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Part philosophical, part practical question.
I’m curious to hear recommendations for keeping practice sessions musical.
More specifically:
In my practice sessions I usually warm up, improvise/noodle a bit, and then pick a song or two to work on. After about 20m on a song I subconsciously wander back into noodling. Before I know it, I’ve blown 10m aimlessly recycling licks or, worse, running scales.
(I don’t have an intellectual disability and I’m able to retain focus in other areas of life.)
Getting up and taking a break is always a good remedy. But what I’d love to do is write down a few practice techniques on a sticky next to my music stand to remind me to make practice sessions sound not like music per se (to draw a distinction between practicing vs playing) but just a little more musical.
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08-16-2024 06:31 AM
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Create a goal with a form and make yourself stick to it instead of noodling.
This can be extremely hard for some reason, but if you practice doing this literally every practice session, you learn to do it.
If you're playing a tune, make yourself stick to the form. This is an important skill to be able to play well.
Break down what you need to do to play the entire tune into smaller exercises that can still have musicality to them. For example, a 1,6,2,5. Or even if you're only working on 1 chord, play it musically.
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I separate technical session from musical. Helps to keep the head clear and not to expect any musical miracles later on for the "hard work" (pff
). When doing technical stuff, I try to keep it short and smart and what seems to be needed atm. Overdoing it will affect that musical session heavily.
But yeah, the technical things can be mixed with musicality for sure. For example, getting more comfy with scales (fingerings), I have stopped running around up'n'down or doing mindless combos long time ago. Instead, after very short fast-finger warmups (for muscles and also to remind myself how a triplet feels in the context of swing), I try to come up with a cool 2-measure long phrase and keep working on it until it starts to sound and groove well. Like, as good as it can get. At one point, something tells me that now is enough, try another one. And after an hour or so, something tells me that ok, more of that next time. Btw, that (or similar) method is supported by some star-students from the real world. Won't care to look for a video right now. This seems to be working much better nowadays than when still young and restless, trying to baffle myself and others with speed and complexity and what not.
Getting into musical practice - that has been really tricky for some reason. I suspect the musical part of the mind gets tired quickly when pushed too hard. My case, trying to focus on musical.. output?.. forcefully is a certain failure. Hm, 90% or more
Instead, when needing to play well and nice (I'm after good impro atm), to enjoy what comes out, I play a bit of classical guitar. Anything pretty that makes me feel hopeful about music. This seems to switch the mind into musical mode the best. That idea is kinda supported by the occasions when I listen to some crap music in a supermarket and afterwards I don't wanna touch the instrument even. It is better for the music to have a happy mood. And sparky. And hopeful.
But that's just me. People are so different in this matter. No universal answer here.
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What I do after working on a song to the point that my mind wanders is start working on a different song. The mind wanders out of boredom. I used to think it is better to work on one song until I have it down and then move to the next song but now I am usually working on 4 or 5 at a time and I think it keeps me fresh and engaged.
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yea... generally you work on Technical skills, all the physical BS, your technique.
And you work on Performance skills.... the application of your skills. Playing tunes and also the jazz skill of...
Having a "Reference" and creating "Relationships" with that reference and "Developing" those relationships.
This is usually not tunes, more in the direction of Vamps. Working on improve thing...LOL
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Basically, my practice time isn't musical because I'm playing things I'm uncomfortable with.
I have a goal, and I hit it, this week I've been playing 1 exercise from the Bugs Bower Rhythm book. Then I go to repertoire (play the head and melody, without looking at sheets) for tonight's gig. Then I go back and take a video of the exercise after it's rattled around in my subconscious a little bit.
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Well, playing tunes can sure do it.
But practice isn't always pretty.
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i think it was you who said "I set a timer for five minutes and only focus on one thing exclusively and intensely for that time". I started using that for songwriting and it def helps eliminate the tendency to wander off into licks and other songs. I didn't use a timer, just my wall clock. Great advice.
Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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I'm glad it works for you. I think it's the best piece of advice I can give. Got something to do and it's not fun and you really should do it, set a timer and get it over with. Originally Posted by DawgBone
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It's great advice. It's one of my biggest two takeaways from this forum. Timed practice, and reverse picking. Both have benefited me greatly. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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I'm glad the assumption of the thread IS to keep practice musical. Wes' practice approach was don't practice anything you wouldn't play in performance. It's not obvious, but that approach includes the way what you practice sounds... musically!... don't practice or play anything that isn't musical truth, goodness, and beauty. If you only produce musical output, then just musical judgement may guide what to play.
Like someone who speaks publicly and does not want to ever make the mistake of dropping a "bad word" during a speech, interview, or other event, the firmest way to achieve that is not by monitoring yourself and actively suppressing any habitual use of those "unspeakable words". It is rather to have never spoken those words so speech flows naturally from ideas, without the overhead of unreliable self censoring.
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I don't see it like that. I take it to mean, don't practice the Hungarian Major and minor scales in 7/3 time if all you play are great American songbook and swing tunes. Originally Posted by pauln
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How do you keep your practice session “musical?”
As opposed to WHAT?!!!
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I keep my practice sessions musical by imaging the neighbours listening.
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I’m with Wes and others on this. I usually only practice what I will actually perform.
Past couple of months it’s been working up a half hour solo guitar set for a live event at the end of August.
Before that, it was a month prepping to sit in with a “Gypsy Jazz” trio.
After the August solo set, it’ll be prepping for sitting in with a quartet at a street jazz festival at the end of October.
When there aren’t specific live performance like these to practice for, it’s working on tunes to join any one of a number of regularly held open jazz jam sessions at various local venues.
The open jams introduce an element of unpredictability that could lead to something. For example, I met a singer at one of those jams not too long ago who wants to work with a guitarist on jazz tunes, so that could at some point become a performance for which to practice.
For me, everything I need to practice is in the tunes I’ll be playing live at some point, and that’s what keeps me focused.
And all of the above are variable one-off performances (even the open jams), so when they’re done they’re done and I can move on to something else fun and / or interesting to practice.
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Yep. Originally Posted by emanresu
Recently, I’ve been working through Patterson‘s “Patterns for Jazz“ which is probably aimed at horn players more than anything else. The first 30 or so exercises are based around major arpeggio: triads, major 6th, major 7th, major 9th, etc. The exercises work around the cycle of fourths, moving chromatically, moving in seconds, minor thirds, etc. You go through all 12 keys. The next set of exercises looks at applying the major scale over chords. This is pretty fundamental stuff which I had sort of half-assed my way through for many years.
This is pretty much how horn players learn and this book is a standard in learning to play jazz on a horn. Is it “musical?“ Not directly, but I do find that it is positively affecting my solos by improving my confidence in knowing where the notes are at any given moment.
IMHO, the practice room is not especially a place to be “musical.“ It is a place to drill the mechanics of the music and the instrument so that you can have those under your fingers without having to think about them when you are playing music.
Practice being “musical“ by finding people to play the music with, at which point being musical is demanded by the situation. In most places, you can probably dig up a few people who want to play jazz. A basssist and I have been playing just about every Monday for the last five years and I found him through Craigslist. This particular relationship has really pushed my playing along a whole lot. About six months ago, I was fortunate to get connected with a saxophonist/teacher and another bassist, playing a few gigs and being mentored. In accordance with Pat Metheny‘s advice, I am easily the worst musician in that band- which has been forcing advancement if for no other reason than to avoid being embarrassed. Both of these situations have made me learn a bunch of tunes. On Mondays, we have been drilling into the same 30 or so tunes for the entire time, taking them apart and looking for all the ways in which they can be put back together; the trio situation is one that has more broadly focused on many tunes, looking for similarities and a structural shorthand for addressing many different songs.
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Sorcery.
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Work on actual music?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Yes. This is my second foray into jazz. I gave it up the first time because I tried to force myself to focus on the hard parts that weren't very musical or fun. When I recently came back to jazz I was determined to make it fun and musical. For the last month or so I have been working on heads to some of my favorite songs and very basic simple solos. It has been fun and has given me a sense of accomplishment, but it has also created a desire to get to the next level and really learn to improvise. So now I am motivated to work on the harder, less fun things- theory, sight reading, learning the fretboard, ear training, etc. because that is what is going to get me to the level I want to be at. I set short sessions to work on these things and as I progress and see how it impacts my musical sessions it keeps me going and dare I say once I get to a certain level of proficiency in each discipline, the not-so-fun part starts to get fun! Originally Posted by emanresu
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Great tips. I love the idea of not practicing anything I wouldn’t play in performance.
And the tip for using a timer. I’ll definitely incorporate that.
I’ve also introduced two other elements:
- Practice standing up, at least in spans. I used to practice sitting down exclusively… that’s way too many hours sitting. I’ve found that I focus differently standing up.
- Practice segments with downstrokes or upstrokes only. My technique is pretty good from many years as a rock player, but practicing this ways slows me down and gets me enunciating better.
And of course, keep focusing on tunes. I’m always working on 2 or 3 at a time. I’ll usually take a section of a tune and loop it on my Boss RC10r, playing the melody and variations, and then try different improvisation methods I’ve been learning.
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So as many here I separate warming up by running different arpeggios Min7b5,Min/maj 9, Major 7, Diminished, Whole Tone through the cycle of 5 ths.
Then I play songs using the IReal App on my IPad. It’s never like the real deal, but it helps getting your flow and stamina together.
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That sounds really smart Originally Posted by emanresu
I separate technical session from musical. Helps to keep the head clear and not to expect any musical miracles later on for the "hard work" (pff ). When doing technical stuff, I try to keep it short and smart and what seems to be needed atm. Overdoing it will affect that musical session heavily.
But yeah, the technical things can be mixed with musicality for sure. For example, getting more comfy with scales (fingerings), I have stopped running around up'n'down or doing mindless combos long time ago. Instead, after very short fast-finger warmups (for muscles and also to remind myself how a triplet feels in the context of swing), I try to come up with a cool 2-measure long phrase and keep working on it until it starts to sound and groove well. Like, as good as it can get. At one point, something tells me that now is enough, try another one. And after an hour or so, something tells me that ok, more of that next time. Btw, that (or similar) method is supported by some star-students from the real world. Won't care to look for a video right now. This seems to be working much better nowadays than when still young and restless, trying to baffle myself and others with speed and complexity and what not.
Getting into musical practice - that has been really tricky for some reason. I suspect the musical part of the mind gets tired quickly when pushed too hard. My case, trying to focus on musical.. output?.. forcefully is a certain failure. Hm, 90% or more
Instead, when needing to play well and nice (I'm after good impro atm), to enjoy what comes out, I play a bit of classical guitar. Anything pretty that makes me feel hopeful about music. This seems to switch the mind into musical mode the best. That idea is kinda supported by the occasions when I listen to some crap music in a supermarket and afterwards I don't wanna touch the instrument even. It is better for the music to have a happy mood. And sparky. And hopeful.
But that's just me. People are so different in this matter. No universal answer here.
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This is a question with an unlimited number of right answers.
Speaking very generally, if the idea is to sound more musical (hard to define that), you have to be playing music.
If the goal is to be a combo musician, then you would probably benefit from doing it in a combo. Best position is to be the worst musician in the group.
Then, record everything and critique it.
Before long, you may be working on playing the heads smoothly, finding cool ways to comp through the tunes and working out solos. Tunes, tunes, tunes.
If you don't start sounding more musical, and you can't figure out how to progress, then some lessons may help.
There's a question about whether you need a certain level of technical skills in order to start playing in a combo. I don't think you have to be at a high level in order to get started. If you're playing a weekly jam, you'll figure out what you need to work on.
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Hm. What's wrong with noodling? The ability to noodle is at the heart of jazz improv. Practicing, as far as I'm concern, is made up of a lot of noodle.
After every technical exercise I do, I balance it out by improvising on a standard tune, or an original or a modal noodle fest. That's how I balance things out and make my practicing musical. I try not to separate them.
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To keep things musical I want to always be working on at least
1. a tune
2. playing through changes of a real tune improvising outlining the chords and harmony
3. Working on technique by constantly practicing bebop heads that are complicated or at least fast.
4. Playing rhythm the as specific tune either Freddie Green or on 2 and 4.
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