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Sunday, June 12, 2011
Jazz Piano Brain Teaser #2
Memorize the chord progression ( just 2 voicings repeated up a minor 3rd ) and do the whole thing again up a half-step then up another half-step to hit all keys. Visualize the voicings and the chords they represent, what degrees of the chord are on top and bottom. Sorry about the double-sharps, but just trying to use correct spellings. Accidentals do not carry over... good luck. See Brain Teaser #1 if you haven't done that one. These advanced exercises will help you to think in new ways - they are complex enough to make the other stuff seem like a walk in the park and are just good to keep your brain active. You will find that they influence your improvisations.
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Here's a simple practice technique that may help, and that may also put you more in touch with your own psyche.
ReplyDeleteThere is more than one function in the human psyche. In a general way, they can be divided into 1) intellect, 2) emotions, 3) motor function.
The first thing is to see how the functions work in your own psyche. With your intellect, you can internally repeat the names of chords, notes, etc. Apart from intellect, you could see patterns of notes on the keyboard, and without internally naming notes or chords, mentally direct your fingers to the pattern of notes that you visualized. Also, you may 'hear' the notes in your head. This ability involves emotions. Practice each one of these with something simple.
Then experiment with these three functions, combining them in different ways. For example, 'block out' note patterns on the keys, and move from 'this' note pattern to 'this' one (without internally naming). Or you could concentrate on the move from chords two to three, four to five, etc. Another example would be to play one hand at a time, 'hearing' the notes in your head (slowly).
Being able to execute something automatically is not the important part of practicing, the important part is the process that gets you there.
Cheers!
Kind of like left brain, right brain and no brain?
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