PRACTICING PHILOSOPHY by DAVID LIEBMAN

The following includes two different expositions of how to

practice. Of course some material is duplicated but it is
always useful to see multiple explanations of a subject as
broad as how to practice.

ARTICLE ONE
The following is basically (with some edits) the lecture I gave at the
Jamey Aebersold Summer Workshop in Louisville, Kentucky at the end of
my one day visit there in July, 2005. There is a two set DVD available
through Caris Music (David Liebman Teaches and Plays) with this
lecture in addition to another on saxophone expressive techniques. It
also includes a concert featuring Rufus Reid, Dave Hazeltine, John Riley
and Steve Davis. But for those who want a freebie, heres the rap on
practicing. Of course some of this material appears elsewhere in my
writings over the years, but it is always good to revisit it every so often.

Now What?

The purpose of coming to a workshop like this is to learn, to improve in

the pursuit of this particular music. If at the end of five days, you are not
completely confused, something is wrong. If you are not slightly
frustrated, something is really wrong.now what? The nature of the
week is intense, more than what could ever be absorbed. This is not just
learning facts and repeating them. This must be applied to your
instrument. Without reinforcement it has no meaning. There are too
many books in the music store that all say the same thing. The
knowledge has been told, there are only so many ways to say the same
thing.You must try to see through the forest. Make a list on paper of the
things you learned this week. This should be about ten or twenty pages,
from very complex to very simple. Do this while it is fresh in your mind.
Separate this list into categories-ranging from the five year plan to what
you may be able to accomplish in a few concentrated hours in the next
week or two so that they become natural, without having to think about
it. Look at in an objective way; what can I get right now? In English, we
have the conditional tense which doesnt exist in many other languages.
Conditional is should, would, couldits all about doing, IF, IF, IF. You
dont want to be in the conditional sense in regard to your practicing.
You know what it is; just look at the list and find three to five things you
can do on the next month. Dont worry about what you cant do. Its the
old clich again: the glass half empty or half full analogy---well it is half
full in this case. Thats the way to get something of value out of this
week.

Ritual

Some of the material demands rote practicing, day after day until it is
part of you. Scales, learning tunes, transcribing, they are time
consuming. The most important thing about practicing is ritual. All
religions that try to inculcate someone into their beliefs have as a basic
past of what they do entwined in ritual. Theres a reason for this,
because when you do something enough times, it starts to take hold. If
you are going to learn something new on your instrument, it must be
done every day for a certain amount of time. I cant tell you what the
time is unless you came directly to me. Thats what your teachers job is,
to prioritize and to tell you how long to work on a particular technique.
Until its done every day, you are wasting time. When you cram for a
test, you dont remember anything after. It hasnt been absorbed
enough.Be realistic, eight hours a day is probably not going to happen,
not necessarily because of your desire, but life in general takes over. You
have to look at your schedule realistically whether you are forty five
years old or ten. If youre serious about what you have to do, then you
realistically have x amount of time. Not just holidays, not the weekend,
not waiting till the house is empty. Ask yourself what you can
realistically do Monday through Saturday with my life the way it is (Lets
be optimistic about it and say we have four to six hours a day.) If you
can stick to at least two to three hours a day, for a minimum of six days
a week, then you have a shot. (The other day go out in the woods!!) If
you can stay with that you are on your way to good practicing. Some
things take 6-9 months depending upon the difficulty of what you are
trying to learn and your personal abilities in relation to that; but if it is
just a new scale, then maybe a few weeks, etc. If you put your time in,
it WILL happen.

Organizing Time

The next thing is quite important, about priorities-how to organize your

time with no distractions. The ideal scene: no one can hear you, not your
mother, not your brother, not your friend, not your lady---nobody should
hear you practicing. You can say I dont care but the vibe is in the air
and it affects you. If you cant be alone do the best you can. This is your
time, its a meditation. Its work, its real work which means a lot of
mental calories and it has to be done without distraction.

Objectivity
One of my teachers (Charles Lloyd) said to me (paraphrased): Youre
not being objective; youre getting TOO into it all the time. Youre over
the top. You should be practicing but you think you are performing. Ill
bet you stand in front of the mirror and see how pretty you look with
that shiny horn! Theres no emotion about practicingobjectivity, not
subjectivity. There shouldnt be: Yes, this is good; no, this is bad. You
should feel nothing! Its practice-save the emotion for the bandstand and
when you want to impress someone. When you are practicing theres
nobody there but you and the night and the music (great tune).
Theres no opinion about it. If you do it like that, you are going to gain a
lot from practicing. This is not fun-its work-just do it. Have fun when
you go out and play. When someone says you sound good, there will be
a feeling of joy and accomplishment that is real and right to feel. Not
because your practice went good or bad-be objective!

Journal

Keep a practice journal; short notes on what needs work, the

metronome setting, etc. This will be great reinforcement when you look
back. And it will remind you of things you mightve forgotten. Ways to
check your own progress-be you own teacher. The only thing a teacher
should do besides motivation is give you a program and check its
progress. Its up to you to do it in a critical, objective fashion-every day
with a schedule and cognizant of your weaknesses and strengths. You all
know what your weakest points are. Be specific; is it time problems,
what do you mean-do you drag; do you rush; is it stilted or choppy, etc?
You have to define in your minds eye what the problem is so you can
tackle it heads on. The teacher can help direct exercises to help the
SPECIFIC situation. Put this at the top of your listgo for your
weaknesses first. Forget the conditional tense; what you can do now that
will make you better in the short term, followed by the long term.

Self Reinforcement

Reward yourself by listening to how you played six months ago. YOU
ARE BETTER!! At least in those things you were practicing. Anything you
study will have to get better, unless you are brain dead!! Especially if
you are a novice, things change rapidly. Six months to a year is great
youve got to be better and again its the glass half empty /half full.
Instead of Ill never be good enough; he is better; she is so good; Im
notI cant, etc., you will feel positive for a change. Of course there are
some things you may not be able to accomplish now or ever maybe, but
there are a lot you can. Look at the pictures of the great cats around you
on the wall here in the hall. They are not there just for fun-these are
guys who did what I am saying.
Genius or Work?

In my opinion the only pure genius in music was Mozart. He was

different from day one, he had it hooked up. EVERYBODY ELSE WORKED
THEIR ASS OFF!! EVERYBODY!! Bird worked, Trane worked, Bill Evans
worked, even Miles in his way worked-I can tell you that. Of course each
person has their own way of practicing and their own goals but it is not
about genius or incredible talent only (of course you have to have some
degree of that). Its about commitmentI can do this, I can get better, I
can be at least as good as that guy over there. Everybody in this room
can get better. If you really wish to get better, whether you are a
professional, an aspiring student or play for a hobby. Whichever way, it
is the same. Whatever level you are on, it doesnt matter; you can be
better than you think if you put time in and are serious about it. Its how
you organize your time that is crucial.

Relax but Practice, Don't "Play"

There is nothing wrong with putting the ax down once in awhile. Its cool
and necessary. When you go back it is fresh again. Thats a stage that
can go on for a few weeks even. Take it in stride. Maybe you are
expecting too much and being too critical. Maybe you are scattering your
energy over many hours rather than focusing. One good hour is better
than four with ho focus. (Of course, if this slump goes on too long, you
have a motivation problem and maybe should become a plumber!!)I
teach Doctoral students and ask them what they practiced yesterday.
They say this or that book, patterns, etc., and then they just played.
What do they mean by played? That isnt practice, thats playing. OK,
once you get the basics down (scales, chords, licks, etc.) what do you
do? More tunes? You see jazz is not like classical where the agenda is
obvious: learn this piece until it is perfect and then on to the next. You
got every marking of nuance to follow, tempos, everything. Learn what
is on the page and then MAYBE you can be yourself in the interpretation
but of course only at the highest level. I envy these guys-they have it
all mapped out. In the case of jazz, how do you measure how well you
know your scales? Because they are played fast in your woodshed? Or
because you can run them on a chord change in a tune? We dont have
the same discrete measurements that they have in classical so it is
imperative that you are objective and use your time wisely. Be realistic
and not so hard on yourself that you create a minefield. But of course be
vigilant.

The Real Deal - Practicing Playing

So how do you practice playing? Well, you cant-it is a misnomer. Sure,

you can learn tunes and play through the stuff, but you cant practice the
feeling of interacting and spontaneity and all the things that go into a
typical jazz performance. There is a period to play and not to play.
Sometimes I have guys who are always looking for sessions to strut their
stuff. But maybe they should be doing heavy practicing instead of
hanging out late. Get up at 9 a.m. and do all the boring rote stuff till 12.
Take a break, do some business and do more before another break for
dinner. Do some listening or light composing at night and go to bed at a
reasonable time so you can do the same routine the next days. Dont go
out and jam at this stage-you are not ready. But next year, get out of
the house and hit the streets. Get some gigs, etc. Theres a time and
place for everything-use good judgment and seek the advice of people
who really know the process.

Recognition of the Problem is All

Analyzing is great. In fact, half the problem is defining the problem. If

you define it, you already have most of the solution!! Let say you are
practicing a pattern the same way over and over again. Sit down and
write five variations using space, different articulations, augmentation,
neighboring tones, syncopation, etc. Since the caveman, we have been
doing theme and variations even with three notes. Your job is to make it
interesting so you are not stuck into rote, mechanical responses. Check
it out: You come up against a problem which frustrates you. The fact
that you noticed it (or a teacher/peer pointed it out-either way) is half
the battle. Now, with objectivity and common sense you figure a way to
improve the situation. Not magic-not even inspiration-just perspiration!!
This is the auto didactic route; you are solving the problem yourself and
gain confidence by doing that repeatedly. It may not be the answer to
life, but you did it YOURSELF and that is crucial. Theme and variations
in twelve keysdamn, you are good for three weeks!!

Away from the Woodshed

There are many things you can do away from your instrument, even
using the pitch pipe for ear training while walking around. Or singing
rhythms in eight bar phrases. Do ear training with the radio. Most of all
read about music and art. What made Beethoven tick or Louis Armstrong
or Picasso or Miles? There are insights ready to be grabbed if you read
and think about it. Their situation and yours are not as far apart as it
seems, given time and place differences. Read stuff that isnt music. Get
your mind going-be able to analyze, dissect, organize and fantasize. In
the end, your message isnt going to be what you know or think you
know. It will be about your life and experiences. So get busy.Later and
peace!!
ARTICLE TWO-concise summary of practice routine
PRACTICING

Probably the most important skill in learning is knowing how to practice.

Once an individual forms his own way of achieving results it can be
repeated for life. I divide practicing into three main areas. First is the
instrument and the need to develop the necessary virtuosity. Tone,
technique, finger dexterity, etc., are all part of the mastery of an
instrument. Without high skills on an instrument, a student is at a
serious disadvantage no matter how fertile his imagination is. The
second area is the music: the vocabulary and rules of improvisation. This
large subject includes transcription, repertoire, chords, composition,
keyboard knowledge, everything connected with learning the vocabulary
itself. The third area is aesthetics meaning in this case ones
development as an artist with a thorough understanding of the history of
his chosen art form, a cultured and sophisticated understanding of the
arts in general and some sense of self. Here we delve into matters of
philosophy, wisdom, spirituality and more. This is the life area of study.

The goal of any practicing is to instill new or changed behavior via

repetition towards habitualizing the activity until it becomes instinctive
and can be accomplished without conscious thought. Specifically in music
it is the auditory cortex of the brain which becomes physiologically
connected to the brains motor area of cells in order to bring about the
desired action. Repetition solders this connection. The success of the
practice process is dependent upon the clarity and difficulty of the
desired goal in combination with the individuals makeup. There are
several guidelines to good practicing.

1-Ritual: The basis of all religious indoctrination is ritual, repetitive

chanting and in some cases exercises of meditation. It is the same with
trying to change or instill new behavior in music. Whatever the task it
must be done everyday for at least enough period of time to take root.
To practice a lot one day and little the next is not effective. It has to be
the same thing over and over again for a new action to have a chance to
become instinctive.

2-Organization of time: It is crucial that the student organize the hours

(s)he realistically has on a daily basis (at least five times a week and
three hours for minimum improvement) into units. A basic unit would be
one hour per practice item before moving on to the next. This is the area
where a teacher should be of help in focusing the students units
effectively.

3-Priority: The question becomes where do I begin with so much that

there is to do. I urge the student to make a list of his strengths and
weaknesses on a page, or subtitle the page should do, would do,
could do. Objectively judge the strengths which need to be reinforced
at the present time or perpetually (as in instrumental warm-ups for
example) and those that can be put on a back burner for the time being.
Then looking at the weaknesses begin the practicing for the next few
weeks with the most glaring deficiency that by its improvement will
make a significant difference. Start with the most necessary items on
your list and hopefully in a lifetime you will work through most of it!! All
serious artists have a long list of what they would do if they could but
there is never enough time. We do the best we can in this regard.

4-Singularity: When practicing one activity do it with one main objective

in mind and possibly a minor one. Be clear as to the objectives. For
example if you are doing long tones, is it for breath control, clarity of
tone, evenness of sound, attacks and decays, etc? It shouldnt be all at
once. The focus should be clear for each unit to get the most benefit.

5-Objectivity: Serious practice at the level I am describing is not fun, nor

is it drudgery. IT JUST IS!! One should cultivate a feeling of neutrality
rather than feeling good or bad every day about the practice session. It
is objective, self improvement type of work. Save the emotion for
performing.

6-Attitude: Being positive, patient and consistent with total

concentration is what real practice is about. Anything less means you are
indulging in busy work with minimal gains to be had. If this isnt for you,
then admit it and do something else.

7-Practical hints: Try to practice at the same time of day, maybe

splitting the program into two parts. Do the rote stuff like long tones,
technical exercises, etc in the morning possibly saving the creative part
of repertoire, listening, transcription, composition, etc., for later in the
day. Saturated listening, meaning the concentrated and repeated
listening to certain tracks for specific pedagogical reasons should be
done in the evening. Find a practice space that is if possible completely
private with no one within listening range. Obviously there should be no
phone or any distractions and take a break every hour or so. This is
business and it should be treated that way.

Serious practice is easy to find time for when one is young. Those who
are in school think that they have little time but in the real world matters
of making a living, performing, personal life and so on intrude. I hope
that at some point every serious student can set aside at least four to six
months for a daily eight to ten hours of practice. This will have an effect
for the rest of that persons life. Keep a journal of thoughts about your
practice. Jot down how things are going. This is good for review and also
reinforcement to see how far you have advanced