[TSpyrison]

I’m not even sure how to figure out what my question is..

It’s been years since I played. I mean, high school. 30 plus years.
So what I’m wondering, is what home practice is like these days. I would like to practice with background track, maybe something that can grade me as I go? “Rocksmith” for Saxophone? Computer audio input?
I can imagine that tablets can be used to store and display all your music?

What is everyone’s home practice setup like?

 

[saxoclese]

One option is Smartmusic. It has too many features to mention here but one that comes to mind is playing into a microphone with a recording of an ensemble with your part shown on the screen and afterwards the program points out your mistakes.

 

[AddictedToSax]

I'll second the recommendation for Smartmusic. I use it for scales often. It shows me visually where I rushed or dragged the beat. It's amazing how you think you're right on the beat but the machine tells you something different. Plus there is/are no end of materials you can use for practicing from band/orchestra parts to solos to method books.

 

[John Kotches]

I use an iPad for just about everything for music these days.

I use forScore, and iReal book as my primary apps. With forScore I've scanned all of my etude books and Aebersold material. all of the a verse all tracks are marked and have the associated audiophile with them. When I select the tune I can then start the backing track for it.

It's the same thing with the fishman books and the Bob mintzer etude series.

iRealBook is great because I can set tempos I want, very the number of courses, change keys etcetera etc that you just can't deal with the Aebersold stuff readily.

Add a metronome and a tuner and I'm pretty well covered. I plan a community concert and swing band as well as in a professional big band. All of the music is digital.

I can't tell you what other people use, but for me it's very workable and I always have my iPad with me.

I was on a business trip recently, and on the airplane I was a doing tune analysis and mentally playing while listening to backing tracks.

I started playing again around April of 2015 after a 29 year hiatus. The biggest thing I learned was that you actually have to practice. A lot of my "practice" time when I was younger was in various ensembles and such in college. In community band, I've learned that rehearsal time is not the same as personal practice time.

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Sent from my LGUS997 using Tapatalk

 

[JL]

I use a metronome at least once in a while. And also sometimes play along to a CD recording of tunes I want to learn.

 

[Ken]

I use a metronome/tuner and a large screen tablet PC on which I use Transcribe and pdf's of etudes etc that I have downloaded over the years.

 

[joseph_d]

I use a metronome as well, + iReal Pro on my tablet. That's a very good app to practise soloing and improvising in various styles. (hope it won't sound way too promotional).
Another thing is a muffler since I live in an apartment and my neighbours are quite tolerant but I don't want to ruin my good relationship with them.

 

[turf3]

Instrument, music stand, tuner, metronome (I have a tuner/metronome in one that finally replaced my old Wittner Taktell), Discman CD player with headphones, pencil and paper.

 

[StanVI]

Ipad with irealpro, piascore, and tons of backing tracks....one of my best tools is a metronome....on 2 and 4....

 

[lydian]

My setup is:
- Band-In-A-Box for improv practice over chord changes
- Cakewalk for composition
- Mobile Sheets Pro for reading charts on a tablet (I have about 5,000 charts on it for gigs with 4 different bands)

 

[motteatoj]

iphone or ipad with ...
- TE Tuner for metronome & sound feedback loop for long tones (really helps dial in using headphones)
- Anytune Pro+ for transcription/slow down/looping
- Garage band for play along recording
- Music Memos for short clips, playtesting sound comparison of horns/reeds/mpcs, etc
I seem to ignore all the other apps i have collected over the years.

 

[mi000ke]

I got back to playing about 10 years ago after a 35 year layoff. I keep it simple. The most important thing for me was making it easy to pick up the sax and play. Nothing fancy. I set up an area of the basement with my sax always on a stand so it stares at me until I pick it up (I now keep one in the case for gigging, and one on the stand for practicing so I can't use the "huge" effort to set it up as an excuse to keep me from playing). Started with (re)learning major/minor scales and major 7/minor 7, dom 7, dim chords (didn't really need a book for that), then slowly learned to play the real book 1,2 and 3 heads using the irealpro app on a cheap tablet plugged into a powered speaker for backing tracks. Then started improvising over irealpro tracks. Then after a few years actually took a few lessons to lay out some more efficient direction to my practice routine. Spent a bunch of time on bop scales and pentatonics. Then joined an adult "remedial" jazz ensemble where we play tunes and spend a lot of time discussing how to solo over them, and more importantly how to make the solo musically interesting. Now my routine is long tones, 15-30 minutes of technical stuff, and whatever time an energy left improvising over tunes that my group is working on, or tunes that I just want to learn better - focusing on my phrasing, theme development, timing and other refinements. I also have the real books on my tablet to take with me when I travel. I do have a huge pile of instructional books and they look really good on the shelf. Not sure I've ever spent more than a few minutes with them, but seems like there is nothing like buying another book to convince you that by studying it you will become the love child of Coltrane and Dexter.

 

[Sebastiano]

I just use a metronome (usually on 30, which I mentally divide in 2,3,4,6,8,12...) and Transcribe! to loop or slow down part of solos I'm transcribing. I find that using backing tracks is not what works best for me, since I tend to listen less. Defining the changes with the metronome alone seems to be more useful, for me.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I think it all depends on whether the question is in regard to (saxophone) technique or improv/theory. I like to view them as different but I see many people on here (both students and teachers) lump that all in together. That's fine but for me a separate approach is better.

For technique, I mostly work on long note and tone exercises (pics, sound, and dynamics) but if you want to also work on fingering/dexterity then good old fashioned scales, arpeggios and patterns with a metronome.

Not necessarily for speed, but IMO, more important and the thing to get good at first is evenness and regularity of fingering.

For me, I would think of a practice session in "compartments"

Purely SaxophoneTechnique

1. Tone/intonation/breathing/overtones
2. Fingering - evenness and range

Other performance aspects

1. Theory/impro (inc. transcription and analysis)
2. Repertoire (learning tunes)
3. Reading if appropriate

Obviously there may be some crossover, but I find this kind of compartmentalisation useful though.

 

[Sigmund451]

Im not sure that a program for "Grading" is nearly as important as listening to yourself...ie recording with and/or without backing tracks.

Trust me, its frightening but I think hearing your own special version of mistakes is more valuable than something a machine tells you.

Of course, all of this is in addition to a good teacher.

 

[aaronbigB]

If you are looking for something that grades you as you go, you may want to try an app called tonestro. I haven't used it much but it grades your timing and intonation as you play through some simple tunes.

 

[AddictedToSax]

I use a metronome on scales and arpeggios along with a tuner on long tones and overtones. Smartmusic is great with scales to help with articulation and timing. Since I got back to fundamentals a year or so ago I've been using these tools, concentrating on slow practice and it has really helped. Especially it's helped to smooth out those little bloops and extra sounds when the fingers don't close the tone holes exactly as they should. That's my main battle right now.

 

[Sp8ctre]

I also think Smartmusic is a great option. I use it everyday for an hour and it has helped me immensely!