Generally, the more I practice, the better I get. Practice is like that. Practice alone, however, doesn't necessarily make perfect. I have to keep practicing doing the right things.
Warming up this morning, I decided to look for excess tension (or rather aim for complete ease). I started by visualizing the playing, audiating the long tones. Gee ...
JIJO is an acronym that describes how computers work. It also describes how practicing works. JIJO is very dangerous when doing things for a long period of time.
For about about a week, I have been using a practice method that I am beginning to call "alternation exercises." In a methodical way, this method addresses the coordination of the physical and mental demands of brass performance. It is simple to apply these to any wind instrument. More creative individuals might apply the same general technique to strings and percussion ... perhaps even voice.
