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I should also mention, I'm going to keep PickingMyEars' idea in play for all future posts too, taking an idea from someone else for a second take. It's a great idea, I just couldn't put together another take this week (or at least one I'd want to share)
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05-26-2021 09:14 AM
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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I will post another take soon. I really enjoyed what everyone has brought to the table. I think it's important that we approach this all with an open mind, and a willingness to learn from each other.
If Peter B. says he's still learning... aren't we all?
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Originally Posted by Triple_Jazz
Quick version:
It sounds tedious writing it all out, but it’s really pretty straightforward and systematic: comp as many choruses as will fit into 10 minutes, record three solos. Try to do it every day and increase tempo to taste and minimize mistakes. Set your own limitations to fit whatever it is you’re trying to work on.
Longer version:
To help internalize the changes to an unfamiliar tune, I record a 10 minute backing track of me comping with fifth and sixth string root position shell voicings at a really slow tempo with zero rhythmic embellishment, just whole notes or half notes per chord over a click or simple drum loop. Then I record three 10 minutes solos in a row with a short break in between. I limit myself to a constant stream of 8th notes on the first day and try (try) to make zero mistakes. (Doing this on a regular basis with a new tune every week, pretty soon you get more efficient at learning and retaining new tunes.) I’m also making an effort to tie my fingerings to the specific shell voicings I’m using. One of the goals here is to get off the page quickly so that I am able to anticipate every change without looking at the chart and eventually to not have to think about fingerings in common keys.
On subsequent days, I will increase the tempo of my homegrown backing track, or play along with an Aebersold or iReal/DrumGenius hybrid track, and remove the restriction of playing only a constant stream of 8th notes. The faster the tempo, the more choruses you get for your 10 minute solo. Repetition, time on the instrument, in the song, etc.
If a song really grabs me, I’ll spend more time with the melody early on and again try to tie that to the specific shell voicings I am playing. I don’t have the time to dig into each tune as deeply as I’d like, unfortunately, because I think having the melody under my fingers in an effortless way that correlated to my fingerings would be a huge benefit for not getting lost, voice leading, etc.
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I was going to post about my process of learning this particular tune, but I was worried that certain colorful comments would hijack the thread as a result...
Ah, what the hell.
So working on "This I Dig of You" helped me reach a new chapter in my own playing: being able to audiate an entire tune within my aural memory without playing it on my instrument. Hearing the melody, the 3rds, the root movement, the harmonic movement all in my aural memory while playing the tune unaccompanied. Still a work in progress, and I am currently applying it to learning "My Shining Hour" for my private lessons with my teacher. He made the suggestion to keep my practice simple: focus on the roots and thirds, and internalize the shite outta that melody. Sing and play, play and sing.
I think I read on a post in the past that memorizing the 3rds helps you hear and describe the harmony with the most precision, at least for most jazz standards and blues based tunes.
For any of you who want a challenge, try to play the tune with just a metronome. Hell, John A. beat me to the punch. He went full Hulk mode and recorded a version totally unaccompanied.
I think in time, unaccompanied, practice is the true test if you know a tune... which is embarrassing for me because I was only able to do this with Blues tunes in the past. Back to the woodshed. I don't think you have to a pro level player who lives "outta this world" in order to try unaccompanied practice of this sort. Start slow. Focus on as few elements as possible. Give it a shot. I wish I tried this type of practice earlier on, but I was always kinda frightened about the idea.
I'll repost soon. My next lesson is tonight.
By the way, how cool is it that I got to teach my high school students a little bit about audiation? I'm not even a music teacher, per say. Hey, it fit the scope of my classLast edited by PickingMyEars; 05-26-2021 at 09:22 PM.
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Originally Posted by Triple_Jazz
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Originally Posted by PickingMyEars
I think it does force you to hear the changes and form of the tune, which must be a good thing.
By the way, I have not been able to join in for a while due to being away, and also my house being in chaos (decorating etc.), I’ve hardly touched a guitar recently. Hoping to get back into it in a week or so!
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Originally Posted by PickingMyEars
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I think you know the melody when you can sing it accurately. Ideally, you can play anything you can sing. If not, that's worth working on.
You fully know the harmony when you can play the tune in any key and anywhere on the neck. But maybe that's too strict because it suggests that you can't know a tune unless you can hear and instantly find the chord changes. OTOH, if you can play a tune in any key, you know it.
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Goodbye, Dig tune, it's been so nice...
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