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Music is a gift that is life long.
Plato once said that music “is a more potent instrument than any other
for education”. You will find many teachers of young children who would
agree with him. Recent research has found that music uses both sides of
the brain, a fact that makes it valuable in all areas of development.
Music affects the growth of a child’s brain academically, emotionally,
physically and spiritually.
Music is academic. For some people, this is the primary reason for
providing music lessons to their children. A recent study from the
University of California found that music trains the brain for higher
forms of thinking. Second graders who were given music lessons scored
27% higher on proportional math and fractions tests than children who
received no special instruction. Research indicates that musical
training permanently wires a young mind for enhanced performance.
Music is physical. Music can be described as a sport. Learning to sing
and keep rhythm develops coordination. The air and wind power necessary
to blow a flute, trumpet or saxophone promotes a healthy body.
Music is emotional. Music is an art form. We are emotional beings and
every child requires an artistic outlet. Music may be your child’s
vehicle of expression.
Music is for life. Most people can’t play soccer, or football at 70 or
80 years of age but they can PLAY the clarinet, saxophone, bassoon and
piano and sing. Music is a gift you can give your child that will last
their entire lives.
TRY THESE ASPECTS- TO ASSIST AND ENRICH.
__ Help kids go to a local concert - let them hear live music as a special thing.
__ Donate a private lesson to some in need young learners.
__ Contribute to 10+ months of instrument rentals - or donate some used instruments you buy at yard sales.
__ Provide students with private lessons -by letting them mow your lawn etc- in exchange for tuition you assist with.
__ Celebrate music yourself by sponsoring a concert.
__ Donate a record collection, music books and CD's.
OK... there are more of course but try these and make a difference.
- Keeping The Channel Open
Daily practice also allows me to imprint the material in my mind until
it
becomes instinct. One long practice session will not do this. For
most players, useful techniques can only be acquired through repetition.
I
always try to work new materials into songs, lines and grooves that I
like.
For me it's sort of like upgrading my musical mind so that my playing
becomes
reoriented in the directions I choose. Increasing familiarity with they
materials is a good thing. It's like learning a language--music is a
language.
Through diligent , consistent daily work, a tangible musical substance
is
incrementally developed. First of all, you develop physical stamina
through
the repeated effort. Also , from day to day, you accumulate ideas and
expand
on the themes of your practice. If you are working Major chords; the
first day
you might just work on arpeggios, the next day you might see some
connection
with other musical sources, such as songs, or through or whatever is
interesting to you. By continuing to work with focus on the same things
from day to day, you will find that your level of proficiency has risen
and expanded to include all these other sources. Your practicing every
day results in the acquisition of
technique, musical intelligence, improved tone, and stamina. Just the
quest to continuously find something to practice will increase your
creativity.
My contribution is to spread love and inspiration through music.
In some small way I would like to think that this could make a difference.
In the process I hope to inspire people to seek the truth in themselves and music, and get deep inside
of the art form we love.
It's all about that. As Lester Bowie said- " It all depends on what ya know".
~TILL NEXT WEEK....Keep on.
Tim Price
 ALSO- PLEASE REMEMBER ;
Tim Price is available for a wide variety of tours, festivals, guest
appearances and workshops. Tim Price is also available as a guest
soloist with a small group or big band, and as a jazz clinician or guest
lector. Tim is a Rico Reeds and Selmer saxophone artist. His books are
published through Hal Leonard.
Please contact Tim at: TimPriceJazz@aol.com
Phone ; 610-370-1544
I TEACH IN NYC- READING, PA AND ON SKYPE.
SKYPE MUSIC STUDY WITH TIM PRICE
These SKYPE sessions with Tim Price are informal and relaxed, yet highly
structured. If you are a novice improvisor or even a pro who has always
felt there was more to learn, you'll truly enjoy these lessons.
Hands-on "Real World" Learning , you'll more than simply learn-you'll
do. By gaining new knowledge you'll create momentum that can transform
your musical future. You'll sustain results. You'll discover multiple
ways to produce real, sustainable results.
Take advantage of Tim Price's 35 plus years of teaching, performing,
recording & writing experience. Step by step online videos to help
you improve your playing at a logical pace. On screen spoken help
explaining how to reach your next level.
Timpricejazz@aol.com for most current fee info.
~Improvising means creating music that is spontaneous, of the moment,
and uniquely your own. So think of it as the instrument becomes a
process of self-discovery, finding out what your music really sounds
like. You develop a period of looking within, stripping away the excess
and listening for the simple voice that really is our own. It’s there,
listen for it.
Being able to improvise on I GOT RHYTHM changes appears much more as a
puzzle or study that must be negotiated than as an opportunity look
within and reach for new sounds you hear. Improvising means creating
music that is spontaneous, of the now, and your own. It will not get
played if you yourself don’t play it, and try.
You have to focus your practicing for maximum progress towards creating a
powerful forward motion as a player. Add personal guidance of a master
teacher and artist, and you’re poised to grow as a musician and as a
performer.
Todays student needs substance ! Plus how to focus practicing of
improvising on the essential elements,the actual substance of what to
play and how to develop it in your personal style, and dealing with
practicing of specific vocabulary. It's what I call, what to shed! Then
you got to understand jazz is part of culture. Bird, Prez,Basie,Pee Wee
Russell, Roland Kirk, Duke, Hawk and all those giants who gave something
to culture. What did they have? They had the the building blocks of
jazz improvisation. MELODY ! Then guide-tone lines, and melodic Rhythm.
Real world building blocks of jazz improvisation. In a word- BASICS that
last for your career.
Just some thinking on subjects we all love and are close to our
agenda.
. .Living a life of purpose reflects who you are deep inside, your
beliefs, values and passion for living. It is about following your heart
and doing what you love to do with passion and purpose. This may
initially feel overwhelming and go too "deep" but that's exactly where
you need to go - deep into your heart, beyond the busy, superficial
day-to-day chores and demands of life. Beyond the fast paced day of the
modern mom who typically deals with her career, various children's
activities, computer viruses, proverbial household cleaning, - overall
role of superwoman who never had or has had a chance to do some real
soul searching for real meaning in her life. Do you feel like you're
spinning of the hamster wheel and getting nowhere? Just talking...and
talking.Do you wonder if your life counts for anything?
Despite the many resources of self-help tools available today via
magazines, books, tapes, videos, and seminars, many still feel
unfulfilled and lacking purpose in themselves, family and career. What
ever happened to just getting together- making some coffee and playing
some standards ad blues.Life is about choices - good, bad, happy,
unhappy, purpose filled or void. It is important to intentionally and
passionately seek to pursue joy, fulfillment and purpose despite the
situations or people who may seem to be trying to take it away from you.
Your choices should be reflective of who you are and what you believe
in vs. the standards and beliefs of someone else.Are you really hearing
the music- or going for just who's popular? The following are wide
sweeping key components that require considerable processing in their
own right in order to most fully develop your own true purpose and are
full length topic discussions within themselves - please be sure to
process them in your own time and according to your specific needs.Each
person holds unique and very individualized gifts. Allow yourself to
really explore your current and past skills - even some you may not even
be aware of yet. But also....Recognize them, write them down and then
think of how you could integrate your most compelling skills into an
area of your life now....Strive for tone & see you next week- Tim Price for D'Addario Woodwinds.
SOUND AND BUILDING A BETTER SOUND....
Long tones should be the most important part of your practice routine.
This fact is surprising to many beginner or intermediate saxophonists.
Why Go Long?
Long tones help you develop muscles and skills that are extremely
important in most playing situations:
• Embouchure. If the embouchure is correct throughout all of the long
tones, then you will feel the burn as you reach the high notes. Make
sure to really squeeze the corners in the high notes, and do not bite.
If you feel the biting, stop, rest for a little while, and then continue
when you feel ready.
• Tonal quality. By playing long tones, you become subconsciously aware
of the overtones and can develop a finer tone quality.
How to Practice
Long tones should be practiced the following way:
1. Begin with low Bb and play this note at a piano volume the best you
can for 10 seconds.
2. If you need to, use a metronome and set it to 60 beats per minute.
3. Go up chromatically and play each note in the range of the
instrument. With correct lower lip and breath support as well as
well-developed control of the muscles involved, you should be able to
keep the intonation even.
4. Be conscious of tone quality, intonation, breath support and
embouchure.
5. Use a mirror to see your embouchure. Long tones must be practiced for
about 15 minutes at a time. In the first session, start at low Bb and
ascend to the highest note you can play correctly. In the second
session, start at the highest note you can play correctly, and descend
to low Bb. Try your best to practice long tones as much as you can.
The experience of creating space – within your body, your life, and
with others – is incredibly liberating. I know that the more space I
give myself, the more grounded I feel within who I am. And the more
space I create the deeper connection I experience in my music and life.
This isn’t really about physical ‘space’, but about creating space in
the way you communicate and interact with others. This means not letting
thoughts interrupt the connection that’s being created between you and
the other person. It’s a feeling of spaciousness that exists within your
body and inner self. It’s an experience of being clear, present and
grounded in who you truly are – and using that connection as the
foundation for relating to others from a more authentic and meaningful
place.
Connecting with others authentically takes a conscious commitment in the
moment.
In my own experience, when I make that commitment, I find I’m rewarded
many times over. Rewarded – not because I’ve been able to ‘contribute’
through my words – but because the experience of being truly present
provides a much deeper, fulfilling sense of connection between
everything. Beyond music, life and anything. Internal joy.
The ability to create space with others in this way has deepened and aware within my own self , I’m naturally able to be more present with others
without loosing that inner connection to myself.
Being present to someone in this way may not always seem ‘easy’. If you
let yourself, you can easily become distracted by your thinking:
including devising what you’ll say next; mulling over your judgements
about the other person (or worrying about what they think of you);
feeling a need to interrupt their speaking with your own opinion; or
thinking about something else entirely. It's something to think about as a performer and artist as well as a student.
Be positive. Always believe that you will achieve your goal. As soon as
you stop believing, you have already failed.BUT- Keep trying. as Phil
Woods once told me - " If you don't try you die."
Don't forget the words of Lao-Tze: "A journey of a thousand miles begins
with a single step." Put Lao and Phil's words together in your
mind...you can't loose! Till next week.. keep on
the path- Tim
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