How do I get as good as that concerto pianist? I wish I could get 1st place in that competition! How do I learn how to place those fancy runs like that clarinetist? What does it take to get good on an instrument? Does it take a lot of practice to master jazz improvisation?If you have ever studied music or have an interest in studying music, these are probably the questions that you have asked yourself and others who are involved in music. Some people want short cuts that will magically make them better while others do not want to dedicate the time necessary to improve their skills. While nothing guarantees results, there are things one can do to improve.
One of the things that will make you better on your instrument is to learn your scales. That's right, learn your major and minor scales. In jazz you would do that but you would work on other scales such as the ones in the major and minor modes that include the dorian, aeolian, lydian dominant ect. Learn how to play them evenly at a slow tempo, then increase the speed. Use a metronome to achieve this. Set the metronome at a speed such as 40 per quarter beat or even a little slower depending on how fast you can go and then listen to each individual note as you play it until all the notes sound even. Then you will naturally want to increase the tempo to the point that you are playing up to 160 per quarter beat or faster! This takes time but you will get it. Consistent slow practice does wonders even for professional musicians.
The next thing you have to be sure to do is to not only start playing slowly but to maintain a consistent practice schedule. You basically achieve this by budgeting your time. You need to spend at least 5-10 minutes warming up on your scales before practicing your pieces. Seasoned instrumentalists can warm up much longer. It depends on what feels comfortable. As you get better on your instrument, you need to spend more time on your scales to the point you know all of them by memory. You need to try to practice everyday. If you cannot practice everyday then you must practice during most of the days in the week.
Technical exercises are excellent ways to increase your finger dexterity on your instrument. You can find them at music stores or online stores that carry music such as http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/. There are other stores that have them. These books generally give you a metronome speed that should be your goal and a variety of exercises to not only increase your speed but also strenghthen your fingers. You can also try to type in "music technical exercise", "jazz etudes" or "hanon exercise" in google.
Now that you are armed with this knowledge, I hope that you have a basic understanding of what it takes to achieve better finger dexterity on your instrument. These things definitely helped me as a pianist and I have seen other instrumentalists benefit from these tips as well. There are many resources out there to help you as a musician. Usually these resources are created by music masters themselves.
Richard Henry
http://www.worldwide-jazz-online.com/
