Although the practice of scales is essential to building and
maintaining strength, technique, tone, and agility—it is very easy to
slip into the habit of playing them automatically, without paying
attention to how they sound or even being aware of what scale we are
playing. The 29 single-page studies in this book are designed to combat
that tendency as they are musically, intellectually, and rhythmically
challenging.
The first 24 studies proceeded through the circle of
fifths and address all minor and relative major keys; the last 5 pieces
were individually conceived, i.e., apart from the circle of fifths.
Occasional fingerings or position guides are suggested but these are
largely left to the student or their teachers. No metronome indications
are given so that the etudes can be played at individually comfortable
tempos—with or without a metronome, or freely as concert etudes. It is
the stepwise motion and octave leaps of the etudes that makes the
intervals between pitches easy to hear, even in keys with numerous flats
or sharps.
Just as in Elaine Fine’s more basic scale etude book, Violin Scale Tales,
the names of the etudes herein refer to various animals that have
scales, including insects, fish, birds, reptiles, a few species of
squirrels with scales on their tails, and the solitary pangolin, the
only known mammal whose entire body is covered with scales. Again, the
author hopes that in addition to experiencing more enjoyable scale
practice, students will be inspired to learn more about these amazing
creatures, or even write scale studies of their own.