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Studies 80 graded studies ..

agganitk

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I am practising 80 graded studies for saxophone. I have done first 18 exercises. My approach has been to just practice and practice the exercise until I am getting better.


Any suggestion to pick up the exercise faster? What should be my approach? I have started remembering notes of some of exercises after playing many many times, and this is helping me to play better ...but this approach is very time consuming and tiring.

Also, Is anywhere recording of this book available ? I am not getting feel of some of exercises.

Just to introduce myself, I am engineer by profession and learning Alto saxophone as a hobby.

Cheers
 
The pieces in the 80 Graded Studies sometimes look easier than they are. Anyway, congratulations on finishing no. 18.

Your method of learning is the one I am using. Sometimes I pick up a piece quite easily (forty to fifty repeats), but others seem to need hundreds of repetitions. If I knew a faster way I'd be glad to let you know.

The 80 Graded Studies probably don't contain any pieces that you are familiar with when you take them up. They were all new to me. Maybe someone has recorded them on youtube. That could be one option. Another option would be to find some tunes you already know. They are often easier because you know what should come next.

The recordings on youtube vary greatly, but every now and again there is one that gets it right. When I first started on the Ferlings I listened to two or three of them just to get a feel for Ferling's intentions. After that I found it much more interesting to embark on them unheard and see what I could make of them.
 
Welcome agganitk.

My usual advice is to practice backwards: be familiar with the last four bars, then last eight, last twelve....

The recordings on youtube vary greatly, but every now and again there is one that gets it right. When I first started on the Ferlings I listened to two or three of them just to get a feel for Ferling's intentions. After that I found it much more interesting to embark on them unheard and see what I could make of them.

+1
 
Because you don't end up, like many players, with an good start and a bad ending.
You learn, say, bars 8-12 and when you get to bar 13 you already know the rest.

I feel it gives a more solid knowledge of the piece.
 
Great advice from Aldevis, I've heard this so many times.

Especially useful if you are prone to stopping when you make a mistake and going back to the beginning, as I do did:)

Jx
 
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Hello Aldevis
Why practicing backward is better than forward... ??
When considering the validity of this advice you should ask yourself:

"Is this guy leggit or is he the sort of guy who uses Brylcreem as toothpaste and puts his shoes on backwards?"

Ya feelin' lucky?
 
I've never looked at these studies, but I always do better playing stuff slowly at first. Slow enough that you get it right most times. When you get it right (almost) every time you can speed up. That way you don't keep reinforcing your mistakes by practising them.

If quoted this before, but I was impressed by Tim Henman saying "practise may not always make perect, but it does make permanent."
 

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