Intro to scales, arpeggios and voicings - why they're useful

Technical Exercises for Rock School

Hey, guys, it's James here. I'm going to take you through the technical exercises for Rock School. This is a general video that applies to all grades.

Overview

We're basically going to talk about:

• Scales
• Arpeggios
• Voicings

And how to break these down and learn them effectively.

Why Learn Scales, Arpeggios, and Voicings?

The simple answer is technique. Improving our technique allows us to:

• Play more complicated pieces
• Sound better
• Play in time
• Enjoy the experience of being a musician

Benefits of Each Element

• Scales: Provide the function of playing smooth lines.
• Arpeggios: Allow us to break our flow within the hand to stretch wide distances.
• Voicings: Involve playing chords that accompany ourselves or others.

A big part of being a jazz player, pop player, funk player, rock player, or any of these disciplines is about playing chords and accompanying ourselves and other people.

Engaging with Technical Exercises

Although scales and arpeggios can sometimes feel a bit dry, going up and down the piano over and over again, there can be something quite meditative about it. It doesn't all have to be boring!

Making It Fun

• Experiment with different ways to apply scales and arpeggios.
• Incorporate them into the beginning of your practice session.
• Spend just five to ten minutes on them at the start, and then move on to the fun stuff: playing, improvising, etc.

Improvisation Development

Using scales and arpeggios is a fantastic way to develop your improvisation skills. When I'm improvising or performing, I often use:

• Chord tones
• Patterns based on scales and arpeggios

I don't strictly think about these concepts while playing, but the knowledge I've gained from practicing them emerges instinctively during performances.

Conclusion

This principle applies to all aspects of playing music, but particularly with technique, as it's the fastest way to make a good piece sound great. You'll have more fun playing as a result!

So, I highly recommend you get stuck into scales. It's not all boring, I promise, and the payoff will be huge.