Scales are the basis of all Western music-but what is a scale anyway?

At its simplest, a scale is a sequence of notes that starts and ends on the same note and doesn't skip any notes in between. All major scales follow this pattern of half and whole steps:

Whole whole half whole whole whole half

This pattern is what determines the key signature of the scale, which tells you what notes to play sharp or flat.

Why you should practice scales

Scales are vital to improving your violin technique. As a beginner, you might use scales to help you work on posture, straight bowing, tone, and finger placement. As an intermediate, you might use scales to help you learn new positions, shifting, and vibrato. As an advanced player, scales will help you develop fluidity in all positions, develop your mental map of the instrument, learn to play faster, and work on tone in the high registers. Scales can really be used to target any issue that you're trying to fix, so don't neglect your scales!

One octave A Major scale

The first scale you should learn on the violin is a one octave A Major scale. One octave simply means that the scale goes from A to A once. There are three reasons why I think this is the best scale to learn first:

1. It uses the E and A strings, which mirrors the first six songs of Suzuki book 1.

2. The finger pattern used in this scale is the same finger pattern needed to play the first eleven songs in Suzuki book 1.

3. You can play this scale on the D and A strings to make a D Major scale, and the G and D strings to make a G Major scale, so it's really like learning three scales in one!

To play a one octave A Major scale, start with open A string. Then play B, C#, D, E, F#, G# and A. I recommend repeating the top note for one octave scales, and then come back down in reverse order: G#, F#, E, D, C#, B, A.

You've just played your first scale!