One of the things I find hard is maintaining a practice routine when things get busy. Rehearsals, traveling, not to mention numerous other things that come up, can put you off track and it's sometimes hard to be focused - particularly at times when you need it most.
Here is a list of things that one can do at any time. Fifteen minutes here and there can make a big difference. Simply keeping your mind sharp and focused on the things you are working on can really help a lot.
1. Rhythmic work: This is a very important part
of my work and I try to do at least 15 - 30 mins a day. It can be done
anywhere and I have a book of patterns (mainly Carnatic) that I work from. I take it everywhere. You just need a metronome and something to tap on.
2.
Transcriptions: I try to do both writing things down and learning things
purely by ear. Of the two I find the latter more difficult yet more
satisfying and beneficial for my general work in music. Writing things
helps both my ear and as well as my written rhythmic vocabulary, and learning solos from memory is beneficial in a multitude of ways. With modern phones and tablets this is quite easy to do. Keep a stock of material and a nice "slowing down" app and you are good to go.
3.
Visualising chords and scales: I still am slower at mentally picturing
certain scales and chords so I work on seeing these "harder" scales as quick as the "easier" keys. Sometimes I also write out scales to help this, and also
visualise playing them on the sax. Often on lead sheets I'm using for gigs, I'll write out certain notes above the chords to help me visualize certain scales and chords while playing.
4. Singing or humming melodic
and rhythmic ideas over tunes: I use aebersolds to tryout certain
rhythmical and melodic ideas. Personally, if I can't sing an idea in my
head I can not play it on the sax so this is very beneficial work.
5.
Listening: This influences me a lot and the more I listen, the better my
musical vocabulary. I try sometimes to do a more focused listening
where I will only focus on certain ideas in a piece, i.e. bass line or
piano comping etc.
6. Composing: I like to compose and arrange a lot, and
do have periods when I do quite a bit, but I see that if I could do a little
bit each day I would go much further. Now I try to keep a book that when
an idea comes, even if it's a small phrase I write it down with the
hope that I may eventually use it. I also use the phone quite a lot to simply record a quickly a snippet when it comes to mind.
7. Memorising tunes: My aim
here is to memorise and understand a chord structure of a tune in such a
way that I can be more comfortable while soloing. The better I know a piece the more free I am, and am able to go away from fixed ideas I may have.
