Jazz and Discipline
I’m engaged in a project to master my woodwinds to an even greater extent than I was playing, when I practiced every day in college on several instruments. I wasn’t focused enough in music school on performance and acquiring a high level of mastery, even on the flute (my primary instrument). I didn’t apply any discipline at all to the piano or my other main instruments, the saxophone family and clarinets.
So, I’m building a schedule of practice that ramps up from nonmusicianship to a steady course of focused and disciplined practice that will get my speed, accuracy, agility, tone, rhythm, and intonation back into shape. Adding to this is a laser-focused review of jazz theory and composition, including in-depth studies of harmony, chord progressions, and rhythmic aspects of bebop, post-bop, and modal jazz phrasing. This includes lots of scales, patterns, and exercises.
I certainly have practice sessions that last a couple of hours and involve playing through a bunch of tunes from my large collection of Aebersold Play-Along Sets. Most of the time when I’m doing that, I don’t apply any kind of discipline to any particular tune. I blow through the head a couple of times and play a solo for a chorus or so, then move on to the next tune on the CD, which doesn’t get me on the road to proficiency in the music.
I’m committed to being ready to perform at a high level by my 40th birthday. Unfortunately, that doesn’t give me much time. It’s time to review my workflow and craft a GTD methodology for music practice. Applying my obsessive geek powers to this project will allow me to achieve my musical goals and allow all of you to utter that much sought-after sentence, “I knew him when…”
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