You may ask why does practicing scales get its own page? “As we all know, this is the alpha and omega of flute playing.” Michel Debost
Always practice the scales for the key signatures in your current music or etude.
Some recommendations for learning scales at different levels:
BEGINNERS
Learn major scales from C, to three sharps and three flats. Practice these seven scales up and down in one octave. I prefer not to go to the note above before coming back down. Repeat the top note or not. Play them with music at first and then memorized. Do not allow missed notes.
Use different articulations as you work on these scales. Select and articulation from an exercise or piece of music included in your current practice.
Add rhythms to your scale practice. It is a great idea to choose from those in your current music. You should try playing scales using whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes. As a challenge, make up different combinations of these note values.
INTERMEDIATE
Learn all major and minor scales up and down two octaves . Vary the articulations. Use page 5 in Twelve Daily Exercises by John Wummer if you have it otherwise look around online for something printable that gives you articulation options for your scales. The John Wummer book is still available, but the price has now creeped up to $45.00.
Note: Begin to use these scales for breathing practice as well. Try to make it through two octaves up an down one time in one breath.
Adding the chromatic scale, and starting this scale on many different notes, will assure that you are ready when this scale shows up in music.
Also play the associated arpeggios in all keys, varying articulations, rhythms and dynamics.
Print: Major Scales Print: Major Arpeggios
Print: Minor Scales Print: Minor Arpeggios
ADVANCED
Learning all major and minor scales from low C or B up through fourth octave D should be the goal. Do not stop to breath as you play over the top notes. You need to practice the facility up and over those very high notes. Take a breath anywhere else as needed. Vary your articulations for different practice sessions and choose four sixteenth notes on a beat, or eighth note triplets or the difficult rhythm from your current music.
Practice all scales by starting on each note of that scale. Play up and down two octaves. In the key of C you would play the scale starting on C, then D, then E etc. until you finally play starting the C one octave higher. You will have then practiced every possible ½ step combination on the flute as well as all the natural minor scales. (This is my favorite scale exercise.)
Add all arpeggios up through the fourth octave.
Practice scales fast sometimes but keep notes clean and even. You do need to practice fast to play fast.
Conservatory Bound Students
Taffanel & Gaubert 17 Daily Exercises – Work on Exercise No. 4
Become familiar with whole tone scales, major and minor pentatonic scales, investigate the structures of the modes and maybe venture in to some blues scales.