[Dave Pollack]

Playing really fast...why do we do it? Because machine gun 8th notes are awesome :twisted:

Seriously though, how many of you have turned up the heat on some of your gigs? I was going through some recordings of gigs and found this one of my quartet playing My Shining Hour. It was the last tune of the gig, and we just felt like playing something burnin. No rhyme or reason! It was fun though. Hope you like it, and if you have some recordings of you guys playing fast post them up!

https://app.box.com/s/70x8dfwosik3y720mtkx

**disclaimer** We did this for fun at the end of a gig. This recording does not represent the values, beliefs, or playing ability of me or anyone in my band. I like to play slow, too.

 

[bongop57]

NICE!

 

[Selmer Fudd]

Wow - if I could play like that, I would!

 

[Nefertiti]

Wow! I'd have to have 4 double espressos to prepare for that solo.........


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bluesaxgirl]

You really can shred! Forget about 4 double espressos...I couldn't prepare for that solo for the life of me!

 

[PiotrLato]

My arm would fall off playing like that! (almost literally, since my RSI I've avoided such tempos like the plague).
Nice job keeping your head on straight during that jam.

 

[35TangoTango]

My fast tops out at about 190

 

[IanSax]

sounds nice, very fluent.

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

Nice to hear this on alto. You still phrase and do nice lines at that tempo. K

 

[jd]

brilliant playing!! I love it.no way anyone can "think" that fast .good stuff!

 

[Dave Pollack]

Ha thanks everyone! And jd, I am thinking during it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mrpeebee]

Great controle even at that tempo Dave, you're a real master .

 

[whaler]

The only way to get fluent at those tempos is to do it a lot. Luckily, I have a drummer that can play those tempos.
Your sound reminds me of James Spaulding.
Great stuff!

 

[LateNiteSax]

Great playing. I have figured out how to learn to play Giant Steps fast like this. The trick for me is to practice it every day for no more than 3-5 minutes. But you have to do it everyeveryevery day. You chip away at it, consistently and diligently, over time. You don't pull a few all nighters, do a week of marathon practice sessions to get it down. That will never work. It gets boring after that and you should work on a wide range of other things as well.

 

[GT]

Great playing. I have figured out how to learn to play Giant Steps fast like this. The trick for me is to practice it every day for no more than 3-5 minutes. But you have to do it everyeveryevery day. You chip away at it, consistently and diligently, over time. You don't pull a few all nighters, do a week of marathon practice sessions to get it down. That will never work. It gets boring after that and you should work on a wide range of other things as well.

This is really key to the way that I learn.

 

[Dave Pollack]

Great playing. I have figured out how to learn to play Giant Steps fast like this. The trick for me is to practice it every day for no more than 3-5 minutes. But you have to do it everyeveryevery day. You chip away at it, consistently and diligently, over time. You don't pull a few all nighters, do a week of marathon practice sessions to get it down. That will never work. It gets boring after that and you should work on a wide range of other things as well.

That's great! The key is to be able to play any tune in any key this fast, so keep at it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LateNiteSax]

Yes...
Practicing lots of tunes with more standard changes in every key with fluency is the root, and I can sit around and work out on Cherokee, All the Things You Are, Confirmation, etc in all 12 keys for an hour, but for me playing these Coltrane tunes with particularly challenging set of changes to hear requires the approach I mentioned. Its gets stale after about 5 minutes, but those 5 minutes should be an amazingly productive 5 minutes. They are a different animal... I'm talking about Giant Steps, Moment's Notice and Lazybird. Also Inner Urge... Its proven to be strategy for success for me.

That's great! The key is to be able to play any tune in any key this fast, so keep at it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dave Pollack]

That's great that you found out a way for it to work for you. Different people need different strategies in order to reach thier goals, and it takes a lot of experimenting to figure things out. I have a gig later today so maybe we'll play some of those Trane tunes at 350+!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lionelsax]

Dave, it's so clear and so well articulated that he doesn't sound so fast, wonderful playing.

 

[Dave Pollack]

Thank you very much!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk