A basic knowledge of the different scales is necessary to accomplish the performance of patterns.

A short and basic overview of all the keys and scales can be found here.​

Some of the most extensive collections are Franz Liszt's Technische Studien (1868-73) and Hélène de Montgeroult's Cours complet pour l'enseignement du forte piano (composed 1788-1812). Liszt's collection of exercises consists of twelve books and, although not published until the second part of the 19th century, this collection spans a tradition of many decades. 

Despite the copious amount of published exercises, it was also the intention, according to Liszt, to create one's own exercises and to study them in all keys. 

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Scale patterns can be classified into different types. In the following Liszt examples, a specific number of notes are grouped together in scale fragments.