Forums » The Tim Price Jazz Zone

• Tim Price

  

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  February 23, 2011 9:45:35 PM EST

   

  This forum is a fresh creative place- great teachers and lots of fascinating  people who really love the saxophone. It's a great thing-glad to be here!

   Here's some ideas and things I hope helps everyone here. Enjoy! :)

   

  Jazz Basic Training Pt. II

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu2IaBaQrHo&feature=related

   

  Hey, learning jazz is no small feat.There are thousands of books, articles, lessons, DVDs and websites dedicated to learning jazz. 

   

   

   

   

  There are a few things you wanna consider when you’re putting together your jazz practice time routine.

   

   

  First of all, your present abilities will weigh heavily on these choices. As a general rule you want to make sure that whatever you are practicing is challenging but doable.

   

   

   

   

   

  Another major consideration is your vibe with the music. What kind of music do you want to play? What music do you like? What players do you dig? What styles do you want to master and take further? 

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Now, there are a few fundamental areas that make up the core of your musical training. They are as follows:

   

   

   

   

  - Instrumental Technique- this is control of your axe. Topics to study would include, arpeggios, scales, scale patterns, accent patterns, range, articulation, dynamics, rudiments, coordination, etc.

   

   

   

   

  - Sight-reading- this is, of course, the ability to read new material at will. You can choose appropriate material each day to hone and practice your sight-reading skills. This material could include rhythmic sight reading, reading lines with no rhythms, chords, classical pieces, music written for an instrument other than your own, etc.

   

   

   

   

  - Repertoire- jazz is a language of music built on and around tunes. You should constantly seek to expand your repertoire by learning tunes from the whole library: standards, jazz tunes and modern tunes.

   

   

   

   

   - Ear-training- this is your  ear (pitch, harmony, rhythms, forms, articulation, dynamics etc) and responce on your instrument.

   

   

   

   

   

   - Improvisation- this is what it’s all about–creating art in real time. 

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Now when putting together your practice routine a good rule of thumb is to choose just try a few fundamental areas to work on. For instance you might choose technique, improvisation and ear training. Once you decide on your plan it is important to stick to it. It is almost always detrimental to change topics on a whim. Just make some choices and stick with them. HAVE FUN!

   

   

  A final note- I have learned much of what I know today about music from the generosity of older musicians who took the time to share their knowledge with me.This is why I stay active in the educational scene. Hope that makes sense- thank you.

   

   

   

   

   

  
  This post was edited by Tim Price at February 23, 2011 9:55:43 PM EST