Dude... you totally demystified learning scales for me. All the videos online telling you how to memorize them and practice them and did made it so easy. Your content truly is invaluable. Thank you for all your content.
My teacher started scales with the same analogy! But what it was lacking was the circle of 5ths explanation. Since the first scale class I had (3 weeks ago) I've been take it apart the analogy to understanding better (scale pattern, whole/half steps, etc...) You take me back to where I started, but with the circle of 5ths in mind it's a lot easier. Thanks for sharing your knowledge
Scott, you made my day! 👌🏻 I just realized that when adding a # that it is actually the last but one from the circle of fifth, so if you go from D scale to A scale you add G# because the G scale is the 2nd last on the circle - it always follows this pattern which I didn’t realize until today 😃
I really love how often you’re posting, Scott! Clearly you realize how much time there is to play these days, and you are taking advantage of that. Thank you for that.
Am 71 no formal music Ed.Am Goin to music school tenor sax... Circle of 5ths terrified me. You just gave me the key to mastering scales and the fifths. My fears are gone. I am going to replay this again and a gain. I love it.Thanks very very much...
Hi Scott , I had my first Skype lesson with you two weeks ago (really appreciated that) and you had me start working on my major scales. Like in this video, you had me write down the C, G, D, etc progression along with the the added #’s for each key. But seeing this within the Circle of Fifths really switched on the light for me. Resolved a lot of questions and will save a lot of unnecessary mental gymnastics. I love the way you play but REALLY appreciate the way you think and teach.
A good way to remember the C scale in a song is the high pitched backing vocals in The Beatles song Hello Goodbye ( 'Hello goodbye hello goodbye....' ). That's just a natural ascension of the C major scale.
I came to this way of approach to the scales on my own, glad to hear I was right...One more trick: for scales with five or more sharps (or flats) you think about which notes are NOT changed...it is much easier. For instance: H major, everything is sharp except E and H. Another trick I use to organize practicing in order to always know what to practice: if today is monday (first day in the week here) I always practice scales with one sharp and one flat: Dm, F, Em, G. So on monday I practice 4 scales with one sharp or flat. Notice the order of practicing: since from the very beginning of learning we learned first major scales with sharps we usually end up less familiar with minor flats, thats why I start daily practice with minor flat scale than go to major flat, tham minor sharp and finaly major sharp...hope this will be helpful for somebody. Cheers!
Hello Scott. Watching you videos for the past six months and would like to thank you for a ton of valuable, clear cut tutorials you publish. This is a wealth of information for students of any level. Thank you.
Hi mate, I was just practicing improving my ability to recall the whole-step/half-step order and thought there had to be a more efficient way as it was time consuming and mentally intense, I actually hypothesised this was the way to do it and then when I saw this video it consolidated my theory, thank you for providing a clear advanced explanation of it, it helped with my learning a lot.
OMG I’ve done the C G F D A & E scales and its taking me months to learn and the E scale was still bugging me, until this which explains it. A copy of the wheel on the wall and its so simple that hopefully its not going to take me another 6 months to do the flat side of the wheel, and watching every video that you have made.
That’s pretty simple. Thanks! When I practice scales I practice around the circle of 5ths and then I turn it the other way and practice circle of 4ths. I’m trying to incorporate the minor in there but my ears just don’t cooperate. I do the same for long tones with a tuner by playing the roots. These are my warm ups. They have really helped me a lot. Looking forward to your circle of 5ths lesson.
Great video. I struggle to practice my scales because I don’t feel confident knowing them, but this will be really useful to practice them often, which is something that we should all be doing.
@@ScottPaddock Thanks for this! This method of scale-work has made sense for me on the guitar for some time but mostly by feel and by being able to clearly see the fretboard through the circle of fifths. As a beginner on the tenor your clear way of explaining the circle of fifths' relation to the instrument just inspired me to get back to practicing my scales after feeling a bit clunky & helpless in the shed. Liked & subscribed!
Thanks Scott, that has always been the problem for me. Scales are the blocking point between me and improvisation. I can never seem to remember the darn things. You know, I have asked others about way/method to memorize scales, they just say "repetition". Unfortunately that doesn't work for me. I need to understand "How and why". You way seems way more logical. Looking forward for more videos on scales and understanding / memorizing them.
Brilllant !!!! Learned all the scales in 10 minutes. Thank you very much. It is not that frequent that one is illuminated.......today is one of those daya. It seems to me like I made a quantum leap in learning music.
That’s pretty simple. Thanks! When I practice scales I practice around the circle of 5ths and then I turn it the other way and practice circle of 4ths. I’m trying to incorporate the minor in there but my ears just don’t cooperate. I do the same for long tones with a tuner by playing the roots. These are my warm ups. They have really helped me a lot.
I am so glad to find this. I am a clarinet guy who, now that I have some time on my hands, wants to become "good." I am going CRAZY trying to remember scales. I intend to watch this tonight for as many times as it takes to understand it. (I figure between 450 and 500 times. Just a guess on my part..)
Yeah, this is a great way to do it. I also teach scales in my Sax School, while the school is based on the saxophone, as a clarinet player you could easily follow along with the scales lessons for tenor (Bb instruments). You'd have them memorized and down pretty quickly: www.scottpaddocksaxschool.com
Scott I just had the most demoralising lesson with a sax teacher for the first time. I have been playing for years (badly) and I am 60 years old. I left feeling like I was too old to 'get' this. Thanks so much for this video it has been incredibly helpful
@@ScottPaddock That looks like a great idea however I can not afford your monthly fees. In the meantime I shall work through your great tutorials and try to progress. I have got as far as I can get playing backing tracks on RUclips, I need to understand the keys more thoroughly and your video gave me an incredible insight, thanks
Thank you for this video. Makes perfect sense. Love your teaching style. I play trombone and you are exactly right about not being able to see the notes like on a piano.
I started with the clarinet and only now into sax. Instead of thinking scales, which is too compliacated for me, I have always played in terms of intervals from one finger position to the next. Like, jow do i go up minor third from this or that finger posistion. I dont know if it's a good way to do it but it'a all my head can get a grasp of melodies. Intervals from one note to the next. Guitarist John Schofield, if i remember correctly recommended something similar.
Sweet... Had to watch this video a couple times to make it sink in. Playing octave to octave, while throwing in a sharp or flat is totally a game changer. Thank you for sharing this technique . It's really making the learning process more enjoyable.
At this writing, 15 people who do not like working scales. No pain no gain! Today I played several songs on tenor in C# (7#’s). Concert B natural. Gotta know scales because - never know.
Big help my friend. Now I understand my scales better. Although you didn't delve into the circle of fifths, which I was struggling with, I now understand it perfectly.
Hey, I'm launching an online sax school in the near future, it will help you get headed very quickly in the right direction. Keep an eye out for the launch announcement .
Cool! Makes it so easy. I can’t wait to watch more of your videos. Fast and straight to the point, but enough recaps to reinforce your concepts. Thank you Scott.
Easy-peasy on major scales. Minor too. Mixolydian too. But what about modal scales? I like playing raga & Turkish scales (although Turkish uses some odd slightly sharp or slightly flat notes). Turkish hicaz is a favorite (there's an odd punctuation mark under the C that I can't type - it's pronounced hijaz). It's like a minor scale, but instead of flatting the 3rd, you flat the 2nd. The intervals put half-steps adjacent to minor 3rds. It is a deeper & spookier scale. It's used a lot in certain prayers. But anyway, Scott Padlocks (sic) on a lot of good tips.
Scott, you are just such an amazing teacher. The way you put things are totally different than anyone else. I need to move next door to you 🤣. Thank you for your time and that great lesson 🎷👍
Great job on the circle of 5ths. The mirror of 5ths/4ths and it's universal mnemonic device is an alternative for those who will find the circle of 5ths a bit intimidating. The book the mirror of 5ths/4ths decoding the circle after 300+ years explains how the mirror works in details.
Scott ___ As a 'Guitar Player, I learned the Scale, ends on the 7th, and the 1/2 tones occur between the, B&C, and E&F, also that, the 'Modes, are both in, 'Series, and in, Parallel.
Well I am your typical student 🤣 I don't know all my scales. However! This is the most unique organization I have ever seen! I will begin to memorize this method. Thanks Scott!!! Be safe!!
Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half is a good way to remember. Whatever note you start on, just go up w, w, h, w, w, w, h. Having the chromatic scale solidly under your fingers makes this easy to do without thinking too much.
I always played my scales starting from the lowest note, going up. Bb, B, C, C#, etc. Each scale went to the highest note of my sax, excluding altissimo, then went down to the lowest note, then back up to the starting note. This was pretty easy, and I assumed I knew my scales. Then one day, out of boredom, I started at high F, and tried playing the scales from the highest note going down. As simple as this sounds, I screwed up several of them. I guess I never really knew some of the scales. I had just memorized what notes to play next. Now I mix it up as much as possible.
They way I teach it, is learn it around the circle of 5ths/4th. Then chromatic (like you were doing from low Bb then B etc). Then full range from the lowest note on the sax to the highest. You skipped the first step which is where all of the organization comes in. Should be an easy fix.
Thanks a lot Scott, probably the best scale lesson ever, even my wife tried without me getting it. Still, I learned music the continental way so I keep thinking in « do re mi fa sol la si do » and have to translate the ABCDEFGA.
Thankyou and what's up Scott.. 😁 ..im gonna get my head round this as you suggest there's no reason to complicate things.. and I'm all for that way of learning .. cheers mate
I thought about it as going round the sharps the one to add is the 7th. Going anti-clockwise round the flats the one to add is the 7th of the previous key.
Dude... you totally demystified learning scales for me. All the videos online telling you how to memorize them and practice them and did made it so easy. Your content truly is invaluable. Thank you for all your content.
Glad that it helped!!!
Dude, I've been struggling with this for 2 years. Two years. One 10 minute video and I will never forget them again. Thanks!
Yeah man, once you organize these things it gets a lot easier to remember.
Me too, 2 years exactly!!! Thank you Scott Paddock,😊
Scott, from the UK many thanks. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Scott for sharing your gift of music with all of us. Even the pros can learn from your teaching.
My teacher started scales with the same analogy! But what it was lacking was the circle of 5ths explanation. Since the first scale class I had (3 weeks ago) I've been take it apart the analogy to understanding better (scale pattern, whole/half steps, etc...) You take me back to where I started, but with the circle of 5ths in mind it's a lot easier. Thanks for sharing your knowledge
Scott, you made my day! 👌🏻 I just realized that when adding a # that it is actually the last but one from the circle of fifth, so if you go from D scale to A scale you add G# because the G scale is the 2nd last on the circle - it always follows this pattern which I didn’t realize until today 😃
I really love how often you’re posting, Scott! Clearly you realize how much time there is to play these days, and you are taking advantage of that. Thank you for that.
I'm trying to do 3 times a week. I'll be doing that through May and hopefully June and then take a look at what the reaction has been to it.
Scott Paddock I’m liking it!!! I missed it when you were touring.
Am 71 no formal music Ed.Am Goin to music school tenor sax... Circle of 5ths terrified me. You just gave me the key to mastering scales and the fifths. My fears are gone. I am going to replay this again and a gain. I love it.Thanks very very much...
Hi Scott , I had my first Skype lesson with you two weeks ago (really appreciated that) and you had me start working on my major scales. Like in this video, you had me write down the C, G, D, etc progression along with the the added #’s for each key. But seeing this within the Circle of Fifths really switched on the light for me. Resolved a lot of questions and will save a lot of unnecessary mental gymnastics. I love the way you play but REALLY appreciate the way you think and teach.
A good way to remember the C scale in a song is the high pitched backing vocals in The Beatles song Hello Goodbye ( 'Hello goodbye hello goodbye....' ). That's just a natural ascension of the C major scale.
I can’t believe no one ever broke it down like this. I’ve been trying for years to learn my scales. You made the lesson so simple. THANKS. 😊❤
I came to this way of approach to the scales on my own, glad to hear I was right...One more trick: for scales with five or more sharps (or flats) you think about which notes are NOT changed...it is much easier. For instance: H major, everything is sharp except E and H. Another trick I use to organize practicing in order to always know what to practice: if today is monday (first day in the week here) I always practice scales with one sharp and one flat: Dm, F, Em, G. So on monday I practice 4 scales with one sharp or flat. Notice the order of practicing: since from the very beginning of learning we learned first major scales with sharps we usually end up less familiar with minor flats, thats why I start daily practice with minor flat scale than go to major flat, tham minor sharp and finaly major sharp...hope this will be helpful for somebody. Cheers!
H major!?
Hello Scott. Watching you videos for the past six months and would like to thank you for a ton of valuable, clear cut tutorials you publish. This is a wealth of information for students of any level. Thank you.
DUDE!!!! took me an hour searching for the right video but THANK YOU for breaking this down in a comprehensive and easily systematic way!!
Thank you. Great lesson simplifying and taking the work out of scale memorisation .
Hi mate, I was just practicing improving my ability to recall the whole-step/half-step order and thought there had to be a more efficient way as it was time consuming and mentally intense, I actually hypothesised this was the way to do it and then when I saw this video it consolidated my theory, thank you for providing a clear advanced explanation of it, it helped with my learning a lot.
OMG I’ve done the C G F D A & E scales and its taking me months to learn and the E scale was still bugging me, until this which explains it. A copy of the wheel on the wall and its so simple that hopefully its not going to take me another 6 months to do the flat side of the wheel, and watching every video that you have made.
Thanks Scott, I really need your sort of help/teaching. You have a way of cutting straight to the mustard.
That’s pretty simple. Thanks! When I practice scales I practice around the circle of 5ths and then I turn it the other way and practice circle of 4ths. I’m trying to incorporate the minor in there but my ears just don’t cooperate. I do the same for long tones with a tuner by playing the roots. These are my warm ups. They have really helped me a lot. Looking forward to your circle of 5ths lesson.
Scott, from the UK many thanks and keep up the good work.
got a chair test tomorrow, and this really helps, thanks! I will let you know how it goes
got 2nd chair
I was already into scales and had figured out my tricks to learn them, but this is definitely much better! Keep posting Scott!
I know my major scales, but I learned them the hard way. (Wah wah waaaah) This is very cool with the Circle of Fifths! Love it! Thanks!
Hey Becky, yeah, this makes it a whole lot easier!
Thank god for you, 3 years of struggling to remember and now I know just in time for All-State
I thought I had to remember each and every scale but this video... Made things for me way easier It was a huge help.
I always use "BEAD GCF" (Gold, Crystal, Fire lol) to remember the order of flats, and sharps.
👍
Great video. I struggle to practice my scales because I don’t feel confident knowing them, but this will be really useful to practice them often, which is something that we should all be doing.
This is way of learning the scales is going to help A LOT!
@@ScottPaddock Thanks for this! This method of scale-work has made sense for me on the guitar for some time but mostly by feel and by being able to clearly see the fretboard through the circle of fifths. As a beginner on the tenor your clear way of explaining the circle of fifths' relation to the instrument just inspired me to get back to practicing my scales after feeling a bit clunky & helpless in the shed. Liked & subscribed!
You make it very simple 😂😂😂 Brother..... watching from Ghana Africa 🌍 thank you
Thank you so much, you have just made scales so much easier to understand and removed the fear of learning. Thank you again.
Thanks Scott, that has always been the problem for me. Scales are the blocking point between me and improvisation. I can never seem to remember the darn things.
You know, I have asked others about way/method to memorize scales, they just say "repetition". Unfortunately that doesn't work for me. I need to understand "How and why".
You way seems way more logical.
Looking forward for more videos on scales and understanding / memorizing them.
Brilllant !!!! Learned all the scales in 10 minutes. Thank you very much. It is not that frequent that one is illuminated.......today is one of those daya. It seems to me like I made a quantum leap in learning music.
That's awesome! Yeah, sometimes when you can see the info organized in a really easy fashion, it makes perfect sense and you can zoom through it.
Scott, you are the best teacher posting on RUclips. I really value and appreciate your efforts. Thanks for your time. Richard.
Wow, thanks!
That’s pretty simple. Thanks! When I practice scales I practice around the circle of 5ths and then I turn it the other way and practice circle of 4ths. I’m trying to incorporate the minor in there but my ears just don’t cooperate. I do the same for long tones with a tuner by playing the roots. These are my warm ups. They have really helped me a lot.
Such a great way to remember the scales thank you scott, from where i can download the page he is using ? Thank you
I am so glad to find this. I am a clarinet guy who, now that I have some time on my hands, wants to become "good." I am going CRAZY trying to remember scales. I intend to watch this tonight for as many times as it takes to understand it. (I figure between 450 and 500 times. Just a guess on my part..)
Yeah, this is a great way to do it. I also teach scales in my Sax School, while the school is based on the saxophone, as a clarinet player you could easily follow along with the scales lessons for tenor (Bb instruments). You'd have them memorized and down pretty quickly: www.scottpaddocksaxschool.com
Scott I just had the most demoralising lesson with a sax teacher for the first time. I have been playing for years (badly) and I am 60 years old. I left feeling like I was too old to 'get' this. Thanks so much for this video it has been incredibly helpful
Hey! Sounds like you might have the wrong teacher. You should check out my Sax School!
@@ScottPaddock That looks like a great idea however I can not afford your monthly fees. In the meantime I shall work through your great tutorials and try to progress. I have got as far as I can get playing backing tracks on RUclips, I need to understand the keys more thoroughly and your video gave me an incredible insight, thanks
@@jcrego 👍👍👍 I've done some RUclips videos on improv and how chords work together. Those might be helpful for you too.
@@ScottPaddock have been watching they are amazingly helpful. Thank you so much
I never heard it explained like this. Sure did help. Now all I need to do is Practice..Practice...Practice. Thanks Mr. Paddock!
Thank you for this video. Makes perfect sense. Love your teaching style. I play trombone and you are exactly right about not being able to see the notes like on a piano.
Omg. That is so simple... I've had 3 teachers and never had it explained this way. I get it. Thank you so much 🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷
Just got turned on to you. I'm trying to tech myself sax and I dig it. Planning on joining up when some health issues subside
I started with the clarinet and only now into sax.
Instead of thinking scales, which is too compliacated for me, I have always played in terms of intervals from one finger position to the next.
Like, jow do i go up minor third from this or that finger posistion. I dont know if it's a good way to do it but it'a all my head can get a grasp of melodies. Intervals from one note to the next.
Guitarist John Schofield, if i remember correctly recommended something similar.
You have no idea how helpful this is, gods work.
Sweet... Had to watch this video a couple times to make it sink in. Playing octave to octave, while throwing in a sharp or flat is totally a game changer. Thank you for sharing this technique . It's really making the learning process more enjoyable.
Brilliant thanks for sharing very informative Scott....
I was cramming keys but this is a great eye opener. I love ur method
At this writing, 15 people who do not like working scales. No pain no gain! Today I played several songs on tenor in C# (7#’s). Concert B natural. Gotta know scales because - never know.
Big help my friend. Now I understand my scales better. Although you didn't delve into the circle of fifths, which I was struggling with, I now understand it perfectly.
Ad modum Paddock. YOU ROCK. Keep it comming. Big hug from Norway
I'm going to get the Circle of Fifths tattoed on my wrist. Thanks, Scott.
WTF. Genius. This makes sense. Straight to point
I appreciate your presentation...you make it easy to remember the lessons.😊
this is fucking GOLD❤. I been struggling to 'remember' these for THIRTY 'kin years. Finally - makes sense
Thanks alot Scott, just started learning the alto sax..
Hey, I'm launching an online sax school in the near future, it will help you get headed very quickly in the right direction. Keep an eye out for the launch announcement .
thanks for the advice and you bless us with information that is easy to use but worth its time in gold. love your intro too
Cool! Makes it so easy. I can’t wait to watch more of your videos. Fast and straight to the point, but enough recaps to reinforce your concepts. Thank you Scott.
Thanks!
Beauuuutiful information and understand it, thank you so much
Easy-peasy on major scales. Minor too. Mixolydian too. But what about modal scales? I like playing raga & Turkish scales (although Turkish uses some odd slightly sharp or slightly flat notes). Turkish hicaz is a favorite (there's an odd punctuation mark under the C that I can't type - it's pronounced hijaz). It's like a minor scale, but instead of flatting the 3rd, you flat the 2nd. The intervals put half-steps adjacent to minor 3rds. It is a deeper & spookier scale. It's used a lot in certain prayers. But anyway, Scott Padlocks (sic) on a lot of good tips.
Scott, you are just such an amazing teacher. The way you put things are totally different than anyone else. I need to move next door to you 🤣. Thank you for your time and that great lesson 🎷👍
Great job on the circle of 5ths. The mirror of 5ths/4ths and it's universal mnemonic device is an alternative for those who will find the circle of 5ths a bit intimidating. The book the mirror of 5ths/4ths decoding the circle after 300+ years explains how the mirror works in details.
That's a great way of memorizing them, I'll put it to practice right up. Never thought of them that way. Thanks
Scott ___ As a 'Guitar Player, I learned the Scale, ends on the 7th, and the 1/2 tones occur between the, B&C, and E&F, also that, the 'Modes, are both in, 'Series, and in, Parallel.
Well I am your typical student 🤣 I don't know all my scales. However! This is the most unique organization I have ever seen! I will begin to memorize this method. Thanks Scott!!! Be safe!!
Scott Paddock is a great teacher
Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half is a good way to remember. Whatever note you start on, just go up w, w, h, w, w, w, h. Having the chromatic scale solidly under your fingers makes this easy to do without thinking too much.
thank you so much for this video its helped me out so much .
wow I just memorized three scales and three relative minor scales in 20 minutes because of this method.
How come I never thought about this????!! Thank you Scott. I really appreciate your help and your videos. They teach me a lot.
Happy to help!
Thanks Scott. Looking forward to more on the circle of 5ths.
More to come!
This was such a good video,very straight to the point. Will most definitely be using this method when practicing my scales!!
Thanks! You'll have your scales memorized in no time.
I always played my scales starting from the lowest note, going up. Bb, B, C, C#, etc. Each scale went to the highest note of my sax, excluding altissimo, then went down to the lowest note, then back up to the starting note. This was pretty easy, and I assumed I knew my scales. Then one day, out of boredom, I started at high F, and tried playing the scales from the highest note going down. As simple as this sounds, I screwed up several of them. I guess I never really knew some of the scales. I had just memorized what notes to play next. Now I mix it up as much as possible.
They way I teach it, is learn it around the circle of 5ths/4th. Then chromatic (like you were doing from low Bb then B etc). Then full range from the lowest note on the sax to the highest. You skipped the first step which is where all of the organization comes in. Should be an easy fix.
Scott Paddock I tried it your way tonight, and I liked it. It is easier to learn the scale, and actually know what sharps or flats are in the scale.
Wowwwwwwwwww ! Thanks a lot Scott !
That was awesome! Thank you
Excellent - very useful thanks
I Like your method,you are good
Thank you Scott. Very clear and easy to understand.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks a lot Scott, probably the best scale lesson ever, even my wife tried without me getting it. Still, I learned music the continental way so I keep thinking in « do re mi fa sol la si do » and have to translate the ABCDEFGA.
All of my European students did it that way.
You really make things easier. Great job.
Thank you !!! 🙏 🙌
Another clear, relevant and super solid tutorial, thank you.
Father Charles Goes Down and Empties Bottles : Bottles Empty And Down Goes Charles's Father
I learned Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Baloney
Thankyou and what's up Scott.. 😁
..im gonna get my head round this as you suggest there's no reason to complicate things.. and I'm all for that way of learning .. cheers mate
Invaluable lesson..thanks..you clarified a lot for me..
Excelente job at going to the point and in a practical way, you are good!
Tysm!!!!! This helped a lot. Now i can qualify foe area. Band!
Man this is great insight !
Awesome content my dude. I've been loving your videos. Plenty of helpful gems on your channel
Thanks!
whats??? this theory is FREE???? THANKYOU SCOTT!!!
Thank you very much for your videos Scott, always really helpful
It's always good to hear your explanations, even though I know all this. Thanks for the clarity!
😁😁
This is superb info!! You made it so much easier to remember
That was really good thank you.
i need to memorize them for my audition and i needed this 💀
Okay I am going to look at this a few more times and write a few notes to myself. Thx
Thank you Scott. That made real sense.
That was such a helpful explanation! Thank you so much!
That's vidéo helps me a lot.. thanks very much for Charing....
Glad to hear that
I’m finding out there’s so much to discover in the Circle of Fifths
I thought about it as going round the sharps the one to add is the 7th. Going anti-clockwise round the flats the one to add is the 7th of the previous key.
Brilliant concept and presentation. Much appreciated.
Glad it was helpful!
Man, that really helps a lot! Thank you, Scott!
Great content as always! Thanks