![]() The technique is more challenging and could introduce undesired habits which carry through to other scales and their playing in general. The main benefit of C major is the ease of reading and relating to pieces.Īlso, as I mentioned above, it starts a sequence of 5 major scales which all use the same fingering. ![]() The old reliable didn’t become the standard without reason. G flat might be tricky to relate to written music, as most music for beginners is written in C, G and F major keys. Cons of teaching G flat major scale first It can be presented as all the black keys plus these 2 white keys to reinforce keyboard geography. ![]() Piano students practise a more natural hand shape on the keys which can be easily transferred to other keys. Pros of teaching G flat major scale first Many like to start with B major, though, and the pros and cons are much the same. Many beginners are used to putting three fingers on the three black keys which is the starting point for both hands. I personally think the fingering is easier to remember in G flat. You don’t necessarily need to explain the C flat to students if their theory is not at that stage yet. G flat major can be explained to beginners as all the black keys, plus white key B and white key F. This allows ample space underneath to move the fingers. In black key scales like G flat, the knuckle bridge is slightly elevated when long fingers 2,3 & 4 are on the black keys. He actually found C major to be the most difficult scale to teach. Starting with G Flat MajorĬhopin started many of his students off learning the black key scales first and teaching the C major scale last. ![]() Now let’s consider two different options for which piano scale we should introduce first. We’ve hinted at possible starting points. So take the time to consider why you’re using them. I’m not against pentascales, but I do think it’s one of those default things which teachers can do without questioning. If you’re going to use them with every student – have a reason. We use them to work on non-legato and legato techniques and to aid with transposing work. Personally, I only use pentascales with young beginners who will not be ready for full one-octave scales for a long time. Don’t mix them up with penta tonic scales. They are normally played with fingers 1–5 regardless of the key, but some teachers prefer to teach with the start of the standard scale fingering patterns. If you’re not familiar with these, they consist of the first five notes of any scale. Let’s take a quick sidestep to consider pentascales or five-finger patterns. Try it and feel the difference in the effort required. D major), our finger makes a bridge for the thumb to scooch under.īecause the 3rd finger is the longest, this is a more natural position for your hand to be in than crossing on the white keys. When we play a scale which has a black key before the thumb crosses (e.g. That’s a whole other story.īut whichever way you choose to think about the thumb movement (or not,) one thing is clear: C major is not the easiest. I’m not about to get into the debate of thumb tucking vs crossing vs flicking. Just like a student who learns from a position-based reading approach, they might learn the lesson that any scale which doesn’t use this pattern is “hard” when really it’s just different. However, it’s also potentially a drawback because they may get too used to this pattern. This is a bonus as it could make these scales easier for them to learn. If you teach your piano student the C major scale and then proceed around the circle of fifths in order, they’ll learn 5 scales in a row with the same fingering pattern. However, it does have a different bonus (or drawback) to consider. I would argue that C major is not the simplest in this regard. Finger PatternsĪnother consideration in the pattern of finger numbers we use to play each scale. After all, it’s just all the white keys.īut the notes are not the only thing involved in a scale. The main logic is it’s the easiest to find on the piano. What makes certain scales tricky for piano students? Is it the memorisation of notes? The finger patterns? The technique? Note Memorisation Assuming we want to start with the easiest scale, we need to think about what that means. Let’s start by considering the differences between scales. What makes some scales harder than others? So I think it’s worth mulling over for a bit. And even though it sounds like a basic question, this can actually affect many other areas of our teaching. Unfortunately, I can’t give you a simple answer because there are differing opinions. Some are harder to read and some are more awkward technically-speaking. However, not all scales are created equal. Scales are an important puzzle piece when learning to play, improvise and compose confidently on the piano. ⬆️ Listen to the podcast above or keep on reading, whichever fits your style.
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