Recording Your Practice to Advance Your Own Performance Standards
Play all the music as soon as possible. - Gunther Schuller (or something to that general effect; paraphrased)
You must be aware of problems to fix them. Focus on these four areas when you listen to playback of your practice.
Rehearse solutions, then record the passage again. Listen critically, but with a positive, constructive attitude.
| All the music = |
Rhythm
Do I deviate from metronomic rhythm because the music invites deviation, or because my technique wavers?
Pitch/Tone
Do all notes have center and focus, especially phrase beginnings, leaps, extreme dynamics, fast stuff, or is the sound only great on long notes?
Articulation
Does each note start and stop cleanly with style and aplomb, or do I leave some unattended?
Inflection
Do I truly make music within the limits given by the composer, or am I sacrificing expression for safety? |
- Your recording device is the most factual, unbiased and clear reflection of what you are really doing.
- You are the most important judge of your own work.
- Your attitude about yourself, your ability and your musicianship is the single most important factor in your development. Take a look at the survey below to see where you stand.
Which of the following describe your motivations for studying/making music? Be completely honest.
1. It's an attention getter . . . makes me feel important.
2. It attracts members of the opposite sex.
3. I'm being sort of pressured to do it (parents, band director, peer group, etc).
4. It sure beats washing cars (comparative approach).
5. Sounds like a lot of fun!
6. I just want to see if I can do it.
7. I admire people who can do it; their skill awes me and scares me.
8. It has always fascinated me . . . a sort of magic.
9. It's a creative skill, worth the effort.
10. It's a creative democracy that can be collectively exciting and communicative in group situations.
11. To avoid inertia. When I am not involved in creative practice, performance, or study, I feel unfulfilled and sense an emptiness.
12. I am compelled, even obsessed with working at it all the time . . . I can't explain it, exactly, but the drive to do it is undeniable.
13. Creative music is a God-given gift and therefore divine. It lifts the hearts of performer and listener alike. I must be a part of the activity!
Motivations 1-4 are weak reasons for studying music and won't buoy you for long. Motivations 5-8 are better reasons and might indicate that, as time passes, your motivations might improve. Motivations 9-13 are best for the study of music; they will carry you through a lifetime of continuous development. Use them as reminders, if and when your efforts begin to sag.
Survey taken from Jerry Coker, How To Practice Jazz, New Albany, IN: Jamey Aebersold, 1990.
