By the time I got to the Paris Conservatoire I was very good at the scales and arpeggios.
Scales played in the correct musical way are very exciting and rewarding.
I use the traditional Moyse scale books slightly modified.
...I got to try the bagpipes. It was like trying to blow an octopus.
You cannot prepare enough for anything.
Running through things because you are familiar with them, breeds routine and this is the seed of boredom.