What are your methods to break playing habits or tendencies?

[Redknife]

I find myself in a playing rut currently, which happens. My hands go to the same places, my lines are similar, and voicings are alike. I really like to discover new things as I play. Sometimes I can be in that mode, and other times not as much. Tendencies aren't always bad, but there are times when they are confining. I have my own set of methods to help break tendencies, such as:

 

* Transcribe/cover other keyboardists, particularly those out of your norm.

* Transcribe/cover other instrumentalists - i.e. learn a guitar solo on keyboard.

* Play with different people.

* Learn a new classical piece as it mandates you achieve certain technical feats which may not be in line with your current tendencies.

* Technical exercises with variations on the rhythm, key, or mode.

* New equipment

 

Anyway, what are your methods to break playing habits and tendencies? Even if mentioned as a category, do you have any details you think are important?

[Michael Wright]

[cedar]

In high school, I took lessons briefly from Sal Mosca, a disciple of Lenny Tristano.

 

When I first started with him, Sal he had me improvise on "My foolish things," initially limited to one whole note per measure. The next week, he allowed me to play two half notes. Then, 4 quarter notes per measure. Then, I was given the freedom of doing whatever combinations of those notes I wanted, with rests. Then, we added eight notes etc.

 

The purpose of this exercise was to identify and eliminate habits. When I played this sparingly, he was able to notice, for example, if I tended to favor certain types of intervals, devices, patterns, rhythms etc. Once my habits became clear, then theoretically I would be able to eliminate such tendencies and play more creatively.

 

I actually hated this process because it just took too much patience and I thought it imposed unnatural rules. But it was am interesting experiment.

 

Presently, the most important thing I do to get out of a rut is to do more listening, especially of musicians who are somewhat outside of the box.

[MAJUSCULE]

Play free.

[David Loving]

Slow practice.

 

[Daniel Heslop]

^^^^

I recently read a study where a bunch of music students were given the same peice. They all had as much time as they wanted with it the first sesson. then they had to leave it for 24 or 48 hours, and then play it for an adjudicator.

 

The single most important factor was the students who did not repeat mistakes, but instead slowed it down and consciously corrected mistakes (i.e. didn't just hit the right note and move on, but consciously noted what the correct note was) did the best. It wasn't about how long any of the practiced initially, or how many times they play the piece, it was all about playing it slower and mindfully.

 

As a music teacher, I cannot tell you how many times a kid will play, hit a bad note, take a few guesses at the right note, and if they guess right, move on...so they practice it wrong several times, and correctly...by accident, once. Laziness is the culprit of course. We think it is faster to guess right. In the long run it is definitely not.

[Moonglow]

When I first started with him, Sal he had me improvise on "My foolish things," initially limited to one whole note per measure. The next week, he allowed me to play two half notes. Then, 4 quarter notes per measure. Then, I was given the freedom of doing whatever combinations of those notes I wanted, with rests. Then, we added eight notes etc.

 

The purpose of this exercise was to identify and eliminate habits. When I played this sparingly, he was able to notice, for example, if I tended to favor certain types of intervals, devices, patterns, rhythms etc. Once my habits became clear, then theoretically I would be able to eliminate such tendencies and play more creatively.

Very cool, thanks for sharing.

[timwat]

Deliberate, slow and focused practice to correct mistakes is crucially important.

 

But it seems to me it is also a distinct and different thing from what the OP is asking about - which seems to be about falling into familiar responses in musical situations which provide and call for improvisation and creativity, whether in terms of overall approach, specific voicings, or an improvised line.

 

For the latter, I suppose there are all sorts of different things that can help.

 

Lately, for me, what has motivated me is playing with bass and drums who are each a far more experienced, far better player than I am. That in itself has shaken me out of complacency and the "same old" approach. Having just spent the weekend in the recording studio with them, the rough mixes motivate me even more to work on very specific aspects of my playing.

 

This isn't the most cookie-cutter, easy-to-replicate solution, certainly. But it is a humbling and butt-kicking experience.

 

Or I'll just quit playing entirely.

 

 

[Krakit]

I go to youtube for fresh ideas. I watch video lessons, even if the subject isn't something I feel weak in, sometimes the instructor will present a new approach to an old idea or some other surprise. I will also watch humbling advanced lessons on youtube, try to emulate and often fail but still come away with a great deal.

 

For example I've recently learned some new voicing approaches to some chords that I've already incorporated into my improvising. Also watched a video regarding the circle of fifths where an exercise given turned out to be a nice framework for doing some fresh improv ideas.

 

Carl

[Jazzmammal]

Me too, the 'tube is really great and the more I surf around the better it gets.

 

Tempo de learno.

 

Don't practice mistakes.

 

The two biggest and most truthful cliche's out there.

 

As for specifics I will find something I like usually on the web, be it from YT or midi files I've found. Yes, that can be really good as well. There are "some" very professional midi's with great parts online that you can play in a DAW that can display the parts as score. I use Band in a Box or Real Band. Both of those have a piano key display that lights up the notes and I find that faster to grab chord positions and rhythmic patterns than reading the music but they can create charts as well. The trick here is to actually work with those new positions or whatever it is you're working on regularly until it becomes a new habit. That takes about 30 days.

 

Bob

[Synthaholic]

Drugs. Lots of drugs.

[Josh Paxton]

This is more of a quick-fix trick than a long-term solution, but...

 

If I'm in the middle of a solo and everything I'm playing seems stale and awful, I'll pick a snippet of a melody from another tune and try to play it over whatever changes I'm dealing with. It doesn't matter what melody. And it doesn't matter if the melody fits the changes, which it usually won't; I'll alter the intervals to make it fit. Sometimes it'll be a melody I don't even know, and I'll just be guessing at the intervals anyway, and going for the overall shape. So most of the time what comes out isn't even discernible as the melody I was going for. But that's fine, because actually replicating that melody was never the point; the point was to give me something to play that was outside of my usual rut, while still being coherent and musical. If it ends up coming out as a recognizable "quote," then woo-hoo, aren't I clever? But if not (i.e. most of the time) it's still done its job. And then hopefully I'll be able to use that to continue building something interesting, that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

[Legatoboy]

In high school, I took lessons briefly from Sal Mosca, a disciple of Lenny Tristano.

 

When I first started with him, Sal he had me improvise on "My foolish things," initially limited to one whole note per measure. The next week, he allowed me to play two half notes. Then, 4 quarter notes per measure. Then, I was given the freedom of doing whatever combinations of those notes I wanted, with rests. Then, we added eight notes etc.

 

The purpose of this exercise was to identify and eliminate habits. When I played this sparingly, he was able to notice, for example, if I tended to favor certain types of intervals, devices, patterns, rhythms etc. Once my habits became clear, then theoretically I would be able to eliminate such tendencies and play more creatively.

 

I actually hated this process because it just took too much patience and I thought it imposed unnatural rules. But it was am interesting experiment.

 

Presently, the most important thing I do to get out of a rut is to do more listening, especially of musicians who are somewhat outside of the box.

 

I have studied with someone who studied with Sal for over 20 years.. Yes and this was one of the basic approaches to teach improvising ... I believe you mean "These Foolish Things" ... anyway yes! Also vary the entrances of your phrases in terms of harmony and rhythm.... for your phrases or chording in the LH... bring your chords in on the 3rd beat or the and of 4..or and of 2.or start your phrase on the 9th degree of the scale. or the 6th...and always practice/learn slowly...there is a lot more...but studying with those people here in NY was eye opening... Lennie/Sal Mosca/Warne Marsh (sax in LA)/ Lee Konitz.....that's why Lenard Bernstein would head to Lennie's apartment in Flushing to hang/talk there often and Steve Vai and Joe Satriani studied with Lennie. The ideas are musically universal and transcend Jazz and musical genre or instrument(vocals also)! Not ever being in a rut or being 100 % riff/lick dependent is really a big part of it! How to break those cycles! Lennie was seriously effected by Bud Powell after he gigged opposite him in alternating sets for a few months at a venue her in NYC in the 40's or 50's...Modern Jazz piano starts with Bud.. and Bird (Charlie Parker) is a big part of it and Lester Young also! They are real Jazz ideas..

 

It seriously effected Me!

[Outkaster]

I have a friend who is a great guitarist, really good in fact. When I see him play I see Warren Haynes, Duane Allman, Clapton and Jerry Garcia all throughout his playing. Sometimes as musicians our influences are so strong that we end up sounding like a combination of them. Too an extent some of us are guilty of this. I know another guy that sounds like Bruce Hornsby, Elton John, and Billy Joel combined. The disadvantage with it is when you sound too much like them to where it stands out too much. For people with ingrained ways of playing its kind of hard to get that out of your system or put it in perspective because people always go back to what they know. We each have a baseline we fall back on. I guess what you have to do is sometimes go back to old exercises or music (Recently I went back to a little bit of Bach I hadnt touched in 20 years) Or you can get into a total different kind of music, that can help indirectly influence how you play. Because I play Reggae sometimes I have to go back and play soul and it is actually easier because I have been playing something musically that is very different. Each of us will have our own ways to deal with us because we are dealing with individuals with various degrees of skill, influence, backgrounds and experience.

[analogman1]

I also studied with Sal (hey Cedar!) and can attest to the effectiveness of all that the others have described. Changing entrances, different scale degrees as starting points... All great concepts which have helped me greatly to keep things really fresh in my improv. In a way, I get the same sort of thing when I play the Mikrokosmos by Bartok...he will frequently varying entrances or use snippets of the melody as different starting points. All great ideas!!!

[Redknife]

Great stuff. Trying to listen rather than talk but following along.

[I-missRichardTee]

Think in more melodic terms. The melody is undervalued, in my opinion. I don't just mean "the melody", certainly that as a basis; but also ANY linear idea that is derived from the original melody

Any single voice melodic idea.

In contrast, harmony is over emphasized in our culture. Take that anyway you wish.

Develop ways to play the melody in your own way; from strictly imitating the original melody to wider and wider divergence from that melody.

And again, by melody, I mean ANY melodic idea, with no limits.

If you cannot lay your hand on any key, and instantly start playing the melody to any known by you song; you have a new practice.

This means ability to play anything you hear in your mind in any key.

Next

Why do you have to destroy your tendencies? Why not instead, notate them with a recorder and then think in terms of elaborating on them? Once again, with major emphasis on melodic development. In other words, as a composer would treat an idea.

 

Analyze your tendencies t see which ones are most worthy of keeping. Some may be fairly immature, but even those can be rescued. Members here said slow down, well, I am saying what amounts to extreme slowing down.. aka composing a line.

 

Herbie Hancock, once wrote out 8 or more choruses of Blues lines. A Blues line, is a melodic idea.

[16251]

frontal lobotomy

[Delaware Dave]

practice ....

 

[unitjazz]

I think the OP's list of methods to get out of the rut are very valid, and I use them myself. Obviously, the best way to get out of a routine is to avoid getting into a routine. That means constantly moving forward with your skills. That means practice. Technical exercises, as well as new material.

 

If you are playing the same riffs, then you haven't learned new ones. Get some inspiration by listening to musicians and learning some of their riffs. Like you said, learn some guitar or sax solos on the keyboard. It will open your mind to different phrasings and lyrical ideas. The first time I heard Larry Carlton's Room 335, I just had to learn it note for note, using a guitar patch on my synth. How could I live, not having ever played that ??? I had to absorb some of his genious, even though I am not a guitarist.

 

Try to get into some new playing situations, even if they are simply jams or casual get togethers. We have to interact with other musicians, so we can learn to have a musical conversation, and that will give you the opportunity to develop new ideas and riffs. And learn to listen to what others are playing, and you can incorporate their riffs into yours, and unify the solos.

 

Learn the melodies of songs, learn the harmonic structure, learn the guitar lines, learn the bass lines, learn the drum riffs. Learn all the parts of songs, and you will be able to incorporate them into your solos, and it will pull the solo together with the song.

 

I use these philosophies in an attempt to avoid falling into a rut, and it works. This past weekend, I played a smooth jazz gig, and the sax player had a family emergency and could not make it. All the songs were sax songs, and me and the guitar player carried the tunes, and it came off well, but we had to be flexible and push some limits. I had to know the melodies and the phrasings, and I did because I don't want to be content with just knowing the keyboard part.

Learning everything we can about a song, will keep you out of a rut.

 

 

 

[synthizen2]

I sometimes find myself repeating the same Floyd Cramer -like cliches in the country band I'm in, it's just what I revert to when not feeling inspired. I try hard to fight that and come up with new licks.

 

The biggest common keyboardist cliche to avoid is Piano glisses or organ palm-smears at the beginning of every chorus or at the end of songs. Use very sparingly, and generally avoid like the plague.

 

During my studies with Kenny Barron in the 80s, when he saw I was having trouble coming up with inspired solo improv passages, he directed me to the Hanon book and said practice these. He also said (which would seem like a very politically incorrect statement for an African-American jazz pianist to make these days)... "Study those old white dead guys: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. It's the harmonic and melodic foundation we jazz pianists operate from". Wow.

[Dave Ferris]

Slow practice and more slow practice. Stay in time even at slow tempos , although really breaking things down and practicing a phrase or line , you have to go out of time quite often. But strive to play in time always.

 

I try to write at least 4 bars a day -whether it's a solo line, chord voicing or a melody against some voicings. I then transpose it all to the 12 keys. Also the more you write stuff out, the better it improves your sight-reading.

 

In addition to playing slow all the the time, you have to push yourself and get things up to tempo. You still have to be in control, if you're not, the tempo is too fast. You have to work up to it.

 

Don't play with bad musicians (not always possiblejust try not to make a steady diet of it). They are like a disease, they suck you in and drag you down. Strive to play with the best people possible. Better then you if you can.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Happy Birthday, Dave

[MathOfInsects]

If it weren't for bad habits, I'd have nothing to play.

[Jazz+]

Use your mind. Develop playing strategies, most keyboardist ignore this sort of practice.

Do carry notes that outline what you are very slowly memorizing in your pocket and glance at them throughout daily life. Set goals and meet them.

[Jazz+]

Slow practice and more slow practice. Stay in time even at slow tempos , although really breaking things down and practicing a phrase or line , you have to go out of time quite often. But strive to play in time always.

 

I try to write at least 4 bars a day -whether it's a solo line, chord voicing or a melody against some voicings. I then transpose it all to the 12 keys. Also the more you write stuff out, the better it improves your sight-reading.

 

In addition to playing slow all the the time, you have to push yourself and get things up to tempo. You still have to be in control, if you're not, the tempo is too fast. You have to work up to it.

 

Don't play with bad musicians (not always possiblejust try not to make a steady diet of it). They are like a disease, they suck you in and drag you down. Strive to play with the best people possible. Better then you if you can.

 

Good advice, but might not have time to do all 12 keys... I find if I really really know something in C then I can play it in any key.

 

 

1. Smile

2. Breathe consciously 3 times

3. Go slowly

Accept your reality

 

[MathOfInsects]

Use your mind. Develop playing strategies, most keyboardist ignore this sort of practice.

Do carry notes that outline what you are very slowly memorizing in your pocket and glance at them throughout daily life. Set goals and meet them.

 

Crap, I was afraid of that. Is there a workaround?

[Dave Ferris]

Hey thanks Jim for the wishes.

[icarusi]

There's a few ideas here

 

[video:youtube]ROvmjd9MGjU

[16251]