EXERCISE B:

Have you ever wanted to know how to creatively use scales in neoclassical music without simply
playing them up and down like a robot? Do you want to expand your creative options while
soloing and make your solos more expressive and original? If so, then this section of the course
is for you!

This part of each of your lessons of the course will be based on scales. I will show you the most
commonly used scales in neoclassical music that go beyond the standard Harmonic minor scale.
I will also show you several highly exotic scales that will make your music sound more creative
and original. You will also learn many creative ways to learn and practice these scales giving
you dozens of ideas for new sounds to use in your own solos!

In this introductory lesson, I want to show my own transcription of an excerpt of a piece by J.S.
Bach. This piece is a good example of how scales are generally used in neoclassical music and
how I use them in many of my compositions. When you start studying the actual course, we will
go into much greater detail about each scale and I will teach you specific ways of how to practice
them with maximum effectiveness.

The music in this piece is played at a moderate tempo, but you should begin practicing at a much
slower speed (about 50-60% of the tempo shown in the tab or 70-85 beats per minute on the
metronome). This will help you to get the notes under your fingers first before attempting to
play fast.

Pay very close attention to the fingering shown in the notation to make sure that you are playing
the notes with the most efficient motions possible. This will help you to increase your speed in
less time!

As you are practicing, make sure to not let the pick travel too far from the strings. Watch the
picking and the fingering of the notation carefully to use the most efficient approach for learning
the music. The “P.M.” markings stand for the term ‘palm muting’. It means that you must mute
the strings you are playing with your picking hand palm to achieve a more precise articulation
(you can hear this effect in the audio).

Very Important: You do NOT have to play the exercise at the maximum speed shown in the
notation in order to continue with the next lesson. Even if you can only play at half the speed
right now, this is not a problem. Your technique and speed will continuously improve as you
work through the course (as we proceed with easier exercises to the more difficult ones), and
over time you will reach the maximum goal speeds that are shown in the tab. So it is very
important that you don’t feel pressured to play at the tempo indicated after practicing the
exercise only for a few days or weeks.

© Tom Hess Music Corporation All Rights Reserved

© Tom Hess Music Corporation All Rights Reserved
© Tom Hess Music Corporation All Rights Reserved
 Hear the exercise at 100% of the speed

Hear the exercise at 75% of the speed

Hear the exercise at 50% of the speed

Hear the exercise at 25% of the speed

© Tom Hess Music Corporation All Rights Reserved