Playing scales as a piano student, especially if you took lessons as a child, was something you were forced to do and almost everyone hated them. Even as a piano teacher when I am helping a student prepare for a piano exam and scales are an essential requirement, no-one has ever expressed joy or pleasure at playing scales. The reactions I have received have ranged from a sigh, as if to indicate that they are willing to play the scales but they really don’t want to, to pleading with me not to make them play their scales.
As a piano student, I remember practicing my scales only because if I didn’t then I would fail my piano exams. As a piano teacher, I understand that learning scales is a great way for piano students to learn thoroughly what notes belong to what keys and how the various major and minor scales are interrelated and interconnected with each other.
I have thought for a long time that while scales are beneficial to learn, they are not absolutely essential to playing the piano. When children are learning the piano, they really don’t have a choice not to learn scales as many piano students end up doing piano exams. Adult piano students, simply because they are adults, have more of a choice of whether they learn scales or not. Adult students also don’t need to justify why they are not playing or learning scales.
I have now come to an opinion that the older the piano student or piano player is, the more important it is for them to practice scales. Recently I have been seeing a physiotherapist and she was telling me that no matter what out genetic make up is, we are all built that as we age our muscles, ligaments and tendons can deteriorate and that it takes real effort to keep body parts moving and functioning well. Basically, its either a move it or lose it situation.
So if you want to keep playing the piano well into your senior years, without stiffness and without pain, then exercising your hands is actually essential. Just like with playing sport or being physically active, it is really important to do a warm up. You could think of playing the piano as exercise for the hands and you could therefore think of doing scales at the beginning of every piano practice as a warm up for your hands.
I get that scales can be boring and I also understand that some people may even have bad memories of all the scales they were forced to play when they were young, but doing a few scales each time you practice would be beneficial. You don’t need to do lots either, just doing three or four scales would be enough. I would also recommend finding out what scales you enjoy playing and perhaps focus on your favorites. Sure, doing a wide range would be the ideal, however just sticking to the same three or four would be enough to keep your fingers nimble.
Of course you have the choice of whether you practice scales or not but because they can help keep your hands nimble, I do recommend that scales are included with every practice as a warm up for the hands.