Sunday, March 1st, 2009
This is by far the question most frequently asked by students of jazz. I mean, jazz is learning to exploit. There is much that is made. There are thousands of books, articles, lessons, DVDs and websites dedicated to learning jazz. There are only a mountain of information to pass through. Let’s talk about some ways to practice your decisions much easier.
There are many things that drag into consideration when you put all your routine practice jazz improvisation.
First, your current skills will weigh heavily on these decisions. Generally you want to make sure that everything you practice is a challenge, but doable. In other words, success requires practice in order to be in the realm of possibility. If you are a newcomer to jazz, you should not work, play, sometimes ridiculously hard as Giant Steps Coltrane or timer, or some crazy odd time signatures, burning, or up-tempo, etc.
On the other hand, if you’re an experienced player means you do not want to practice the same things as studies or exercises you’ve already nailed. They want to be sure that slide is the material you outside your comfort zone. But not too much. Again a challenge, but doable.
Another important consideration is your long term goals with music. What kind of music you want? Play What music do you listen? Which players do you have? Dig What do you want to master the styles, and then take? I’m all for being well rounded, but the fact that you do not manage anything. In fact, one can master a number of things.
Well, there are 6 core areas that form the heart of your music education. This thing I have of my friend and mentor, Hal Crook, a trombonist and a qualified teacher as badass I met at Berklee. They are as follows:
1. Technique is instrumental in control of your ax. Subjects, the study would include, arpeggios, scales, scale patterns, type of focus, range, articulation, dynamics, fundamentals, coordination, etc.
2. Studies-These are all classical or jazz pieces written for the instrument and for providing instrumental techniques together in a musical context in terms of design, engineering, expression and interpretation.
3. Sight reading, which is of course the ability to create new items to read. You can choose the appropriate equipment to train every day and practice your sight reading skills. This material could also wrote the rhythm sight-reading, reading lines without rhythms, chords, classical pieces, music for an instrument other than their own, etc.
4. Repertory Jazz is a language of music built on and around the melodies. You should always try to expand your repertoire by learning songs from around the library: standards, jazz tunes and modern music.
5. Ear training, which is your ability to recognize musical elements of the ear (pitch, harmony, rhythm, form, articulation, dynamics, etc.) and respond to your instrument.
6. Improvisation, which is what it is – the creation of art in real time. Topics for improvisation, the agreement would scale solos, rhythmic values, sentence length, tempo, motivic development, etc. Again, I’ll plug Hal. Read improvise his books, “to” and “Ready, Aim, improvise” for a complete list of themes and improvisation exercises to master.
Now we want to talk briefly about two of the most important. The technique and improvisation. The technique is very important in the early and intermediate stages of your development. There is simply no way around it. You have control over your instrument should become a player. However, for many cats are always technical exercises, the practice even after they have already achieved technical mastery. But the more you are in the beginning as a player, a technique more of your hard drives.
Improvising on the other hand, plays a more important role, as you advanced to a player. In fact, how to become an actor much more advanced or more of your practice should be concerned with jazz improvisation. But this does not mean you should neglect it at first. There is always a way to integrate improvisation into your practice.
To schedule now in the collection of your practice and routine practice is a good rule, only 3-4 of 6 basic areas to choose to work for a period of three months. For example, you had the choice, technique, improvisation and Eartraining. Then you choose exercises and topics for those who are suited to your current abilities and goals.
Once you are on your plan, it is important to be responsible. It is almost always detrimental to change themes on a whim too. Follow your plan through. Do not forget to move your problems every day. It is equally important to address the same issues and daily practice. Man, I can not tell you how important this is. So many kittens product with a new chip, or distracted, a new approach to their run. Do not fall into that trap. Hold on to what you’re doing until you’re done, until you reach your goal.
As with all the skills you have better things to design practice routines over time. Remember, choices and stick to it. It’s really that simple. Then, evaluate results and use this information to make better decisions when setting up your practice routine next. Over time, your practice will become more refined, you will get results faster and faster, and you’ll get more on your way to your musical goals.
Tags: Jazz improvisation, Learning Jazz, Lessons