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Rhythm first, theory second. A jazz teacher speaks about practicing.

10/31/2021

Jazz is primarily about rhythm and articulations, those tricky bits that are impossible to notate. Harmony is like math, fun for many and much easier to get your head around for most. Or so beginners believe. But when the moment of truth arrives at a jam session theory goes mostly out the window and instinct kicks in. Adam Maness explores this theme in his video "Why do I still suck".

Jorge Mabarak, on Facebook, puts it well, theory is a tool. I propose that rhythm is the key. And ear training is the secret to unlocking the mystery.

Here is a practice time breakdown that may work for you:

Fifty percent time spent improving your instrumental skills. Find a skilled teacher. Put in the work. To paraphrase Wynton, "learn to play your d#%$@# instrument".
Twenty-five percent time working on ear training: transcriptions and memorizing tunes. How many tunes can you play from memory? Ten would be a good start and realistic goal for most jazz beginners. Can you sing the melodies of the tunes you are trying to memorize? Can you sing the chord roots, in time and in pitch, of these tunes? Can you sing the arpeggiated 7th chords found in these tunes?
Twenty percent jamming with a least one other musician. This is a key component of learning jazz. Jazz is a team sport. For instance, if you are a pianist, call a jazz guitar teacher, they have students who need to jam with others too. Set up a session. Don't be shy. As Adam Maness emphasizes "time for jazz swagger".
Five percent jazz theory

If I can help, please call me.

David

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20 Ways to Encourage your Teen in Music

10/30/2021

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All I can add is this. Say and do these things long before they are teens. Set and normalize these healthy behaviors/patterns when they are young.

Good luck

David

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Playing Swing 8ths on the piano: Part 1 Scales

10/26/2021

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"How do I play/teach swing rhythm?" The perennial question from non-swingers. The exercise below may be helpful. The video illustrates the concepts.

Play scales short/long, start on the upbeat, accent the upbeat.

More ideas next Monday. Singing the syllables below the notes is a great idea I learned from my colleague and mentor Mark Eisenman.
2. Decades ago, Julliard jazz teacher John Mehegan recommended a similar approach, though he started on the downbeat. This is how I started back in the 1970s.
3. There are other variations of the scale exercise that can be explored.

If I can be of help, contact me.

Have a swingin’ week enjoying the Scott Hamilton concert, he swings in this manner.

David

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Ten things to do when learning a new piece of music

10/20/2021

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Ten things to do when learning a new piece of music that will simplify the process.

Listen to a professional recording while following the score. It is much simpler to read a score when you know what it is supposed to sound like. The music is not fully represented by the notation.
Listen some more. “How do I get the sound in my head out of these black dots” is much easier than, “I wonder what this sounds like?” Notice the deviations from the score that the professionals present. Mark in any nuances with dynamics and phrasing you might hear.
Observe the fingering suggestions in your score. I would only change the fingering in the cases of obvious error or small hands.
Practice slowly at first.
If the rhythms are difficult. Clap and count aloud the difficult passages.
Explore the score further, marking the form and cadences. Notice how the professionals play a cadence. You will want to do the same. If this step is new to you call me, I can help.
Practice with dynamics from the first reading. That way you avoid having to relearn the piece later. In my experience as a piano examiner, under stress candidates abandon the dynamic plan and resort to their pre-dynamic performance. I know this because I had the teachers score in front of us. Dynamics were underlined, high-lighted, and punctuated in these scores coast to coast. The more frantic and emphatic the marking the less chance the candidate would execute them.
Practice in small chunks. That is phrase by phrase, or if the passage is particularly difficult, measure by measure. Consider:
1. Fingering
2. The required movement to realize your artistic impression: slur gestures, arm weight, rotation, and so on.
3. Dynamics
4. Balance
5. Flow
Record yourself. Many students find this uncomfortable. I say fight the resistance. The feedback one gets from hearing immediately your progress or lack thereof, will save you years of wasted effort. Step one above helps prepare us to evaluate our playing.
Take breaks. My attention span is short, yours is likely to be short too. So, prepare a number of activities when practicing.
1. Practice the scales and chords required for your piece.
2. Listen some more to the recordings.
3. Jump back in.

If I can help, call me.

David

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It's going to take a while

10/5/2021

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Playing the piano well is not easy, but it is possible with time, effort, and focus. Click on the photo to enjoy the whole story.

David

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Rhythm first, theory second. A jazz teacher speaks about practicing.

20 Ways to Encourage your Teen in Music

Playing Swing 8ths on the piano: Part 1 Scales

Ten things to do when learning a new piece of music

It's going to take a while

Neo Soul Piano Soloing Tips

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