It’s an easy way to keep your scales memorized, yet not be bored. I call it popcorn. I especially use popcorn when a competition is looming because usually competitions have you pick a scale out of a hat. As usual, when I say scales, I really mean scales, chords, cadences, and arpeggios (flutes would be chords and cadences in arpeggios, so they would skip the arpeggio category).
What do you have to do prior to Popcorn?
You have to have your scales, chords, cadences, and arpeggios memorized in each key.
Materials
You need flashcards. You could just grab some index cards and label them A-Gb. I like to use these for if a student is only doing scales that start with a natural note. I like to use these for if a student is doing all 12 keys.
The First Week
The first week of popcorn is tough because you thought you knew all your scales backwards and forwards. Popcorn brings any memory lapses to light.
Because of that, in the first week, I have them lay out three flashcards – those are the scales. Three different flashcards – those are the chords. Three different flashcards – those are the cadences. Three different flashcards – those are the arpeggios. Notice there’s 12?
In The Lesson
I only do one key per category, unless it’s the week or two before a competition, then I do three per category, just like the first week of learning popcorn.
Changing Things Up
In addition to the key signatures, you can also make a second stack of flashcards with different articulations, rhythms, dynamics, etc.
The second set of flashcards comes in handy for when you’re having a hard time with a certain concept. Sometimes you’ll take a certain concept all week, sometimes you’ll alternate between a few of them. It depends on what you’re struggling with.
Conclusion
I sincerely hope this practice technique livens up your scale routine. The flute teacher I had back in college said that you should always find a way to challenge yourself with scales. This is definitely a new challenge!