Re: [Harp-L] re: what's a scale

[Pierre <plavio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rainbow Jimmy said:

Could you do all this by ear? Sure. It's just easier with a little theory.

Having said this. please don't just solo by running up and down the
scale. All that shows is you practice your scales. Do something with
the notes.

Yes, certainly a good idea to connect it to what you are playing, but I 
would add: do something with the scales too as you go up and down, learn 
them (i.e. really learn them). Do them with different rhythyms also learn to 
accent any note up or down, hard or soft without losing the beat. Learn to 
turnaround or start on any note, learn to skip one or more notes each time 
around in the scale. My son the hot shot guitar player, says: I dont need to 
practice this (dynamics), I can play a note hard when I need to, no 
problemo. I say ok, show me, so he plays a pentatonic scale and to his 
amazment, when he plays one note hard, the next one is hard too. Yuk, yuk, 
told you so.

Fact is, its a bit difficult to do many scale on a diatonic unless you can 
play chromatically, but even if you just learn those scales that are easy to 
play in easy positions well, it could really help someone increase their 
versatility.

Pierre.