Here's a fun, musical way to practice your scales, and arpeggios.

Take a favorite lick, and find out what scale it is from. Then, learn to play that lick in every conceivable way.

Say the lick starts on the A string, 7th. fret. You can play it along one string, then two. Then 3, 4, 5, or 6 strings. All starting from the A string, 7th. fret.
Next, try starting at the same point, and play it using string skipping. Say, every other string.
Then try it, with one of the notes transposed up, or down an octave. Do that with each note of the lick.

Now, play the same lick, starting off of every E note. I say E, because that's the note I've been using as the example, so far. At each E note, put the lick through all of the previous processes.

Now, play the lick starting on any E. When you finish, try to connect it to another E, and play it again. To connect it, you will have to use the scale that the lick originated from. Try using improvised connections. Also, try using connections with specific rhythmic subdevisions. Like triplets, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc. In these connections, you'll probably come up with some original ideas, too.

Here's the important part, that makes it more fun, and musical. All of this should be played over the CD of your choice. Jam along with it. That way, you have to make it fit, in time. All of the "scale" connections, will be in "real time", so you'll be playing the scales. (Hopefully, in a musical way!) Not practicing them. I find that practicing scales this way, is a sure cure for stale "scale sounding" playing. Plus, since it's a lick you chose, you already know that you'll like it!

I hope that if you try this method, this makes it more fun.

Anybody try this, or have any ideas on making scale practice more enjoyable?

thank's for the tip, swain! there was a nice article in total guitar about something a lot like this. only this way, you're not supposed to play a lick in another octave or on another place on the string, but with other notes played in such a way that it's still in the same scale. for instance if you would play in the scale of C minor something like C-G-F-Eb-C, try playing D-Ab-G-F-D. hope that makes sense :S

quote:

Originally posted by NJlo:
thank's for the tip, swain! there was a nice article in total guitar about something a lot like this. only this way, you're not supposed to play a lick in another octave or on another place on the string, but with other notes played in such a way that it's still in the same scale. for instance if you would play in the scale of C minor something like C-G-F-Eb-C, try playing D-Ab-G-F-D. hope that makes sense :S

I think I get it.
In your example, there are 5 notes. And then, you play the same thing rhythmically, but with different scale tones? Basically the same phrase, but with different pitches? Kind of like a sequence?

yeah, and melodically it's about the same also, just modified in such a way that it still fits the scale. I'll try to find that total guitar, see how they explained it

I see. That's a pretty cool idea. Thanks.

Here's another one: Groups of 4.
If you play a scale, number the notes, 1 2 3 4 5, etc. Now, play notes in this order, 1234, 2345, 3456, 4567, 5671, 6712, etc.
This is very similar to your idea. I do these things all the time. They loosen my fingers up, and really get me used to playing runs starting from any finger that is on the fretboard. Groups of 3, or 5, or 6, etc. are also very good.