How to Play the Right Notes in Any Key by Making a Scale Scheme

Written by Zlata Brouwer
Published: August 8, 2014 at 1:48 PM [UTC]

This weeks’ episode of Violin Lounge TV is all about making a 'Scale Scheme'.

This is something I do with my private students a lot. It makes you understand playing in different keys better. You will know what fingering (high or low) to use. Also it’s an easy way to practice scales.

Lots of people are confused by all the sharps and flats. They have difficulties with playing in different keys and don’t know if they should use a high or a low finger position. Do you recognize this struggle?

It’s a good exercise to make the Scale Scheme yourself. Don’t ask your teacher or someone else to do it for you. Make one yourself, play it through and compare it to the key you are supposed to play in.

This is how you make a Scale Scheme:

• First make a drawing of the four strings and write their names above it. It’s like a map of your fingerboard.


• Write all the possible fingerings down next to the strings including the low and high versions you know.


• You can make these scheme’s with one octave scales up to four octave scales.

Please see the Scale Scheme of the G major two octave scale I made in the video here on the right. You can use it as an example of the scale scheme you would like to make. This depends on the key of the piece you are practicing or on the scale you want to practice.

I hope this video is helpful to you.

Is this useful to you? Please let me know in the comments below!

Love,

Zlata

PS: Do you have questions or struggles on violin or viola playing? Post a comment below or send an e-mail to info@violinlounge.com and I might dedicate a Violin Lounge TV episode to answering your question!

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