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You are here: Home / Jazz Education / NeffMusic Lessons: Learning How To Learn!

NeffMusic Lessons: Learning How To Learn!

July 14, 2008 by Steve Leave a Comment

I’m writing this article to all my Neffmusic members to help them get the most out their lessons at Neffmusic.
In order to really get the most out of my lessons there are some skills that you need to develop. These lessons are a bit different than going to a teacher and taking one on one lessons. In those types of lessons you get immediate feedback and there is an interaction between the teacher and student. If the teacher sees the student do something wrong he can immediately correct it and teach about it. It can be tailored to the students needs at the moment. Finally, specific direction and homework can be given based off of the students abilities and level. As weeks and lessons go by this direction can be adjusted for the student so they get the most out of their practice time. If the homework given was too much then the teacher can scale the assignment back. If it was too little the teacher can add more to the assignment for next time. If the student didn’t really click with the assignment the teacher can think of alternate ways to teach it or pratice it that would interest the student more.
Certainly, there are many positive aspects to teaching one on one and in person and this is how I teach most of my students.
With my online recorded lessons much of what I talk about above needs to be done by the student themselves. In each of the lessons I give tons of information and tips on practicing and using the materials but when it comes down to the specific practice regime for each of you, you must figure out the specifics on your own.(I’ll do my best to help)
Since I was in 9th grade this is something I’ve been good at. Sure, I took tons of private lessons but I would say that 90% of what I know and am good at playing came from my learning outside of those lessons. I used to go down to the local music store every month in Syracuse and use my paper route money to buy a new book or method. I would buy records constantly to listen to as many players as I could.
As time went on I found myself developing my own goals and methods to practice. My weekly lesson with my teacher was nice but I was impatient and always had other things I was working on. Below are some of the things I was doing that really helped me to grow and learn that I think will help you to really excel with my online lessons.

1. After you receive your 4 lessons for the month and listen to them you need to come up with a goal for the month. It needs to be realistic but still challenging for you. You need to consider how much time you have to practice and the other commitments you have on your time. Whatever you set your goal to be you need to make sure that you meet it thoroughly. If you decide that you want to learn all 12 dominant bebop scales then you need to be specific with what that means……
Do you want to be able to play all 12 without hitting any wrong notes?
Do you want to play them one after another through the circle of fifths?
Do you want to play them at a metronome marking of 80,100,120,320?
Do you want to play them through in quarter notes, 16th notes?

The more specific you are with your goals the better. They can’t be vague. It’s best to set some sort of finish line or benchmark to it so you know that you have met the goal. Setting a goal like above of learning the 12 scales is great but….what does that mean? when have you learned them enough? When are you ready to move on? These are things a teacher will address usually but if you can start thinking this way it will become a powerful tool to help you teach yourself.

2. Set up a weekly and daily plan to reach your goal.
What I do is set a goal and then on Monday I come up with a plan for the week. When am I going to practice? How am I going to practice? What keys will I tackle this week? Challenge yourself but be realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting a goal that is crazy. I’ve been there and done that. It’s not fun. I have a family and 3 kids and many commitments. I can’t set a goal of practicing 8 hours a day and ignore my family and other commitments. I mean I could but in the long run is it worth it? Those kind of questions are the ones you need to wrestle with when setting up your plan.

3. Be flexible!!!! You have to be disciplined and try to stick with your plan but don’t be so rigid that you make yourself and others miserable. If something comes up then readjust. Stick to the plan. Don’t get depressed and stop trying. Just think about the next day and come up with a plan for that day that is reasonable and doable.
get back on track.

4. Don’t be motivated by guilt!! This is a big one for me. I use to set up these challenging goals and plans and then if I messed up or didn’t stick to it I would feel guilty and bad. I would use that to motivate me to get back in the practice room. The problem with that is after awhile I would look for things to be guilty about or feel bad about for motivation. If I didn’t feel like practicing I would start thing about how bad I was or how if I missed a practice time I would be a loser. Sure this would motivate me but in the long run it killed my mindset. That is no way to live a positive joyful life. You end up being miserable all the time.

5. Reevaluate things constantly.
I don’t mean change direction but evaluate how you are doing and make changes to the plan to compensate and meet your needs. Again, don’t change directions. This is a common problem with many people. They try something and come up with a plan but they don’t follow through. They don’t complete the task. It so much better to practice one thing and master it than to practice 10 and not master any of them. When i think back to the times in my life when I grew the most it was when I focused on one thing and mastered it.
The summer I spent learning all my bebop scales.
The 4 months I worked on nothing but approach notes.
The 4 months after I got my first gig that I just spent learning the repertoire by memory.

This same concept is true for around my house also. I can walk around my house and show you the projects I completed. the pond I put in, the door installed, the walls I painted……I’m proud of those things. I did a good job. I was focused and completed the task. At the same time there are 20 other things I’m diddling around with that are always in a state of not being completed.You see my point.

I usually reevaluate on Mondays when I’m coming up with my plan for the week and around the first of the month when I’m coming up with a goal for the next month. I think about the last week or month and the positive and negative things. I then come up with a new plan. If last weeks plan was too hard then I make this weeks more reasonable. Sometimes it just means I have to look at my schedule and come up with a better plan for my time. I’m someone that has to schedule my practice time and write things down. Sure, I have many times where i just feel like playing but to be honest there are many times I feel lazy and don’t. Those are the times where having that plan and schedule on paper help me to push through.

5. Write everything down.
Get some sort of book or pad to write everything down. Your goals, your plans, your practice time details, your self evaluations. the more details the better. If I’m going to practice something in 12 keys and have a goal of a specific speed then I write 12 keys on a piece of paper and track which one I’ve practiced and at what speed. This helps me to stay focused but also to know what I’ve worked on and what I need to work on tomorrow. When I start to practice I look at the sheet and decide what to practice today. If I mastered the key of F# yesterday at 320 then I might review it for a second but I know that I don’t need to spend an hour on it. Instead, I might move to Ab which I know I haven’t done and need work at.

6.There has to be a balance between discipline and freedom.
To achieve anything great you have to have discipline. But at the same time you have to allow yourself some freedom to go with the flow. You have to be hard on yourself to practice and stick to the plan but you can’t be so rigid and obsessed that you make yourself miserable and insecure. You have to be positive and enjoy the journey. Trust me, there will always be someone better than you. You will never be as good as you want to be. You will always make mistakes. You will never perfect your saxophone playing. These things are facts. Just accept them. Get over it. Let it go. Focus on just loving the music and the sax. Focus on enjoying the journey of getting better and improving whether it be at a fast pace or slow pace. If you feel negative thoughts and feelings and don’t feel like practicing, motivate yourself with positive things. Listen to a great recording. Let it inspire you. Close your eyes and imagine you are the person playing. Focus on that feeling and that sound. That’s what is all about. That’s what all the practice and planning and lessons are about. Enjoy it. I hope this helps. Steve

Filed Under: Jazz Education, NeffMusic News Tagged With: jazz instruction, NeffMusic lesson, online lessons, steve neff, video lessons

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

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I have been a member of Neffmusic for more than a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it! I have not only been going thru the Dominant Bebop Scale lessons and book (OUTSTANDING!) but the mouthpiece reviews, solo clips and transcriptions are very interesting. Steve approach to beginning and intermediate improv have given me many new pathways to teach my high school jazz ensemble students. Congratulations Steve, great product!
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Steve- I joined your site this month and have downloaded 4 lessons and also purchased your new book and video on diatonic patterns. I just want to say I am very pleased with your approach and teaching techniques. I am getting back into playing after laying off for some time. The information you offer on your site is of great value and I am enjoying being a member. Thank you for what you are doing for the saxophone community.
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Steve’s monthly lessons are entirely valuable. Without brow beating, he tells you all the stuff you deep down know you really should be working on, instead of just relying on the same old patterns. In spite of the fact that you’re taking a video lesson, Steve’s presentation is comfortable and “real”. In a little more than a year, he’s developed a library of lessons that seem to offer any player a lifetime’s worth of practice material. I’m just glad I stumbled upon it.… Read more
Grant
I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.   I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more  bite sized way.
Milton
I bought Steve’s dominant bebop book and took a couple of online lesson from him. I really appreciated Steve’s careful listening of what I wanted to get done in a lesson and his clear, concise ideas on next steps to improve my playing and musical interpretation.  His mastering  the Dominant Bebop Scale has lots of exercises to use a scale that addresses the largest percentage of chords I come across in pop/blues music. The dominant V7.  Needless say it has improved my playing.  I teach and a… Read more
Keith

Steve,

I have played for many years and have enjoyed going “back to the basics” in some of your lessons!  You have such a gift for explaining concepts.  As I have gotten older, some of the basic things have gotten muddled because I just play, not knowing why.  As I refresh myself with “why”, it increases my confidence and expands my playing.  Thank you so much for using your gift!  You are a blessing!

Julia

I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.  I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more bite sized way.

Milton
I can see from your instructional videos that you are a fantastic teacher – one that can truly relate to all ages – humble yet very positive in approach – never coming across as superior and yet so totally capable of demonstrating the principles and techniques that you seek to impart to the students. I have gained so much confidence in my playing from “pouring over” time and again these invaluable lessons. Invaluable not only in musical content, but also in human interaction content. I am absolu… Read more
Ron
Hey Steve, I’m a 22-year-old from Australia. I thought it would be worth saying. You’re an absolute legend. I can’t thank you enough. You have helped me rekindle my love for the saxophone and music as a whole. All the best for the future, your work doesn’t go unnoticed. PS. I am loving your devastating minor lines pdf.
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