The Way We Teach Music is Totally Backwards

Over the past few years of private woodwind instruction to elementary, middle, and high school students, I've re-familiarized myself with public school classroom methods.

First, let me say that these music teachers are my heroes: they start with a classroom full of kids who are new to their instruments, they have so little time, are under-staffed, and have almost nothing in the way of resources.

And yet they are expected to meet district expectations, holiday concert performances, learning curves, tests, and so on. I think they do amazing work.

But are they teaching their students to play music?

Not really. Here's why:

Think back to when you started school in kindergarten. This is generally where most of us first learned to read words in a structured setting.

Your teacher probably had you touch pictures and words, and put them together into little sentences by saying them out loud.

But way before you ever got there, you already knew how to talk, right?

And you learned to talk by doing what?  By imitating your older brothers and sisters, the television, and your adult models.

But -- when we teach music, (especially in the group classroom setting,) we reverse the process. We do it backwards, and that is wrong. In effect, we teach the alphabet (in this case, musical notation, etc) way before we teach kids how to speak (or play notes.)

As a result, none of my students can play anything that is not written on a page. None of them know the full range of their horn. Their music educations are generally limited to knowing only what they need to know to meet expectations, and in this way, the advance at a snail's pace.

Or slower.

Is there a better way to learn music? Yes.

How? Through imitation.

Naturally, a beginner must learn to make reliable sounds come out of the sax/clarinet/flute, and learn what the keys do and do not do. That goes without saying, and the rudimentary methods available in the classroom are designed to do just that in an efficient manner that works for the lowest common denominator.

But this kind of teaching leaves out the most valuable of tools -- playing an instrument.

Practice is one thing. But playing is another.

And the best way to learn the difference is through imitating sounds and songs.

Right about now I can see young and new woodwind students cringing as they read this.

It's not that hard. You already do it.

The world is filled with sounds and music, and countless songs, many of which are already embedded into our consciousness such that we do not have to work very hard to recall them and then sing them.

"Happy Birthday," for example.

Go ahead. Sing out. Nice, huh?

And so, in addition to working on school projects, in my lesson plans the kids play that old wonderful song from memory.

Is it hard? Yeah, at first for some. But they get the hang of it in a way that looking at sheet music can't and won't ever even begin to approach.

In playing from memory/imitation, they begin to open up that inner pathway of expression that goes directly from their minds (and hearts, if you will,) to their fingers.

We start on middle C, (which is the 5th note of the F major scale.) When they have that version completely memorized, we go up a half-step and start on middle C#....which is the fifth note of the F# major scale.

As a music educator, I saw that this was not only fun for my beginners, but a totally engaging way for my intermediate students to learn the different keys ...without having to memorize scales by rote in ascending/descending patterns -- which also can eventually hamper a student improviser.

I got that from Kenny G once when interviewing him for a magazine. At the conclusion of the interview, I asked him for a quick lesson, and he showed me how he practices scales by playing one over the phone (he had his trusty soprano sax with him.) It was an intricate, clean, challenging combination of all the notes in the C major scale arranged to give him a workout.

Why?

Because Dave, he said, You will never ever play a C major scale (or any scale) to an audience... so why would you practice playing one?

Point well made.

Now, go and play "Happy Birthday" from memory. Start on middle C, and make it beautiful.

You're Not Using Enough Air

One of the most common mistakes I encounter as a sax teacher is the under-use of air when playing saxophone.   The instrument itself -- basically, a brass megaphone with holes in it -- is an air-hungry machine.

It takes a lot of wind to make any sax work properly, and most of us fail in this regard.

We take little breaths when we want to blow a soft passage...and when blowing loud passages, we generally try to make it all the way to the end without having to stop and take a breath.

Wrong answer.

Now, almost all beginning (and intermediate and advanced players) got the lecture about using your diaphragm to properly breath into one's saxophone (or flute, clarinet, etc.)

I too got that same lecture, when I was about 13 years old, from a fellow classmate named Hollis Gentry, who would go on to national fame with Larry Carlton, Fatburger, David Benoit, and Neon before passing away a few years ago.

"Just bend over and feel around in your stomach. You'll find it - your diaphragm."

That's what a lot of teachers and instruction books said. But finding your diaphragm doesn't tell you how to use it to make your sax tones rich and full.

So here's the solution: you take in as much air as you possibly can before playing a single note. Start by filling your stomach, then your lungs.

Then, play.

The amount of air you allow to come out determines loud or soft. But the point is that to do this properly, the supply of air needs to remain constant.

Yes, this will likely seem strange and feel odd at first, but the way to learn properly is by playing long tones.

Start each note soft, get loud, then bring it back down to soft again.

Then on to the next note. And the next, and the next, until your chops are feeling it.

You'll thank me for this later.

Worrying about What You Don't Know Can Hurt Your Playing

One of the things I like most about learning music is this -- there is always something to learn. And for me,  the challenge of mastering new things is fun.

Most of the time.

I'll be the first to admit that there are those days in the practice room that my mind wanders to where I think I should be as a player, or who I want to sound like, or that player at the jam last night who was way better then me.

Not one of which is productive.

Yes, there is a mountain of information and technique to absorb and integrate when learning to play saxophone.  The same mountain that every major player stood before as well -- Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Stan Getz.

All of them started at the beginning. None of them was born with the ability to pick up a sax and play. They had to learn, one step at a time.

So take heart, okay? It takes as much time as it takes, each exercise, and we all have different learning speeds and situations.  Worrying about what you don't know yet will defeat you every time you practice.

How? Because it keeps your focus off of what you are trying to learn right now. And that is all you have to do: play what is in front of you to the absolute best of your abilities.

And stop worrying about where it is that you think you need to be as a player.

Focus. Listen. Play, and repeat.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd rather you play one scale like a master than 12 scales badly.

Don't Squeeze the Goods

Last night while playing a pick-up gig with a mixed-bag pop/rock/blues party band at the House of Blues, I caught myself in a bad habit:

Squeezing the keys on my tenor sax while playing a solo.

I think we all do it, especially newcomers who are trying to master the complexities. It's a natural human reaction, to squeeze down on the keys, and I still find myself doing this during intense solo passages or peak moments of inspiration.

But squeezing the keys is one of those habits that does not serve a player. A light touch is preferable.

Jazz pianist/composer Chick Corea once said it best during a master class (and I paraphrase here) -- relax, keep your body posture loose, and release the tension through your playing.

Not by bearing down on your sax or clarinet or flute keys, or your piano keyboard, or your guitar neck or whatever.

How'd I learn to not squeeze? By practicing in a mirror and by observing what I was doing with my fingers -- all the extra movements, etc.

Last night, when I was literally clenching my horn during moments of peak expression, everything else clenched up too, especially my embrochure and my ability to put air through my horn. And I got stuck in place.

So - the object of today's post is this: relax while playing. Keep a light touch on the keys, let the key's springs push your fingers up, and from time to time have a look in the mirror during practice.
 

Hey everybody -- I started this blog as a means of sharing info, links, clips, exercises, random thoughts, and ideas with my saxophone and woodwind students. This is my very first posting, and as time goes on, I will add more content, so check back regularly.

Today, I want to talk about -- the P word. That's right, PRACTICING. It's the one thing that I know will improve my playing, and that's why I get after each one of you to spend as much time as possible working on the stuff I send you home with each week.

I know that my students lead busy lives that include homework, families, chores, even day jobs. It all adds up. But you have a responsibility to your music too, and the only way is to spend regular time with your horn.

Many of you know I'm a big believer in the 5-minute drill, meaning, at the very least give it 5 minutes a day on long tones or on a particular exercise. Leave your horn out of the case, and pick it up and blow any time you have 5 extra minutes.

Or 10.

Or 15.

Better to put saxophone first and play a little every day than to cram your practice into an hour a week. Or, right before you show up for lessons!

Next comes focus. Wynton Marsalis the legendary trumpet player once said that 10 minutes of concentrated practice is way better than an hour of goofing off with your horn. In other words, have a plan before you start, and concentrate on perfecting that one thing -- be it a scale, a difficult passage, a melody, or tone issues.

Turn off the TV, the stereo, your cell phone, etc, etc, and whatever self-doubts you may have about your own ability, and focus on the playing. I promise you'll see the results at our next lesson.