Greetings!

So it's been quite a while since I posted on here. I've been trying to decide what to post for a couple days.  The first thing that comes to mind is just to remind myself and anyone reading the value of focused, intentional practice.  I was reminded today that students who consistently put in the work are the ones who consistently reap the rewards.  In the professional gigging world that means that the folks who put in the work are the ones who get the calls for gigs.  Or recording dates.  Or any other means of advancing their craft and/or making money.

So why is it so often so difficult for people who aren't full-time performers to find the time to practice?

Personally, I know that when I come home from a day of teaching, I want to sit on the couch and drink a beverage with my dog by my side.  That's all I want.  The worst part about that is I am usually so tired from work and from listening to sound and noise all day the last thing I want is to make more sound. My ears are tired, at least as tired as the rest of me.

But wait, I'm a musician.

Not only am I a musician, I am a trombone player who loves his instrument.  I know the value of a good intense practice session.  I understand that consistent, focused practice does a great deal of good for my playing.

But sometimes I just can't do it.

Fortunately, I know there is an alternative, which brings me to the real point of this post:  relaxed, free-flowing improvised playing.

When I am truly exhausted, I know I can't put forth the mental effort to really buckle down and practice.  I learned this especially in my first couple years of teaching.  I would bring my horn to school, teach all day, and either play at the end of the day or during my planning period.  On the one hand, it was great to know that I could fit in practice wherever there was a spare moment, and in many ways I wish I had the little bit of extra time for that like I used to.  But on the other hand, I completely blew a solo performance  of a Bach Cello Suite in front of a small crowd at a church talent show (at my Dad's church) because I was trying to cram focused practice into somewhere it didn't fit.  I couldn't put the mental effort into truly working through the technical demands of the piece, so it was only halfway prepared at the time of the performance. While I knew I could play the piece, and made it through, I made way too many silly mistakes, including the worst one of all - losing my place.  I faked it well enough to sound like I was still playing Bach for the crucial second or two it took to find my place again, but it unnerved me such that I finished sounding far more worried than when I started out.

I swore I would never play a gig like that again.

Now, in many ways I can't avoid playing gigs that require squeezing in every last second of practice time regardless of my own fatigue or lack of focus.  It's a part of the life of a musician, especially one that has a full-time job that isn't focused on playing the horn all day.  Fortunately, for times when I'm not actively preparing something or working on a specific facet of my playing, I have a solution.

Picking up the horn and just relaxing while I play whatever happens to strike my fancy.

Yes, that sounds silly and ridiculously simple, but it's quite the change in direction. After spending so many years playing with such burning drive and intense focus about such minute aspects of my own technique and repertoire, I am far more interested in just playing for sound.

Sometimes that means I am playing music I have memorized, sometimes it's music I have worked on at some point, but more often than not it just means picking out something that sounds good at that moment.  Now, personally, I prefer low notes and warm sounds, so a lot of what I improvise is geared in that direction, but sometimes it means playing some soaring lines and moderately intricate melodies.  The best part is that I can pick and choose what notes are sounding good to me.  I especially like to do this in a simple minor key.  No fancy counterpoint or melodic phrasing, just some warm, soulful trombone playing to get the juices flowing.  I particularly like to do this in big, empty rooms with a long decay so that I get the most feedback in real time.

Now, you might ask what the real benefit is to doing this.  In some ways, it's just fluff - playing music that isn't particularly challenging and doesn't have a singular focus.  But more than that it connects me with the trombone, it connects me with the inspiration I feel from time to time that wants to create something moving.  It really helps me focus on my overall sound and feel for playing.  I am a firm believer that a musician's sound is something they are continuously working on, otherwise it will get away from them in the most nebulous of ways.  I want my sound to be as warm and relaxed as a hot tub filled with melted milk chocolate.  Playing free and relaxed is the best way to achieve that - not endless drills and etudes, not mindless (or mind-numbing) scales and arpeggios - just focused but relaxed sound and letting the music flow like a river through my horn.

I hope that reading this might inspire someone to relax and enjoy the sound of their own playing.  Perhaps a student will find a new passion for playing in trying to achieve their most free, relaxed playing while also creating something beautiful.

As for me, I have to go practice now.  Happy playing!