The basic definition of a scale is a set of musical notes arranged in order. There are numerous types of scales, each with its own individual sound, some containing different numbers of notes. The varieties of sound they produce are due to the patterns of intervals (distance between notes) within each scale.

We will explore the rainbow of scales! Major, minor, pentatonic, blues, to name a few!

Scales are a the bridge between players and composers. It’s almost like befriending the alphabet. But in our case, there are many! And each tells us something - about where in the world the music we are playing might be from, or the time it may have been written. Scales also offer us insight into how the patterns sound and feel well before we see how each composer used them to create her own sound!

There are various approaches to scales in String Pedagogy. From Carl Flesch to Galamian, to any number of other versions. Ask your teacher first and foremost! I will always have extra copies of 1-3 Octave Scales handy as well!