From lindaleed@earthlink.net Mon Jan 14 13:33:38 2002
Subject:Re: Practice; CD Exchange


"Lon R. Hultgren" wrote:

> So anyway, what do you practicing organists actually practice
> everyday? How
> do you structure your practicing and how many hours a week do you
> spend
> practicing (I don't mean rehearsing with others, I do that once a
> week). At
> this point (obviously) I spend most of my time learning new tunes,
> which in
> playing both bass and organ seems to take me longer than it should (I
> think
> I have played 8 Counts for Rita 6 million times now, and still can't
> get
> through it perfectly). But I can figure out how to do that on my
> own. What
> else do you'all practice? Scales? Arpeggios? Cycles of 5ths?
>

What I do on standards is learn the head of the tune and then transcribe
a few choruses on paper if I there are things in the solo that really
stand out as "new licks" to me. I find that this helps me to learn the
tunes quicker than listening to them 500 times...although I do that too!
I analyze what modes are being used and then practice these if there are
new to me. I will take little riffs out of the solos and play them in a
number of keys so they become part of my vocabulary. I also take care to
note the registrations, etc..

At one time as I assume all of us have I went through all these exercise
books on modes, etc.. and I found them to be foundational, but not
necessarily all that helpful in learning to improvise other than the
fact that these are the "ingredients in the recipe" that you need. The
feel is really important and I can't explain how to develop that other
than listening to the stuff so much that it gets into your subconscious.
I have also found the book "Effortless Mastery" to be a wonderful book
on getting through the self talk that can be a real hang up in cutting
loose and just enjoying the moment during a performance.

I have cable modem so I would be able to get some of your sounds files
through email if you'd like to send some and it wouldn't take hours for
me to download them.

I don't play any solos note for note off the recordings al the way
through, I may for a chorus or so but then I let the improv. kick in. I
only copy things note for note in rock things if I am playing in a cover
band. I really don't think that other than "definitive solos", say like
Bobby Hackett's trumpet break on "String of Pearls" etc.. that solos are
supposed to be played exactly the same way night after night. I think
that is more "rock cover band mentality". I certainly could be wrong
about this, but I don't think so and I think most jazzers would agree
with me.

Thanks,

Linda