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If I broke up the steps of learning a scale (and the same could apply to an articulation pattern), it'd go like this:
1. memorise the note names of the scale from book. Close the book.
2. play scale slowly on a keyboard (transposition on so it sounds the same pitch as the sax I'm playing) the full range of notes I can play on sax
3. hum/sing along as I play this scale slowly
4. pick up the sax and play same notes from memory
Steps 5-zillion; variations: from each note of scale, in all 12 keys, various articulations, dynamics, speed, embellishments, intervallics... imagination!
This attempts to avoid the 'fingers do the walkin' / mind leading body' approach which removes 'listening' from the workout.
Sight reading scales? This is a classical hangup. In the classical world you play everything as written, the page leads the musician. Aimed at exams. So no surprise then that James Rae is the author of several 'classically inspired' books of dead pan etudes, popular with classically inspired examination boards and their grades.
You'd only do that to get the sound / pattern into your memory. If it's already there, move on! See Steps 5-zillion above and think how long it'll take to achieve these. So there's plenty else to do.
And this is only the notes - this isn't even really music! There's nothing to be gained from playing scales over n over by reading from a page. You'll get bored, that'll come through in your playing, and worst, you ears will switch off.
If you had a speech to give, would you check a dictionary over and over for each word and expect to improve the speech? Never worked for me.
Simon
PS Another approach is to completely ignore all the scale practice, and build up a library of tunes, licks etc that you hear as part of your vocab and can play because you want to play them (as opposed to being told 'these notes work together').
When you think about it, this is what we're trying to achieve anyway. The scale / technique approach can eventually be music (if you get into Steps 5-zillion as well) or it can be (and sound) like a bunch of technically spasms that no-one much likes listening to (if you get stuck on Steps 1-4).
PPS Sorry bout the rant.
1. memorise the note names of the scale from book. Close the book.
2. play scale slowly on a keyboard (transposition on so it sounds the same pitch as the sax I'm playing) the full range of notes I can play on sax
3. hum/sing along as I play this scale slowly
4. pick up the sax and play same notes from memory
Steps 5-zillion; variations: from each note of scale, in all 12 keys, various articulations, dynamics, speed, embellishments, intervallics... imagination!
This attempts to avoid the 'fingers do the walkin' / mind leading body' approach which removes 'listening' from the workout.
Sight reading scales? This is a classical hangup. In the classical world you play everything as written, the page leads the musician. Aimed at exams. So no surprise then that James Rae is the author of several 'classically inspired' books of dead pan etudes, popular with classically inspired examination boards and their grades.
You'd only do that to get the sound / pattern into your memory. If it's already there, move on! See Steps 5-zillion above and think how long it'll take to achieve these. So there's plenty else to do.
And this is only the notes - this isn't even really music! There's nothing to be gained from playing scales over n over by reading from a page. You'll get bored, that'll come through in your playing, and worst, you ears will switch off.
If you had a speech to give, would you check a dictionary over and over for each word and expect to improve the speech? Never worked for me.
Simon
PS Another approach is to completely ignore all the scale practice, and build up a library of tunes, licks etc that you hear as part of your vocab and can play because you want to play them (as opposed to being told 'these notes work together').
When you think about it, this is what we're trying to achieve anyway. The scale / technique approach can eventually be music (if you get into Steps 5-zillion as well) or it can be (and sound) like a bunch of technically spasms that no-one much likes listening to (if you get stuck on Steps 1-4).
PPS Sorry bout the rant.
