I found this happening to me yesterday when I was in a room with some people who were talking to each other. I was waiting for something to be completed so I could leave, but the way they were talking to each other began to draw my thinking in a direction I didn’t want it to go. It wasn’t that they were being profane or mean. There was just a negative aspect to their discussion that was uncomfortable to me. In the past, I might not have even noticed it and would have simply found myself in a negative place later and not really known how I got there. But this time I felt it happening and went outside. It was nice to be in the fresh air away from the confusion of that room. Soon, it was time to leave and when I left, I was in a much better place than I would have been if I would have stayed in the room.

This may seem like a little thing, but it happens many times during the course of a day – any day. Not to be sensitive to this is to become a victim and to be tossed about by circumstances. When I’m aware of this, and in tune with my own spirit, I can more consistently stay in that place of peace. I think this is at least part of what Jesus is talking about when He says, “Abide in Me,” or “Abide in My love.”

The trick is to get better at doing this on a moment by moment basis. It will take practice. I will have to guard my space of peace and not give it up so easily.

I need to take time periodically to reconnect with my passions. What are the things I feel called to do? What are the desires of my soul that stay there when all the trivial is washed away? I know what these things are, and these are the things to which I must return.

I know the ultimate reason I am here is to become like Jesus; to have my character conformed to His in every way. That is my primary purpose. Everything else in my life has meaning only as it relates to that supreme ideal. Playing, writing, and teaching music is the context in which I live and related to people and God. Finding ways to live my life in an integrated way is essential. Anything that moves me away from this context should be eliminated. This sounds simple but it is more difficult than it sounds. It requires great discipline and obedience to God. It involves listening to Him and trusting Him for guidance. 

The realization that practicing, performing, and writing music are spiritual acts has been a great help to me. The act of creation and expression is possible because I am made in God’s image. It is an act of praise and obedience to Him to engage in these activities. To become distracted from them is sin. It is wasting His gifts and wasting the time that I have to use those gifts on earth.

This is something that I need to continue to pursue. What can I do to move deeper in this direction? What things do I need to say no to? What do I need to say yes to?

Tom Morgan

Washburn University

As I adjudicate high school and college jazz festivals and conduct drum set clinics I am always struck with how often the same kinds of problems keep cropping up.  Many of these problems have little or nothing to do with actual playing (that involves another whole set of problems), but rather with the physical set up of the drum set itself.  The solutions to these problems are really quite simple and do not require years of dedicated practice.  I would like to offer ten simple suggestions that can improve a drummer’s performance.  They are in no particular order of importance:

1.            Use a rug.  On a hard wood or linoleum floor, the hi hat and bass drum will slide away from the player if something is not done to hold them in place.  The simplest solution is to set up the drums on a rug.  The rug should be relatively thin so the pedals can rest securely on the floor.  A rug should be considered standard equipment

2.            Put the music stand on the left.  This will make it possible for the drummer to turn pages with the left hand while still playing the ride cymbal with the right hand.  Putting the music stand in front of the drum set is not a good idea because the drummer has to stand up and stop playing to physically deal with the music.  Left handed drummers who set their drums up in reverse should put their stand on the right.

3.            No extreme angles.  The drums and cymbals should slant gracefully down toward the player.  Slanting drums or cymbals at extreme angles will make it much more difficult to move smoothly around the set.  Check out pictures of some of the great jazz drummers (Mel Lewis is an excellent example) to get ideas.

4.            Give the ride cymbal priority.  Because the ride cymbal will probably be in use 90% of the time, put it in the most comfortable location.  Fit the tom toms around the ride cymbal, not the other way around.  When playing a ride pattern, the upper arm should be relaxed at the side of the body.

5.            Experiment with throne height.  The only way to have a relaxed playing style is to actually be able to relax while you play.  Relaxed playing begins with proper throne height.  Sitting too low can cause back problems as well as restrict the movement of the feet.  Sitting too high can make playing rim shots difficult.  Keep trying different heights until you find the most comfortable height for you. 

6.            Position foot pedals for maximum techniques.   Pedals can and should be positioned so that playing with the foot flat, with a rocking motion, and with the toe are all possible.  Sitting too close or too far will eliminate one or more of the possible techniques and limit the drummer.  Try using every possible technique and move the pedals so they can all be utilized.

7.            Let the tom-toms ring.  Remember, your drums must project and that means they must resonate.  Dampening the heads with tape will give you a sound that won’t carry past the first row of seats.  Free-ringing tom-toms will project and will also make fills and solos sound smoother and more connected.

8.            Let the cymbals move freely.  The fastest way to crack a cymbal is to crank down the wing nut so the cymbal can’t move when it is struck.  Most cymbals sound better when they are allowed to vibrate naturally. The plastic sleeve between the stand and the cymbal is very important as well.  Allowing the cymbal to rub against the bare metal stand will eventually cause an indentation which can lead to cracking.  Plastic sleeves can be easily purchased at most music stores.

9.            Take the “stuff” out of the bass drum.  If the bass drum is being used in a jazz setting, an appropriate tuning would involve a strip of felt under each head.  This allows the bass drum to resonate in a controlled manner, and to blend well with the longer sounds of the walking bass line.  A completely dead bass drum (with a blanket or pillow inside) is the common tuning for rock or funk which corresponds to the more staccato electric bass patterns.  Using a dead bass drum sound in the high school jazz ensemble doesn’t work if the repertory is primarily in a swing-oriented style such as Count Basie or Woody Herman.

10.            Select appropriate sticks.  The shape and size of the bead of the stick will greatly affect the sound of the cymbal.  In the jazz style, sticks with a more elongated bead rather than a round bead generally produce a more appropriate sound, depending on the cymbal.  Experiment with different sizes and shapes of sticks to find the most musical cymbal sound.

The Art of Practicing 

Tom Morgan

Developing effective practice skills is a large part of the process of learning to play your instrument.  It is common for students to have studied their instrument for years without really learning how to efficiently make use of practice time.  Most students could benefit greatly from a closer look at the process of practicing.  Below are some important ingredients that make up productive practice.

Goals

All practice should move the student toward a well-defined goal.  Without clear, specific goals, practice will lose its focus and be less effective.  Of course the long-term goal should be to become the best musician you can be, but this is too vague to have much effect on how you go about the daily work of practice.  Specific, short-term goals are necessary to guide daily practice routines and provide motivation.  Students studying with a private teacher should set the goal of perfecting all of the material assigned to them for that week.  For longer works, requiring more than one week to master, the goal should be to make significant weekly progress toward the completely mastering the work.  To do this it will be necessary to break long pieces into smaller segments.

Good practice requires all of the following components:

1.            Time

There is no substitute for putting in the time.  College music majors should be practicing at least two hours a day on their major instrument.  This includes weekends and holidays.  Practice times should be written in on the student’s daily schedule of classes.  Nothing should be allowed to conflict with the time set aside for practice.  Practicing daily for at least two hours is far more effective than practicing ten hours the day before the lesson.  Some find that practicing for several shorter time blocks a day works better than one long session a day.  However you choose to organize your time, make practice a regular part of the day along with eating, sleeping, and attending class.

2.            Plan

Students must begin their practice week with a clear view of what they must accomplish that week.  Take five minutes at the beginning of the first practice session and play through the entire lesson assignment.  Assess what material will require the most work, and what will come together relatively easily.   Plan accordingly.  Spend the most time on the most difficult material.  Progress must be evaluated daily and methods adjusted if needed.  Remember the goal is to perfect ALL of the material and be ready to perform it at the next lesson.

3.            Focus           

The mind must be engaged at all times in the practice session.  Fooling around must be kept to a minimum.  If you feel the need to “play for fun,” schedule some time for that, but don’t let it take away from your “sacred” practice time.  Set aside all distractions as best you can and concentrate on the task at hand.

Using a Metronome

A metronome is an essential practice tool.  It is mainly useful as a practice regulator.  Most students try to learn material at a tempo that is too fast.  Students often become frustrated with practicing because without realizing it, they are allowing the tempo to gradually increase.  Using the “metronome method” will keep this from happening.

The Metronome Method for Learning an Etude

Day 1            Following your lesson, play through the etude and determine the tempo you are able to play it without a mistake.  This includes dynamics, sticking, phrasing, etc…  The tempo may be extremely slow.  Mark that tempo down at the top of the page.

Day 2            Begin practicing the etude at the marked tempo.  You should be able to play it easily without a mistake, staying both mentally and physically relaxed.  Begin to increase the tempo slightly until you are no longer able to play the etude perfectly.  Cross out the old tempo and mark in the last tempo at which you were able to perform the etude without a mistake.

Day 3 – 5             Continue the process above, gradually moving toward performance tempo.  Never allow yourself to play the piece faster than you can play it perfectly.  You are programming your “computer” (your brain) through the process of repetition.  Correct information is going into the computer because you are always playing the etude at a tempo that you can handle.  Also be careful not to stay at a slow tempo too long.  When you are able to play it faster, move ahead.

Evaluate your progress and make sure you are on track for reaching your goal — performing the etude perfectly at your next lesson.  Make any necessary modifications.

Day 6-7              By this time the etude should be approaching performance tempo.  You will have played the etude hundreds of times without a mistake, so your confidence level should be high when you perform it at your lesson.  You are well prepared.

Practice makes permanent.  The way you play a piece all week will determine how you will perform it in

your lesson.  Good practice involves playing a minimum of mistakes and programming your brain with

correct information.

But it is not something to beat yourself up over. We all have to begin where we are. I just know that if I were to get even a little better at staying consistently focused on God, I would enter into each situation with a completely different perspective. I would see people differently. I would not be so easily angered or frustrated. I would be able to please Him in my daily activities. This is something that will be a process; a life-long process.