Vintage 1943 Selmer Balanced Action Silver - Near Mint Condition

Free Jazz Lessons - 13 Practice Tips to Ignite Your Practice

I subscribe to a newsletter at freejazzlessons.com that periodically sends free jazz lessons. All of them have been super useful, even if some have been a bit over my head at this point. The most recent one has really inspired me to get more organized about my practicing. Various monster players have recommended most of these to me at one time or another, but I've gotten lazy about doing them. There are a few tips listed in this lesson that I hadn't thought of. They are about motivation and I love them! Like, listen to your favorite artist before practicing. Anyway, the link above will take you to the lesson and I don't want to cut and paste the entire article, so I'll just list the headlines without the details.

1. Keep A Regular Practice Diary

2. Set Up Reward Systems

3. Set A Backward Goals System

4. Set Consistent Pre Practice Routines

5. Watch Motivation Videos Before You Practice

6. Listen To your Favorite Musicians Before You Practice

7. Get An Accountability Partner

8. Record Yourself Regularly

9. Work With A Great Jazz Teacher

10. Book A Gig, A Recital, Or Play In Public

11. Play With Musicians Who Are Better Than You

12. Practice With Jam Tracks Or Drum Loops

13. Be Ok With Where You Currently Are As A Musician

Interview with Bird: A Must Hear!

Charlie Parker Interview: Nuff said!

My Left Hand - Embracing Small Improvements

Lately my head feels like it is simply ready to explode with scales, changes, theory, sight reading, technique, embouchure etc.!  But I am see to have a glimpse of distant light at the end of what looks to be a very long tunnel ahead.

My martial arts training has taught me to focus on small improvements, however small they may be. That skill got me to black belt, and I'm trying to practice it with music. I do notice small improvements every day.

Here's a good left hand position

Here's my left hand November 2012

My left hand has been a problem for me with any activity that requires fine motor control. In martial arts this wasn't so apparent because it only affected a few techniques. But sax is extremely left hand oriented. The left hand has much, much more to do, and more keys to navigate than the than right does. It has been so frustrating that I even Googled whether someone might have invented a left handed sax. No such luck! I can type about 50 words per minute, but not without a lot of backspacing because of mistakes with my left hand. And, when I type my left fingers rise up way too far, just like they do when I play sax. The main problems are my pinky and ring finger, which is true for everyone to some extent. But my left hand is pushing disabled. My ring finger will not move independently of my pinky in many instances and collapses at the first joint on the key. In addition, my index finger has a bone spur that catches a tendon and it locks up while I'm playing. I found some neoprene ice splints for my index finger which help a bit and I've been taking glucosamine chondroitin (vegan of course), which also seems to be helping.

All of that said, after a lot of work, swearing, and discouragement, I'm starting to notice some improvement. My ring finger can now move independently from G# to G, though not consistently yet. But when I began, it couldn't do it at all!

My left hand July 2013

One of the other things I learned in martial arts training is to notice when I have a breakthrough. If it can be done once, it can be done again, and eventually done consistently.  I have a lot of work to do, but I am now hopeful. Black belt didn't come overnight, and neither will this. That's why they call it "practice" and not finished.

Fashionable Improvisation

  Improvisation is like fashion:

Chord changes are like the event you're dressing for. 

They determine the the style of your basic outfit.

Scales are your outfit. 

There are a number of different outfits in your closet that will work. What mood are you in?

Accidentals are your accessories. 

 

They liven up your outfit and give it pizzazz! 

But don't over accessorize!!

Gordon Goodwin Speaks Out About Cuts in Music & Arts Education

Gordon nails it! Important stuff....

It's Never Too Late - I AM a Saxophone Player!

I turned 50 this year!!!

All of my life I've wanted to play jazz saxophone. I was prevented from doing so in high school by a sexist band instructor. Instead of fighting it, I acquiesced. I simply thought there was no hope.

With age comes wisdom and strength...at least in theory.. a couple of years ago I decided to live my dream and took up alto saxophone again. Life circumstances brought me back to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, one of the greatest jazz cities in the world.

I am now blessed with what I call the Holy Trinity of sax teachers.

The Father - Dan Heasley
The Son - Eric Dafade 
The Spirit - Erik Lawrence

This started out as an internal joke, but I realized quickly that these descriptions are accurate.

Dan Heasley is one of the best teachers I've come across. I taught martial arts and self defense for 15 years and have spent a great deal of time and energy studying pedagogy. Dan is skilled at reading his students, assessing where they are and what they need, and offering instruction appropriate to their learning style. But Dan is strict! I tease him that he's really mean, but sure can teach! The title of Father seems fitting. He offers a strong guiding hand tempered with wisdom, and I sense a great deal of compassion underneath his tough exterior. Oh, and did I mention that the man can play! Dan is focusing primarily on transcription, jazz phrasing and articulation with me. This experience has been more enriching than I thought possible.

Eric Defade is a born teacher and definitely one of the best technical players I've ever heard. When I decided to teach martial arts I realized that there were a lot of really great technicians out there who thought they could teach based on their ability to perform. This simply isn't true! But when you find one who is as skilled in teaching as they are in performance, you've hit the jack-pot. Eric Defade is a gold mine! His upbeat personality makes lessons super fun and he, like Dan, is extremely skilled at reading students. The son is a fitting title because of his youthful and energetic qualities coupled with his enormous skill. Eric is working on all things technical with me. Scales, technique, music theory and improvising. From each lesson I take home a wealth of knowledge and insight that jazz masters have written entire books about.

Erik Lawrence is new in Pittsburgh. My friend (and monster keyboard player) Donna Davis first told me about Erik. She said that I simply must meet him. Knowing me, she recognized that Erik could give me the spiritual elements of jazz that I long for. She was right. Erik is a gentle giant! His resume is unbelievable! Erik too, is a gifted teacher. He manages to assess the heart of a student and approach playing from a deeply internal place. His title is fitting because I consider him my spiritual jazz guide. Erik touches the part of me that I first found in my martial arts practice. He is working with me on rhythm, fundamentals and improvising. He has a way of breaking down ideas that make lessons both fun and inspiring. I have never been happy with any of my solos until I played with Erik

I must also acknowledge Abby Gross. Abby was my teacher before the Trinity. Her title is the Goddess of saxophone. Abby is a fairly recent graduate of Duquesne University with a masters in music. Don't let her youth fool you...she is both an accomplished performer and teacher. Abby is gifted at helping a student progress comfortably. I envy her a great deal. She is doing what I wish I could have done. But more than envy her, I respect and admire her. If I had a daughter, I'd want her to be just like this amazing young woman.

Many object to the idea of having multiple teachers. I must admit that I do feel spread thin, especially since I am also working on a masters thesis in philosophy and working as an administrative assistant. But I will only be in Pittsburgh for another one to two years. My plan is to suck the marrow out of the jazz scene here and take what I gain back to Tucson with me.

As difficult as having multiple teachers is, each of them offers a specific piece of the jazz puzzle. These pieces are, of course, related and overlap. Having experience with all of them seems to be a formula that's working. And as a good friend put  it, roll those cats up into one and you're taking lessons with Coltrane! I am certainly blessed with opportunity right now.

This blog is about my learning process. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to spend on it, but I hope to be able to journal often.

Photos by SteviePics

Stevie Murin