“Wait, we start on finger 3? And then flip over after just two notes? Why are these so much harder than the white key scales?” I can hear my students lamenting the fingering for black key scales in my head. These fingerings that feel foreign, plus now thinking in terms of flats, can feel daunting to students. And daunting things that aren’t at least a little engaging or beautiful can be a real hard sell when it comes to practicing.
Honestly, I can’t blame my students – I don’t know that I’ve ever sat down and played an Ab Major Scale just for the beauty or enjoyment of it.
So Smart Scales has come as a welcome and novel way for students to practice scales! We’ve received scores of 5-star review for them and of course, you’ve probably seen that the new Black Key Smart Scales are out as well!
But after we released the White Key Smart Scales, we received a very compelling request from a teacher asking us to include some kind of reference sheet for just the regular way of playing scales. We thought she made some good points about why teachers might need these, even though the other way of practicing with Smart Scales melodies is a better way to get the feeling of the scale underneath the hand.
So today we are excited to tell you that Smart Scales now come with Scale Reference Pages! And if you’ve already purchase the White Key Edition, you can just re-download it and get the new version with the added pages (details on how to do that below).
What are Smart Scales?
Smart Scales gives students a musical way to learn scales. Not only does it help them to play within key signatures more quickly, accurately, and confidently – they’re more fun to teach than traditional scales! There are a variety of melodies in the same key, which allows students to play in the key long enough to achieve actual fluency (which is really the goal of those scales!).
The teacher accompaniments also give rhythmic and harmonic context, which are lacking in traditional scale practice. And because each unit begins with a melody without a key signature, followed by the same melody with a key signature, students are able to see and understand how key signatures work. You can read all about how Smart Scales work, how Diane has used them for years, and why they work better thanks to scaffolded steps here: https://composecreate.com/new-scale-solution-from-boring-to-beautiful/.
What are the new Scale Reference Pages?
These scale reference sheets are clean and easy to read, and include some fantastic features:
- No struggle practicing hands apart. When a student is shown a typical scale reference sheet, they want to play hands together right away, because that’s what is being shown on the sheet. But really, they need a lot of hands apart practice first. With the Smart Scales Reference Pages, the right hand is introduced first, then the left hand by itself, and then hands together. This means students will automatically play hands alone first because that’s how it is written!
- Circled cross-overs and cross-unders. All finger cross-overs/unders are also circled. Typically, scale sheets will show finger numbers, but won’t indicate when a student needs to cross over or under. This gives students a visual reminder and cue, which is incredibly helpful when they’re first learning scales.
It’s also really helpful when it comes to playing hands together, because they are able to see when their hand is supposed to change at a glance.
3. Comfort Over Consistency. This is the part I was most excited about! The fingerings included are the ones Diane has found most comfortable on the black keys. They feel most natural, and typically most comfortable for students as well. But, many students are required to use the more traditional fingerings for competitions and festivals. So the traditional fingerings are also included, in parentheses in case you prefer those. The fingerings might seem very slight – starting Ab with finger 2 rather than finger 3, for example. But they can really make a difference for little hands, people with injuries, or just for your own comfortability when practicing.
4. Bookmarks. Another exciting enhancement is the included bookmarks within the PDF. When you open your PDF, you’ll see a series of bookmarks that make it easy to get to the unit you want to print. Just click on what you want, and you’ll be taken there!
How do I get the Scale Reference Pages?
When you purchase the Black Key Smart Scales, the Reference Pages are automatically included in your download. Use the “Bookmarks” mentioned above to jump right to them!
If you previously purchased the White Key Smart Scales, we have updated the PDF to include the Scales Reference Pages for those keys as well! Just re-download Smart Scales from your receipt or your account, and you’ll have access to the Reference Pages.
Get Smart Scales here:
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Smart Scales$49.99
I’m thinking about doing a Smart Scales camp this summer! I just thought of the idea today, so no details yet.
Thank you, Diane!
Wow, these new Smart Scales sound super cool! They help make learning scales on the piano easier and more fun. I can’t wait to tell other educators about them! Cheers!
I am using smart scales now with all my students, even the advanced ones. It certainly is making a difference to their reading, legato & tonal control. Sometimes we will randomly select a key & scale exercise & use it as the basis of an improvisation. The students are also enjoying the scales & are amazed at how quick they can play hands together. It’s also been interesting as an ensemble exercise. My only complaint is that the black key scales should have included enharmonic forms & on the scale reference sheet contrary motion. Great product though for developing technique & musicianship in your students.