Discover the correct technique for playing scales with minimum strain and maximum warm-up value! (And dump the ‘chicken wings’!)

This is the essential scales starter pack! Whether you have never seen a scale in your life, or it's been years since you've been near one and need a refresher...

Watch the full video demonstration to learn the technique, Then refer back to the below summary notes when you need a refresher.

EXERCISE #1 - preserving energy

The reason we learn proper technique when playing scales is to preserve our energy. If we use too much energy on a movement, we can unnecessarily strain ourselves and eventually cause injury.

Overuse of energy also impacts your ability to play scales quickly and smoothly - so take care to play each key with the minimum amount of pressure required.

Practise dropping the weight into the piano keys with each finger - move with the weight of the whole arm to press through the key briefly - with just enough pressure as if you were pushing your finger through a ripe strawberry.

Don’t sink into the note with additional energy, sound it and release (it only takes a fraction of a second to make the sound!)
Relax any unused fingers (The pinky is the common culprit!)

EXERCISE #2 - 5-note scale.

Practise the key pressing technique as above but playing a 5-note scale through all 5 fingers of each hand.

Lift each note to play and release the previously played note as soon as the present note sounds - this exercise is to focus on releasing & relaxing each note when it’s not in play.

Keep the movement from note to note smooth & joined, ‘legato’. We don’t want to have a break between notes, but we don’t want the notes to run into each other either.

Think ‘bumper to bumper’ like cars in a traffic jam, each as close as possible to the car in front but not crashing into it.

EXERCISE #3 - Thumb under

A common mistake with this finger technique is to twist or strain the wrist, or to have elbows flapping about during the technique, we call this ‘chicken wings’!

Neither of these moves are necessary to do the ‘thumb under’ technique.

Avoiding these mistakes is all about where you place your fingers on the key length-ways.

The fingers do not need to hit the key at the same spot! Let your longer fingers reach further up the key to leave enough room for the thumb to land centrally on the keys length. (Remember, the fingers should all be relaxedly curved, not straight.) Do not twist the wrist or strain the thumb - it should be comfortable and relaxed.

Your arm should not need to twist in order to get the thumb under (bend thumb under the palm while not at the piano to get the movement), but the arm can move parallel with the keyboard so there is room for your thumb to move underneath and across to the next note in the scale.

EXERCISE 4 - 3 Finger over

Again, we don’t need to strain the wrist or elbow in order to carry out this finger technique. Much like the ‘thumb under’, the ‘3-finger over’ technique is all about where you place your fingers on the keys.

Let your longer fingers spread forward on the key in order to comfortably reach over the thumb & further down the key (away from your body). No chicken wings needed!

EXERCISE 5 - Gestures

Start with 1 gesture per note as you play the scale - resting your wrist joint in between each gesture. This is a graceful movement designed to relax the hand in between gestures.

At first do the full gesture fully lifting your fingers from the keys in order to get the motion of resting the wrist.

Once you have this motion, now try to do a similar motion when you play a single-note ‘gesture’ but don’t lift your fingers from the key.

Now try the same motion but as a 2-note gesture - playing 2 notes to each circular motion of the wrist.

Then try 3-note gestures - this will create a wave effect of your wrist as you play through the scale giving the wrist joint moment of relaxation throughout the exercise.

the perfect warm-up

If you haven’t been warming up each time you sit at the piano to practise now you have a warmup routine ready to go! Simply go through these five techniques to hone your scale-playing prowess and you’ll have warmed up your fingers as well as connecting the brain to your body as you play intentionally and with focus.

Over time, you’ll be able to naturally pick up all 5 of these techniques and play full 1-octave scales confidently, quickly and effectively - with minimal strain!

Want to learn more?

This coaching ‘Sensational Scales’ will teach you how to play scales with correct fingering, how to memorise the notes of each scale and creative kickstarters to use at home!