Playing a musical instrument often entails tedious tasks such as playing scales. This can be very boring and seem pointless. Scales are a necessary evil, if you will and if applied properly can be a path to better playing, no matter the instrument. To be able to get the most from a task such as playing scales, it is necessary to grasp how you will benefit from their use.

Playing scales properly will do wonders for your technique, no matter if you are a singer or you are the piano player. You will be able to progress to more difficult pieces if you persist in your scales practice. It is the same with all instruments, practice slowly and accurately and then increase your speed later. Sometimes your skill level increases imperceptibly as you progress. Learning music theory will come naturally as you learn scales. Jazz is particularly suited for the use of scales, due to its changing and modulating nature.

Scales help you to grasp and anticipate music. By anticipate I mean you already know where the music can go and probably will go so it is easier to improvise.
If you want scales to become second nature you must make them a part of your day, every day. Playing scales helps to warm up your hands and only takes a few minutes per day. You can get much benefit by starting at only ten minutes a day to start. It is just enough to warm up your fingers and enough to establish muscle memory.

It is important to start with a scale that is easy for you. It is always important to begin slowly. A short run, say a triad or even less is a good place to warm up before you move to a full octave or even more. Continue to move up the scale in half tones until you have gone up an octave if you can. Next you will repeat the process with a different scale, say a minor one instead of a major one. There are many books full of patterns that you can practice with or you can make up your own. The point is to have the proper technique accurately and slowly. As you continue with scales practice the music will become part of your finger memory, or vocal memory if you are a singer.

As you warm up you will then be able to run scales together, one after another to obtain a better technique. Remember to always pay attention to your technique when you play scales. Scales practice is often dreaded and feared by all musicians until you understand what it will do for you. The way you play scales is the way you will sound, you are embedding muscle memory.