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I'm curious if the way I teach scales is similar to the way other teachers do. I start from the beginning, first five finger configurations, and then one octave, separate hands, then both hands. And we cycle through C, G, D, A, F and a few relative minors (with the three forms of the minor explained). Then two octaves, right, left, both hands. Then three octaves. I have been calling more than three octaves "extended scales."
I don't have beginning students purchase any formal scale books but use some I have for sight reading purposes. (There are scale materials in the Faber, Alfred's and Bastien materials I use.) I just put the scale analysis in their notebooks, and discuss tetrachords, whole and half-steps and a host of other small details. I should add that during this process we also learn the major I, IV, V and V7, plus the minor ii, iii, vi chords and arpeggios.
Questions:
1. Running the keyboard: I'm calling this "extended scales." What other names are there for this?
2. When and how do you introduce scales? Please elaborate in detail.
3. Do you use specific scale books?
OP, do you recall how your previous thread on teaching piano (or music in general) went? No music teachers contributed. That's because, apparently, there are none among the members here. Therefore, a reasonable person would conclude, there probably aren't any piano instructors here. In your thread, you said there are specialized sites for music instructors, that you'e posted on in the past.
One can't help wondering why you continue to post music-teaching topics here, when you have more appropriate alternatives available to you.
I am a music teacher and I post here fairly regularly. I replied to this OP previously on this forum.
There are also at least 2 other music teachers here who post on this forum, as well as a parent of a music teacher. They may also respond, but depending on the area, this time of year can be busy because of either spring concerts or end-of-the-school-year craziness. In my region, it's school spring concert and private student recital season.
These are excellent questions, IMO.
Piano is my secondary instrument so I am not an expert, however, my kid is a fairly accomplished pianist.
I did teach piano up to Level III. Beyond that, I would have to refer them to someone else because as I said, piano was only a secondary instrument, but I did observe the teaching practices of my kid's teachers and I learned a lot from them. One of them offered to give me lessons on teaching piano so that I could take some of the load off from her, but at the time I was working in a school and didn't have the time. I have regretted that decision.
My kid did use some standard scale and etude books, different ones depending on the teacher. These were for intermediate/advanced students. For the life of me, I can't recall their names, but they were part of the traditional standard piano repertoire.
Unless you are teaching very young children, I think the common practice is to start with a one octave scale, hands apart. Then put them together. I think either using a book or writing them out is important for beginners because as you know, the fingering can be different for different scales. Usually, you progress through the majors, then the minors. I don't know if there's a specific name for the 3 octave scale, we just called it a "three octave scale" .
Eventually, the practice routine should be to run through each scale in chromatic progression.
Also piano students need to know chromatic scales and their fingering.
When you start teaching scales with elementary students, you should also add chord progressions I-V-IV-V-I etc. in each key, eventually practicing them in chromatic progression.
When you introduce a new scale, I'm sure you are still telling the students to continue practicing the "old" ones.
it's good to change the rhythmic patterns every couple of weeks, e.g. triplets and so forth. I'm sure you do this with your string students too.
I will recommend the Piano World website. Everything that you want to know about pianos is on that website. They have a forum which includes classifieds for buying/selling pianos and a specific subforum for piano teachers.
While there may be other forums for the OP to post on, I think it's up to her to decide where she feels comfortable posting. Its each readers decision to respond or not.
Hannon and Bastian, thank you, I couldn't remember the names. And NYSSMA calls the scales play a ___ scale in 3 octaves. They usually want melodic minor.
I'm curious if the way I teach scales is similar to the way other teachers do. I start from the beginning, first five finger configurations, and then one octave, separate hands, then both hands. And we cycle through C, G, D, A, F and a few relative minors (with the three forms of the minor explained). Then two octaves, right, left, both hands. Then three octaves. I have been calling more than three octaves "extended scales."
I don't have beginning students purchase any formal scale books but use some I have for sight reading purposes. (There are scale materials in the Faber, Alfred's and Bastien materials I use.) I just put the scale analysis in their notebooks, and discuss tetrachords, whole and half-steps and a host of other small details. I should add that during this process we also learn the major I, IV, V and V7, plus the minor ii, iii, vi chords and arpeggios.
Questions:
1. Running the keyboard: I'm calling this "extended scales." What other names are there for this?
2. When and how do you introduce scales? Please elaborate in detail.
3. Do you use specific scale books?
I started piano lessons at age 6 and continued throughout my childhood with the Royal Conservatory of Toronto program to Grade 10. I'm not a formal piano teacher, but I taught my children. I've played piano throughout my life.
I remember my first experience with the piano. It involved both thumbs and the middle C. I had to alternate each thumb on the key: LRLRLRLL. That was practiced for one week. Next week, right hand alone: CDEFG. Then left hand one octave down CDEFG. Then together.
Then there was the tricky part of learning to tuck my right thumb under to press the F key and continue with GABC to produce the right hand single octave. Then with the left hand putting the middle finger over the thumb to complete the left hand octave. I don't remember if it was one octave with two hands first, or one hand up and down the octave, but that's what came next.
I remember my teacher explaining the piano to me - the octaves and keys. After mastering two octaves in the C key with both hands, we moved to G key because it involves one sharp. I mastered all the major keys before learning the minors.
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