Keeping your mind active is just as important as keeping your body active for optimum health. Just like the body, the brain needs exercise every day. Humans are problem solvers by nature, working the problem until we succeed. And that is what true practicing is; problem solving. True quality practicing requires mindfulness: Be present. This will help you to notice your weak areas so that you may address them to become a better player. Play slowly and be responsible for each note that comes out of your horn. When practicing this way, you may find that you get tired much sooner than with mindless practice. You will also find that you make more progress within a shorter period of time. When you practice can also make a difference; whenever possible, I like to make my practice the first thing I do each day. That is the time of day when I am most alert and able to concentrate. It also means that during the rest of the day, my brain will continue processing what I worked on.
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We live in a world of excess and without realizing it, we are constantly stressed out with option anxiety. Having too many options to choose from can make a person feel lost and ineffectual in life and in music. What does this have to do with music? Well, even our improvised lines can fall victim to information overload. I, (and I’m not alone in this) am most creative when some restrictions are imposed upon my musical pallet. It forces me to think creatively, look for patterns, and work the problem with an open mind. Therefore, I present to you, the appended triad. It is restricted to just 4 notes which will help you rely on your creativity rather than anxiety. I am a big fan of picking a major or minor triad and tacking on one note (usually a half step from one of the triad’s chord tones) and voila! Having a cool 4-note cell to play around with. Today’s example is a G major triad add Eb (a major triad with a flat 6th added). This is technically a tetrad but I prefer to think of it as a major triad with added note as it is easier to recall when improvising. We will apply this tetrad over an F Lydian b7 tonality (I’m speaking in tenor key). This tetrad can of course be implied over other chords as well (for example: C minor/major 7, A minor 7 b5 etc…). Just a few more quick examples of a major triad with a flat 6th added: -E major triad with C added: Sounds great over a D7#11 C+MAJ7 A harmonic/melodic minor tonality -E major triad with F added: G13b9 A harmonic minor tonality Any of 4 diminished scales starting on G#, B, D, or F (using the diminished scale which starts with a whole step). -E Major with G added: E major tonality E minor tonality -E minor triad with D# added: E minor/major 7 A13#11 There are many, many more possibilities. These are but a few quick ideas to get the brain thinking. Play around with the concept and see what you come up with. |
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