Learn the “Snowball” Effect for Stronger Solos
It’s been a snowy winter. My son loves it. He even helps me clear the driveway with his little beach shovel.
But we’ve quickly learned that newly fallen snow is not so great for making snowmen and snowballs.
Fresh powder doesn’t stick, so the balls just fall apart.
It got me thinking…about practicing music, of course…
Whenever we musicians start working on something new, it feels a lot like fresh powder. It’s difficult to internalize. It’s difficult to integrate. It doesn’t stick.
But anyone who’s played in the snow (or shoveled) the morning after a storm knows that that wet, slushier snow is much easier to pack into body parts or flying projectiles.
Can you see where I’m going with this?
Time, people! It takes time for new material to actually “come out” in your playing. Sometimes it sticks the next day. Sometimes it takes a few months.
But if you expect fresh powder to hold together at a jam session or on the bandstand, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
I know it’s frustrating to work hard on something and still not “get it.” So, remember to practice patience in addition to chords and scales.
And remember Michael Brecker – one of the greatest saxophonists of all time. Here’s a quote from an interview he gave in 1996:
“I’m always working on new ideas. It takes me a long time. I’m very slow…to get new things, new approaches, new harmonic ideas to actually translate into my playing…sometimes a period of months. Sometimes it takes learning something real well and the forgetting about it, and eventually it comes out.”
So, keep all of the above in mind as you churn fresh powder into rock solid musical snowballs.
Same goes for everyone that’s enrolled or thinking about enrolling in my six-week improvisation course, Making the Changes, in which I teach my three-part system for soloing through chord changes as opposed to just sputtering out a bunch of random notes and "hoping for the best".
By the way, if you haven’t yet enrolled, don’t worry – there’s still time…
You have until midnight tonight to secure your spot, so click here to enroll in Making the Changes, and I’ll see you in class!
What to expect?
How to improvise pro-level solos by playing vertically AND horizontally. (You need to be able to do both or else your playing will always sound amateurish.)
How to eliminate self-doubt when it’s your turn to solo. (Imagine being excited to put yourself out there and actually feeling proud when you’re done playing.)
The 3 magic notes that can turn boring lines into sophisticated phrases. (You’re not going to find them in any scale syllabus.)
How to keep your place in the form. (Even if you’re the one who always gets lost when it’s time to solo.)
The truth about chords and scales. (The stuff you see everyone else doing is failing, but this new method is easier and actually makes you sound good!)
And so much more.
Making the Changes only opens for enrollment a handful of times per year, so don’t miss your chance to be a part of the first class of 2021.
Bottom line: The course is great. Hundreds of past students have already taken their soloing skills to the next level and beyond using the six-week, CMC system. And if for any reason you’re unsatisfied, there is a money-back guarantee.
Looking forward to seeing you in the class!
Click here to enroll in Making the Changes.
Happy Shedding,
Jeff
P.S. Sometimes the best thing you can do to help make new material “stick” is get a good night’s sleep. There is so much science out there now showing that we can actually learn while we’re getting our z’s. So, try to go to bed early on days that you practice!
And to learn more hacks for optimizing the time you spend in the shed, be sure to check out my course, Perfect Practice, which you get as a free bonus when you enroll in Making the Changes.
Here’s the link to enroll once more. See you there!