Worksheet in Excel and Google Sheets Formats
Here's an example of what this worksheet might look like when you'd be working through an exercise in all 12 keys.
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet
This version of the progress tracker is meant to be saved on your computer's local hard drive.
Best of both worlds (Excel + the cloud) ....?
Hmm, I'd say not really.
If you're like me and prefer storing things in the cloud, you can, indeed, upload this file to Microsoft's cloud-based version of Excel by creating a free account at https://www.office.com. However, at the time of this writing, the cloud-based Excel is an inferior product in comparison to Google Sheets (feel free to weigh in on this in the comments below if you like).
If you haven't already done so, please see the link above to download a blank Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) version of the Progress Tracker Worksheet.
Google Sheets
(the best option, in my opinion)
I strongly believe that Google Sheets is a better option than MS Excel. With Excel, or any other software that stores files on your computer, you are at the mercy of a hard drive that may very well crash and die without warning, and as mentioned previously, Microsoft's browser-based version of Excel is not up to par with Google Sheets at this time.
Having all of your progress sheets available to you on any device at any time means that you'll never have to worry about keeping track of individual files that may eventually get lost due to a crash or buying a new computer and forgetting to copy everything over. So even if you're practicing while vacationing on a lush tropical island, as long as you have an internet connection, you can continue tracking your progress and being just as productive as you would be at home.
Plus, Google Sheets has pretty decent apps for tablets and smartphones, although smartphones don't really lend themselves to efficient use of spreadsheets. Nonetheless, given how little work is required to enter a BPM or some brief notes, these apps could work just fine.
Using the Google Sheets Worksheet for the First Time
For those of you who are used to working with Google Sheets, then the following instructions beyond Step 3 may very well be unnecessary, as we're not really doing anything complicated here.
PLEASE NOTE: You may notice that the worksheet in the screenshots below is not the same one as the worksheet linked to from this page. The instructions below apply to just about any worksheet you might get here at Infinite Musician.
With that said...
STEP 1: Do you have a Google account?
First, you need to have a Google account (aka an "@gmail.com" Gmail email address). If you don't have one, it's very simple to go to Google.com and set one up.
STEP 2: Go to the blank worksheet template
Once you are logged into your Google account, you can access this spreadsheet here.
STEP 3: Copy the worksheet template
Since the sheet linked to in the previous step is just a blank starting point, in order to start using the spreadsheet yourself, you'll need to make your own copy of this one by selecting from the top menu, File > Make a copy as shown below:
STEP 4: Rename your copy
A "Copy document" popup will now appear, and you can rename the spreadsheet to whatever you like:
STEP 5: Fill out the worksheet
Hopefully the next step of actually starting the fill out the form is fairly straightforward (see screenshot at the top of this page to see an example). The fields are there to help you take note of information that will increase your efficiency in working through the all of the exercises in all of the keys.
Altissimo
One important thing to note is that the sheet also allows for the option to record a separate BPM for utilizing altissimo in the exercises.
By allowing you to track the altissimo as a separate effort, you avoid breaking your momentum by getting hung up on 1 or 2 altissimo notes that are holding up your movement through whatever it is you're working on. Unless the altissimo register is fully integrated into your full range, then it's probably going to be more enjoyable for you to initially work within the normal range of the horn, and then come back later to altissimo in once you're happy with your level of proficiency inside of the normal range.
For saxophonists, there is a link to a handy altissimo fingering chart so you don't have to go rifling through old files, books, or the internet to learn or recall a fingering necessary to play the exercise with altissimo.
Duplicating the Worksheet to Move On to Tracking the Exercises in Additional Keys
Option 1: Copy the entire file
For this step, you can either use the File > Make a copy option as shown above in step 3 and rename the file accordingly, or...
Option 2: Copy the current sheet to a new tab
You can track multiple spreadsheets in the same file (which I personally prefer) by clicking on the sheet tab at the bottom of the page and selecting the "Duplicate" option as shown below:
If you do chose to track all of the keys in a single file using a duplicated tab for each key (updating and deleting all of the entries from the sheet/tab you copied from, of course), you can rename the tabs by simply double-clicking on the tab and renaming it to whatever you like, as shown below:
A Final Word
The beauty of this digital format is that they can be altered to fit YOUR particular way of working though the material. All that matters is whether or not they do the job of keeping YOUR practice sessions as focused, fun, and ultimately, successful as possible.
So don't worry if you want to cram some additional notes in the boxes for BPM tracking, or change the names of the fields, or if a font size gets messed up.. Nobody else is likely to be looking at these, so please remember - it's OK to "color outside the lines" to discover your optimal process.
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