Scale Throwers Practice Dice (set of 6)

This magnificent new practice tool is a necessity for the serious student of music, and when used regularly, will lead to mastery of many scales and arpeggios—the basic vocabulary of musical creation and execution.

This set of six dice replaces nearly 500 cumbersome and intimidating flashcards. Only two dice will be used at a time. The twelve-sided die with all of the note names will be used always. The other die used will depend on what is being studied.

Roll two dice. Find the scale or arpeggio in “Comprehensive Trumpet Skills, Book 3: Finger Technique” by Dr. Daniel N. Thrower, or the "Scales and Arpeggios" pamphlet, both of which are available through Gilded Music Press. Practice slowly with the metronome. Once you can play the scale five times in a row without errors, either speed up the metronome or roll again, depending on your goals as established with your teacher.

There are two four-sided dice. One bears the symbols M, NM, HM, and MM to represent Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, and Melodic Minor, used to master those scales. The other four-sided die bears the symbols for Major (M), Minor (m), Augmented (+), and Diminished (°) to represent the four qualities of triad arpeggios.

The other dice include a six-sided die for the modal scales (Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian or Natural Minor, and Locrian—excluding Ionian, or Major), an eight-sided die for “advanced” scales (Pentatonic, Major Bebop, Mixolydian Bebop, Blues, Whole-Tone, Diminished starting with a half step, and Diminished starting with a whole step), and a 12-sided die for seventh and ninth arpeggios.

Ultimately, your goal is to be able to play any scale and any arpeggio on demand and at a reasonably fast tempo, to be determined by your teacher. Happy practicing!