Scale? or Chord?

[kim0623]

When teaching a student, esp. in a beginning stage which way do you think is more
effective and scientific, scale first or chords first?
(when you teach 'key concept').
Thank you in advance for your answers and opinions.

[ChristmasCarol]

I like to teach chords first because it sounds good right away.  I give them I, IV and V chords in a couple of keys, and then I introduce the scale and how they are derived.  Recently got a copy of "How to Play from a Fake Book" keyboard edition by Blake Neely.   It's pretty good.  It depends on the student really.  Some people enjoy a more intellectual approach, and some do not.   

[lostinidlewonder]

I reckon Chords. Because of the different ways chords can be played. A chord can always be played like a scale or single notes, so too, but sometimes harder to see, a scale or series of single notes can be expressed as chords. I think that is an important association that should be made for all begininng students. For memory aids, it is always better to see a group of single notes as a chord shape anyway. Chords are good to start with because of the shape they create at the keyboard. I like to think of things like... F  Ab B as an upright triangle for instance. Or C# E G# as an upside down triagle. Then i ask them to make shapes up. With 2 notes, 3 notes 4 notes 5 notes, no matter what sound they come up with, just create the shapes.

Chords have so much application, scales really becomes just a guide to know where on the keyboard you will play. I think you can even envisage scales as chords. Seeing which black notes are being played, which white notes are being missed, what shapes are created if we where to hold down parts of the scale etc. Thats a good way for them to memorise a scale. They know the notes at least, then they have to work on the fingers. If the notes are hard to remember that is totally frustrating, memorising the shape of the scale just like you observe shapes of chords will remove, limit that. Then they are left with the fingers. Thats what I found anyway.

[bernhard]

Actually both.

I teach them in parallel. Plus the notions of intervals.

A scale are seven notes ordered in seconds.

Chords are the same seven notes ordered in thirds.

For me, scale playing is of no importance whatsoever in the beginning.

Scale knowledge is paramount. I want them to know and understand what the notes of the scale are, and what are the important ones (I, IV, V) and what the secondary ones are (the others). Then I show them how to make triads out of each note of a scale. Next is free improvisation with the LH doing triads I, IV, V, and the RH playing a melody that can only use the notes of the scales. By the 3rd, 4th lesson they are already creating some really nice tunes!

Then as you change the scales you can start showing the relationships (the secondary notes of a scale became the primary chords of another), and then you can modulate. Over a year, the whole theory has been learned from a practical standpoint, at the piano.

The dexterity of playing scales (passing of thumbs and the like) is learned in a sly way and mostly unnoticed. Also I use a non orthodox fingering (which helps a lot) by which the fourth finger must always go on a black key.

I have written about all of these topics in detail in other threads. Have a look.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.