I know my basic scales, but, I`m trying out for the ATSSB region band, it has two octave scales for C, B Flat, and A Flat, and this really complicated Chromatic... Any tips for learning these scales?

If you don`t know the fingerings for some of the scales a method book will have everything you need and will give you all sorts of excersises in every key.

As for the chromatic scale, just practice doing a full range chromatic scale (lowest note you can play to the highest, all with good tone though) very slowly, and then start getting faster and do excersises like triplets when you play them.

-Leslie

What a coincidence.. My name is Danielle, too, and I`m trying out for the ATSSB All-Region band.

I tried out for All-Region last year, and got fourth chair Wind Ensemble, which advanced me to Area, where I got 8th, which was four chairs too low to advance me to State. If my scales had sounded better, I`m almost sure I would have made it.

This year, I`m a senior, and I`m trying to make every one of my scales sound perfect. I agree with the second poster, start slow, and try doing different patterns with the chromatic scale. Instead of playing eighth notes, play dotted eighth note patterns, or play every note three times in a triplet pattern. I also recommend going all the way up the chromatic scale, bottom C to top C, on just whole notes to work on your tone quality.

Also, this has nothing to do with finger technique, but it is an amazing aid for air/tone control. I`m sure you`ve heard of enharmonics. On each of your very low notes, you can play 5 and sometimes 6 notes on the same fingering. For example, if you finger a low D, you can play that note, a regular D, an A, a high D, and and F#. Work on this slowly until you can get it into quarter or eighth note patterns, and you`ll find the high notes MUCH easier to play. Hope this helps, and good luck - hope to see you at State this year!

-Dani

hey there, my name is Kristyn. i have gone to ATSSB all district and region try-outs. i have always had some kind of articulation problem on my scales that has always prevented me from advancing to area and state. but this year i have finnally found out what the problem was. but yeah if you wannna talk we could.