the 12 major scales then becomes a must.
Steps
Step 1. Study sharps, flats and key signature
A flat lowers the note by a half step, while sharps raise it by a half step. Study the note pattern and refer to it whenever you find a note you can't play correctly. Also remember that notes can have two names. In fact, as is logical, a F # (F sharp) can also be a Gb (G flat), while a G # is also a Lab etc. This is a very important concept to understand.
Step 2. Develop the ear
A good musician immediately realizes that he has played the wrong note, even if it is the first time he has played that scale. Each type of ladder follows a certain pattern that you should fix in your mind and learn to recognize immediately.
Step 3. Begin by learning the B flat major scale
On each instrument, each score is transposed according to the key of the instrument, so the Bb scale would actually be the C scale. If you want to play it an octave lower, start with high C below the staff and finish with low C on the third space of the staff. All the notes of this scale are natural. This is certainly a good ladder to start with.
Step 4. Learn the most common scales in your favorite musical genre
Learn the Eb scale (starts at F, there's a flat but all you have to do is play all the other notes in ascending order), the Lab scale (starts from Bb, two flats) and the F scale (starts from G, one sharp).
Step 5. Learn the next scales, which some masters call the "intermediate scales"
These scales are often played in exams where 7 scales are asked. Therefore, they are very important. These scales are the Reb scale (starts from Eb, three sharps), the C scale (starts from D, two sharps) and the G scale (starts from A, three sharps). Have you begun to understand the logic of the stairs?
Step 6. Finally, you will need to learn the 5 major scales
These are the most difficult scales, and they are the following - the Solb scale (starts from Lab, 4 flats), the D scale (starts from E, 4 sharps), the A scale (starts from B, 5 sharps), the Mi scale (starts from F #, 6 sharp) and the B scale, starts from Reb, 5 sharp).
Step 7. Learn to play two-octave scales
Doing so will greatly improve your chances of passing the exam, as well as being a great way to study the high notes. Most scales can reach two octaves without even touching the upper notes (from high C # up), with the exception of the C and B scales.
Step 8. Next, study the 3 octave scales
This is a great way to study the treble and impress teachers on exams. Some scales are very difficult (or impossible, like the C and Si scales), so it's best to start with the lower ones, like D, Eb, E, and F.
Step 9. Learn the chromatic scale
This is also an important scale to take to exams, and it is quite difficult to memorize. The chromatic scale can begin on any note and cover the entire range of the clarinet. Generally, the clarinet starts from G, but you can choose any other note. In case you decided to start the scale from G, the notes would be G, G #, A, A # (Sib), B, B # (Do) etc. Basically, you'll just have to play each note in ascending and descending order. Try to reach the second or third octave.
Step 10. Try other types of ladders
Now that you know how to play all major scales, try to familiarize yourself with minor scales, minor harmonics, minor melodics, or weirder scales such as Arabic scales. You can also try to improve on major scales by learning third scales. Also try buying a clarinet method book with scale exercises.
Advice
Musical scales are nothing more than patterns with a precise succession of notes. You will find that with practice you will immediately know which notes must be sharp or flat by reading the key signature. The table shown below illustrates the scheme. For example, if you see three sharps, you will automatically know that the notes will be Bb, Eb and Lab (The notes are A = A, B = Si, C = Do, D = D, E = Mi, F = Fa and G = G)
| Number of Flats / Sharps | Flat or Sharp Added |
|---|---|
| 1 flat | Bb |
| 2 flats | Heb |
| 3 flats | Ab |
| 4 flats | Db |
| 5 flats | Gb |
| 1 sharp | F # |
| 2 sharps | C # |
| 3 sharps | G # |
| 4 sharps | D # |
| 5 sharps | TO# |
| 6 sharps | AND# |
- Practice a lot; the more you study, the more you will improve.
- If you skip a note while playing a scale, keep playing. Do not break the rhythm to correct the mistake. If a certain point on the scale gives you problems, study it separately.
- Learn to memorize. The scales must be played by heart in most exams, and moreover, what is the purpose of playing scales indefinitely if you don't learn them and then use them in improvisations?
- A good understanding of scale theory and the circle of fifths will help you a lot - you won't even need the note pattern anymore.
- The notes scheme is your best friend. Always keep one handy… you will find yourself using it often.
- Try writing on the pictogram with a pencil. If you can't remember sharps and flats, draw them on the score. If you have a complicated key signature, you could also write the corresponding note name next to each note, or even write Bb next to an A # etc., if you prefer.
- Keep in mind that music is typically carried over to your instrument. If you've wondered why the Bb scale on your clarinet starts from C, this is why: The C of the clarinet equals the Bb of an instrument in C. Don't get confused if a flutist tells you that the E b scale has only three flats. For your instrument this scale only has one.
- Scales are the root of all music. Knowing the scales will help you not only to learn key signatures, but will allow you to improvise on songs or understand and learn musical scores faster. The notes of many pieces, in fact, are nothing more than notes that belong to a scale arranged in such a way as to form a melody - Mozart's Concerto for Clarinet is an example. Once you have mastered all the minor, major, minor harmonics and arpeggios, you can, in theory, play everything with ease!
- To learn to follow the rhythm, study the scales with a metronome. Start slowly and don't increase your speed until you are able to precisely follow a rhythm. The metronome also helps you memorize the scales.
- When studying difficult scales or high octaves, use tetrachords. Tetra, in Greek, means four. Basically you will have to play groups of four notes at a time. Play the first four notes of the scale repeatedly, increasing the speed until you play them correctly and cleanly, then move on to the next four.
- When you start studying the higher octaves, try using a harder reed. If you used 2 1/2, start using 3 or 3/12. The harder the reed, the easier it is to play the high notes.
- Sharps scales (D, B minor, A, F # minor, and so on) tend to use right B and left C # in the clarinet register.
Warnings
- Studying stairs isn't the funniest thing in the world, and that's a fact. You will probably get bored after a while, it's normal. Try playing something else and then go back to the stairs.
- When you study a scale, learn it by memorizing the "notes", and not the fingering. If you learn the scales by memorizing only the fingering you will find yourself in difficulty when someone asks you to play the scale in a different key, or again, if during an exam you get distracted, you will have no idea where to start again, and you will have to start over and lose. points.
