Damn straight, man!

 

The question that is more true to the point... where is the blue note? I can, with all authority, answer this, The Blue Note is on 131 W 3rd St, New York, NY 10012, United States, and I wouldn't be wrong to say that the vast majority of the folks performing there can definitely play all the scales with their eyes open or their eyes closed.

 

If you guys want a free scale generator that gives you pictures in piano and guitar format, try this:
www.std.karoo.net
the site says under construction but if you click on the " Circle of Fiths" link it will download a self extracting rar file.
Guaranteed a clean site, no catches.

 

With a face like your's, what's not to trust? (just messing, I try never to judge a book by it's cover)

 

ALL WESTERN SCALES/MODES SHARE THE SAME NOTES/STEPS/INTERVALS but they just start on a different step.

(all white keys)
C-C - ionion
D-D - dorian
E-E - phrygian
F-F - lydian
etc...

All western scales/modes are based on the major scale and it's intervals so learn that first (yes in all 12 keys).
The intervals for the major/ionian scale is
whole step / W / Half / W / W / W / H

I like to use the dorian scale for songs with a minor tonality (it's the funkiest of all tonalities). I know that the dorian scale shares the same notes/intervals as the major scale but starting from the second note/step in this case D-D of Cmajor. That's why the C major scale and the D dorian scale are both all the white keys. Therefore if we know the major scale we automatically know the dorian/minor scale.
there are many of these relationships. you don't have to learn every scale you just have to learn the relationships, like:
I know if I play from C to C on all the white keys i'm playing C major scale. but if i play that same scale from A - A on all the white keys i'm playing it's relative minor - A minor scale, or again, if from D - D on the white keys i'm playing the 'other' minor scale, dorian. So by knowing the major scale I already know 2 other scales, 3 scales total, ionion, aeolian, dorian and of course all the rest of the modes, just starting on the next note in the scale.

I found it helpful to learn the major scale without thinking about it by looking at it as 2 tetra chords separated by a half-step/semi-tone.
(look up tetra chord)

a tetra chord consists of two full step/whole tones, a half-step/semi tone

w / w / h / (then a Half Step then again) w / w / h
that's a good way to learn the major scale in any key.



to get deeper, learning the cycle of 4ths/5ths will unlock the secrets to the universe.

 

No doubt! And, NOT just the "Western" variety.

 

Truer words have never been spoken. It's the key of life.

 

Well, it might kill creativity when you are struggling learning something theorywise. Sure, but then, and first then, you can use this knowledge in a creative way.

The other way to go about it is for you to try to find out all the stuff for yourself. While you certainly can do that, most would probably prefer to take the shortcut. That is, to spend a couple of years struggling to learnthe theory of what the masters discovered before us.

Then is the time to really get creative.

Picasso learned the basics of how to paint and draw from his father. I am quite certain he would not have been able to do much without schooling. You on the other hand, well, who knows... You just might.

Theory or not, it all boils down to how far you want to take your mastery.

Anyway, cool to hear that you got some scales down, thats great!

 

My favorite way to learn new scales is to put on a simple drone of some sort of the root note of the key I want to practice in (like C for instance) and then just improvise using that scale for at least an hour. After just 20 mins of focused, concentrated and careful practice the grooves get etched into my brain and for the next 40 mins I am having fun and expanding my musical vocabulary.

My teacher passed on a valuable lesson about learning, if you put the information in carefully and in an organized manner you will be able to recall it in an effortless and flowing way. First eliminate all distractions and devote at least an hour to this practice.

It is important to play very slowly at first. (listening is as important as doing). Work in super slow motion so that the pathways get burnt in correctly and you can play without the possibility of making mistakes. Then very gradually speed up once you have completely formatted your brains + nerves and muscles correctly.

The major benefit to sitting on one scale for a long time is you start to really hear the character and inner workings of that particular tonality. It takes a little while of listening to really start to hear the hidden language of each scale. This is the best method I have found to grow your musical language.

Being able to wiggle your fingers properly or recite the correct notes/intervals is of little real use if you haven't learned the sound of each scale and make some sort of emotional impression of what that scale means to you and how you can use it to express an idea musically.

Each scale/tonality has a unique mood to it. They can be warm, strong, mysterious, exotic, dangerous, cold, wondrous, regal and all the infinite colors of the human experience. This is the point of learning scales, so that you can identify and understand these moods and then utilize the moods at will in your composing and improvising. Parking yourself on one scale over a drone for at least and hour at a time is the fastest shortcut I have found to absorbing this information.

 

I agree that this approach is good. Drone improvising great... Just be sure to use the correct fingerings from the start. Thumbs up.

 

When it comes to music study, you have good students and bad students. Let's face it, some people just don't want to study. They would prefer to just play. I think we all can relate to the latter. However (and, this is a big "however") think of what these people could bring to their abilities if they took the one or two hours a week to learn as much as they could about what they were doing.

We all know musicians who simply have an uncanny ability to play, and play well; without having to spend long, tortuous hours practicing on their instruments. I have people in my own family (all very good musicians) who never practice. They simply play for hours at a time. Personally, I'm not as gifted as some of my relatives. So, I spent many hours "practicing" as well as "playing". My late uncle (one of those "gifted" relatives) told me in his later years that he wished he would have spent more hours "practicing". He said, "Imagine how 'really' good I could have been if I would have "practiced" more. The bottom line? No matter how good people think you are, or are good you think you are, a bit more practice at your craft will never hurt. In the end, we can always do more.

 

Last edited: Sep 8, 2016

I do not know if it might work good for you, but I play the root note repeatadly in my left hand as to work as a drone. While improvising over the key that is. Gets the key etched in the mind really well : )

 

Last edited: Sep 8, 2016

Listening to and internalizing the myriad of scales is expanding your awareness and opening yourself up to the possibilities of an almost limitless array of musical combinations that you might apply in your compositions, even if you decide upon a minimal approach as you hone your craft of tonal manipulation. As ClaudeBalls just espoused, the ability to express a mood lies at the root of improvising and composing.