Beginner Finger exercise

[tatooandy67]

I came across this exercise on YT recently, not sure how to post a link so I'll explain it as best as I can.....
Start with a Cmaj scale lower octave
Play low C, middle C, B, middle C, A, middle C, G, middle C, F, middle C, E, middle C, D, middle C and finish on low C.
I start at around 60bpm at 2 notes per beat increasing speed as I get more comfortable, then I use the same pattern through all the major scales that I currently know, I've found this exercise very helpful to get the notes under my fingers, and to get my fingers moving with more fluidity

If you're new to sax you may find this a helpful way to get your fingers moving more freely as well as adding a bit of fun to practicing scales

 

[brianr]

sounds great.

you could try going back up also.

so... low c mid c. /low d mid c,/ low e mid c etc etc.

try it tongued and slurred

also try going up in to the 2nd octave with mid c as pivot note.
or down from high c

 

[tatooandy67]

sounds great.

you could try going back up also.

so... low c mid c. /low d mid c,/ low e mid c etc etc.

try it tongued and slurred

also try going up in to the 2nd octave with mid c as pivot note.
or down from high c

I've tried the upper octaves but not tried it in reverse yet, so thanks for that I'll give that a go tonight.
It seems a simple task in Cmaj but I find my fingers stumble a bit over some of the scales, Bmaj being one of the more tricky ones for me, although the more practice the easier they get.

 

[brianr]

I've tried the upper octaves but not tried it in reverse yet, so thanks for that I'll give that a go tonight.
It seems a simple task in Cmaj but I find my fingers stumble a bit over some of the scales, Bmaj being one of the more tricky ones for me, although the more practice the easier they get.

rather than get in to the trickier scales too soon which can be confusing, it can sometimes be helpful to only deal with so called easy scales initially, until you are comfortable. once you have the sound of the pattern in your head with these keys, it can often make it easier to play the pattern in a more difficult key.
im not saying dont tackle the tricky ones. just not initially.

another little thing. if trying to learn it in a more difficult key, ignore the metronome initially.
getting the right notes doesnt need the additional pressure.
play it as slowly as you need, to play it correctly. ie sit on a note for ages if you need to, puzzling it out in your brain, until your brain and/or ear tell you which is the correct note.
there is no hurry. being correct eventually is much more beneficial than faffing about, playing loads of wrong notes. practice correctness, not faffing about, groping for notes.

then when secure, add the metronome. possibly even start with one note per beat

good luck

 

[tatooandy67]

Completely agree with all of that, especially the part about being careful to ensure practicing correctly, nothing worse than committing wrong notes to 'muscle memory '
My teacher always says the same thing at the start and end of every lesson, play the right notes in the right order slowly until comfortable then increase the tempo but always ensure accuracy

 

[brianr]

My teacher always says the same thing at the start and end of every lesson, play the right notes in the right order slowly until comfortable then increase the tempo but always ensure accuracy

sounds like my kind of teacher.

stick with him/her.

 

[Zugzwang]

Hi Andy, I find using numbers a useful way to type/handwrite music, especially exercises.
Taking the major scale as the base, a rising scale would be
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (8 being the octave - if you want to keep going, put 1* etc)
And when it comes to other scales - minors, blues etc you can use b for flat and # for sharp, still using the major as your baseline .
So e.g. G7 chord/arpeggio would be
1 3 5 b7 starting on G
Makes it easy to do exercises in multiple keys.

 

[tatooandy67]

Hi @Zugzwang
Great suggestion, I'll give this a try when I get home thank you.