Why Scales? by Margaret Huntington
Scales and Arpeggios can be enjoyed as your friends.
They help to teach how to think in keys, to learn a piece more quickly, to sight-read. They teach variety of tonal touch. They help to recognise modulations, structure, phrasing, when to use the pedal, what fingering to use, etc – as well as how to avoid wrong notes – and hence lead to a more musical performance.
Scales, broken chords and arpeggios need a daily work-out, just as a ballet dancer or an athlete needs to spend time limbering up.
Scale cards offer a structured way of learning them. An aspiring Grade 1pupil can play each card in less than 5 minutes. An aspiring Grade 8 pupil can cope with each of the seven cards in less than 8minutes. In the exam, playing the scales first offers the opportunity of trying out the piano before playing the pieces. Playing them with confidence is a very good start to the exam.
“Pocket piano practice packs” come in 6 sets. Each set covers the complete syllabus for the grade:
Set 1- Grades 1-3
Set 2 - Grades 4-5
Set 3 - Grade 6
Set 4 - Grade 7 Group 1,
Set 5 - Grade 7 Group 2,
Set 6 - Grade 8.
They are available from good music shops and from Margaret Huntington (Price £2 a set + 30p p/p or £8 for all 6 sets + 80p p/p)
