My thoughts
I just did a music clinic at a local elementary school and the teacher thanked me afterwards and said that the biggest thing that she would take away from it was to remind the students to "bring the instrument to you." It is a simple concept but an essential one. We all stress proper posture but what we can forget to remind the students is that the instrument comes to you and that you do not go to the instrument. If you are sitting at the front of the chair, with your feet on the floor, your back straight, and you are relaxed (think of being suspended by a string, like a puppet or marionette) you are ready to receive the instrument. Then, all you need to do is bring the instrument to your embouchure for brass and reed players. Too often, bad posture if the result of the students moving to the instrument, where ever it is held, e.g., the left, the right, downwards or upwards. So sitting "properly" but relaxed and "bringing the instrument to you," eliminates a lot of problems, especially for trombones, trumpets, saxophones, and clarinets. Flutes, euphoniums and tubas need a bit more instruction with posture. French horn players need special instruction. Keep it simple and you will be simply astounded by the results.
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For me, I am going to strive to mix-up my practicing - keep it fresh: tongue what I used to slur, sit when I used to stand, improvise when I used to run scaler patterns, etc. Just as weight lifters keep their body guessing in the gym, I think you need to change up your routine to achieve the greatest gains in your practicing. If you do not, I think you can get in a "rut" and plateau in your improvement. Small (e.g., sitting and standing) and large changes (e.g., different warm-up routines or even skipping the warm-up some days) are needed to make significant gains. It is also important to take breaks when you practice. Use that time to do other important things, like compose, arrange, exercise, or do other work. Your embouchure and your mind needs a break. Here's hoping you make great strides this year. I too hope to move forward with my playing.
I just realized why the old saying holds true: "I am not sure why I can't do that now. It was perfect in the practice room." Sure, a big part of that is nerves and that is fodder for many, many posts and discussions. However, there may be a simpler explanation for some of that inconsistency. When I practice at home, I practice standing up because it is good for the body and I like to play that way. However, my gigs always require me to perform sitting down, or at least 95% of them do. So, in a way, my body struggles in this new "environment" every time I leave for a gig and take my seat. This just occurred to me today, as I sat down for a change, to do my warm-ups. It was a very different feeling, and I had to remind myself to stay relaxed and not bring tension into my playing. So what I am saying is, practice in a variety of ways and if you are like me, and tend to perform sitting down, be sure to practice to perform.
Free improvisation handouts on guidetones and riffs based on them in the blues #jazz #MusicEducation10/25/2017 I just posted four handouts (one exercise in treble clef, bass clef, Bb and Eb transpositions) that review the two guidetone lines in the blues and then offer some suggestions for riffs based on these notes. It is fairly straight ahead, but this might be just what you are looking for if you are easing yourself into improvisation or the blues. Feel free to download them and share them.
Historically, young musicians always had a chance to listen to, interact with and perform alongside more seasoned musicians. Today there are fewer jam sessions where this might occur and band traditions, like the Art Blakey band, where older leaders routinely hire younger artists. What we do have is plenty of community bands, some of them that perform at a high level. I would like to ask music teachers to encourage their students to perform in these community ensembles. The young artists will learn from some great players and the youthful enthusiasm will a real boost to the local groups. Sure, this will not be for everyone, but the student who can not get enough music would love another opportunity to play with an inspired group.
I have a gig coming up and I have needed a little kick in the pants to practice. My solution this time was to skip the warm-up. Sure, I did not start "wailing" right away; I started practicing the part I needed, but down the octave to ease into the playing. While I always encourage my students to do some sort of warm-up, and to vary this day-to-day, playing is better than not playing, so do what you have to do. And, do not feel guilty about it. Just be happy that you put the horn on your face.
Whether you are practicing at home or rehearsing with your band, be sure to have the mind-set that you are preparing for the performance. This means that you do everything you can to recreate the upcoming performance environment. If you will be standing up for your solos or walking to the front of the band to play them, do it in rehearsal. If the only time you do it is when you are performing, it will most certainly distract you unless you have practiced it like you have the music. Similarly, are you playing your pieces all the way through regardless of whether the "train has left the tracks"? You need to practice playing through mistakes and recovering from grievous errors. If you stop every time something is just not right, you will be unprepared when mistakes happen and they always do. Nobody and no ensemble is perfect, nor should they be. That is the beauty and the excitement of live performance. So, yes, be picky and work on the music bit by bit. Polish it and work on those tricky sections, but also think of the final goal and what ultimately needs to happen: you need to perform your pieces, top to bottom, well and without interruption. A crowd will be quite forgiving if the band is enjoying themselves and there is energy in the music. Keep the end performance in mind and do the little things that will help you to feel comfortable during that performance.
![]() Whenever you make a change, you need to give yourself time to see it through. As everyone says, change does not happen overnight. So in music, if you are trying a new technique or some new equipment, in an attempt to improve your playing, give it some time - some real time. I am trying a new mouthpiece right now and was tempted to go back to what I knew. I could see some improvements in my range but was missing the flexibility and ease of tonguing that I had in the other mouthpiece. Because of this, I started switching mouthpieces faster than a Toronto commuter in rush hour and second guessing each choice. I finally went back to the one I had intended to give a try (the Al Kay Yamaha mouthpiece) and stuck with it for a while. Sure enough, my weaknesses on this mouthpiece started to improve and I am enjoying the benefits that I initially observed. So, change is never easy. Take that leap and give yourself some time to adjust when you land. |
Dr. Michael KearnsMusician, educator, husband, father, web designer ... my life is like a mosaic with each piece vying for my attention. Archives
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