Two-octave Scales & Arpeggios: G, D & A Major

Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph Hoffman, and in this lesson we're going to work on playing two octave scales and arpeggios in three different major keys.
Let's come to the piano to get started.
First, a quick review of our ladders.
We've got the ladder of fifths, which you can see here, which gives us sharps.
Every time we go up a fifth on the ladder, we're adding sharps to our scale.
We also have the ladder of fourths
on which we are adding flats.
What does that mean on the piano?
Well on the ladder of fifths which we'll be using today,
remember we start with C major no sharps or flats,
then when we travel up a fifth, one, two, three, four, five, if we wanted to make G our starting note.
Then we need one sharp to make it sound correct. So there's the key of G major.
Every time we go up a fifth, one, two, three, four, five, now if D is our starting note,
then we need two sharps. Then up a fifth again.
When we get to A, we'll need three sharps.
That's the law of the ladder of fifths. So today we're going to review G major, D major, and A major.
With one, two, and three sharps respectively.
Let's start with G major.
Now to practice our scales today, I'd like to use clusters.
In other words, we're going to think in the groups of three and four.
Remember, scale fingering goes in groups alternating between three and four notes,
and then our pinky is kind of the loner. That finger 5 will play either the top note for our right hand, or the bottom note for the left hand.
The rest of it is all groups of three and four. Let's try this together. Use your right hand.
Play group of one, two, three, starting on G, then one, two, three, four, then we've got that F-sharp on top, then a group of three again.
Basically the same group we had before but now up an octave. Another group of four,
then play finger 5 on top. That brings us home to our top G, then we'll come down with a group of four,
down with a group of three, down with a group of four, down with a group of three.
Now let's try the regular scale.
Now you try.
Good. Pause the video if you need more time to practice that. Otherwise, let's go on to the left hand.
Finger 5 is on G,
and let's practice our clusters. So we'll start with just finger 5 on low G, then do a group of four,
then do a group of three,
then another group of four,
then a group of three.
You come back down for a group four,
then a group of three,
then a group of four.
Then we finish, finish with finger 5.
Good, and then played normally we get 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1, and then back.
Group of four, group of three, group of four, finish with five.
Good, now pause the video and practice your left hand two octave G major scale.
If you want to also review your right hand two octave G major scale as well,
work on left hand or right hand, or both, then press play to go on.
Good, now let's review the arpeggios.
We'll do a two octave arpeggio. Remember, an arpeggio is just taking the G major triad, putting it up an octave, then adding an extra G on top
one note at a time. 1 2 3 1 2 3 5 on top, 3 2 1 3 2 1
The left hand goes 5 4 2 1 4 2 1 2 4 1 2 4 5 Pause the video, practice both on your own, then press play to go on.
Now, pop quiz: what is the next key with two sharps?
We're going up a fifth on the ladder of fifth. What key would that bring us to?
If you said D major, you're correct. D major has two sharps.
So let's go ahead and start here. We'll practice our groups. Let's do the right hand first. Group of three, try this with me, group of four,
group of three
group of four, then finger 5 plays D on top.
Now group of four, group of three, group of four, group of three.
You can always pause the video if you need more time to practice those groups,
then we'll try it normal.
As you play in your mind, think three, four, three, four. If you think of those groups in your imagination as you play,
and as you're finishing one group, try to not just picture the next note. Picture that entire next group as you're shifting to the next group.
If you can already see all of those notes from the group in your imagination, your fingers will naturally find that much more easily.
Pause the video to work on your right hand D major scale, then press play to go on.
Now let's try the left hand. Start with the finger 5 on low D,
then try 4 3 2 1, a group of four,
then a group of three,
then a group of four,
then a group of three.
Come back to a group of four, a group of three, a group of four, and then finger 5 finishes it off.
Always in your mind be thinking of these groups. So as I play I think four, then three, then four, then three.
Three, then four, three, then four.
Pause the video, work on the left hand D major two octave scale, then press play to go on. ...