What to Practice

By Jeff Coffin

To get a better idea of what you should be practicing, I encourage you and all musicians to identify five strengths and five weaknesses.

The List.

For example, if I list “tone” as a weakness, it helps me realize that my tone is something I need to work on. Then I have to determine HOW to work on it (long tones).

Sometimes you can have the same listing in both the strength and weakness categories. For example, you might be working on scales or arpeggios, and you might have a good understanding of them in major tonalities, but you might not be so good at the minor tonalities.

Also realize that a strength can be as simple as, “I love to practice” or “I love the sound of the saxophone.” But search deeper than that. This list is for your benefit, not just an exercise to fill up 10 spaces.

The Practice Block.

Now, how does identifying your strengths and weaknesses help with your practice? If you block off one hour of time, you can essentially work on all five weaknesses for about 10 minutes each. I strongly encourage players to practice much more than one hour per day, but once you block off that hour, you can double it or triple it for as much time as you have to practice. If you can practice three hours, then you work on each weakness for 30 minutes.

Daily, thoughtful, slow practice is essential to becoming a better player. Don’t confuse activity with progress. If I am just messing around on the horn and not listening to what I am doing, it really does me no good to be playing. You have to listen all the time to your sound, articulation, dynamics, rhythm, intonation and harmonic approach.

Your strengths and weaknesses will change from time to time— and they should. The goal of working on your weaknesses column is to eventually move them into your strengths column. Another thing you will find is that by working on your weaknesses, your strengths will keep getting stronger. Happy practicing!

About the Author

Jeff Coffin, well-traveled saxophonist/composer and two-time Grammy-Award winning member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, rejects all labels and categories other than “music” and “musician.” In addition, Jeff leads his own group, The Mu’tet, which takes its name from the word “mutation,” giving way to Jeff’s belief that music is constantly changing and mutating. He recently released the album “Mutopia,” which draws from variuos musical genres, including the wells of New Orleans, Jamaica, Mississippi, India, Africa and The Bronx to create a sonic tapestry of exotic textures, time signatures and grooves. As a highly in-demand clinician, Jeff has presented worldwide in places from Farmington, Maine, to Perth, Australia. He is also an internationally acclaimed Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist. To hear Jeff’s original music, visit his website at www.jeffcoffin.com or iTunes.

Photo by Roxanne Haynes. All rights reserved.

Comments

1. Roxanne says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 08:07
   Jeff rocks! He is an amazing human and bad ass musician! One of my all time favorite people living on the earth. Check him out and you will be addicted forever!
2. bud says:
   August 21st, 2008 at 21:28
   May LeRoi Moore rest in peace. He brought the Saxophone to a generation of young rock/alternative music fans who otherwise would have never considered it 'cool'. Jeff Coffin you have done a wonderful job filling in for LeRoi during his recovery and now untimely death. Bless both of you..

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