Why Learn Scales?

Scales get a bad rap, but they’re one of the most useful things you can spend time on. They build technique — sharpening finger dexterity, hand coordination and overall playing technique, which makes complex pieces genuinely easier. They build muscle memory — practice them enough and your fingers or slide arm find the notes without conscious thought, which carries straight into new pieces and styles. They teach you music theory — scales are the building blocks, and learning them helps you understand how notes, chords and keys relate. They train your ear — sharpening your sense of individual notes and intervals, which makes it easier to pick out melodies and improvise or compose. And they fuel creativity — once you’ve got the technical and theoretical grounding, you’ve got a real foundation for finding melodies and harmonies that sound like you.

Because they make you a better player, a better theorist, and a more creative musician — that’s a lot of return for something that just looks like going up and down the notes in order.

See also: practical tips for learning scales.