A good practice schedule

[newageanubis]

Hi,

I'm a player in grade nine, and I've played saxophone since grade seven, mainly tenor. I used to think I was pretty darn good, but what I've seen and listened to since the start of grade nine has brought my feet back to the ground. Now, I like to call myself a beginner 😛

I've decided to be more serious with my music, and get away from just randomly blowing into my horn as practice. After browsing the forums, I've developed a practice regime, and I'd like your opinions as to how it can be improved.

TONE AND EMBOUCHURE (20 minutes)
- Long tones with mouthpiece only (holding base pitch, developing range with mouthpiece only)
- Long tones with entire saxophone (bottom Bb to F, 80 BPM, holding each note for two measures, getting louder, then softer)
- Playing octaves (e.g - Low Bb, then middle Bb, half note for each at 80 BPM, rising chromatically)
- Playing overtones (Ascending, descending, out of order)
- Playing slow scales with vibrato (As it stands, I can only achieve two pulsations per beat at 66BPM)

TECHNIQUE (20 minutes)
- Scales* (ascending, descending, arpeggio and thirds pattern, different articulation each practice)
- Arban studies (that I have obtained through my music course at school)
- Rhythm studies (found in my method book, also from my music course)

LEARNING MUSIC (20 minutes)
- Learning my parts for concert and jazz bands at school
- Practising for playing tests

HAVING FUN (5 minutes)
- Improvisation (usually in G or D blues)
- Exploring things outside of jazz and Western classical music (currently it is the Arabian scale)


*I will be required to play C, G, F, Bb, D, Eb, A majors and A, D, E, G, B harmonic minors for my final exam in school, so I'll be concentrating on those

 

[Pjonah]

Sounds like you've got it covered, I'd hope the having fun bit was bigger than that though, its important to enjoy what you do!

But good luck anyway, check out Pete's exercises, they are pretty good and develop good habits!

Simon

 

[helena]

wow - amazingly disciplined. Personally I would do more fun, playing music - and just playing with it.... And an hour and five mins a day - that is real commitment

Helen

 

[mark_whiteley]

Wow that's a scary practise schedule !

Clearly you're not a real beginner !

 

[newageanubis]

To Mark Whiteley:
Oh no, I am. Once I get a hold of a decent recording device, I plan to record myself for the intermediate/beginner record thread on SOTW.
🙂

I tried this schedule out a few days ago...and I got through most of it okay...especially overtones =D...

except the damned long tones. The shaky needle of the tuner depresses me. Instead, I plan to switch to having my tuner emit the pitch and trying to match it.

 

[peedee]

I had some sort of routine when I first started, 10 mins scales,
10 mins tones, 10 mins tunes etc, but it soon went by the board.
I found I was having so much fun playing tunes, I got carried away, and used up all my lip time!! Oh well, at least I'm having fun, and me playing is getting better regardless.
😉