In every musician's training, whatever skills, measure of performing, style, or age, there is always more ways and strategies to grow. Many musicians (or maybe even all) sooner or later may get into a rut and sometimes get artistically stifled. Just in case you land yourself in that stage, or would just like to get better or find new ideas, I've gathered a collection of 5 techniques to improve your entire musicianship. Some might be obvious, some not necessarily so. Enjoy and use them!
In no order of priority they are:
1. Be an active listener! The easiest but most effective way to really broaden personal musical horizons and vocabulary in addition to one's musical viewpoint, would be to listen to music; All genres and styles, and moreover those outside your field and of all eras. Similar to gaining knowledge of a language, much like as we all began to communicate in our native language, we all sped up our learning by simply experiencing people speaking all around us. Set your sights in terms of melodies, harmonies, rhythms, interior lines, arrangements, instrumentation, texture, different colors, etc
2. Take up a different instrument. Even when you're just a rookie at whatever new musical instrument you decide on, give it a go. This can be beneficial in many areas. Like perhaps 1) Viewing a different visual layout of notes, as well as hearing the sounds all of them in various different colors as well as timbres, will offer a different visual and aural mindset and can presumably lend to new ideas and often more creativity. Not to mention 2) providing new thankfulness for your current level of playing in relation to your main instrument. Only by choosing a new instrument and approaching it like an absolute beginner, we can recall when our main instrument had been inside our hands the first time. Remember that? The mind-boggling quality, yet still absolutely new and exciting, as well as limitless space for evolution. Make an attempt to transport all those feelings back into your main instrument.
3. Play with 1 note. There's no better (and perhaps simply no other) solution of completely extracting everything except for pulse, shape, phrasing, timbre, tone, etc but merely by working with exclusively 1 note. Give this a try: choose a note, and put on any backing track, recording, metronome or almost anything which has a pulse, and improvise by using just the 1 note. Harder than you assume right? You will be made to become musical in your playing since you have no another other option, and nothing else to fill up space with! You will find and hear right away that you will have to generate rhythm which can hold it's own. You just cannot fake it when using 1 note!
4. Have a week off from playing. If you are able to afford it, you should try it (literally and figuratively, for some this my be logistically almost impossible) Let's assume you are an active musician, and practice or perform with others or at home nearly every day, consider taking a day or two to a week off. The advantages of this could be many. Chances are you will find that often in returning to your instrument you'll be creatively revitalized, enthusiastic, and engaged. You might have to wait a moment to physically obtain your same chops back to exactly where they had been. However, in a perfect world, mentally you will be in a very good spot. I see this to be much like restarting your laptop or computer after having a number of apps open for a long time, and eating up your entire memory!
5. Try playing along with a recording. On similar lines of the first tip ("always be an active listener"), performing with recordings can certainly open up your ears, and place you within the greats. Everybody knows that in fact playing with musicians greater than us raises the bar, so what better then playing with the very best professionals, and one's influences? Turn on a CD and join in with it. Much like the "learning another language" analogy, learning the language and vocabulary of our heroes encouraged us early on by merely just listening, and may seep in our playing now by playing with them. Each of our ears and our own playing is going to affect us on a conscious level and subconsciously we will react to the melody, rhythm, harmony, color, and energy of that which that we are hearing, and will inform our playing directly.
Enjoy, and now go practice!
In no order of priority they are:
1. Be an active listener! The easiest but most effective way to really broaden personal musical horizons and vocabulary in addition to one's musical viewpoint, would be to listen to music; All genres and styles, and moreover those outside your field and of all eras. Similar to gaining knowledge of a language, much like as we all began to communicate in our native language, we all sped up our learning by simply experiencing people speaking all around us. Set your sights in terms of melodies, harmonies, rhythms, interior lines, arrangements, instrumentation, texture, different colors, etc
2. Take up a different instrument. Even when you're just a rookie at whatever new musical instrument you decide on, give it a go. This can be beneficial in many areas. Like perhaps 1) Viewing a different visual layout of notes, as well as hearing the sounds all of them in various different colors as well as timbres, will offer a different visual and aural mindset and can presumably lend to new ideas and often more creativity. Not to mention 2) providing new thankfulness for your current level of playing in relation to your main instrument. Only by choosing a new instrument and approaching it like an absolute beginner, we can recall when our main instrument had been inside our hands the first time. Remember that? The mind-boggling quality, yet still absolutely new and exciting, as well as limitless space for evolution. Make an attempt to transport all those feelings back into your main instrument.
3. Play with 1 note. There's no better (and perhaps simply no other) solution of completely extracting everything except for pulse, shape, phrasing, timbre, tone, etc but merely by working with exclusively 1 note. Give this a try: choose a note, and put on any backing track, recording, metronome or almost anything which has a pulse, and improvise by using just the 1 note. Harder than you assume right? You will be made to become musical in your playing since you have no another other option, and nothing else to fill up space with! You will find and hear right away that you will have to generate rhythm which can hold it's own. You just cannot fake it when using 1 note!
4. Have a week off from playing. If you are able to afford it, you should try it (literally and figuratively, for some this my be logistically almost impossible) Let's assume you are an active musician, and practice or perform with others or at home nearly every day, consider taking a day or two to a week off. The advantages of this could be many. Chances are you will find that often in returning to your instrument you'll be creatively revitalized, enthusiastic, and engaged. You might have to wait a moment to physically obtain your same chops back to exactly where they had been. However, in a perfect world, mentally you will be in a very good spot. I see this to be much like restarting your laptop or computer after having a number of apps open for a long time, and eating up your entire memory!
5. Try playing along with a recording. On similar lines of the first tip ("always be an active listener"), performing with recordings can certainly open up your ears, and place you within the greats. Everybody knows that in fact playing with musicians greater than us raises the bar, so what better then playing with the very best professionals, and one's influences? Turn on a CD and join in with it. Much like the "learning another language" analogy, learning the language and vocabulary of our heroes encouraged us early on by merely just listening, and may seep in our playing now by playing with them. Each of our ears and our own playing is going to affect us on a conscious level and subconsciously we will react to the melody, rhythm, harmony, color, and energy of that which that we are hearing, and will inform our playing directly.
Enjoy, and now go practice!
About the Author:
If you're looking for more great music tips, tricks and resources, check out articles on online music lessons and the benefits of private lessons online!
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