You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - How to Prevent Problems With Your Playing BEFORE They Happen

Episode Date: October 23, 2020

Learn how to preemptively solve your biggest musical problems before they even happen with today's episode.Interested in more music advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase. And be sure to check out our All Access Pass - every course from Open Studio on every instrument.Friday's Open Studio Live Events:1:00 PM - Adam's Daily Guided Practice Session (for Members Only)3:00 PM - Piano Guided Practice Session with Adam on YouTube8:00 PM - Shelter in Place solo piano concert with Peter on YouTubeFor the rest of this week's calendar, follow this linkLet us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey, Adam. Yeah. Um, I've got some problems. I have some solutions. What do you got? Well, I don't want your solutions because that would imply that I'm going to still go through with my problems. I want you to prevent the problems from even happening.

Then stay tuned. Ooh, I like it. I'm Adam Manus. And I'm Peter Martin. And you're listening to the You'll Hear podcast. Music, advice, and inspiration. And a little bit of introspection, perhaps. And I don't take one.

A little bit of inner urge, a little bit of, uh, inception. Oh. I'm just thinking of eye words that we can throw in. Icarus. A little bit of eccasonees. I don't know. I'm just making it up now. Yeah, I'm looking forward to this.

I love you. That starts with that eye. Oh, thanks, bud. We're talking about how to prevent problems with your playing before they happen, right? So I think this is a really valuable topic to talk about because what we're talking about today is wisdom, essentially. Right. And wisdom is something that is something that is, hard to teach. So we can't, we can't tell you what specific problems to look out for and then,

you know, make sure that you look out for these problems before they happen. That's not how this works. What we're going to do? What we're going to do? You're not going to, they're never going to get to the problems. They're going to listen to us. They're going to prevent them before they even rear their ugly head. Well, we're going to help. We guarantee it. No, we can't guarantee anything. Come on, man. You can't trust these people. No, what we want to do is give you, hopefully, some tools to just some thought tools to like really make you take stock of where you are and help you learn from some mistakes as fast as possible. That's right.

So let's first, can we talk about practicing? Because like what I like to consider smart practice. Should we talk about the game first or practice? I'm talking about practice. We're not talking about the game? No, we're talking about practice, Alan Iverson. Look it up, Youngen's YouTube. No, so we're going to talk about a concept that I like to call smart.

practice. Probably not just me. Did you just copyright this? Smart practice? Well, I mean, I know. It's been talked about before. It sounds like an iPhone app. I know, I know. It should be.

So it's the idea is that if we can adopt some kind of overall techniques within the smart practice realm, that they can actually, if we stay consistent and we keep them simple enough. Like we can't make this become this complex thing that we never adhere to or that we forget or we fall off the wagon or whatever. But if we have it sort of based upon, you know, sound and sensible principles within that smart practice realm, it can keep a myriad of problems that can potentially come up both known to us and unknown. That's when it can really be great. It's like, oh, I knew this was going to keep me from having that problem, but I didn't realize it was going to keep me from having so many other problems because I never got to them. And I never had to know them.

That's what we hope for the dear listener and for us is that it can it can prevent problems that we don't even know about. So what is smart practice? I'll throw out a couple concepts. Maybe you throw out a couple. We'll see if we can come to a nice kind of consensus about what that encapsulates exactly. The first thing is go slow with everything. So this is everything from physically going slow as you're learning something to mentally going slow as you're getting into a new area. Take your time.

Take a breath. This is a marathon. This is not a sprint. Totally. And so there's so many problems that can come. up even like things like say if you rush through learning something and you don't learn it completely there's going to be a hole in your playing later on maybe years down the road that's a problem we're trying to prevent those problems not just carpal tunnel syndrome of course we're going to hopefully

you know physical problems are some of the worst but those are also some of the most obvious there's people that have problems with their playing that never even realize they have it because they don't even know it yeah they weren't consistent with that foundational practice so I think smart practice the number one concept I'm so indebted to the teachers I had and especially my dad he taught this to me in a number of different ways. It never described it like this but it was always like the general principle was like if you have a choice

of the next Beethoven sonata you're going to do, do the one that's easier and really nail it. Like really play it well, really get everything out of it as opposed to playing like the stretch one. Keep it simple stupid. Right. Now I know this does go against some of our stretch rest concept so we'll try to

we'll try to get an alignment on that as well But I think there is. Not necessarily, because you could stretch in any context. You can stretch with a C major scale. Right. Yeah. Exactly. And that's the idea is like in fact, if you're doing things that are a little bit easier,

that are a little bit simpler, that a little bit more in your grasp, you're actually going to be able to stretch at all the, because look, the point is not to learn the hardest Beethoven sonata out of the 32. And first of all, that's ridiculous, which is the hardest. But the point is to be able to learn to be a great musician, to express yourself, to learn piano, technique, you know, a number of different things. And if you're playing something that's more within your grasp, that's more within your wheelhouse, you're going to have the ability to, you know, really solidify and to isolate and simplify and isolate a number of those different areas than if you're constantly having to stretch to something that's technically barely within your grasp. Yeah, that's great, man. Yeah. So one thing I'll add with this for smart practice is to practice

in all 12 keys. I think this is... And get any smarter than that. Come on, man. Can I get an amen? This is an easy way to up your practice game, and I know it seems so obvious because it's what everybody says, but it's what everybody says for a reason. Not everybody says it, though, actually. Actually, not a reason.

It seems like, and everyone should say it. But this is another thing of like, again, a major scale, right? Easy. Yeah? Yeah. Oh, man, I wish I could hear what you're playing. There's nothing good. They can hear it.

Our keyboards kind of crapped out, but it's okay. It's probably the like just 7,000 wattage of lights and other electricity we have going through one extension cord in this pod suite. No, it's probably me. No, but, but so, so practicing in all keys. So even like something like a major scale, right?

Easy in C, easy in F, easy in G. But if you're not familiar with it in G flat or B or D flat or whatever it is, then you have some easy things to practice, right? This is like something that is easy work because you know that you need to have this on all 12 keys. But this is also very preventative. So even if you're learning a standard, if you say, okay, I'm going to, going to learn it in its spiritual key. And it doesn't even have to be all 12 keys, but maybe we

start with three keys. That is preventing you being hung out to dry in the key of B flat on certain things. It's like you're really doing your future self a favor by practicing in all 12 keys. I mean, honestly, there's no getting around it. No great player doesn't play in all 12 keys or can't play in all 12 keys. So just get to it. So let's talk about some other problems that that prevents practicing in all keys. This keeps you, I mean, yeah, absolutely what you're saying,

the benefits of that and then the problem of not getting hung out to drive. But also it, and the reason I would say it's under the smart practice banner is because smart practice stuff benefits you in a number of ways

at the same time. Like that's smart. And that's what's going to keep you from getting overwhelmed. You find these techniques that push the faders up of all of your skills at the same time. That's the only way

to ever make progress at this. But, But the problem of being stuck in things that feel good as opposed to what you're hearing and what sounds good, there's no quicker and easier way to get out of that way, that problematic way of improvising than practicing in a number of different keys because it gets you out of thinking about and hearing a tune in just one way. That's right. Because we're going to start to go, like it's human nature and it's part of the tactile connection that we have with our. our instruments no matter what we play to play things that feel good now like physically feel good yeah you know that's why a lot of trumpet players no matter what style they play they pick up their trum i can't play it but they but they're you know concert be glad down to the because it just feels

good the fingerings you know you can just blow and do it yeah yeah and so there's nothing wrong with that that's a great thing in fact what we want to do is to find those things they feel and sound great together because that's where often like sort of obvious technical proficiency and mastery intersect And you talk about somebody like Charlie Parker where people are like, oh my God, he can play it. Like he really knew how to play in every key. And he knew what felt good. And he knew what sound good.

And he had a lot of choices and could connect all those. So getting into a problem where you're playing contrived things and you can only have a limited repertoire. Practicing in different keys helps you so much. So even if you, let's say you learn by by Blackbird. Yeah. And you learn it in all keys. And that's a pretty simple tune.

I'd recommend that one before you do, you know, all the things you are or something that's a little more challenging. But so number one, the first. first one I was saying you're staying in your wheelhouse. Simple, isolated practice. But you learn that in all 12 keys. You may never play that in any key but F. Yeah.

But the benefits to how you hear and interact with that tune and your ability to be creative with that is so enhanced that it keeps you from the problem of being a contrived, bland, B-minus kind of player. Absolutely. So it's not just about, oh, I can play in all keys. No, you can play better in the one key. That's right.

The next tip that we'll give, and this is really such an important step for preventing a lot of bad habits to be formed, is if you get to a point in your practice when you are unfocused, like you have some goals set, right? And now you're just running your fingers and you're not focused on your goals when you've lost your train of thought and you're just practicing, again, things that feel good. Yeah. Walk away. Walk away. Walk away. Do not. Drop the instrument. Drop the instrument. Just take five, ten. Set it down. It's a fine instrument. Five, ten, 15 minutes.

Shake it out. Shake it out. Clear your head and come back with your intention reset, right? If you're just rambling on playing the same that you always play

over the same tunes and the same keys and you're not making any progress, then just take a break. Yeah. I mean, not that that has to be every time,

all the time. You can certainly do things that feel good occasionally, but if you really want to make progress, you have to stay committed to staying focused. Right. Yeah, and I think it's always like,

because even more so than in practice, the intentionality of being in a performance situation and everything that we do kind of leading to that, that everything you do when you're performing is feeling good and sounding good, and you're hearing it, and you're as clear-minded and present in the moment as you can be. But that's really reserved for performing.

And as we talk about practicing, performing for sure, But in terms of practicing, you can't be like in that performance mode for all your practice because you're going to lose the intentionality that you need. And I think that's kind of what you're saying goes under the banner of just extreme intentionality with what we're doing to the point of like you're better off not of stepping away than to doing kind of destructive practice. And by destructive, just meaning it's going to lead to problems down the road known and seen and unseen kind of. Because you're just reinforcing things that you might not even want to be doing. Exactly. Don't do it. Exactly.

And I mean, that's the whole thing. Like there's the kind of practice where you're going to have to unlearn something. So it's actually destructive type of practice. The next one I'd like to do is one that comes from the French, as much that we say here, because culturally the French have contributed so much to the world. Sure, sure, sure. Keep it, oh, natural. Wait, go bare ass when you practice?

Well, why do you have to be so crass? I don't know. No, this is not about nudity, but this is about the physicality of your interaction with the instrument. like how you physically, because I'm looking over at a picture. We have a life-size poster of our friend Christian McBride, the master bassist. That doesn't sound the way I intended to, but you know what I mean. Yeah, Brother Mr. Master, Master. Brother Mr.

Yeah. Christian McBride, and I'm looking at his left-hand technique, and I don't know a lot about base technique, but I know a little about string playing. And even if I didn't, like, I can tell you that he has the most natural hand position there. And I would dare to venture that, I mean, obviously Christian McBride can just kill sounding on the base, but that he has very little physical problems with the instrument because he has such a natural approach to the instrument. Well, so right next to Christian, we have

the great trumpeter Sean Jones, also open studio artist. And both of these guys actually look completely relaxed. Yes. I'm sure they're both doing something that sounds incredible. Yeah. Right? And they look like they could be taking a swing with a tennis racket, just nice and easy, breezy.

You know what I mean? They just look like they're just. so comfortable. Yep. And they're oh natural. They are oh, natural. They have clothes on. No, they do have clothes on.

But I mean, like, everything just looks natural. And it's not even like this is the only way to play the bass or whatever. But there's no tension there. And look, I'm reading a lot of things into it because I've seen Christian play a lot. So just a snapshot, it's hard to see this. But I'm thinking about all the times in Sean as well. There's a naturalness that comes out in the music in their whole.

but also in the way that they physically approach and hold the instruments. So we're constantly thinking when we're practicing, not when we're performing, because that's when it has to come out naturally. But this is where it's going to keep it from being a problem when you perform. It's going to stave off a lot of potential physical ailments

and different things from gripping too tight and tensing up and singing too high and all these different things that can cause problems. But we're thinking about what is the most natural hand position? What is the most relaxed? That's right. Where is the intersection of strength and relaxed and, you know, that's different for every instrument and we can't, we're not experts in everything, but for piano.

Speak for yourself. Well, we sort of are. But if you have that intentionality of sting, very natural. I say speak for yourself as the keyboards don't really work. That's right. Well, this was great, man. This is a super fun one. How to prevent problems with your playing before they happen.

And really, it's just all about, it's just all about being. as intentional, as natural, as smart as you can with your practice. And then, you know, so it always, you know, maybe some of these things, and I'm sure you've got your own, you can hear other ones. Take a little, a little breath, a little two minutes before you practice to think about some preventative medicine. Because there's so many great things, and we talk about them a lot and we're, you know, to a fault or throwing a lot of positive ideas out there. And we always want to do that.

But if you take a little bit of, you know, it's just like taking, you know, some supplements, some vitamins, some natural stuff there. You still want to eat right and exercise, but having, making sure you got those supplements, that preventative stuff can go a long way. Okay. We're not doctors. I've got a great, so speaking of... But I am a fan of Dr. Gage.

This actually relates in no way. Okay. Do you like ratings and reviews? I love ratings and reviews. The intentionality that's put behind them. And especially since we got out of the way yesterday, what was it the day before, one negative review we've ever gotten.

Yeah, right. For being too woke. If we have any faults, it's that we're too woke here at the, you'll hear a podcast. I'm going to make your day here. This is from John. We got a seven-star review.

And John says, Today's the day. I started to binge listen to the show back in February of this crazy year, and I'm finally caught up tonight at 9.37 p.m. West Coast time. Bam. It's been a game changer in my playing

and approach to practice. I really enjoyed the bantering on jazz, suggested listening repertoire, the fine, nitty-gritty of playing piano well, and the life advice that surrounds being professional musician. It's been an incredible experience listening to these two talk.

Oh, John, you're hitting a home run here, buddy. Yeah. It's like hitting up the same coffee shop. Flattery will get you everywhere. Oh, it really will. Would you like a T-shirt, John? It's like hitting up the same coffee shop. You like an all-access path. Yeah, exactly. Would you like, can we take you out to dinner? It's like

hitting a date and a movie. It's like hitting up the same coffee shop every day with regulars who are just a couple of cool jazz cats sharing their experience and advice. Does anything better describe to that? Oh, my gosh. But I can't stop with Peter, this is too much. It's going to be on my headstone after I die.

All from the comfort of my own home. Wait, you changed that sense. That's not what he said. All from the comfortable of my own of my home. Oh, it's an illiterate. Of course, that's why he likes us. I feel it's exactly what I've needed in my playing lately, that social aspect that is supposed to come with jazz culture.

Well, thank you, John. Oh, he's got a PS. P.S. Peter, give me 20 push-ups. Which is even not how you say it. Drop down and give me 20. There you go. Yeah. That's great, man. That really, honestly, all jokes aside, that makes our day. It does. It does. Yeah, we're just here to give a little bit of, yeah, I mean, jazz culture, you know, jazz banter, jazz advice, whatever it is. We're blessed to be in this position and have this little audience with you guys.

And we thank you guys. Huh? Hashtag blessed. Lastag blast, exactly. Well, there we go. Until tomorrow, you'll hear.