The Hardest Thing I Ever Played

I was in grad school, shedding in a tiny practice room, yelling obscenities at the walls.

To be honest, it was all my fault. I was the one who devised the mind-numbing exercise that raised my heart rate and made me sweat, even though I was barely moving my body.

Fellow students peered through the tiny window in the door wondering why I was shouting out keys, chords, and expletives.

I must have sounded like a crazy person.

But I didn’t care.

I was firing on all cylinders, determined to make it through the exercise – Donna Lee. You know, the bebop tune by Charlie Parker? The one that starts like this:

Well, my goal was to memorize it.

And play it in all 12 keys without sheet music.

But here’s the real rub…

I challenged myself to transpose it up a half step…every measure:

And the thing that really made my brain feel like it was bursting out of my skull was trying to do it all with a metronome – no slowing down, not even a smidge.

I feel my blood pressure going up just thinking about it.

Anyway, I’m not suggesting you try this insanity at home. But do take some time to come up with your own exercises that challenge and force you to grow. Push your limits. Even if it’s hard. Especially if it’s hard.

Which brings to mind another exercise…

An ear training assignment in my Improvising with the Blues Scale course that gives a lot of students trouble. It intentionally knocks you outside of your comfort zone. But, if you stick with it, you’ll end up improving a lot faster.

To be clear: don’t just practice hard stuff for the sake of practicing hard stuff.

You don’t need to be burning out your biceps at the gym if you’re training to be a better soccer player.

Make sense?

Instead, zero in on what will help you reach your musical goals as quickly as possible.

This is the framework I use to design my courses. It’s the framework that makes Improvising with the Blues Scale (without sounding like an amateur) so effective.

It’s why past students of the course like Joe T. have made such great strides in their playing.

Here’s what he had to say about his experience in the course:

“Before I took Jeff’s Improvising with the Blues Scale course, I had been playing the same tired licks and fishing for notes and was becoming unhappy and unsatisfied with my solos (and so were my band mates).

After the Improvising with the Blues Scale course and Jeff’s other courses, I have so much more in the arsenal. I understand how to use the notes, the rhythms, the phrases and more importantly, how to build and construct a solo that will help me tell my musical story and that is important to me.”

So, whether you decide to take this course or not, I implore you to consider the effectiveness of the exercises you spend your time practicing.

Don’t just move your fingers around and hope for the best. Practice hard. Practice smart. If you hit a roadblock, don’t give up. Instead, push through or find another way around. This is the essence of creative and deliberate practicing.

Last but not least, don’t worry about anyone peering through your window wondering why you’re yelling to yourself about key signatures while pacing around a tiny room.

Happy Shedding,

Jeff

P.S. Enrollment for Improvising with the Blues Scale (without sounding like an amateur) closes today, so click here to secure your spot!