2 Jazz Practicing Tips

 

2 Jazz Jazz Practi Practicin cing gT Tips ips That That Will Will 2X Your Res Result ultss - Learn Learn Jazz Jazz S.. S....

https: https://w //www ww.le .learn arnjaz jazzst zstand andard ards.c s.com/ om/blo blog/l g/lear earnin ning-j g-jazz azz/ja /jazzzz-adv advi.. i....

! #$%% &'$()*(*+, -*./ -0$) 1*22 !3 456' By B BrreennttVVaaa aaarrttssttrraa - Sep epttem embe berr 30 30,, 2016

Here Her e’s tthe he dea deal: l: jjazz azz mus musici icians ans spe spend nd a lot of ttime ime pra practi cticin cing g bu butt en end d up was fa fact ct,, I’d I’d li lik ke to go o out ut o on n a llim imb b an and d sa say y ttha hatt 50 50% % of pr prac acti tice ce ttim ime e is ofte often n wa thiss cconc thi onclus lusion ion fro from mo obse bservi rving ng my stu studen dents, ts, my col collea league gues, s, and of cou course rse b myself from time to time. There’s a lot of reasons for this. It could be that they haven’t set goals for th

1 of 4

02/04/18, 07:28

 

2 Jazz Jazz Practi Practicin cing gT Tips ips That That Will Will 2X Your Res Result ultss - Learn Learn Jazz Jazz S.. S....

https: https://w //www ww.le .learn arnjaz jazzst zstand andard ards.c s.com/ om/blo blog/l g/lear earnin ning-j g-jazz azz/ja /jazzzz-adv advi.. i....

therefore ther efore tthey hey e enter nter tthe he pr practice actice room wi with th no d direct irection. ion. IItt coul could d also b be e th things to  to rea reall lly yh hel elp p th them em iimp mpro rove ve as a jazz jazz m mus usic icii aren’t practicing the right things elements are crucial. However Howe ver,, eve even n if you h have ave sset et goal goalss for you yourself rself an and d you are p pract racticing icing th thin in beneficial bene ficial,, tha thatt doe doesn’ sn’tt mean you are saf safe e from wasti wasting ng pr practic actice e time time.. You You c ri righ ghtt ttrrac ack kb bu ut n no ot p prracti actici cing ng in such such a w wa ay ttha hatt w wil illl h hel elp py you ou ac ach hie iev ve y yo our m This is incredibly important to talk about, because when it comes down to it, ever ev eryt ythi hing ng.. Th Ther ere e ar are e no shor shortc tcut utss to be beco comi ming ng a be bett tter er jjaz azzz mu musi sici cian an.. Be Beco co musician is not cheap and easy. It takes real time and real work. So wouldn’t getting the very most we can out of our practice sessions? I know I want to. I have the time to waste on bad practicing. So here are a re som some e hhu u ug gge e tips tha thatt you migh mightt not hear as ofte often. n. They may be pl are reading reading on y your our co compute mputerr or ph phone; one; jjust ust an anothe otherr artic article le y you’l ou’lll qui quickly ckly rre e then dispose of, of, but if put into action, they can be so much more than that fo

!" $%&'( ')*&+,-.'&) &%/+0&-( I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Less is more” . I didn didn’t ’t be beli liev eve e iin n ttho hose se wo worr fact, in the consumer based society that I live and am conditioned c onditioned in, it’s still believe in this. But is the less is more approach the real deal? Absolutely. It’s called information overload. You practice too much stuff, and then move quickl qui ckly y. If y you ou llear earn n 3 ne new w jaz jazzz sta standa ndards rds iin n on one e wee week, k, it may fee feell as if y you ou h some someth thin ing g gr grea eat, t, b but ut d do oy you ou rrea eall lly y kn know ow ttho hose se sson ongs gs w wel ell? l? Y You ou m may ay ha have ve llea ea musica mus icall ide idea a fro from m a rec record ording ing y you ou llik ike, e, b but ut th then en mo move ve o on n to tthe he n nex extt on one e be beff internalizing it. Is learnin learning g more licks in a short period of time goin going g to resul playing? Probably not. Too oft often en w we e le learn arn som someth ething ing and the then n mo move ve on tto o th the e ne next xt tthin hing g wi witho thout ut g gii energy ener gy it de deserv serves. es. If y you ou rea really lly wa want nt to be become come a b bette etterr jazz mu musicia sician, n, get r mentality and start focusing on rre eeppeettiitttiio iioonn. Repeti Rep etitio tion n is is su super per imp import ortant ant.. H How ow man many y ssong ongss ha have ve yo you u lear learned ned onl only y tto o fo

2 of 4

02/04/18, 07:28

 

2 Jazz Jazz Practi Practicin cing gT Tips ips That That Will Will 2X Your Res Result ultss - Learn Learn Jazz Jazz S.. S....

https: https://w //www ww.le .learn arnjaz jazzst zstand andard ards.c s.com/ om/blo blog/l g/lear earnin ning-j g-jazz azz/ja /jazzzz-adv advi.. i....

long lon g run run?? I can can’t ’t co count unt the one oness I’v I’ve e for forgot gotten ten on bo both th o off my h hand ands. s. Th Think ink ab I’ve wasted. Perhaps if I would have truly worked on half of the songs that I the course of my jazz education, I would know even more songs really well. Some people have bett better er re retent tention ion lev levels els tthan han othe others, rs, b but ut tthat hat doesn doesn’t ’t e excl xclu u demand dem and ffor or re repet petiti ition. on. You ma may y ha have ve h hear eard d abo about ut th the e 10 10,00 ,000 0 hou hourr rul rule e (it ta 10,000 hours of practice to truly master a craft) and there is a lot of truth in the question is 10,000 hours of what kind of p practice? ractice? Waste Wasted d practice? Of Gladwell in his book Outliers, talks a ab bout tth he stories o off B Biill G Ga ates a an nd the B ot othe herrs. What ha t was the common thr hrea ead d in the heiir 10,0 10 ,00 00 hour ou rs? R Re eeppe peetti tiit itttiio iioonn.. n..  T sa same me st stuf ufff o ov ver an and d ove verr a aga gain in.. W Whe hen n so some meth thin ing gn new ew wa wass llea earn rned ed it wa wass rre e became second nature, and then they never stopped doing it. Next time you are in the practice roo room and are ready to learn some new inf yourself: Do I know the last thing I learned really well?  Am I learning somet I’m ready for for it, or am I just doing it bec because ause I thin think k someth something ing new wil willl mak

Take it from chef and culinary icon Jacques Pepin:

!"# %&' ()* ( +*,*-*). &) ( /')0*&1 &) ( 2&&3. %&' 4(5* 6& 31&, 64* 6)(7* 4(5* 6& -*()1 64* ;)&2*//9 :&' -*()1 86 64)&'04 *17-*// )*;*6868&1 '168- 86

1" 2.&3 3+-4.'4')5 6& ,748 -)( 976. :/ 4&)6'6./) Pr Prac acti tici cing ng ffor or llon ong g ho hour urss is isn n’t b bad ad,, an and d I wo woul uldn dn’t ’t d dis isco cour urag age e it it.. Th The e on only ly q que ue is: a m II w a s t in g t i m e?   If you can practice for 5 hours and truly be getting so of it the e entire ntire time time,, great great!! More power to y you. ou. B But ut if you are li like ke most p peop eop focused for that long. Another problem is sometimes musicians treat practicing like cramming for their the ir in instr strume ument nt fo forr da days ys an and d th then en su sudde ddenly nly fee feell as if p prac ractic ticing ing ffor or a lo long ng ti it. Not really. I know this because I’ve been guilty of it on multiple occasions. If you you rreal eally ly w want ant to a achi chiev eve e ma maxim ximum um re resul sults ts ffor or y your our jaz jazzz pr pract actici icing, ng, yo you un cco oon nnsssiis iisst sttee en nnttt.. No o one ne lilike kess to to p pla lay yw wit ith ham mus usic icia ian nw who’ ho’ss ccon onst stan antl tly y rrus ushi hing ng a and an d in tthe he ssam ame e wa way y, y you ourr in inst stru rume ment nt d doe oesn sn’t ’t llik ike e it w whe hen ny you ou ccon onst stan antl tly y ne

3 of 4

02/04/18, 07:28

 

2 Jazz Jazz Practi Practicin cing gT Tips ips That That Will Will 2X Your Res Result ultss - Learn Learn Jazz Jazz S.. S....

https: https://w //www ww.le .learn arnjaz jazzst zstand andard ards.c s.com/ om/blo blog/l g/lear earnin ning-j g-jazz azz/ja /jazzzz-adv advi.. i....

Don’t Don ’t ssend end yo your ur iinst nstrum rument ent mix mixed ed m mess essage ages, s, jjust ust try to ccons onsist istent ently ly sspen pend dt This his d do oes esn n’t me mean an you h ha ave tto op prracti actice ce ever ery yda day y. F For or mo most st pe peop oplle tthi hiss iiss im im means you need to keep a rhythm r hythm with your practicing. If you are able to do improvementt will remain consisten improvemen consistentt as wel well.l. Consisten Consistency cy plays right into th They work together like like a power team. Put them together and they can be a force. Speed skating Olympic medalist Apolo Ohno says it pretty well in his own te

!>1* 64810/ 0'%/ 4(5* 6& )*?*?