I. TECHNIQUE Spend time every day developing your tone and facility on your instrument. This will allow you to focus less of your attention on tone production, fingerings, range, etc. while playing, and allow you to devote more of your creative energy to producing musical and creative improvisations. A few topics to address in your practice are: Tone – long tones, slow scale/interval exercises, breathing, embouchure, hand position, electronic effects (guitar/bass) Range – lip slurs (brass), overtones/harmonics (woodwinds), learning the higher regions of the fretboard (guitar and bass) Articulation – legato/slurred, tonguing (single tonguing, double tonguing, doodle tonguing, picking, bowing, sticking Flexibility/Facility – fingering exercises, lip flexibility (brass), rudiments (drums) Intonation – use a tuner or reference pitch ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------II. HARMONIC CONTROL Before jumping in and tackling a set of tricky chord changes on the latest tune you’re working on, it pays to do a bit of isolated practice (away from a specific tune) on the various aspects of jazz harmony – chords, scales, patterns, licks, etc. Getting these items under your fingers and into your ears will free you up when improvising. You’ll become more familiar with the various chords and scales, and won’t get hung up when you come across a chord or scale you’d otherwise might be less familiar with. Here are a few things to shed that will help maximize your harmonic control: The Circle of Fourths – practicing various patterns and exercises around the Circle is a great way to make sure you’re covering all 12 keys. Jazz chord progressions (ii /vi/ii/V/I, etc.) tend to move in fourths (or fifths), which corresponds directly to the Circle of Fourths (or Circle of Fifths). Internalizing this progression will also train your ear to anticipate approaching chords, which will in turn help guide your solos and make your improvisations sound more fluid and musical. Chord Arpeggios – Practice arpeggiating triads (Maj and min, then Augmented and Diminished), then 7th Chords (Maj7, 7, min7, min7b5, dim7, etc.). Also practice extending chords to 9ths, 11ths and 13ths. Practice all chords in one key at a time (Cmaj7, C7, Cmin7, etc), and then try taking one chord type around the Circle of Fourths (C7, F7, Bb7, etc). Try improvising on chord arpeggios to gain additional facility with the various note combinations. Chord Scales – Here is a brief list of the most important chord scales to master, and a few different ways to practice them:
Scales (suggested order of practice) Major Scales Chromatic Scales Mixolydian Dorian Blues Scales Locrian Major and Minor Pentatonics Altered Scale (melodic minor) Diminished and Whole Tone BeBop Scales
Patterns Up and down scales (half notes, quarter notes, eighths, triplet sixteenths, mixed rhythms) Diatonic thirds (1, 3, 2, 4, 3, 5, etc). 123, 234, 345, 456, etc. 1234, 2345, 3456, 4567, etc. Triads (135, 246, 357, etc).
Licks and Vocabulary – Practicing II/V/I licks or patterns, or other phrases transcribed from a recording or extracted from a transcription book are great ways to gain some authenticity in your playing. Once a lick is mastered, be sure to transpose it to other keys and apply it to a variety of chord progressions (wherever you can make it fit!). Eventually, you might try composing your own licks and patterns and working them into your practice. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------III. REPERTOIRE Making time in your practice for building your musical repertoire is key. When learning jazz standards or other pieces, be sure to keep a categorized list of the music you’ve worked on so you can check back periodically and “freshen up” on the pieces that need to be reviewed. When learning a new tune, break it down into small phrases and commit to memory. When applicable, be sure to learn both the melody and chord changes to the tunes you’re working on. Look for a good recording to use for reference – don’t just read the tunes from a fake book! Practice improvising over the changes, keeping in mind any specific stylistic considerations for the tune you’re studying. Here are a few possible categories for the Repertoire portion of your practice: Jazz Standards (ballads, slow/medium/fast swing, latin/bossa, funk/rock/groove, blues heads, ¾, odd-meter, Coltrane pieces, Bird pieces, etc.) *Also keys learned in. Original Compositions Solo Transcriptions Etudes/Solo Pieces (classical)
Music for Upcoming Gigs, Concerts, Recitals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------IV. EXTRA-MUSICAL The last category for building your musicianship includes all of the topics that may not relate directly to your instrument. These topics can be worked into the main portion of your practice session (while resting your chops between practice exercises, etc), or scheduled for other times throughout the day or week. Ear Training Exercises (learning to recognize chords, intervals, melodies and rhythms) Piano Skills (for non-pianists) Listening (most of us do this normally, but try for some more focused listening – repeating one song over and over, or one album until you can sing along with it). Transcribing (could be a whole solo, or just one or two licks that catch your ear) Composing/Arranging Practicing with Others (work on comping, interaction, blending, intonation, etc) Attending Concerts Reading About Music (studying jazz history, theory, etc.)
Sample 75-Minute Practice Routine I. TECHNIQUE (15 minutes) 5 min. 5 min. 2 min. 3 min.
Long Tones – C Major Scale in whole notes (metronome=64) Range Studies – Overtones (woodwinds), Lip Slurs (brass), High Register Fingerings (strings) Articulation Exercises – Scale Patterns played Legato (slurred), then Marcato Fingering Exercises – from an etude/exercise book or chromatic scale patterns
*Percussionists substitute Rudiments, Independence Exercises and Sticking Exercises II. HARMONIC CONTROL (25 minutes) 5 min. 5 min. 5 min. 5 min.
5 min.
Digital Patterns around the Circle of Fourths (1235 and 12b35 patterns) (Practice playing and singing) Digital Patterns over Lady Bird Changes – 1235’s, then improvise with pattern (play a cappella and with play along track) Major 7th Chord Arpeggios around the Circle of Fourths or Up in ½ Steps: C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C Practice Chord Scales from Blue Bossa by Kenny Dorham: [C dorian, F dorian, D locrian, G altered, Eb dorian, Ab mixolydian, Db major] *Play with straight eighth notes from root to 9th and back down. Practice Joe Henderson minor ii/V/I lick from Blue Bossa Solo, transpose to one other key.
III. REPERTOIRE (40 min). 5 min.
5 min. 5 min. 5 min.
10 min. 10 min.
Listen to Blue Bossa by Kenny Dorham (Joe Henderson, Page One), Practice Singing Melody in Phrases and Eventually Playing on Instrument Practice Blue Bossa melody with a metronome, focus on staccato articulations Practice playing and singing roots of chords for Blue Bossa. Play as whole and half notes first, then improvise with roots only. Practice Improvising on Chord Scales for Blue Bossa measure by measure, but out of time (don’t count beats – just play on the first chord until you feel comfortable, then more to the next one). Practice improvising on Blue Bossa with a play along accompaniment (iReal B app). Record yourself to listen back at a later time. Update your repertoire list to include Blue Bossa, and pick one or two other tunes to review (play through melodies and blow 1-2 solo choruses a cappella).
IV. EXTRA-MUSICAL (outside of the formal practice session) Listen to Joe Henderson’s Page One album, focus on Blue Bossa – listen 2-3 times in a row, try singing along with melody and solos. (In the car on the way to work) Download the “Tenuto” app (or go to www.musictheory.net ) and practice ear training with interval and triad recognition. (During Lunch Breaks) Check out a local Jazz Brunch, make a list of the standard jazz tunes played (add to practice list), and try to talk to the musicians about their music. Schedule a jam session with other musicians whose playing you respect and you feel you can learn from by playing together. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tips for designing a personalized practice routine: •
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Identify your personal practice and playing goals before drawing up your routine. Be sure to spend time in all four of the major practice areas: Technique, Harmonic Control, Repertoire, and Extra-Musical Challenge yourself appropriately – don’t spend time practicing what you already can do! If you find that something is too challenging, find ways to simplify it while keeping the essence of the exercise. Try slowing the tempo, limiting note choices, or breaking up chord changes into two or 4 bar repeated vamps. Stick with your routine until you have a strong sense as to what things are making a difference in your playing, and what things might be too challenging or not challenging enough. In most cases, you will need to stick with one topic for at least two weeks (often longer) to know for sure if it’s the right thing for your practice at the time. Consider keeping a “practice journal” to keep track of what you’re working on, and make notes about what has been successful or challenging in your practice. It also helps to record yourself occasionally and listen back with a critical (but positive) ear.
