As I said before, I’m not some guru dispensing advice from my perch on the mountaintop.
I’m a regular guy, struggling my way forward, sharing what I learn along the way.
This is my little test kitchen, where I share the things I’m doing as I try to improve my playing.
For each little mission, I share my plan, make detailed updates about successes & failures, and then summarize with a conclusion.
Here are the experiments, past, present & future.
- Cartoon Gravity. (39 days) Experiment Log – Summary
- Running a click at my solo show. (From now on).
- Playing blindfolded for any practicing that doesn’t require reading or seeing the computer. (For 1 month)
- Get charts from a jobbing band, read & learn pop songs for 60 minutes/day. (Until I’m ready to sub on the gig, probably 3 months).
- Daily fingerstyle technique lessons. (30 minutes x 30 days).
- Write 30 solos for 12 jazz standards. (One song per month, one solo per day, for one year).
- Flashcards with chord spellings, scale degrees, Nashville #s, and transposing progressions. (30 minutes x 30 days).
- Putting my singing under the microscope. (60 minutes of recording & listening x 90 days).
- Learning to sing harmony. (Daily mission, submitted to mentor x 90 days)
- Working through Improvisor’s OS in its entirety. (60m day x 1 year).