Posts Tagged ‘practicing’
Practicing away from your instrument! Part 1
September 17th, 2009 | 
Author: I had a lesson the other day with a student and I realized that he was really having a hard time coming up with melodic ideas and phrases. I asked him “Do you ever sing?” ”No!” ”How about humming?” “No!” ”How about in the shower?” “No!” This really got me thinking about things and are started asking my other students about this. The thing that I’m noticing is that the students that hum and sing a lot are the ones that have an easier time improvising and creating melodic ideas. Why is that? Well I think the answer is that they are spending hours everyday practicing creating melodic ideas and improvising. Hours that the other students are using.
To be honest, when I practice something on my sax for an hour or two, you will usually find me humming or singing what I was practicing for the rest of the day. I noticed this last week when i was practicing a tune that I didn’t know. It was “I remember you” I played it for about an hour and was really trying to memorize the melody and the changes. Later that day as I was taking a shower I was humming the tune and scatting a little improvised solo over the changes. Later in the car I was doing the same thing! It suddenly struck me that I do this all the time without even thinking about it. It’s a way to practice what you love all the time. The more you sing and hum a melody the more you will internalize it and be able to reproduce it. The more you practice coming up with melodies and scatting solos the better you will become at playing them on your sax.
I have had many students over the years that refuse to sing or even try. I think they are doing themselves a great disservice. I freely admit and tell people that I am one of the worst singers I know. I can sort of carry a tune and match pitches but it isn’t pleasant to listen to. Sometimes I’m a little flat, sometimes I’m a little sharp………the point is that I don’t think that’s important. The important thing is to practice these melodies that we are learning and to practice creating melodies by ear. Sometimes I will sit at the piano and just play the changes to a tune I’m working on and try to sing the melody while I play. Sometimes I sing guide tone lines to it. After that I will try to sing a little solo and try to hit the changes. The thing is, improvising is creating something musical from the ideas in your mind. the fastest way to do this is by singing. It’s right there coming out of your mouth.
I have also learned through the years that if I can sing a song then I can figure it out and play it. If I can’t then I don’t have a chance.
If your serious about music and jazz improvisation then sing a little. Maybe you’ll like it. Think of it as self improvement and a way to improve you playing while you are away from your horn. It will do you a world of good (even if those around you can’t stand it.)
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Practicing With Focus
One of my biggest weaknesses when I was a kid was practicing without a focus. I wanted to do it all, play everything, be the best. I wanted results now. I would spend endless hours in the practice room practicing everything. My problem was I wasn’t focused. I didn’t set goals. Instead of getting excited that I was getting good at the one thing I was practicing, I would feel anxiety that I was missing out on something because I was too focused on that one thing. I would bounce from one thing to another. Learn bits and pieces of things but not truly master them. The greatest thing I’ve learned as I’ve grown older is that I do best when I focus on one thing and set goals. Read the rest of this entry »
A Fresh Approach to Practicing by Greg Fishman
I recently bought two of Greg Fishman’s books and am waiting for them to arrive as I write this. Greg sent me this article and I thought it was a great one so I’m posting it here. I’ll let you know what I think of Greg’s books after I get them and play through them. I’ve heard nothing but good things about them. Thanks, Steve
“Students often ask me how to develop a good practice routine. A good practice routine is essential in order to take your playing to the next level. When I think about the way I used to practice as a young player, all I can say is: “If I only knew then what I know now about the art of practicing!” Read the rest of this entry »
The Most Important Thing!
The most important thing needed to becoming a great musician is a passion that fuels an intense work ethic. To me this is more important than natural talent by far.
I always tell people that I’m not talented at music. They just look at me in dis-belief. Honestly, I feel like I have many talents but I’ve never felt like music was one of them. My biggest talents are passion and dedicated hard work. Since I started playing in seventh grade I have worked hard to become the best musician I can be. If I couldn’t grasp something quickly like some of my peers that meant I had to spend more time in the practice room to figure it out. I remember spending hours in high school trying to figure out the altissimo range on sax. Read the rest of this entry »
