Learn the 3 most common violin scales

At its simplest, a scale is a sequence of notes where you don't skip any notes and start and end on the same note. For example, to play an A scale, you would start on A, end on A, and play every note in between (B, C, D...etc)

There are two basic types of scales: major scales and minor scales. Each follow a specific pattern of half and whole steps. The pattern for major scales is: whole whole half whole whole whole whole half. The pattern for minor scales is: whole half whole whole half whole whole. These patterns then determine the key signature, which indicates how many sharps or flats to play in the scale.

The three scales we'll be learning today are the A, D, and G major scales. Since these scales share the same names as our open strings, they are particularly resonant keys to play in on the violin, which makes them very popular choices for composers. If you master these three scales, you'll be able to play a large percentage of beginner and intermediate pieces.

The first scale is a one octave A Major scale. This scale only uses the A and E strings and fingers 1, 2, and 3, which correlates well with the first several pieces in Suzuki Book 1. A Major has 3 sharps: F#, C#, and G#. To play this scale, start on open A string, then play first finger B, second finger C#, third finger D, open E string, first finger F#, second finger G#, and third finger A, and then go back down (reverse order). In one octave scales, I like to play the top note twice so that the scale has an even number of notes, which makes it easier to add slurs into.

The next scale is a one octave D Major scale. D Major has two sharps: F# and C#. This scale is the same as the A Major scale, but played on D string and A string instead of A and E. To play a one octave D Major scale, start on open D string, then play first finger E, second finger F#, third finger G, open A string, first finger B, second finger C#, and third finger D, and then go back down in reverse order.

The third scale we'll learn is a two octave G Major scale. G Major has one sharp: F#. The first octave of the scale is the same as the previous two scales, just on the G and D strings. The second octave of the scale requires the use of the low second finger. To play a two octave G Major scale, start on open G string, then play first finger A, (high) second finger B, third finger C, open D string, first finger E, (high) second finger F#, third finger G, open A string, first finger B, (low) second finger C, third finger D, open E string, first finger F#, (low) second finger G. On the way down, I like to challenge my students to use fourth fingers rather than open strings for extra practice.