Basic Music TheoryThis is when you do your scales, finger-stretching exercises, long tones,
interval studies, chord progressions...whatever your teacher assigns you.
The list is nearly endless, but your time is limited. Keep time spent on
exercises down to about 1/3 of the session time you’ll spend playing.
If you’re a beginner and none of the above makes sense to you, don’t
worry, it will soon.
Long Tones
When I was a beginner in middle school, my mom made me practice
for half an hour every day, five days a week. Some of the time I hated
it, but I’m very grateful now. On the days I really didn’t want to be at
it, I would choose one note and play it for the entire half hour. Well, I
did stop to breathe now and then. If I got daring and a little less
stubborn, I might switch to another note. I didn’t know it, but I had
stumbled upon an essential ingredient to creating a good sound on any
instrument.
When you play long tones, take a huge breath (if you’re a wind player)
and play a note that is comfortable for you. Don’t let your mind
wander, though. Listen closely to the sound. Make it as perfectly clear
and clean as you are able. You’ll be surprised at the wavering and
crackles and hitches in your sound.
Experiment with different qualities of sound (bright, dark, open,
pinched, soft, loud, etc.)
If you’re a string player, long tones are equally important but done
differently. It’s a good way to improve your bowing, or to check your
finger position all the way up the neck on each string.
I take the time to mention long tones because they’re often neglected
and are important to achieve a good sound. And they’re so easy to do!
Especially for beginners. Three or four minutes is long enough. Do
them every day and you’ll soon have a great sound on your instrument.The Heart of the Session
Here is where you will do most of your work. This is the longest part of
your playing session. This is where you work on the song you’re learning
to perform. Use the tuner, the metronome and the tape recorder.