Rhythmic scale practice is a rarely-done form of scale practice - it's main benefit is that it ensures you can actually use the scale musically.
Minor Pentatonic Pattern 1
A lot of the time students find it difficult to translate scale practice into actual playing. Here's a way you can make your scale practice a lot more interesting and also a lot more useful.
There are many approaches you can take to getting creative with scales, but a fundamental truth is that:
If you cannot play a scale with a certain rhythm as an exercise, then it's impossible that you could use it in improvisation.
Think about it - if you get a sudden desire to play a phrase that includes a run of triplets or sixteenth notes but you can't physically do it even as an exercise, this is going to restrict you in the most fundamental way from playing what you want to play.
Playing with different subdivisions is not the same as playing fast.
You may be able to whiz up and down the scale, but can you do that whilst holding a steady rhythm and playing in time? Even at slow tempos, playing consistent swung 8s or triplets to a beat may be more challenging that just playing a rhythmically undefined set of notes quickly.
This audio example below provides a basic example of playing the most common subdivisions using the scale diagram above. You will hear a metronome click, which is set quite low - around 80bpm or less. The aim here isn't speed, it's playing each subdivision clearly and in time.
The subdivisions are quarter notes, 8th notes, swung 8th notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes.
There are many approaches you can take to getting creative with scales, but a fundamental truth is that:
If you cannot play a scale with a certain rhythm as an exercise, then it's impossible that you could use it in improvisation.
Think about it - if you get a sudden desire to play a phrase that includes a run of triplets or sixteenth notes but you can't physically do it even as an exercise, this is going to restrict you in the most fundamental way from playing what you want to play.
Playing with different subdivisions is not the same as playing fast.
You may be able to whiz up and down the scale, but can you do that whilst holding a steady rhythm and playing in time? Even at slow tempos, playing consistent swung 8s or triplets to a beat may be more challenging that just playing a rhythmically undefined set of notes quickly.
This audio example below provides a basic example of playing the most common subdivisions using the scale diagram above. You will hear a metronome click, which is set quite low - around 80bpm or less. The aim here isn't speed, it's playing each subdivision clearly and in time.
The subdivisions are quarter notes, 8th notes, swung 8th notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes.
Example using Minor Pentatonic
Have fun!
Have your own ideas about how to make scale practice more interesting? Leave a comment!
Have your own ideas about how to make scale practice more interesting? Leave a comment!
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