When many young (and not-so-young) musicians first gain some facility on their instruments, they often want to play all the time. The sheer joy of making their own music and sounding good on their ax is irresistible. They noodle constantly"before the song, during the song, after the song, when someone else is talking, when no one is talking, even when they're talking themselves. Maybe you play with one or two musicians like this in your own bands, or perhaps you have them as students. While their enthusiasm and energy are certainly great assets"and you'd never want to put a damper on them"this is not the best approach for an aspiring monster jazz musician. Your playing, and therefore your practicing, must have focus.
But how do you choose a topic to focus on? There is a seemingly endless list of stuff to practice: tone, articulation, swing feel, learning tunes, transposing tunes, improvising over changes, improvising free, etc. It can be overwhelming when you think about it. That might be why many musicians €practice€ the same tunes or exercises all the time. They know they can improve in many areas, but they don't know where to begin, and so they fall back on what's familiar. While repetition is certainly a key component in the learning process, after a certain point repetition simply becomes a rut. The best kind of practice forces you out of your comfort zone. You have to work on the unfamiliar and the difficult in order to improve. And so the musician who always practices the same stuff is just as unfocused as the player who can't stop noodling. They both need to bring some purpose into their musical lives.
Practicing with purpose means being conscious of what you're playing. Whether it's a new tune, a tricky chord progression, or an unusual rhythmic feel, it's a topic that you have specifically chosen to focus on. I'll even go out on a limb here and say that what you practice is less important than how you practice it. Working on any reasonable topic will only make you a better musician. But working consciously, carefully, and consistently will make you a monster musician.
So choose any practice topic that intrigues you. If you have trouble coming up with something, record yourself playing your instrument and listen back (see Lesson 11 for more details)"I guarantee you'll discover several aspects of your playing that you want to improve. Then, set aside at least some time in every practice session to work on your topic of choice. Stretch yourself: try things that are difficult, explore areas that seem just out of reach. Play slowly"this is one of the best things you can do when practicing new concepts. Slow tempos give you time to think, to adjust, to get your body in synch with your mind. And be patient with yourself. The most profound learning experiences can be difficult. Your weaknesses will be exposed like never before. But don't let that discourage you. Continue on your path, knowing that you have already achieved a new level of musicianship, and even higher levels are right in front of you.
Now you're practicing with purpose.
Action Step: Choose a musical topic that is challenging for you. If you are a beginner, this does not mean improvising over Giant Steps at 300 bps. A challenging topic is one you can work on, but with some difficulty. Focus on this topic every day, even if it is only for a short time. Before you begin practicing, think about what you hope to accomplish that day in your pursuit of this topic. After you have finished practicing, ask yourself what you actually learned about your topic. The €before€ and €after€ meditations might often be quite different, but that's perfectly fine. The important thing is that you're practicing consciously, with a purpose. Before you know it, your playing will be more musical than you ever imagined it could be.