The Scale Practice Habit That Builds Technique
If you're working on your scales, there's one simple principle that can make your practice much more effective:
Variation is key to developing a strong technical foundation.
It's easy to fall into the same routine every time you pick up your instrument. Start on the tonic, play the scale upward, come back down, and repeat.
But your scales don't always have to begin the same way.
Try starting in the middle of the scale instead of the tonic. Change the direction. Break the notes into different groupings. Shift the patterns you're practicing so your fingers and brain have to respond differently.
For example, the Practical Study of the Scales for the Clarinet by Stiévenard offers different ways to approach scale practice. The Gammes et Exercices by Hamelin provides another great example of how changing your groupings can challenge your technique.
The point isn't simply to make scales harder.
It's to keep your brain engaged while building flexibility, coordination, and control.
So the next time you pull out your scales and instinctively start ascending from the tonic—yep, all of us do it—stop for a moment.
Make a plan to include one variation.
A small change in how you practice can make a big difference in what you're actually developing.
And if you're working through the 28-Day Scale Reset, bring this idea with you: don't just practice your scales. Explore them.
Check out the 28-Day Scale Reset if you want a collection of 28 packets that include variations, etudes, repertoire and excerpts - all ready for you to cycle through in a marathon 28 days, or to use to focus on one scale on your own timeline!
|
|
Happy Scale-ing!
Ixi & team dca
Interested in a clarinet community?
Go over and check out CLUB DCA!
ClubDCA is a place for expanded clarinet content plus:
- Special featured clarinetist workshops and masterclasses
- Pop-up group lessons
- Exclusive stories as a "close friend" on Instagram
- Connection with us & other clarinetists
|
|
