12 Jul 2021
By Shelly Davis
PPP249: Music Maker – Scales

PPP249: Music Maker – Scales

Music Theory, Podcast, , , ,
Does your piano teacher assign scales for you to practice? Is playing major scales part of your piano kid's practice routine? I remember playing scales as part of my homework assignment at times but I never really connected them to the pieces I was playing. In my mind, they were a separate chore. I wonder if your piano kid sees the value of learning and playing scales as part of their musical abilities. Listen to the full episode here According to Brenden Hogan, founder of Musiah, here are some reasons for practicing scales: scales develop your awareness of tonality and…
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09 Dec 2019
By Shelly Davis
PPP172: Scale Degree Names

PPP172: Scale Degree Names

Music Theory, Podcast, , , , , , , , ,
When students learn to play scales, they may associate them with the letters of that scale: CDEFGABC or DEF#GABC#D. Rather than limiting ourselves to a set of letters, pianists need to think in terms of location or functionality of the notes of the scale. They might do that by numbers, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. They might do that by using solfege, a series of syllables to help associate the sounds of the notes of the scale: do re mi fa sol la ti do. You may be familiar with "Do a deer, a female deer..." which…
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