"If I sound good when I'm practicing, Then I'm not practicing". This statement attributed to Charlie Parker is significant because it really defines what practice should be. Practice is an opportunity to not only correct weaknesses but to explore your musical potential.

What a lot of musicians, myself included, don't realize is that there are various ways to practice. The old "drill until you get it perfect approach" is the least effective because all your focus is on the physical aspect of playing. You need to hear what you are practicing so that you can absorb it. 

Practicing slowly allows you to hear and correct the flaws in your playing. Slow tempos provide a great view of your articulation. If your articulation is sloppy your phrasing will be affected. If you can play slowly, faster tempos will become easier.

Hearing is a significant step in improving, no matter what instrument you play. The ability to hear is as necessary as seeing to a painter. Scales, rudiments, long tones are all necessary but taken to mind numbing proportions they can become mechanical and stiff.

When you practice you should have a musical goal in mind. The first thing is to get the spirit of what you are playing. It may be sloppy but it's the first step in learning to hear a difficult phrase or concept. Once you get the spirit of something the letter will follow.

Mental practicing should be part of your practice routine. The act of sitting in a chair and thinking about a piece of music has as much value as practicing for hours. Drummer Grady Tate uses this method all the time. He told me, pointing to his head "that I prepare here." 

Metronomes and other devices are tools that should be used wisely. Musicians need to develop a natural feel for time. The goal of practice should always be to prepare you for that most important thing; The gig!

                                       The groove continues... 

"This piece that we are going to play features yours truly, 'The Piano Player'." This was Duke Ellington's standard introduction and reference to himself. Music, the piano and the band were the things that he loved madly. 

Whenever the band performed, Duke took his role as the piano player seriously. He had no problem playing as a member of the rhythm section. Duke didn't play chords as much as he played colors and this had a profound effect on who ever was soloing.

His use of color tones, sometimes outside the key was a staple of what Billy Strayhorn called the "Ellington effect". Those sounds are still a mystery to many musicians. The following performance of "All Too Soon" is wonderful example of this.

Duke's rhythmic ability is on display In the following performance of "Caravan". Accompanied by Max Roach and Charles Mingus. You can hear Duke crossing bar lines, resolving the tension only at the very last second, yet the groove is strong and centered

This performance is indicative of Ellington's brilliance as a pianist. The effect on Mingus and Roach is stimulating pushing these masterful musicians to even greater heights.

Musical stimulation was Duke's goal every time he sat down to play. He rarely indulged in empty soloing. What he did indulge was his capacity to take the music he was performing to a different place. Many of his solos also contained the germs of new compositions. Sort of a preview into the sorcerer's mind.

Duke's music is still being played, studied and discussed and that alone is a tribute to this stride piano player who was... "Beyond Category".

                                        The groove continues....

Scene 1) Star drummer enters and plays Jaw dropping solo. Scene 2) Can you please play that fill from your recording? Star turns fill into another Jaw dropping solo? This scenario with some exceptions is played out all over the world and its a DRAG!

The exception is Liberty De Vitto whose cliinics are informative, entertaining and most of all truthful. His clinics are a masterclass which includes inviting drummers from the audience to play. 

I have been attending drum clinics for a long time and I have watched them devolve from a master class concept to percussive mastrubation, in fact, I can count on one hand the amount of really informative clinics I've been to. 
 
The art of the drums is still misunderstood and bad clinicians only add to the image of us as grunting primitives who wouldn't know music if it hit us in the face. Liberty changes the focus in his clinics from endless soloing to the drums ensemble role in a band.

Solo drum clinics just don't make it anymore. Drummers can now see performances by past and present masters on you tube. What drummers, particularly younger players, need is practical information from a "working" musician and not from a professional clinician or teacher who hasn't played a gig in twenty years.

I still recall a Liberty De Vitto clinic many years ago that should be the model. He played a little, then began showing the crowd how he created the signature drum part to Billy Joel's huge hit "Just the Way You Are". 

What stood out for me was that he selected this tune and not a song that would show off his chops. He talked about reconciling his view of the drum part with Joel's idea's and producer Phil Ramone. It was a real lesson on how to play in the studio with a major artist. The subtext was how you get and keep a major league gig. 

Clinics should be about information and getting it straight from a successful musician is about as good as it gets.

                                              The groove continues... 

 

How do you get a musician to complain? Get him a gig. The joke is old but like a lot of things there is a great deal of truth to it. Many musicians want  a full time gig but just as many are unwilling to do the work necessary to get one. 

Getting a gig -- especially a major one -- is a lot tougher these days. Cattle call auditions no longer exist. Audition information is either passed through the grapevine or a person is invited to audition based on past performance and recommendations. This is all premised on one thing. You are not going to hear about anything if you are not on the scene.

You get on the scene by playing and networking. Do the best job you can every time you play. When you meet other musicians, always be professional and confident. Personality carries as much weight as playing ability when a musician is being considered for an audition or gig.   

Only audition for gigs that you are interested in. Don't audition for a Progressive Rock Gig if you have no interest in the music. The audition will be over before you finish playing eight bars. Musicians have a great bullshit detector and they will know a "Gunslinger" when they hear it.

Preparation is key. If the artist you are auditioning for has recordings, get them. If that artist is performing live, go and hear them. The most important thing is to bring yourself to the audition. The people who are auditioning you are listening for several things. How well you play is a given. How well you know the music and what you bring to the table musically are the more important factors. 

When you are at the audition listen to the music and the oral instructions carefully. This is the artist or group telling you exactly what they expect. This is also the point where you get to audition them. It is here that you will find out if you are dealing with seasoned pros or idiots. This is the point where you get to ask yourself: "Do I want to work with these guys?"

Checking your ego at the door is also important. This Ego thing has several aspects to it. First, you have to have a healthy ego to be in this business. It's ego bordering on conceit and arrogance that will get you get you crossed off the list. Most auditions are recorded and if you are not selected the first time, you may be called the next time or recommended for a different gig. Always look to the future.

The music business is volatile but one thing is certain. Work, common sense and a good attitude can open a lot of doors.

                                              The groove continues...