Now i've done grade 8 (fingers crossed, i've passed) and i don't have to learn particular number of scales by a particular time, i figured i could afford to branch out a bit. This is the list i've come up with so far:

Major Scale (8ve)
Major Scale (3rd)
Major Scale (6th)
Major Scale in 3rds
Major Scales in Octaves
Melodic Minor Scale (8ve)
Harmonic Minor Scale (8ve)
Harmonic Minor Scale (3rd)
Harmonic Minor Scale (6th)
Melodic Minor Scale in Octaves
Harmonic Minor Scale in Octaves
Major Arpeggio (RP)
Major Arpeggio (1st Inv)
Major Arpeggio (2nd Inv)
Minor Arpeggio (RP)
Minor Arpeggio (1st Inv)
Minor Arpeggio (2nd Inv)
Dominant Seventh
Diminished Seventh
Chromatic Scale (8ve)
Chromatic Scale (3rd)
Chromatic Scale in 3rds
Chromatic Scale in Octaves
Locrian
Aoelian (natural minor)
Mixolydian
Lydian
Phrygian
Dorian
Blues Scale
Whole-tone
Pentatonic Major
Pentatonic Minor

The idea is that i would play a starting note (or two if i have time) each day and go through all the different types. Does anyone have any ideas of other scales/arpeggios that might help with technique, or just some interesting ones that would give a bit of a change from the normal ones?

I found this website: 1000+ scales
but given there's so many, its hard to work out which might be at all worth while.

Thanks,

Sarah

That's good! My advanced students do "one hand legato & the other staccato, swap at the top" kind of articulation work - very helpful for contrapuntal pieces. Also, playing 8ves but broken 8ves.

best of luck in your further studies.
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You've got a good list already!

You haven't mentioned:

Contrary Motion - both hands starting on key note, 3rd apart, 6th apart.

Broken Chords (Gr 1 type and both patterns for Gr 4, do 7th chords here too).

Dom 7th could be RP, but also the three inversions.

Aug Triads?

Playing different Maj/Min scale in each hand at the same time?

I get my students to do that when they start preparing for grade 1. It helps develop independant hands!

Sarah, you could add legato 3rds in each hand - major, melodic and harmonic. Also try melodic minors hands starting a 3rd and 6th apart and in contrary motion.

Good luck - that list should keep you busy for a while!

Then there's also 'Russian Method' - combines similar and contrary: One octave similar; then RH carries on up, one octave contrary, then back the other way - and finally one octave down again similar. Then this extends into 2 octaves each way.

Then bi-tonal - eg Cmaj with E maj; and also playing black key scales with 'standard' C major fingering - more useful than it sounds.

Have you started on Chopin studies yet? Hope you're also finding time to play lots of real music too - not very much of which contains extended scales for any length of time.

Good luck with your Grade 8 result - that's when the real fun starts. I tell my students that they've reached the top of this particular ladder - and are at the bottom of the next, never-ending one. To infinity and beyond!

Many alternative fingerings are possible, and some are more useful than the standard ones - especially for scale passages in one hand in real music. Starting and finishing on any note, ... octaves, both with 3,4,5 legato, and 5,5,5, matellato, it goes on forever

How about contrary motion arpeggios? Or maybe contrary motion harmonic minors, as you have the descending version in one hand, and ascending in the other - should be quite easy if you've practised harmonic minors a lot anyway! Legato chromatic scale? Half-diminished arpeggios (with inversion and contrary combinations)?

~Wobby~

thanks everyone, just a few questions...



I've been doing that already - it's a lot harder than it sounds



I'd completely forgotten contrary motion ones and broken chords

what are augmented triads?



I'd never really considered doing melodic ones in 3rds - not quite sure why not though!



I havent started any new pieces yet because i'm in a gap of a few days between my exam and going to new york, and havent had a lesson yet, so i've just been mucking around with a mix of scales and trying to learn some of the piano parts for my recorder stuff. I havent done any of the chopin studies yet (well, have sight-read my way through a couple, but that doesnt really count!)

Well, it depends on how you play your Chromatic Scales in the first place. Some people play them (e.g. from C) 1,3,1,3,1,2,3,1,3,1,3,1,2,3, whereas legato would use more fingers.

Half-Diminished Seventh Arpeggio: Root, Minor 3rd, Diminished 5th, Minor 7th. E.g. C, Eb, Gb, Bb. Basically, it's like the Diminished Seventh Arpeggio, but with the Seventh being Minor as opposed to Diminished.

~Wobby~

like the finguring suggested in the hanon book then...



oo, they sound funny!

Augmented triads are where you sharpen the fifth of a normal major arpeggio, eg

C E G# C

Well done on having sat your Grade 8 - hope you get the mark you want. I'm currently studying for my Grade 8. Roughly how many different scales, arpeggios etc were you asked to play in the exam ?

I find practising scales, arpeggios etc quite satisfying - strange but true !

i was quite surprised by the scales i was asked...

'normal ones' (roughly half and half staccato and legato): Ab maj, Db maj, B maj, F# maj, F# minor and another minor (one minor was harmonic, other was harmonic)

Then i got one in sixths (Eb maj) and one in thirds (D maj). One chromatic with two hands, chromatic thirds in RH, Bb major thirds in LH.

Arpeggios: Both Eb minor and F# major in inversions, then at least one other in root position, and one dominant seventh and one diminished seventh.

I was expecting more variety than that, but i'm not complaining on having lots of nice ones, but i suppose he made up for it with those two arpeggios though.

That any help?

Thanks for that - just gives a rough idea of the number am likely to expect, although am learning the whole lot as obviously the examiner can ask you any one they like. I get tested each week at my lessson on the latest ones I'm learning and if I make a single mistake and/or hesitate my teacher marks it for me to redo the next week which is good.

To make your practice more musical why not consider, especially for the jazz relevant scales, to first practice the scale, then practice standard chord progressions in various voicings, then improvise some motifs above those chord progressions? From scales to...your own music!

I tend to play that same fingering (1,3,1,3,1,2,3,) for staccato and legato

in case it's of any use here's the list of the scales/arpeggios I was asked for grade 8:
C major legato
Bb harmonic minor staccato
Eb melodic minor legato
F minor in 3rds
D maj in 6ths - of these last 2, 1 was staccato and the other legato but for the life of me can't remember which was which
C maj legato 3rds LH
chromatic 3rds (A#/C#) RH
chromatic starting D#/F# legato
Arpeggios: G# minor -2nd inversion
C#minor root position
Dominant 7th of D
Diminished 7th starting on A.

Chromatic scales use 1,2, and 3. 4 & 5 are only used for legato chromatic scales in one hand!

Thanks for that - very useful to give an idea of number & range to expect.