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I have just retired from working - no more drudgery for me ! So I plan to go back to basics and start learning all sorts of stuff properly with some genuine enthusiasm on my part.
Congrats on retirement!
Practically nada for me unfortunately but hope to get back into it someday if life slows down and my body holds up...
Before retiring in February last year, I had managed to keep up a mostly daily practice regime, at least an hour and a half or two each evening. When I began years ago, I concentrated on learning solos and playing rhythm with backing tracks and online classes. That was my practicing at the time. After a few years, I managed to find another guitar player who was interested in this music. We played together once every week, and eventually formed the trio and then quartet, and getting a local coffeehouse gig once a month. It all came to an end when the plague began, but it was a good thing, because the guitarist was not interested in progressing and the group was suffering for it.
When I retired last year, I enrolled in Yaakov Hoter’s coaching group for six months. It wasn’t cheap, but it gave me the blueprint to progress. I re-upped for another six months which is due to expire at the end of February. I can say that if you can afford it, it’s a great way to get personalized instruction—over zoom, of course—meet other players from around the world, and keep your self disciplined to learn something on a regular basis. Having taken a number of online courses of various length, I’d say this is an amazing resource and a way to jumpstart your progress if you’re feeling like you’re in a rut.
Through the coaching program, I met several other players in my area and began jamming with them. It has been fantastic, although it is now shut down again for a month or two. One thing I learned from playing again with a number of musicians, especially busking in the French Quarter in New Orleans (how lucky am I?), is that if you don’t practice the way you’re going to play live, you’re going to have a lot of trouble reproducing what you work so hard to learn, especially when it comes to soloing.
To that end, I tried numerous methods to mute my guitar while picking hard the way I would in live situation. It helped a lot, especially with my right hand technique, to practice playing with force and energy that I would need. Also,I am fortunate to be able to afford to purchase the AJL Silent and Portable guitar which is on order as I write this. I hope that it will be an additional tool to get where I want to go.
During lockdown, while in the coaching program, I have tried to practice twice a day: a session in the afternoon and one in the evening. I work on course material, technique, but always finish playing something beautiful. If not playing beautiful songs, what’s the point of it all?
I find absorbing information in Dennis Chang’s videos, among many others, regarding practice and playing with others. Watching videos, reading about music and performance is extremely helpful to keep my head in the game, even when I’m not practicing. The exchange of ideas and experiences that we do here is also invaluable.
When I started studying gypsy jazz years ago, I learned entire solos for “Minor Swing,” I’ll See You in my Dreams,” and solo pieces like “Indifference”and “Manor de Reves.” I still work on these to this day, polishing and working them to the best of my ability. One thing is for sure, muscle memory is real. It’s bailed me out many a time during a performance solo. That’s one of the things only practice can give you.
Thanks for the insight and advice. I am starting block off "performance practice" as part of my daily practice routine now. To me that means 1) Playing the head 2) Improv 3) Comping 4) Rhythm 5) Trade 6) Head Out along with a backing track pretending that it is an actual performance. The only way to get better at situations you are unfamiliar with is to practice those particular situations. If I'm not able to practice with another person that is the next closest thing I can do. When I do it, I feel the same pressure and tension that I do when I have to play in real life. Hopefully in time I will be more comfortable and familiar with it and improve.
I will have to look into the online Zoom lessons. I know Samy Daussat used to do it back in 2020. I sent that Facebook page a message to see if he is still doing lessons. If you have any other recommendations please let me know.
Does anyone know if any of those Paris players do lessons? It would be great to get lessons from them and do some networking at the same time. I know Antoine Boyer did it last year, but it looks like he no longer does it. Maybe someone like Fanou or Gwen. I doubt Adrien Moignard or Sebastien Giniaux are doing lessons or would give one to someone like me. Just curious.
Gwen was but his schedule has been too busy for the past several months to continue. Some of them do masterclasses once in a while but those are local events at specific locations.
That's wonderful, would you come some time and play with me, I need someone to play for or I cannot practice. You showed me so much, sorry I swaggered so. I need more friends close.
D.
2021 was pretty great for overall jazz practice and figuring out what I need AND what I needed to do on the gig. Was gigging about 2-3 nights a week. Then December 1, a window fell and took off about 1/4 inch of my fretting hand middle finger. It's going to be a long 2022 trying to figure it out again.
Jim, did you lose it or were they able to suture it back on?
As I like to say, it lives somewhere on 23rd Street and Lex. Alas. New challenges