Anyway, these next several articles will be very much about how and what to practice. Growing up around musicians I have found an elitist attitude among those that make Music Theory the king of their practice. For some reason Music Theory has become the Dolche & Gabbana of practice, but I’m not so convinced that it should be the king of your precious time.
Lets think for a moment about what music theory is all about (insert Jeopardy theme song). If you truly pull out the books and sit in the music theory classes you will find that 99% of the material will be about notes- what notes to play, harmonies, scales, chords, etc. But notes are such a small part of what music is all about- very important, but a small part none the less. In this article I simply wanted to introduce to you all of the parts that make up the bigger picture of music (please feel free to add to the list): articulation, technique, feel, dynamics, rhythm, tone, phrasing, space, listening, and last but not least..notes. Do you see what I see?
Lets not forget that all of you are musicians and, as cheesy as it sounds, practice is about bringing that music out of you and into your instrument. Hopefully these next few articles will help you along your journey-
Talk to ya, Blake