Posted: 12-30-11 1:55 pm
This new series of technique exercises is the logical continuation and expansion of the previous series of scales and arpeggios I created for Synthesia, taking into account new features that have been implemented into Synthesia since the old series was created.
However, things will start slowly. I will initially be working at duplicating the original set of scales while adding fingering data, and then things will get interesting!
There are a few differences from the old series of scales. These are:
- Scales are now chromatic instead of based on the circle of fifths. This was the original way I wanted to organise the scales, but having to write fingering information in a separate file necessitated that I group them into another logical (but still musical) order to reduce the amount of duplication.
- There are a lot more properties in the file names now, allowing for many different variations in future.
- There are no gaps in the MIDI files, and no bookmarks. The scales run back-to-back without stopping. (The reason for this is below.) You are free to create your own bookmarks if you need them, but these files will come without them.
My intention for these scales is that they will be more like drills than simple exercises. Indeed, once you memorise the fingerings and get proficient at switching from scale to scale quickly, you can blitz through a set of scales (even in their longest, 4-octave form) in seconds, or minutes at most. This makes them effective memory joggers, and even more effective warm-ups.
This is a project that will never be truly complete - it will be forever ongoing. There are literally hundreds of different scales out there, and with the variations I am planning to work on once the core set is done, there are potentially thousands of different permutations of scales that can be practiced. I will probably be working on this for the rest of my life! (Just kidding!) In reality, this series will not be able to cover every single variation that exists. What I do hope to do, though, is give you ideas as to how you can use your own creativity to invent new patterns and ways of practising scales. Remember, scales are only boring if you let them be boring! It's up to you to make it interesting for yourself!
This series will eventually show you why I do not advocate the use of Hanon. I realise it can be a sticking point for some people, but honestly, with the variations you can get out of scales as well as the music theory scales teach you as you do them, I find scales a lot more useful in the wider world of music. They also teach you more about how to move about on the piano than Hanon exercises, which generally stick to one fixed hand position per exercise. (Well, that's until you get to the scale section at the end of Hanon, but then again, why did he put it at the end? It should have been at the beginning! Scales are that important!)
So, without further ado, the first set up are the major scales! All further updates to the Piano Technique Series will be contained in this post as future edits, so be sure to check in here every once in a while.
Happy New Year, and of course, happy practising!
LICENSING INFORMATION:
- This series is copyright © Ashley Kampta (Electrode).
- It is being released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. (CC-BY-NC)
- You are free to share these files, and create derivative works based on these files as long as you do not sell them for profit.
- Credit must be given to Ashley Kampta for the creation of the original work. If you wish to share anything your create from these files on this forum, then referring to me as Electrode is permitted. If you want to share your derivative works (or the original files) elsewhere, then please use my full name when giving credit, and also link back to this forum post.
UPDATES:
30 December 2011: major scales, parallel motion an octave apart, 1-4 octaves, legato, simple
31 December 2011: harmonic minor scales, parallel motion an octave apart, 1-4 octaves, legato, simple
10 January 2012: melodic minor scales, parallel motion an octave apart, 1-4 octaves, legato, simple
19 February 2012: major arpeggios, parallel motion an octave apart, 1-4 octaves, legato, simple
However, things will start slowly. I will initially be working at duplicating the original set of scales while adding fingering data, and then things will get interesting!
There are a few differences from the old series of scales. These are:
- Scales are now chromatic instead of based on the circle of fifths. This was the original way I wanted to organise the scales, but having to write fingering information in a separate file necessitated that I group them into another logical (but still musical) order to reduce the amount of duplication.
- There are a lot more properties in the file names now, allowing for many different variations in future.
- There are no gaps in the MIDI files, and no bookmarks. The scales run back-to-back without stopping. (The reason for this is below.) You are free to create your own bookmarks if you need them, but these files will come without them.
My intention for these scales is that they will be more like drills than simple exercises. Indeed, once you memorise the fingerings and get proficient at switching from scale to scale quickly, you can blitz through a set of scales (even in their longest, 4-octave form) in seconds, or minutes at most. This makes them effective memory joggers, and even more effective warm-ups.
This is a project that will never be truly complete - it will be forever ongoing. There are literally hundreds of different scales out there, and with the variations I am planning to work on once the core set is done, there are potentially thousands of different permutations of scales that can be practiced. I will probably be working on this for the rest of my life! (Just kidding!) In reality, this series will not be able to cover every single variation that exists. What I do hope to do, though, is give you ideas as to how you can use your own creativity to invent new patterns and ways of practising scales. Remember, scales are only boring if you let them be boring! It's up to you to make it interesting for yourself!
This series will eventually show you why I do not advocate the use of Hanon. I realise it can be a sticking point for some people, but honestly, with the variations you can get out of scales as well as the music theory scales teach you as you do them, I find scales a lot more useful in the wider world of music. They also teach you more about how to move about on the piano than Hanon exercises, which generally stick to one fixed hand position per exercise. (Well, that's until you get to the scale section at the end of Hanon, but then again, why did he put it at the end? It should have been at the beginning! Scales are that important!)
So, without further ado, the first set up are the major scales! All further updates to the Piano Technique Series will be contained in this post as future edits, so be sure to check in here every once in a while.
Happy New Year, and of course, happy practising!
LICENSING INFORMATION:
- This series is copyright © Ashley Kampta (Electrode).
- It is being released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. (CC-BY-NC)
- You are free to share these files, and create derivative works based on these files as long as you do not sell them for profit.
- Credit must be given to Ashley Kampta for the creation of the original work. If you wish to share anything your create from these files on this forum, then referring to me as Electrode is permitted. If you want to share your derivative works (or the original files) elsewhere, then please use my full name when giving credit, and also link back to this forum post.
UPDATES:
30 December 2011: major scales, parallel motion an octave apart, 1-4 octaves, legato, simple
31 December 2011: harmonic minor scales, parallel motion an octave apart, 1-4 octaves, legato, simple
10 January 2012: melodic minor scales, parallel motion an octave apart, 1-4 octaves, legato, simple
19 February 2012: major arpeggios, parallel motion an octave apart, 1-4 octaves, legato, simple