You’ve heard of Shark Week, of course, and what a great idea to devote a week to these amazing nearly preternatural creatures. But this week, my musical friends, is SCALE WEEK. I hope you’ll join me!

Yes, it’s a week to enjoy the foundations of our musical language and to practice scales every day.

I told a young student recently that our English word, “scale” comes from the Latin “scala” which means “ladder.” I see a double meaning in that. First, scales teach us how to ascend and descend on our instruments.

But second, scales allow us to ascend a ladder of skill, precision, and mastery. Master a single scale and you rise up a rung. You’ve got more in your musical vocabulary. Your fingers are wiser and stronger.

And so it’s worth returning to them again and again, even if you played them for hours in the past. Doing so wakes up dormant instincts, and it also soothes the mind that wants to do a thousand things at once, hurrying off to some hazy destination.

Playing a scale, we can be nowhere but in that sequence of notes. It calms us. It reassures us that we are, in fact, getting somewhere. It rewards us almost instantly with a gift of grace.

A special note for my piano friends. Playing two octave scales gives you more than double the benefit of single octave scales, because you have to focus on the “connective tissue” between octaves, up and down. I highly recommend it once you’ve got the single octave scales under your fingers. And then there’s the classic:
1. Up two octaves (same direction)
2. Apart one octave (different direction)
3. Back in one octave (coming towards each other)
4. Down two octaves (same direction)

This is so intricate and satisfying as to nearly constitute a spiritual practice.

If you join me for SCALE WEEK, I’d love to hear what you’re doing and practicing. Remember: make it easy and doable on a daily basis. Two minutes of scales each day is better than 15 minutes only once. The magic lies in the repetition and consistency.

And if you’re not a musician, I wonder if you can “scale” this idea for YOUR art or discipline? Do tell!

The freedom lies with you – always. You can start your own SCALE WEEK any time that suits you. You could have instead MUSIC WEEK or WALKING WEEK or NAP WEEK.

To me, the freedom in this is truly delicious – but only when we exercise it!