You know that word, PRACTICE. We are drilled with it from the time we pick up a horn for the first time till we are six feet under. Ever notice that you are only told to practice but you're never told or shown HOW to practice? Sure, you get the old standbys "practice makes perfect" and my personal favorite "perfect practice makes perfect." Both of these sayings have merit, but they still don't really get you anywhere. We need a little more structure and disipline to really put those sayings into action, but how many of us really have a structured practice? If you're like me when I was younger, you practiced whatever you need to play in front of your teacher at a given time, but did you work on anything else? Most of us would say no. When I started teaching here in Miami, I had to first get my chops back in shape after a couple years of not playing on a regular basis. While I was getting my chops back in order, I came up with a simple practice routine that anyone can use, whether they are picking up the horn again after a long layoff, or you're looking for a more structured way of getting things done. I'm going to lay out my practice routine here for you to see, and use if you think it could help you. This routine also works for any insturment as well. I have similar routines for guitar and bass that I give my students as well. I don't include how much time you should spend on this routine, as people practice for different ammounts of time depending on their ability, endurance, and difficulty of what they are working on, but this routine will work just as well with a 30 minute session as it will with a 3 hour practice session. Here goes...
SUGGESTED PRACTICE ROUTINE FOR SAXOPHONISTS
1. Pick up your instrument and make sure it's in working order
2. Tune up, either with a tuner or a piano
3. Start playing. First, start out with doing long tones on notes all over the range of the insturment. This will build up endurance, as well as giving you a chance to hear how you sound. A good way to hear yourself is to play a foot from a wall so that the sound bounces back to you. You can also use a tuner to see how well you can control the pitch as well. After that, start going through your scales. Yes, I said the 'dirty "S" word' but they are a good 'chop-builder.' Try to do them as full range scales. For example, play the C Major scale from low C to high F, and back to low B, and ending up on low C. Playing full range scales gets you comfortable with playing in individual keys over the enitre range of the sax, unlike doing scales the 'old fashoned' way. Both are good, but full range are better in my opinion. After spending time playing scales, start working on the songs/etudes that you are working on, and then repeat any of the preceding steps that you think you should work on. A few points to keep in mind:
* Pay attention to your sound, is it what you want?
* Concentrate on "good time" (rhythmic accuracy with a metronome)
* Right and Left Hand Coordination (playing "clean")
* RELAX - the one thing everyone forgets to do from time to time!!!
* Try to come up with your own exercises/songs and write them down. You never know when you can use them!
* Know when to put the instrument down. Know when you've had enough, either from exhasustion or frustration. It's okay to take a break now and then!
* NEVER underestimate the value of Listening, even bands and music you don't normally listen to can be inspiring to you and your playing. I plan on talking about this at length soon...
* Try something new EACH TIME YOU PICK UP THE HORN. Make things intresting for yourself. When we work on getting songs together, we all tend to put blinders on and not work on other things. Eventually you run the risk of getting sick of the music you're working on. (Admit it, it's true) Challenge yourself evey time to try another song or etude for fun each time you play. It keeps your sight reading ability sharp, as well as giving your mind and fingers a break from the music you 'have' to play, which can be a good thing now and then.
I hope this routine can help you. If you have any comments, feel free to email me.