During music practice, for example during a class or an exam, we need to use random notes, in order to choose the music scale the student will play.
I thought about a music dice, did some research, and saw some music dice available on the market using English music notes nomenclature, but none including the note names system commonly used in Portugal. So I decided to start working and creating my own music dice.
• I've started by ordering a 12 side dice fromo Ebay, something that can be ordered for only a few cents.
• Next, I removed the ink fom the dice using a small knife and carefully engraved the note names. One side included C in the middle and F, Bb, Eb, Ab and Db around it, the opposite side had the corresponding augmented 4th, like in the circle of 5th. This step took too much time than I've originally anticipated, because it's material is very hard, but by the other hand, it means it is scratch resistant!
• I did some experiments, looking for the best ink, and opted for india ink for outlining the note names.
• Waited until the ink finished drying, and applied several transparent nail polish layers.
And It is done!
These dice were highly accepted in my classes, and suddenly I saw younger students wanting to learn new music scales.
Naturally, I prepare my students to enjoy practicing scales, but every music teacher knows at the beginning isn't an easy task. Using these dice, a step further was made in order to practice scales in the funny way.