A method of scaling polyphony can include identifying music data to be played (415), wherein the music data indicates instruments to be used and each instrument has an assigned priority. A measure of polyphony needed to play the music data can be compared with polyphony of a sound generating device (425). If the measure of polyphony exceeds the polyphony of the sound generating device, the music data can be played without using one or more instruments indicated by the music data according to the assigned priorities (440, 460).