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As a beginner practicing standards I use part of my daily practice time focussing on one standard.
I apply the chords I am practicing and try to record a loop of sections of the song to improvise lead lines. I listen to different recordings and try different ways of playing with the recording or loops.
It's very inspiring and I am improving the way I hoped to. The question and difficulty I have is managing my memory (capacity) and my desire to keep learning and expanding my repertoire of standards (input).
I want to start working on two or three more standards, so I have more to explore and jam with. Maybe as a beginner I am better off learning a standard inside out one by one?
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07-12-2020 02:30 PM
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a beginner at practicing standards but not at playing the guitar and music, correct?
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Originally Posted by AlexOT
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Originally Posted by AlexOT
The primary source of internalization is interest, which is your "desire to keep learning", so don't sweat it too much; you already have the source. As long as you are motivated the things you memorize initially to learn tunes will become internalized.
Whether you get their faster from focusing on one tune at a time or a few at a time is something you need to discover for yourself. People learn differently, different strategies, different results.
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Many new things below the surface can be discovered
by digging deep into a single tune.
Many new things can be discovered by learning the surface details
of many tunes.
Try some of both.
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A standard study plan is 5-6 tunes per "semester", with 3 chosen as final performance pieces. The 5-6 are introduced gradually through the semester. Maybe look at 2-3 tunes on week one with only a little bit of playing, then gradually bring in the others while making progress on their predecessors.
All tunes should be level appropriate.
This pattern can be repeated for 8 levels or so. Used in both classical and jazz education.
If working on your own and with limited time, just stretch the "semester" from 4 months to 6 or 8.
Cheers.
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Originally Posted by GTRMan
And thank you all for the replies.
I will start making a playlist and shuffling in new standards at a slow pace. Adding one per week for focussed listening is one my to-do list!
Training my ears to hear similarities between them will help me pick up a lot.
As a sound designer, I have always approached new instruments or tools in a staircase way of learning. The thing I love and that keeps inspiring me with jazz is the staircase is never ending and it's a very personal, challenging and rewarding journey.
My goal is to start jamming with a drummer and bassist I met before the lockdown, who are open to anything. And add guitar playing to my own compositions and in my sound design. No need for remembering too many tunes yet
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Originally Posted by AlexOT
You might try something like this:
- Spend a half-hour per day sight-reading your jazz fakebook of choice. Don't play any tune more than twice, but note which tunes you care to revisit.
- Each week pick a new-to-you tune to actually learn. Work on memorizing the melody and the changes.
- Once you know the melody and changes (maybe a week later), work on improvising.
- Within a few weeks, you will have multiple tunes in various stages of readiness, and you will spend a certain amount of time each day on reading, on memorizing new tunes, and on improvising.
- With concerted effort you might have each new tune performance-ready within 3-4 weeks. Trying to do it faster than that will be frustrating and possibly counterproductive. Keep it fun and keep it musical.
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Originally Posted by AlexOT
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One thing that seemed to work well for me. When driving or doing something mundane, I put on a backing track of a new song and hummed a solo on top. Kinda winged it, no clue what the chords were.
Then afterwards, when learning the correct harmony on the guitar, it seemed much easier to memorize. It felt like hm.. "here was this modulation - oh I see, it was going to F-maj." The feel came first, triggered the memory of the chord names....
Well, you could internalize many standards without really spending any valuable practice time first this way. Then when you finally have the time to really learn them on the instrument, you already have half of the job done without much hassle.
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Originally Posted by GTRMan
Anyway - something like this:
Take 3 tunes and make 1 or 2 primary and when ready, perform the one most ready. Perform live, record, whatever. Then move the secondary tune(s) up and work harder on them etc. In other words, make a small assembly line of a few tunes with 1-2 getting the primary focus, nail it/them, then keep moving. Try to bring at least one tune up to performance level about every 6 weeks.
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Just checking in to let everyone know the advice above is shuffled up, taken to heart and working very well!
I am still exploring my first standard and starting working on the second! Strategically incorporating my exercices into the standards. And I am listening to playlists I made, a lot of listening, there are so many versions, beginner interpretations and analyzes on the web, I can find answers and insights for a lifetime.
Now it's back to playing, practicing, jamming and lurking on this forum. I have no questions at the moment and enough work ahead of me.
Thanks heaps and you are all awesome!
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Originally Posted by AlexOT
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Originally Posted by christianm77
I am not capable to do that while I play, that might be a good practice point.
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