Chapter 8: Technique Development
IN THIS LESSON
Learn some methods for developing your technical skills using scale patterns, dexterity exercises and chromatic scales.
Scale Patterns
Scales and scale patterns are essential for technical development and should be utilized along side your daily tone development. These will help you learn and become more comfortable with different finger patterns that you can apply to your music later on.
This scale pattern can be applied across all key signatures, but here are three common keys (Bb, Eb and F) to get you started. These can and should be practiced slow to fast.
Remember to:
Always start with a good breath.
Set your embouchure before you play.
Think about directing your airstream through the phrase.
Move your fingers and tongue perfectly in time with a metronome.
Keep your fingers close and rounded. Don’t allow them to “fly” away from the keys.
Finger Dexterity Exercises
Developing your dexterity is important for working up towards faster, more technical passages that you may come across in music. Remember to work these slow to fast and focus on playing within your best possible sound and finger technique. Practice these in all keys and utilize the different articulation variations.
You can also come up with your own articulation variations depending on your needs!
