Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Like a Snare Drum

Today I started with my long tone practice, I managed to get up to High B in the Altissimo today. My yamaha As-100 is wierd in that playing extremely high is very easy however from F# to A# is nearly impossible to get a reliable tone out of. I normally have a hard time hitting G and Ab but I can always hit them on my mark VI. Another weird factor is that I can almost get up to a high A, but its a lot of effort to get it, but it comes so easy on the yamaha!

On the scale front I played the major modes, major modes in 3rds, alternating 3rds, and have tried to learn the 4ths and 5ths, and scale tone 7ths. I did this alternating between 120, 118 and 122 bpm, and as Will Vinson suggested to me, I was really bad at that, I guess playing so much stuff at 120 meant that it was very natural to me. I soon learnt that I was rushing everything I played at 118 and dragging everything at 122. Something to think about! I went on to play the melodic minor scales in 3rds and alternating 3rds. That took me up to nearly 3 and a half hours with lots of small breaks in between. Hunger struck me and I needed a break and unfortunately I did not go back to scales.

I spent half an hour of playing through the Hi-Fly transcription in the keys of A, Bb, C, D, and E (Alto pitch). The key of A is awesome ok. Bb had a lot of problems and needs a lot more work. Key of C, D and E need work in the parts that go into the altissimo and the work just needs to gain more confidence in doing so. And also the 5 double time lines in the solo, actually the sequence line over the ii-7 V7 I is ok in each key as it is the diminished dominant scale so the keys use similar notes in it.

I spent 20 minutes memorising my Kenny Garrett have you met miss Jones transcription which is going well!

I spent about an hour on exersises on Confirmation and Have You Met Miss Jones, when I used the altering speed slightly technique which is hard and needs lots of work.

I spent the rest of the day transcribing Myron Walden's work on Brian Blade's "Red River Revel".

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