Scale Game Tracker [Free Download]

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May 28

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I love the Scale Game.

If you're unfamiliar with The Scale Game, it is a list of sixty articulation/rhythm/tempo variations to accompany Taffanel and Gaubert's Exercises Journaliers, No. 4 by Michel Debost. It can be found in his book, The Simple Flute.

The idea is to play all keys in T&G Number 4 each day, (including six 8va scales), rotating to ultimately play all keys in all styles at the end of a full 30 or 60-day rotation.

There are a couple ways to do it.

Rotating Keys

To Begin:

Play C Major in the style of No. 1
Play C Major 8va in the style of No. 2
Play A minor in the style of No. 3... and so on.

Once you've played the last scale in the left column (E minor) in the style of No. 30, begin with C Major again on style No. 31, going through 31-60 following the order on the left. (Stop at Style 30 if you're playing 30 scales per day, or go on and play all 60 in one day!)
After completing C Major through E Minor on Styles 1-30, and then again on 31-60, you'll re-start on the next day with C Major 8va (the second key on the left) in the style of No. 1, going down the list again.

Rotating Styles

Rather than playing the articulations in the same order and rotating through the keys as above, you can keep the keys in the same order and rotate the articulations.

Follow the same steps as the above to begin.
Once you finish all sixty styles (playing all 30 keys 2x each), begin again on C Major the following day, beginning on Style. No. 2.
- C Major 8va on Style 3
- A minor on Style 4... and so on.

Keeping Track + Staying Motivated

One of my biggest issues with attempting to rotate through the full Scale Game over 60 days is keeping track of where I am. I have yet to successfully complete a full rotation, because at some point, despite writing down notes, I get lost and start over.

To remedy this, I've created a Scale Game Tracker to list out the full 60-Day rotation (following the Rotating Styles method), so I can simply check off each day without having to question where I'll need to start.

Plus, it's motivating to keep track in one place, seeing a clear visual of my progress!