Articles By Our Teachers
STEPS TO BETTER IMPROVISATION
Jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, one of the eminent musical figures of the bebop era, is credited with having said, “You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that, and just wail.” This quote is one of my favorites with regard to the process of becoming an improvising musician, as it emphasizes the importance of strengthening all of one's musical fundamentals in order to improvise as naturally and musically as possible, and it does so in three distinct steps. Read more...
Jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, one of the eminent musical figures of the bebop era, is credited with having said, “You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that, and just wail.” This quote is one of my favorites with regard to the process of becoming an improvising musician, as it emphasizes the importance of strengthening all of one's musical fundamentals in order to improvise as naturally and musically as possible, and it does so in three distinct steps. Read more...
how to learn a new piece of music
Learning a new piece of music is one of the hardest skills to master as a musician. Going from nothing to a stellar performance takes a lot of practice, understanding, and thought. There is nothing wrong with a challenging piece taking days or even weeks to learn; it all depends on your current skill level and the difficulty of the music at hand. However, there are several methods of approach and practice than can significantly cut down the time it takes to learn and memorize music. Read more...
PLAYING WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED
The question is often asked, “How much should I practice?”. To answer, I will tell a story of when I was a young piano student.
It was the holiday season, and I was practicing “O Christmas Tree”. I knew it pretty well, and had two days before my next lesson. My father came down to listen to me play. Read more...
The question is often asked, “How much should I practice?”. To answer, I will tell a story of when I was a young piano student.
It was the holiday season, and I was practicing “O Christmas Tree”. I knew it pretty well, and had two days before my next lesson. My father came down to listen to me play. Read more...
TIME
When a new student picks up a horn, piano, or guitar, the first thing they often learn are the notes. They learn scales, chords, melody, and harmony. All essential to understanding and performing music. If teachers aren’t careful though, they will listen and correct notes. Listen and correct chords. And nothing else. This can lead students to believe that if they can play all the right notes, they are playing a piece correctly. In fact, rhythms can, and often are, played incorrectly and are equally or more important than pitch. read more
When a new student picks up a horn, piano, or guitar, the first thing they often learn are the notes. They learn scales, chords, melody, and harmony. All essential to understanding and performing music. If teachers aren’t careful though, they will listen and correct notes. Listen and correct chords. And nothing else. This can lead students to believe that if they can play all the right notes, they are playing a piece correctly. In fact, rhythms can, and often are, played incorrectly and are equally or more important than pitch. read more
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Elements of a SUCCESSFUL Practice SessionAll musicians practice, but the effectiveness of this practice varies greatly between individuals. Some people can commit entire pieces to memory in an hour, while some struggle with a single scale pattern for weeks. While there are many ways to have a successful practice session, a few key concepts have proven essential to helping me improve significantly in a short amount of time. Read more...
WHY SCALES?
During my first private lesson in college, my teacher asked me if I like practice. “Sometimes...the fun stuff, when I'm feeling inspired. I don't really like scales though”. I gave an answer that is probably standard for most students. Read More.. |
SAXOPHONE WARM-UP TIPS
Hey Everybody!
So today I finished teaching and began reflecting on the various topics I discussed with all of my students. I then realized that every student asks questions regarding the usefulness of warm-up exercises. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to make warm-ups a religious routine. Treat it like anything you do in life whether it is like stretching before you work out, or tying your shoes before you walk. In order to perform to your highest ability on your saxophone, you should keep in mind a few useful tip. Read More..
Hey Everybody!
So today I finished teaching and began reflecting on the various topics I discussed with all of my students. I then realized that every student asks questions regarding the usefulness of warm-up exercises. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to make warm-ups a religious routine. Treat it like anything you do in life whether it is like stretching before you work out, or tying your shoes before you walk. In order to perform to your highest ability on your saxophone, you should keep in mind a few useful tip. Read More..
Guitar Related Articles
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GUITAR AS A SOLO INSTRUMENT
Playing guitar in a band is cool, but guitar is also a great solo instrument! Classical music, often times, is not the first sort of music people think of when they hear the guitar. However, Classical Guitar is a great solo instrument! Read More 
FINGERING NOTATION IN GUITAR MUSIC
On the Guitar, we have a unique system of describing the names of our fingers and where they go. On piano, the thumbs are both number 1, index fingers are number 2, middle fingers are number 3, ring fingers are number 4, and pinkies are number 5. Read More |
HOW TO PRACTICE NOTE READING ON THE GUITAR
Learning to read notes on the guitar can be very difficult! If you practice reading in the following way, you'll know all the notes on the guitar in no time. Read More PLAYING BASS AS A GUITARIST
Learning how to play Bass as a Guitarist is a great way to develop skill sets that may not have been so strong when playing Guitar exclusively. The bass has 2 very important jobs: it keeps time with the drummer and it also dictates the harmony. Read More |
Vocal Related Articles
The Importance of warming up for singersAll performing musicians know the value of warming up before playing. It gets the blood flowing, the muscles moving, the breath working and the brain ready for making music.
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SINGERS, FIND YOUR KEYS!
More than likely, if you are a singer, there are very few songs that you can sing well in the original key or the “standard” key. I can certainly say that for myself; there are maybe a handful of tunes that I can sing straight out of the Real books and sound good. Why is that? Well, the choice of key of the printed versions of songs is determined by a lot of factors. Read more...
More than likely, if you are a singer, there are very few songs that you can sing well in the original key or the “standard” key. I can certainly say that for myself; there are maybe a handful of tunes that I can sing straight out of the Real books and sound good. Why is that? Well, the choice of key of the printed versions of songs is determined by a lot of factors. Read more...