Print off these flash cards on any standard size paper to spice up your scale review with some color! Click on a photo and then print.Try card stock for a heftier feel, though standard paper is ok too. Cut them up with paper cutter or scissors, either pick just a few or shuffle them all together, and pull them out one at a time (in random order once you get the hang of it). Make sure that if you make a mistake on one, you repeat that scale at least 5 times correctly for each time you played it with the error! AND put it back in the shuffled deck! If you ace one, take it out of the deck for today – but keep coming back to it occasionally. Try to play every scale with fantastically spectacular tone, relaxed but grounded and upright posture, flexible and open hand position with pads of fingers on the center of the keys, fingertips showing, thumb under pointer, no monster fingers, shark fingers, etc – if you don’t know what that means, just be attentive to hand position!
How about finding something fun to count? Pennies? Marbles? Make a paper clip chain? String a necklace with a bead for each impeccably played scale? Remember – only the good ones count – and 5 good ones required for EVERY mistake! (THINK before you play – and slowly and carefully at first!)
Major Scales (click photo for 8.5×11 printable PDF):
Minor Scales (click photo for 8.5×11 printable PDF):
And you can also use the entire set of cards, or any ones you select, for a chromatic scale drill – just start on the note you draw. If you can think of interesting ways of counting your repetitions, or games to play with your scales, please do leave any thoughts in the comments section below!
