i posted earlier about problems about sloppy scales and my problems with muffling, thats getting a little better, but i find myself trying to blaze through these scales, is that normal? or bad practice habits, or just lousy dicipline?
It is better to play cleanly and consistantly than fast.
Speed will come in time.
If you are playing a nice steady rhythm with smooth transitions from note to note and still able to play fast more power to you, but make sure your speed is not hiding sloppy playing.
Well, I think it is quite normal to want to blaze through the scales but it is not necessarily a good way to practice. The best approach is to start off slowly and make sure your timing is equal between notes. Then as you get more comfortable with the pace then start to speed it up. When you make a mistake or get off timing then slow it back down.
The best practice habit is to do it with a metronome starting at a speed you are good with then little by little speeding up. The metronome is a good way of teaching yourself discipline. Think of it as a challenge to stay on beat with the clicks of the metronome.
I would have to agree with the use of the metronome, sometimes it drives me crazy but it has helped a bunch...
Cash is cool
I had the exact same problem as you, trying to blaze threw scales. GET A METRONOME NOW. Set it to about 40-50bpm and fall all over your self about how bad your timeing is.
The 40bpm might sound super slow but for me it really brought how bad my timeing was.
I think the most important thing about scales is.......... listening to each note, one by one. It's not how fast you can play them, it's what you get out of them.
Scales help you move around the fret board note by note, remember that!
What you do with scales is up to you but, don't practice them so you can say you can play them. Practice them so you can understand them and build upon them.
As always, have fun!!!
To get the most out of your scales practice:
practice playing the note while you say the note name.
practice playing the note while you say the scale degree.
practice playing the scale in wierd intervals (1 3 5 8 11 13 15 2 etc.)
practice playing the scale with just 2 notes per string, 3 notes per string, 4 notes per string, etc.
There is so much musically to get in mastering just the major scale. There's nothing to rush here at all.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
