THE SECRET TO PLAYING FAST...

...is to practice slow.

I have never been able to figure this one out, but, virtually all of my clarinet and saxophone students, especially the intermediate and the more advance students play through their practice exercises as fast as they can.

It's almost as if they hate the sound of the individual notes coming out of their instruments! 

But, those individual notes are the only tools that we have to work with, and our gig is to make them ring. 

For example, listen to any major sax players you like - say, John Coltrane, Hank Crawford, or Tom Scott.  Notice that when they blast through a run of 16th notes, each one is clear and tone-centered.

The way it's supposed to be. 

And you get that by practicing slowly.  You must sound each and every note.

Speed appeals. But when you practice a piece faster than you can handle it,  you've robbed your future. 

Why?

Perfect practice makes perfect. Sloppy practice makes, well, you get it. 

Practice everything slower than you humanly think is possible. Go for clarity and beauty of tone on each and every note, and do not increase the tempo until you can play each measure perfectly.  A good rule to follow is to never play a piece faster than the most difficult measure, the one that slows you down each and every time.

Yeah it takes discipline, and yeah, it's way more fun (and ego-satisfying) to scramble along at break-neck speed, but slow it way down in the beginning. 

It's the best way I know of to get fast. 

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