The Major Scale in 8 Ways 

Wanna hear something weird? Might be kinda long, but I had some major breakthroughs recently. So, I've struggled with trauma and depression my entire life. This has made it difficult for me to be a good musician (or anything for that matter) , because of how my focus is always shifting to escape pain. Well, after decades of therapy and meditation, the other night I was depressed and just started practicing boring metronome exercises. I was in such a funk, and normally I don't do anything musical when I'm in a funk. That's when I experienced some form of relief from my depression. Doing exercises to a metronome was literally therapeutic for me. Normally, since I have depression, when I do feel good I don't practice boring metronome exercises, I just jam and noodle. So, i never really sat down to master these kinds of simple exercises. What never occurred to me was how exercises like this can help me build my own internal clock, which would in turn help calm me down. It's almost like it's fixing my circadian rhythm, which is normally severely disrupted. When I'm depressed I literally cannot be creative, but I CAN do these exercises. They are boring, mechanical and devoid of emotion, which gels nicely with feelings of depression. I find it oddly therapeutic to do these exercises when I'm in a bad mood, rather than trying to express a bad mood musically. If I try to express a bad mood, I get lost in my trauma. My mistake has been to try and express my trauma rather than use it as a motive to master playing in time. As I stew in my funk, I'm able to develop a skill, and that's totally new to me. I entered my last practice session thinking, "I'm a boring person with a boring life, so I'm going to practice boring exercises to a boring metronome". After about 30 minutes I started to feel better, and had the epiphany that I could use this as literal therapy.

This is golden. As someone who has quite some theoretical knowledge but starting to play jazz piano, this is awesome! I’ve been coming back to your lessons many times now and cant tell you enough how helpful they are. Thank you Adam and OpenStudio team.

This is just what I needed. Structured practice of scales. I've been trying but was getting sick of my ways. Love the pivots. Vaguely heard of them, didn't know what they were. Very cool. Thank you for your patience and kindness in doing this video.

This is my favorite musical education lesson EVER. i would seriously have such a shitty life without Open Studio 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Beautiful, thorough and, like all of Barry's methods, building towards something that automatically creates bebop style language. Everyone should be doing this from day 1.

I'm a guitarist, but thanks for describing these exercises. I picked up some of these from Jens Larsen's videos, and so I'm not surprised to learn he might have gotten some of his concept from Barry Harris, whose workshops he has attended. Really excited to work up to those pivots.

This lesson has been SO helpful! I remember listening to Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on public radio many moons ago and how much I loved those jazz sounds but has no idea what was happening musically. Now, almost 40 years later, I'm learning .

Perfect thanks for this , that’s my next 6 months taken care of

Some of the very best jazz instruction available - on RU-vid or anywhere else. Indeed, some of the very best music instruction in any genre, anywhere.

I hereby promise myself that I will practice this thoroughly in all twelve keys. I will report back here when I am done.

OMG this is beyond fantastic! I wish I had had this video 10-15 years ago!!!! This is pure gold! Please please produce more of these, you are literally going to inspire a new generation of students. I was always so miserable and bored as piano student growing up and in my early 20s. My understanding of scales was limited to liner and contrary motion… it was all about practicing for an examiner, proving to be technically competent to pass to the next level. It never inspired or prepared me for real and wonderful applications of the skills. I’m also really pleased to se a huge increase of youtube videos explaining and teaching Barry Harris’ methodologies. Again I’m almost feeling upset that I never had access to this kind of amazing content.

Just found this, and as a beginner, this is sincerely one of the best things I've come across to practice.

Bb scale we working today! Trumpeters are so thankful

Approaching notes had me in a tizzy for a while until I figured out the approaching note follows the A major scale. So easy now. Works up and down. Even the different modes. (I've only tried Dorian, but I suspect they all should work.) Thank you for this gem.

Y’all should promote the Barry Harris book. This is the chapter “the basics”. There’s a lot more in there obviously…like a ton. Plus videos of him teaching it at some blazing swing tempos.

Hey Adam, thank you for this post showing variations and exercises...some of these I've done but this is taking it to another level. Thanks again.

This is a great way to approach learning ANY scale. I have been scuffling with D Dorian/E-flat Dorian scales ("So What?") and used these patterns to woodshed them. Thanks Adam!

Some very good ideas in how to play scales without being bored.

I adore these instructional video lessons!

Minor scale in 8 ways lets goooo

I’m incredibly excited about this one! Such great work as always!

I applied the jazz enclosures with the arpeggios in those enclosures from his videos. Man my playing has excelled since then.

You made my day!! Incredible useful video for any instrument. Good job

You had me at "taught often by Barry Harris" :) Thank you!! I might have to sign up for your videos; when you said "you got this" going into the double time I was doubting whether I had it, but then it turned out I had it!!

Your videos just keep getting better. I watch TILFBH all the time, but you explained it in a way that didn't totally go over my head.

Great lesson, especially the pivots and approaches!

Thank You for the Lesson!

Thank you Adam very very foundation- an angel from God

Adam, what took you so long to come up with such great game changing video! It is super great. Thanks

I’ve studied theory via RU-vid for 2 years now. I’ve been patiently waiting for this eye opening video. A thousand thanks!!🎶

Very important excersise! Amazing! Thank you Adam!!!😁

Incredible Bro, Thank You.

Great Exercise adam!, super complete

Awesome. Absolutely game changing.

Good stuff for my mind body connection. Thanks for your efforts!

Very cool tips and exercises thanks guys!

That was a HUGELY USEFUL video. Thanks for the content and the course sounds awesome. Going there now :)

i never would have realized this approach...thanks very much Mr. Maness!!! :-)

So very helpful! Thanks!

This is the best lesson I've had in a looooong time… Fantastic.

This is wonderful. I love how my ear could tell which of the approach notes were diatonic and which weren't.

Wow, very nice. You can do these on any instrument, even vocals! Just singing along is a great exercise. Thanks for this.

great stuff as always thanks!

Really interesting stuff. Thank you!

Good stuff, man!

I was searching for your major scales exercises yesterday! haha

I really enjoyed this! Thank you

Very nice am digging this

This is definetly life changing!🙆‍♂

Thanks for the reminder of relationships when playing music . We hear them everyday in all songs .

This are exactly the excersies I need!

very good exercise and still it is melodic. keep it up. god bless you.

Brilliant!

i´m a bass player, love your lessons Adam, pure gold

It's so good thanks

this is great. ive been sitting with Bbmaj for the past week, left hand and right, because i'm approaching learning by key first and the structure has helped me a lot. this is a great free one because im already there and was already doing some of these exercises.

Can you please add time stamps in the description? I keep coming back for reference. Thanks so much for all of your content

Great vid! Same approach taught by my 1st jazz teacher in the '60s, Portland old-school bebopper Mary Field. One thing I just noticed from your graphic: the "pivot" versions (first inversion 7th chords) are also SIXTH CHORDS , a shape Barry references a lot in his vid's and seminars. Trippy!

great lesson thank you

Awesome!

THANKS!

Great Stuff

Great lesson thxxxx

This is going to be amazing as soon as I've learnt B Flat! I will come back in 2 days.

Omg this is almost music! Thank you. This is so helpful!

Thank you very much

Wow these approach note things... I've heard this sound and never understood what was going on before. Thanks man!

This is awesome

This was really helpful. I would only practice scales so I get nervous when it comes to trying notes outside the scale.

Thank you for shouting out Chris at TILFBH. I have learned so much from his channel!

Thank you

This is pure gold! I m a guitarist but anyway. great!

I love these videos! I just wish I could see your hands to check my fingering. Great resource though guys! thank you!

Thanks! I'm off to learn B Flat then I'm coming right back here.

thanks!

Ok now I have something to practice for the next months, thank you Adam. Also I have a question, could the pivot happen with any other chord tone besides the tonic?

Barry Harris -- Family of Dominants--- C diminished 7 four dominant chords from that F7 Ab7 D7 B7 - Yes ADAM going up and down 3rds is great . Taking this and using it in a TUNE is where it counts!!!

At the beginning of the video I was like aaaah Bb, easy peasy! I know that one really well! Then when I started playing the approach notes in double time I got so confused! Great workout as always!

I could never express how this has just changed everything for me ….. im literally a different musician today after watching this .. I play piano and just started learning trumpet and wow this is almost too useful 😃😃 Thank you Thank you Thank you Holy f*@/!n’ sh!t

Also for everyone doing this as a practice routine it is good to sing each of these exercises/ways to help internatlize these better and train your ear

Help with fingerings please

This is great! I plan to work a different key each week. Then how about shifting an applying this to the modes. Going from Bb Major to C Dorian really twists your brain into a pretzel

Great video ! Now try pivots with an approach note

Trying these on guitar and piano. Piano with left hand? more frustration!

This is great! Is there also a suggested fingering for these exercises?

I haven’t finished the video yet so maybe you’ll cover this but I would take the triad and 7th chord exercises and work them with inversion as well

Thanks. I've already been dealing with most of these patterns in my own practice and with students but this is a great presentation.

Great video. Would be helpful to see fingering too. Thanks.

Thanks for the exercise. What fingering should we use for playing the exercises? Cheers

When I’m playing e.g 3-6-2-5-1 do you think of each passing chord as you improvise? Like “on the 3 I can play this triad, on the 6 this broken chord, some melodic generalization, etc..”. With good voice leading of course. Or is it better to have outlines for the whole movement memorized that you can play around with/modify on the fly? Trying to sort my brain out for easy playing. Is it the leading/guide tones I should be thinking mostly as I navigate the chords? Like 7ths to 3rds, 9ths to 5ths, 5 to 1. Just trying to streamline everything. Any help is much appreciated!

In your opinion, how useful is it to learn these exercises with the left hand?

This was a lightbulb moment for me. Amazing. My only critique was that you didn't film your hands...or should I say hand. Especially for the thirds and chords. I'm also trying this hands together. I'm trying to use the 4 and 5 fingers for thirds just to combine a finger strengthening exercise. I just started doing pivots and I'm only doing it in Bb. But when I did pivots, it's like you're just playing a chord underneath. I - minor on the third ii- Major on the third iii- Major on the third IV- minor on the third V- diminished on the third? (Is this correct?) vi- Major on the third vii°- minor on the third Is this some sort of hack that you music guys know inherently? What is different with the IV Major and the V dominant? It might be a stupid question, but I learn better when I ask questions. For my Swiss Boards, the Physiology professor was surprised when I asked him a question during an exam. I told him that if I didn't learn something during an exam it was a waste of time. He gave me a 6, BTW.

Very nice. Would be even better if the fingerings were depicted and discussed.

Great video, however your computer notes are not in sync with the sound. It hurts my brain :)

I am a guitarplayer, but I will never listen to guitar tutorials anymore. On the piano everything seems so much more logical, expecially when its explained that brilliant. And I also dont have to listen to 2 minute "show of shreed" before things get interresting that is so much better ,thank you

Fingerings Help

Greets. I offer my thoughts about the diatonic scales, which have seven notes, and it's weird to play only seven. How about adding the sharp 5 on the way up, flat 6 on the way down, giving us eight and eight. Think of it like the Thirds. Just a thought, something I do, to tidy things up, or down, as it were.

Can add a bit of forward motion to spice it a little more.

👍

This is a great and simple exercise! I used to do it before in University, haven't practiced it in a while another useful one is playing the arpeggios of the chord but begin in another note that is not the root, playing the inversions.