Full Range Scales for Free Range Fiddlers
Now we will re-visit some friends and since we are fiddlers, we’ll re-invent this friendship by doing something new together.
We’re going to take all the major scales you’ve learned so far, and play each one in it’s full first position range. We’ll take the simple one octave scales you’ve already learned, and add notes below and above those to round them out.
This will further help you play on different types of tunes, but it also will be a tremendous help if you ever want to try your hand at improvisation.
G major scale
A good place to start is the G major scale in two octaves, which you’ve already learned and practiced as:
G0-1-2-3-D0-1-2-3-A0-1-L2-3-E0-1-L2-3
This is close to the full range. We just need to add one note to get there: E4 (B).
Full range: G0-1-2-3-D0-1-2-3-A0-1-L2-3-E0-1-L2-3-4
Pause and practice this with the drone track now.
Now let’s do this with some other scales.
D major scale
Play a D major scale:
D0-1-2-3-A0-1-2-3
We’ll now round this out by adding notes from the D scale on the G and E strings.
Full range: G0-1-2-H3-D0-1-2-3-A0-1-2-3-E0-1-L2-3-4
Suggested tunes: Arkansas Traveller, Swallowtail Jig, Old Joe Clarke
A major
Lower octave: G1-2-H3-D0-1-2-H3-A0
Upper octave: A0-1-2-3-E0-1-2-3
Full range: GL1-1-2-H3-D0-1-2-3-H3-A0-1-2-3-E0-1-2-3-4
Suggested tunes: Sally Goodin, Cotton eyed Joe
F major
One octave: DL2-3-A0-L1-L2-3-E0-L1
Full range: G0-1-L2-3-D0-1-DL2-3-A0-L1-L2-3-E0-L1-L2-3-L4
Suggested tunes: Southwind, Kesh Jig in F, Give The Fiddler A Dram
B flat
Lower octave: GL2-3-D0-L1-L2-3-A0-L1
Upper octave: AL1-L2-3-L4-EL1-L2-3-L4
Full range: G0-1-L2-3-D0-L1-L2-3-A0-L1-L2-3-L4-EL1-L2-3-L4
Suggested tunes: Done Gone. Oh Susannah in Bb, Kerry Polka in Bb
C Major
Lower octave: G3-D0-1-L2-3-A0-1-L2
Upper octave: AL2-3-E0-L1-L2-3-4-(H4)*
Full range: G0-1-2-G3-D0-1-L2-3-A0-1-L2-3-E0-L1-L2-3-4-(H4)*
*Note: To hit the high C note, we play a raised fourth finger. Slide your fourth from the B note (which you’ve practiced) up a half step (a teeny bit) to EH4 ( C ).
Suggested tune: Kesh Jig in C major (starting on G3)
As usual I’ll say that it’s much better to do go deep with one scale at a time so that each one sounds good. I recommend doing no more than one a day, possible even one a week. Alternate between playing the full range scales and playing tunes using the scale.