You might ask this out of curiosity, or you might be asking this to get some insight but there are no shortcuts to anything. Even though the answers may not please you I suggest you read through the whole thing to understand and get the biggest picture. Remember, no shortcuts.
The scale you’re going to find the easiest to sing is the one you practice the most. It’s as easy as that. There are other factors that need to be taken into account if you plan to understand how this is possible.
I have been taking these kinds of questions to point the reader to a better way of thinking about music. There could be a lot of misinformation people could be listening to for years. Let’s begin!
The One You Practice The Most
The easiest scale for you to sing is the one you practice the most. I know you know that’s obvious but it’s also true. It’s as simple as that. But there is so much more to this question that needs to be answered way before we’re able to ask this simple question: which scale is the easiest to sing?
Why This Question Exists?
The problem lies in the framing of the question. Do you want to know which scale is the easiest to sing? I’ve already told you.
Maybe you’re asking which scale, technically speaking, is the easiest to sing? In all honesty, after you’ve spent a little bit of time learning how scales are formed and how they sound.
They’re all kind of the same technical difficulty.
Unless you are going towards and over to Hindustani music which scales are not directly what they mean in the western music theory’s context. But, I specialize in western music theory and I am going to answer according to that.
What Is a Better Question?
The question you should be striving for is,
How do scales work?
How do I and anyone else know that THIS is the major scale or THAT is the minor scale?
Why is F#, not Gb (G-flat)?
That’s the correct logical question to ask.
I understand and fully respect that you want to find the easiest scale to sing but in reality, there is no answer to that because musicians inherently believe in deliberate practice.
It also needs to be said that scales after you initially learn and understand them don’t serve much of a purpose. They really run out of their usefulness quite fast. You can learn how to do warmups but after a while, they’re really just okay to know.
Should You Focus on One Scale to Master?
Absolutely not.
You should strive to understand how they are formed and then be able to sing them well. Singing them well allows you to train your voice to sing at different intervals from the root and strengthens your vocal cords by providing them with a systematic approach to practicing them.
The same effect can be had if you just started to practice but it would be wrong on my part to tell you that would be the fastest or the most efficient way of doing that. Because now in this method – learning by doing you’re forcing yourself to wait until a byproduct of skill is learned whereas deliberately practicing helps you to pick out the exact skills and as a result better results of this practice.
Practice Should Be Goal-Oriented
It’s a different thing when you are practicing, in the beginning, to start with scales. That’s a noble pursuit but as you start going ahead you should be able to discern either by yourself or by trusting your teacher what to practice.
All practice needs to be deliberately leading up to a goal you can see. Something you know and can hear that you can’t yet do and something that you definitely feel the need to grow in. If these small things are missing from your practice sessions then practice is random. Never practice randomly.
It’s like driving fast at night with no lights. It will get you somewhere but you don’t know if you’ve arrived or slammed your car in a ditch. Dangerous, why let your practice sessions be like that?
Technique is Better Than Scales
Technique is the method you use to make a sound.
Singing – chest or head voice.
You need to be a master of your technique. You need to know how it works and how to use it the best to be able to perform the way it must be performed.
Scales are a means to an end. The end is to become better. You use scales as a way to understand and practice and in some cases, you won’t even use scales. Practicing your techniques while practicing your scale is far much of a better option.
You can execute a scale perfectly. But how? The way you do it is the technique. Technique needs to change according to the situation and how something is sung. Or when you want to sound a particular way so you change your technique. That’s the better approach towards not just your practice but practically as well.
Someone who doesn’t practice their technique never really realizes the extent of how good they can sound. Good techniques make you a better-sounding singer. Isn’t that the end goal of practice?
To not just know scales because you never perform them but to be a master of technique, so regardless of whether you have to sing, you can.
Get Better at Singing
If you wish to get better at singing and want to know how my recommendation is going be of owning a copy of an online course. I have written an article here that talks about why online courses are better. You can read it here.
I personally own a copy of ‘The Four Pillars of Singing‘, by The Vocalist Studio. You should try it out too. Your purchase will include a book which is something I don’t have but I have also made a dedicated page for you and which course you can buy. Check it out here.
Whatever you end up deciding, I know you are going to be successful in your endeavors!