[Blaak Majick]

What do I do to become one with my instrument?

 

[Brian G]

Practice,practice, practice and then go away and try more practice. As far as I can tell it's the only way ( i'm talking to myself as well here)

 

[mike713]

Practice a @#$&-load.

There's a popular theory that you need 10 000 hours of practice to become a true expert at something, maybe someone else can provide a link to it.

 

[selmer]

play it, then play it some more and then play it some more!

 

[RS]

How do I get to Carnegie Hall...

 

[cleger]

This video was just linked on another thread but I thought it was a good example of spending some quality time with your sax, which is what you have to do.

Enjoy!!!

 

[Blaak Majick]

What specific, technical things do you practice? What materials are most effective?

 

[mike713]

What specific, technical things do you practice? What materials are most effective?

everything you can?

 

[selmer]

Everything....scales, chords, long tones etc and when you are just watching television keep playing them with just your fingers so that the muscle reflexes become automatic (ie. even when you are not blowing!)

 

[Blaak Majick]

This video was just linked on another thread but I thought it was a good example of spending some quality time with your sax, which is what you have to do.

Enjoy!!!

Well I've never cried while playing my sax. Maybe that's the key.

 

[artstove]

Practice, for sure. Play with other players, especially ones better than you. Play a variety of styles of music. Take lessons with a good instructor. Rinse and repeat.

 

[milandro]

I think that like with everything else it is a combination of talent and being focussed to the point of being a maniac ( Bird said he was practicing 10 to 15 hors a day in his very young years......).......but all the practice of the world won't make up for any lack of talent and all the talent in the world won't bring you that far without lots of practice

 

[ratracer]

How do I get to Carnegie Hall...

Rats! Beat me to it!!

Or, in other words - the same way you get to Carnegie Hall!

 

[selmer]

How do I get to Carnegie Hall...

just google map it....it's easy to find!!!

 

[Sasquatch]

I just ran some basic calculations on that 10K hour thing. That is ~3.5 years of 8 hours of practice every day. Roughly what you might put into a performance degree. So that will get you to the expert level, but I'm thinking that is not quite enough for the virtuoso level.

 

[rleitch]

Study my development as a player over the last 10 years very carefully, and then do the exact opposite.

 

[rleitch]

Practice a @#$&-load.

There's a popular theory that you need 10 000 hours of practice to become a true expert at something, maybe someone else can provide a link to it.

http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html

 

[mike713]

I just ran some basic calculations on that 10K hour thing. That is ~3.5 years of 8 hours of practice every day. Roughly what you might put into a performance degree. So that will get you to the expert level, but I'm thinking that is not quite enough for the virtuoso level.

I dunno, I don't know any of my peers who can honestly say they practice 8 hours a day EVERY DAY. I'm in a performance degree and I definitely don't practice that much.

At any rate, I would say that, as rleitch posted, it's Malcolm Gladwell's theory so if you have doubts about it read his book. I've been meaning to read it myself but I haven't so I'm no expert on the 10 000 hours thing. I remember reading an excerpt though and he gives quite a few pretty convincing examples.

 

[Finnerski]

This video was just linked on another thread but I thought it was a good example of spending some quality time with your sax, which is what you have to do.

Enjoy!!!

It doesn't appear to be working for this guy unfortunately.:shock:

 

[JL]

Then once you reach the virtuoso level, you can spend the next 10 to 20 years learning to play MUSIC.

...assuming all that virtuosity doesn't get in your way!