~ May 7- 2012.
Great time of the year on the East Coast. The last day of teaching, via my semester in the New School University, Jazz Dept, NYC.
I'm walking through the Village, and enjoying that another good year of education in jazz has passed and is going very well. The
students are getting the idea and I feel good as well. My Reading, Pa students are being accepted to some major University's as
well for the following year. Rutgers, William Patterson, Berklee, Oberlin and New England Conservatory. One of my bassoon students
is even been accepted to a very important school in London for a five year program.It's a good time, work has been hard and everyone
has been on the mark. Practicing and doing their job as a student of the music.
Yearas ago, Sal Nistico told me- " When you practice, work".That really opened my mind at age 18. Big time.
Sal Nistico- was a major influence on me.
Sal ...was one of the most articulate tenor players that ever played.
There is a Cd on Red records from Italy..where he plays " Inner Urge"
so amazing...so burning....it might be the best version of the tune ever.
Sal lived in Europe the last years of his life.
Sal when he lives in NYC lived in Reno Park. Mostly he traveled to
L.A..Europe and those spots for gigs. When he DID
move to Europe for good finally he worked more than ever till his untimely death from a brain tumor.
Sal was a friend.I studied with him
on and off,from 1970 till the last time
I ever saw him in 1982, he NEVER wrote anything
down either.He said-if you want to learn it YOU WILL remember it.
When I first met him he was playing a Menza mouthpiece on his Conn 10M
with # 4Oliveri reeds. That was 1970 in Boston when he lived in our apt building
for a few months. I'LL NEVER forget
when Emilio overhauled Sals 10M, Sal just spilled out the hippest
lines ya ever heard and rolled that 10m
on like a king of the tenor.
Years later around the time..he lived in NY.
He had switched to a balanced action
Selmer and metal link.Then I 'm sure LaVoz
were something he was using. Like
Med Hards. Sal was a fan of Frank Wells.
I know if he was using Links during his Woody period Wells worked on them.
Probally his Bergs to.Pepper Adams told me once , that Sal
read the Thad and Mel band book AT SIGHT on his first gig. THAT must of been
something !I know Sal was one of the hardest workers I ever met.
There is a record-Called " Neo Nistico" on Beehive records.
My transcription of - 'Fe Fi Fo Fum' by Shorter is in my " Great Tenor solos
book". To me THAT solo shows Sals growth from a big band asskicker player to where he
was wanting to be as a player. Sal told a great story about Trane.
They were buds- but the first time Sal met Trane was on a subway.
Trane came over to Sal , and told him he loved how great he played. Sal told me
ya could always know if Trane was home cuz you'd hear his sound all over the
block when he practiced. I have a huge poster of Sal in front of
my music stand in my studio.That guy changed my life !
The first step in practicing something is to understand what areas of
the piece or scale are less familiar to us, what we used to think were
the hard parts. The next step is to spend time visiting and revisiting
those areas until our fingers, ears and breathing become comfortable and
familiar with them. Sound too simplistic? Maybe it is, but it is true.
It may take weeks or months or sometimes years for our
bodies to allow these actions to occur without conscious thought.
One of the most important steps in this process of learning is to not
look at a printed page of music. Play things without looking at the
music You might say, I can't memorize things so easily. Well this is
NOT memorization. This is learning something very deeply. Play a small
portion of a phrase over and over. But while playing it, use your EAR
and LISTEN to the music you're playing. Then try to sing the phrase away
from the instrument. Try to play the phrase starting on different notes.
If this seems overwhelming take another approach.
Sing the first few bars of the song Happy Birthday. Now play the song on
your instrument starting on any note. Now once you figure it out and it
feel comfortable, play it starting on other notes. When this feels
comfortable playing the tune on all twelve notes you can feel confident
you know that tune.
Only work with very small segments of music and don't move on
to other areas until that one area is thoroughly learned.
When we ingrain the techniques of playing an instrument and understanding the
rudiments of music so thoroughly we
remove the need for conscious thought to help us execute the music.
( This is the start of the Alpha State. )
At this point one's unique voice can be expressed through the music. Master
means to learn something so thoroughly that one always executes it
correctly - This type of
practicing can seem to take a long time.
Your the time spent internalizing something is shorter than one thinks.
Try to remember the times when you practiced a piece over and over and
there were a few passages that were always difficult which never felt
quite right. You perform the piece and kind of get through those
passages and say , glad that's over. But a month later
you have to play the piece again for a gig or and those same passages are no
easier.
If one took the time to properly internalize that music it would not
only always be with you but any of the problems that were conquered
while spending time with the piece would carry over to other pieces that
have similar challenges.
The more material which is learned in this
thorough manner, the easier music in general starts to become. When
enough stuff is gained, most music played will be done with little or
no conscious thought, thus allowing one's voice to happen.
This will happen because there will not be any technical hurdles to
conquer in the music or on the instrument.
When practicing, don't try to conquer an entire work at once. Live with
a small passage until it becomes easy.
If a mistake is made, then go back and spend more time working the passage
slowly until you don't have to think about what you are doing.
Have patience,listen to what you play-find the problem areas and
fix them via slow repetition. Also enjoy the process of practicing
and the sounds you produce.
Jazz is food for the soul and this
includes music made while practicing.
Check this video;
Tim Price Jazz- Jazz Repertoire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vsarjAoQtE
The following tunes are among those most commonly played by jazz musicians. I have made an attempt to categorize them based on how they are usually played. Most of the compositions are by jazz musicians, except for the ones marked "standard".
You should try to become familiar with as many of these tunes as possible. Most of them can be found in the Real Book or in Chuck Sher's books.
All Blues blues, modal
All Of Me standard
All The Things You Are standard
Anthropology rhythm changes, swing
Au Privave blues, swing
Autumn Leaves standard
Beautiful Love standard
Beauty And The Beast rock
Billie's Bounce blues, swing
Black Orpheus Latin
Blue Bossa Latin
Blue In Green ballad, modal
Blue Monk blues, swing
Blue Train blues, swing
Blues For Alice blues, swing
Bluesette 3/4, swing
Body And Soul ballad, standard
C Jam Blues blues, swing
Caravan Latin, swing
Ceora Latin
Cherokee swing
Confirmation swing
Darn That Dream ballad, standard
Desafinado Latin
Dolphin Dance modal, non-tonal
A Foggy Day standard
Footprints 3/4, blues, modal
Freddie Freeloader blues, modal
Freedom Jazz Dance non-tonal
Four swing
Giant Steps swing
The Girl From Ipanema Latin
Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat ballad, swing
Have You Met Miss Jones standard
I Mean You swing
I Remember Clifford ballad, swing
I Thought About You standard
If I Were A Bell standard
Impressions modal
In A Sentimental Mood ballad, swing
In Walked Bud swing
Just Friends standard
Killer Joe swing
Lady Bird swing
Lullaby Of Birdland swing
Mr. P.C. blues, swing
Maiden Voyage modal
Misty ballad, standard
Moment's Notice swing
My Favorite Things 3/4, modal, standard
My Funny Valentine ballad, standard
My Romance standard
Naima ballad, modal
A Night In Tunisia Latin, swing
Nica's Dream Latin, swing
Nostalgia In Times Square swing
Now's The Time blues, swing
Oleo rhythm changes, swing
On Green Dolphin Street Latin, swing, standard
Ornithology swing
Recorda Me Latin
Red Clay rock
Round Midnight ballad, swing
St. Thomas Latin
Satin Doll swing
Scrapple From The Apple swing
The Sidewinder blues, swing
So What modal
Solar swing
Some Day My Prince Will Come 3/4, standard
Song For My Father Latin
Speak No Evil modal, non-tonal
Stella By Starlight standard
Stolen Moments blues, modal
Straight, No Chaser blues, swing
Sugar swing
Summertime standard
Take The "A" Train swing
There Is No Greater Love standard
There Will Never be Another You standard
Up Jumped Spring 3/4, swing
Waltz For Debby 3/4, swing
Wave Latin
Well, You Needn't swing
When I Fall In Love ballad, standard
Yardbird Suite swing
The process of internalizing music is a matter of
slow repetition of very small segments of a piece of music or a
technique of playing the instrument. This repetition ingrains what is
being learned deeply in our subconscious. The goal is to work on
something until it seems to play itself. Once a musician has a repertoire, they can go out and play with many others.At least this is how it has worked for me,and many others through the decades. Being a complete musician goes well beyond the notes.
Think about it- it's THAT easy !
Be thankful for another day on the planet.Music and life are a gift!
Put positive energy out there, and be glad you have the ability to play music and enjoy your life.
Till next week- strive for tone-and do something good for someone else-Cheers- Tim Price
