all saxes (Buescher, Conn, Martin), clarinet, flute, vocals
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7,225 Posts
I'm coming very late to scales and patterns after 25+ years of relying on a good natural ear. I found myself getting bored with playing chord-and-root-bound harmony all the time, so I couldn't rely on my ear anymore.
Now begins the very slow process of internalizing the sound of a scale - you can't hear it all at once, and the notes not in the related chord have to be memorized almost physically, as fingering shapes. As part of this process I discovered that I can't run arpeggios (or often even identify them) without the root note, so progress is going to be slow.
It amounts to a whole new way of learning harmony - systematically, the way most people have to do it. My new teacher is at a bit of a loss just yet as to how to teach all this to an old dog. But he told me something nice last week: "I learn something new every time I teach you."
Now begins the very slow process of internalizing the sound of a scale - you can't hear it all at once, and the notes not in the related chord have to be memorized almost physically, as fingering shapes. As part of this process I discovered that I can't run arpeggios (or often even identify them) without the root note, so progress is going to be slow.
It amounts to a whole new way of learning harmony - systematically, the way most people have to do it. My new teacher is at a bit of a loss just yet as to how to teach all this to an old dog. But he told me something nice last week: "I learn something new every time I teach you."