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. We are basically going to talk about:

• Scales
• Arpeggios
• Voicings

and the way of breaking these down and learning them.

Why Learn Scales, Arpeggios, and Voicings?

So, most importantly, why do we even need to learn scales, arpeggios, and voicings in the first place?

The simple answer is for technique.

Improving our technique allows us to:

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

The Functions of Scales, Arpeggios, and Voicings

• Scales provide the function of playing smooth lines.
• Arpeggios allow us to break our flow within the hand so we can stretch wide distances.
• Voicings involve playing chords that either accompany ourselves or others.

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

The Importance of Technique

Scales and arpeggios are a really great way of improving technique.

And, yeah, I know they can sometimes be a bit dry, right? You're going up and down the piano over and over again trying to get it right.

However, there can be something quite meditative about it, and it doesn't all have to be boring. There are many different ways of applying scales and arpeggios that will make it fun.

How to Incorporate Exercises

I highly recommend that you go through the exercises and really work on them. They can be done at the beginning of your practice session.

They don't necessarily have to be something you come and regret and dread.

• Set aside just 5-10 minutes at the beginning of your session to knock a few out, and then you can move on to the fun stuff: playing, improvising, etc.

Developing Improvisation Skills

One thing I'll mention is that using scales and arpeggios is a great way of developing improvisation.

When I'm improvising or performing, I often find that I'm using chord tones and patterns based on scales and arpeggios within my improvisations.

Now, I'm not strictly thinking about scales, arpeggios, or voicings while I'm playing, but what I am doing is using the knowledge that I've already sat down and learned. And then when I play live in a real setting, all that knowledge comes to the surface and instinctively happens.

This is true with any aspect of playing music, but particularly with technique, as technique is the fastest way of making a good piece sound great. You'll have more fun playing as a result.

Conclusion

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