A lot of the benefit is in how you practice them.

If done mindfully and effectively, playing scales can give you a way to focus your practice on the building blocks that make up most of the music you play. Don't think of scales as a series of notes. Instead, think of them as the foundation pieces that music is built around.

Here are some examples of effective ways to practice scales. Remember, think about what you are playing. Don’t just blow through it for the sake of saying you did.

• First, try playing as fast as possible. Then as slow as you can, holding each note until you run out of breathe or bow (that last bit only applies to certain instruments, obviously).

• Play variations

• Stepped scales: Play notes in patterns going up and down the scale. This will familiarize both your fingers and your ears with small chunks of notes that commonly show up in music. I'm writing out the first two examples in both note names for the C major scale, and numbers representing note positions. 1 represents the first note of whatever scale you are using. 2 the second, and so on.

  Examples:

  1. thirds: CE DF EG FA GB AC BD CE, 13 24 35 46 57 61 72 1

  2. Up and down in thirds and fifths: CEGEC, DFAFD 13531 24642 35753

  3. Up a thirds, down a scale: CEGFEDC 1354321 2465432

  4. Up in intervals: C CDC CEC CFC CGC CAC CBC C CCC 1 121 131 141 151 161 171

  5. More advanced (4): start at 2, then 3, then 4, etc. 2 212 232 242 252 262 272

• Rhythms: Find a 2 or 4 beat rhythm you like or that you struggle with. For each note in the scale, play it in that rhythm. For more of a challenge, play a stepped scale in rhythm.

• Play chords: Play the most common chords associated with a key. This will probably be the I, IV, and V chords for beginners. The I chord is the major chord starting on the first note in the scale, the IV starting on the fourth, and the V starting on the fifth.

When you play a musical piece, you need to focus not only on the individual notes and phrases you play, but also on making the sound musical, and playing a desirable interpretation. Practicing scales gives you a chance to work on the smallest building blocks of music without worrying about interpretation. It also provides a very easy way to break the music down into very small pieces. You can get a lot of the same benefit by going through an entire piece of music 1 measure at a time, breaking it down into tiny pieces, but that's about as interesting to work through as scales are.

The most common way to play scales it to simply blow through them mindlessly. The benefit at that point is low. It gives you a tiny, tiny bit more practice knowing where you put your fingers, and a little more benefit in that you have to think about which sharps and flats are associated with each key.

Knowing what sharps and flats are in what key is extremely useful: it helps you figure out what notes are in a piece in that key, what chords to expect, that when something sounds off, and it is a note not found in the key you are playing in, that that is probably the reason. But you don't need to learn to play scales to list what notes are in what scales.

Hmm. I think I've been neglecting my scales lately: I should go practice them more.

除了其他答案，我相信它可以提高簡化您腦海中音樂的能力。研究人員研究了國際象棋專家的記憶，發現當他們將它們放置在遊戲的典型位置時，他們幾乎可以回憶起所有棋子的位置，但是當棋子被隨機放置時，它們並沒有比業餘愛好者更好。 p>

至少對我來說，播放音樂時音階和和弦會產生相同的效果。它們是在真實音樂中反復出現的基本模式。通過練習，您可以閱讀一個度量，並且您的頭腦會說：“哦，這只是從第五個開始的比例。”您的手指幾乎完全自主地彈奏音階，而您的思想則可以自由地向前閱讀並開始進行下一個小節。而當我還是一個初學者時，我必須注意每個單獨的音符。知道這些量表可以大大減少所需的認知負荷。

練習音階會教....音階。

音階的重點是確定歌曲的銳度/平坦度。

想像一下，不要說“這首歌是B大調”，而是說“這首歌有F，C，G，D，A尖音”。

那真的沒有意義。因此，音樂理論家開發了音階，使人們可以輕鬆地相互交流。

此外，當在樂譜的開頭編寫音階的尖/平時，您無需在音階開始時編寫它們。這首歌曲。想像一首有5個尖音的歌曲，而不是在歌曲開頭寫下它們，而是在每次發現尖銳音符時都將它們寫下來。這樣會令作者和讀者都很累。這真的很重要）是我了解該樂器。如果您多次在整個樂器上上下移動D小調音階，您會發現無論您身在何處（在樂器上），都可以找到進入音階音符的方式。

如果您練習大多數基本音階，那麼您將真正了解樂器，而無需搜索音符（對於初學者來說就是這樣）

音階教您...

• 音樂知識：從字面上看，它們是音樂的基礎知識。音階包含音樂的基礎。了解它們，您就會了解有關音樂和音樂理論的知識。多年練習音階也使我的音樂水平更好（聆聽時的音符/間隔識別）。 閱讀音樂時，ABC的存在方式不同，但是，了解事物的方式越多越好。除非他們不使用英語授課，否則沒有兒童初級老師會考慮不教他們的學生ABC，這就是量表的方式（量表和ABC都是集合成員的原始排序。）

• 樂器知識：

  • 知道音樂的去向：了解音階在樂器上，那麼您可以預測哪些音符會在樂器上其他人的音樂中使用。 如果您從演奏音樂的其他方面學到了這些，則可以從音階上更好地學習。

  • 即興創作：了解樂器的音階，然後就樂器的即興創作和作曲做出明智的決定。 如果您從演奏音樂的其他方面學到了這些，則可以從音階上更好地學習。

  • 進一步了解和弦 strong>和弦基於比例度構建。好的，所以對此有一些例外，但是我聽過不止一位音樂理論老師這麼說。作為吉他手，我通過直接參考音階度來學習一些和弦。 可以肯定的是，您可以直接從和弦中學習和弦，但是向其介紹比例知識可以使您的和弦技能和知識倍增。

  • 模式：由於音階是音樂的基礎，因此它們是樂器遵循音樂的模式。即使您只演奏無聲音樂，您也需要音階提供的參照系。 即使在其他情況下，它也可以為您使用的音符提供參考框架。

  • 知道音符在哪裡您的樂器：正確了解音階的樣式以及字母會向您顯示特定音符（ABCDEFG）在樂器上的位置。 （正確地說，您應該找到一種方法來專注於音階上的音符。在吉他上，這很困難，因為如果您以音階上的音階開始和結束，則會遺漏一些音符。我使用特殊音符像這樣，可以轉變成新的音階樣式。）閱讀音樂可以以一種和平的方式來實現這一目標，但是學習音階可以為所有人提供這一點，然後在您開始製作音階的第一刻就記錄下音階的範圍。許多人覺得閱讀音樂很難學。我是說，規模知識可以指導和改善學習閱讀音樂的過程。

• 技能 >

  • 它們出現在您播放的音樂中：音階（通常不完整，但仍然可以）顯示在各種音樂中。當我看到或需要演奏一組適合音階的音符時，我不需要考慮單個音符。通過減少將每個音符當作單獨的時刻來思考的需要，它使學習複雜的短語變得更加容易。 音階增強了您對所有音樂的理解，這是練習的乘數。學習一件作品不會產生相同的乘法效果，除非有時可能會教給你關於音階的知識。

  • 專注於技巧：它們可以幫助您練習在樂器/聲音上彈奏音符，而不必擔心學習或演奏樂曲。它使您可以集中精力在不擔心任何外部壓力的情況下，而只專注於以良好的音調正確地演奏節奏。沒有復雜的節奏可以使某些事情變得容易（例如，不要搖動音階，例如在吉他上搖擺，這樣會更容易獲得某些音符，但更難於獲得其他音符，這很糟糕，因為它會造成技能失衡。）演奏15分鐘的音階通常比練習15分鐘的腦力練習要激烈得多。是的，人們每天反複播放超過15分鐘。演奏音階不僅僅要記住。 學習演奏作品是對技術的干擾

  • 力量（和柔韌性）訓練：您可以一遍又一遍地進行鍛煉，從而增強肌肉，肌肉的柔韌性和準確性，而不必擔心正確的“訓練”。只需正確設置比例即可。專注於動作的細節。一遍又一遍地做。有很多事情要關注：協調左右手的時間。將手指放在正確的位置，或使動作感覺順暢。我告訴我的學生，音階是吉他的“運行”。當您是運動員（棒球，足球，其他橄欖球，板球，籃球，幾乎所有運動）時，通常最重要的練習就是跑步。例如，如果不能奔跑，則無法製造籃子（那時您只適合使用H-O-R-S-E）。這樣，標度就是一個實踐乘數。他們幫助您上籃。它們可以幫助您學會移動手指或快速進行筆記所需的操作，並且沒有其他干擾。 我就像在學一個東西，就像在射擊一個籃子。當您學習樂曲時，您不會集中精力玩遊戲（休息以糾正錯誤或弄清楚段落，然後慢慢地練習等等）。

  • 定時：沒有比用節拍器練習音階更好的方法來提高節奏感。 當然，您也應該使用節拍器來學習樂曲，但是您會分心，這將使您無法完善自己的時間安排。

  即使您只是想提高肌肉技能，也可以通過練習不到全套的量尺而獲得肌肉，但如果您進行足夠的練習以獲得提高技能的效果，則可能並練習其他量表以防止完全無聊。體重秤很無聊，您可以在鍛煉手指的同時盡可能多地從中學習。

  如果您說您看到的音階與純音階練習中演奏的音階不同，我謙虛地建議您的音階練習範圍太有限。

  作為軼事，當我的學生在一周的課程中是否曾經獲得過明顯的技能提升，我問他們：“您練習了分配秤，對嗎？”他們通常說是。

When I was learning piano, and, say, Bbminor scale came along, my teacher said the reason I needed to learn to play it was "because it was in the exam".

Many many years later, when I started to teach RGT exams in electric guitar playing, certain scales were prescribed to be learned. Later, in the exam itself, the candidate had to make up a tune, to fit to chords from a particular key, on the spot.He would need to recognise the key, and choose appropriate notes which would fit to the chords in that key.

Thus, if, for example, the chords were C, F and G, notes from the C scale could be used. Know that scale, then one could make up a tune containing those notes. A set, if you like. In the early stages, pentatonics tend to be used, as they play without the 'awkward' notes of the 4th and 7th, thus any will work diatonically. Later, blues scales could be used, if the chords were mostly dom 7ths.

EDIT - a potential problem with learning scales to use as a basis for improvising is that, initially at least, the improv tends to be very scalar, because this is the order that the series of notes has been played to death in.

A lot of songs tend to use notes from one key only. So, if one realises that a new tune is in, say, D Dorian, then one will plump for the notes from the C maj scale, as they are guaranteed to fit.And you won't expect an Eb or C# to appear.

I play guitar mainly (occasionally piano) so I will answer this question from a guitarist's point of view. I also write songs - both lyrics and the accompanying music. I don't actually write the music down - other than the chords, but I compose it on my instrument and record it on my Boss BR 800 Multi-Track recorder to save for posterity.

For me personally the most valuable application for the skills I develop by learning scales, is the ability to improvise and be able to instantly play fills, licks, or solos over or between chords in a song. So if I am playing with other musicians and there is someone playing the chords on guitar and maybe a drummer and a bass player, if I know what key the song is in, and I know the appropriate scales that correspond to that particular key, then I know which notes I can play that will sound right in the context of that particular song.

Or if I am playing solo, I can use this knowledge to add some color or spice up my arrangement by adding a few fills between chords or simulate a solo that occurs in the full arrangement for that song.

Knowing some scales also helps me in composing the music for my original songs. It helps in finding the notes for the basic melody as well as adding fills, runs and lead solos during my arrangement when I start embellishing the recording of my demo.

I also find that practicing the scales, improves both my right hand and left hand dexterity. I will practice playing them backwards and forwards at various speeds and with different picking patterns (down down down vs. down up / down up etc.). So I get the dual benefit of learning a set of notes that I can use for playing or composing a song - while enhancing my physical playing skills at the same time.

I find learning a scale for multiple keys is easier on the guitar than on piano. When you play a particular type scale (major, minor, Lydian, Dorian, whatever) on guitar, the shape of the patterns look the same no matter which key (A,B,C etc.) you are in. But on piano, the number of white keys verses black keys will change with each key so you must memorize 12 times as many patterns to learn a particular scale in all 12 keys.

For a more detailed discussion on how learning just one particular scale on guitar will allow you to play improvisational lead solos and fills and runs and licks (or whatever you want to call them) on the fly when playing with other musicians - take a look at my answer to another question on Music Practice and Theory by clicking here Using Scales to play lead solos and fills In this link you will also find a brief example of how easy it is to change keys once you learn the basic pattern of a particular scale on guitar.

我想強調兩個主題，因為我沒有在其他答案中讀過它們：

• 音樂與均勻分佈的隨機音符相距甚遠。特別是對於作為單簧管的樂器，其鍵也非常有偏差。因此音階至少可以保證沒有任何音符藏在陰影中，並且所有音符都得到同等關注。

• 您需要（我什至會說：非常）高水平的音符經驗，判斷一首樂曲中木管樂器的音調-例如快板。不幸的是，初學者應該從一開始就學會聽正確的音調。專注於樂譜並將其解碼成指法是一個主要的干擾，這可能不會引起人們對音調的專心。我猜想只要稍作努力，就可以彌補這一點，但後來我們又回到了第一個問題。

If you just learn how to play songs then when it comes to writing one you're solos, harmonies, melodies and chords will be all over the place. When you learn a scale, you know what notes "belong together" which enhances your written piece. Also, if you learn the scales of the songs you learn, you can learn to improvise which in the long run builds technique and broadens your arsenal when playing music. Scales are also good for identifying notes which helps you play by ear. They aren't necessary for playing music, but for improv and writing, it is highly beneficial and will make your music more interesting.

What benefit can you get from practicing the alphabet that you can't get from just reading a book?

What benefit can you get from practicing maps that you can't get from noticing what's out the window when you're driving?

Consider these two absurd notions I have brought forth, and I hope you will arrive to answer your own question.

You are correct. Practicing scales only teaches you finger control and technique. It doesn't teach you anything that doesn't come from playing music. For example, if you play a bunch of melodies (and chords) in the key of C major, you are going to learn the C major scale whether you consciously realize it or not.

Well, scales are the foundational building block of harmony. You practice them because those are the runs you will generally be playing. I'm not sure what sort of music would come out of the instrument if you never practiced scales. You can't understand much about harmony without knowing scale

A scale is a collection of intervals, the most common intervals you will be playing.

I have seen some great answers here, but I would like to add something about scales that comes from an improvisational standpoint:

When you improvise, you have an arsenal of melodic ideas at your disposal that you can relate to the harmony. In this context, the scales may serve you as two really important things:

1. A folder to file your musical vocabulary under. If you know the lines you may play over a a certain chord, most of the time, you can relate those lines to a scale that lies behind them. By using this, you can immediately have phrases under your fingers.
2. An alphabet to punctuate and connect the melodic ideas inside your arsenal. You get a chord, visualize a scale, recall and play melodic concepts, linking them with the notes provided by the scale.