Today I will rest my body to avoid injury. I'm practicing drum kit, playing events, and practicing Mallet Kat many hours a week. I'm at my limit. Back in 2019 I wrote about the poor golfer who believed that if he practiced 10,000 hours he'd be a contender. His body had other ideas. You can revisit his plight below.  

David Story Teaching Blog - David Story, Online Piano Lessons from Toronto

See you tomorrow. 

Rick Dior gives a lot a material to work on between lessons. But I'm up to the challenge. So, I've organised my practice along the picture above. Not included is practice away from the instrument, namely deep listening, and band rehearsal, two key ingredients to making progress. 

1. Warmups. This takes about 20 minutes using Rick's instructions and hand outs. 
2. Technique. I work on his bebop pattern sheet by playing it along to recordings from the jazz canon or using a bass player from iReal pro. 
3. Brazilian, Latin, Funk, and Rock patterns from either books or transcriptions. These are areas of weakness that need to be removed if I'm going to be an effective drummer in the Metropolitan Silver Band. 
4. Sightreading. I'm an expert sight reader, so I don't spend more than a few minutes on this activity. 
5. Lifting drum figures and licks from recordings and YouTube videos. I usually do this in response to some need of the Metropolitan Silver Band or Kerr Street Big band. 
6. I work on weak areas of the repertoire for upcoming concerts with the Metropolitan Silver Band. 
7. I conclude by playing along with at least one track from a reputable source to conclude my practice. 

I practice everything with the metronome and evaluate my results through listening back or reading the score on my Roland practice app that is built into my TD-27 Sound module. 

It is time for the yearly stock taking part 2, the setting of new goals while considering my long-term goals.

1. Toronto Concert Band. These folks have standards, the music is challenging, the concerts are professionally produced, and it is fun.
2. Fade/Dissolve noise trio. The musical mayhem continues.
3. The Toronto improvisation scene including Audiopollenation, and the Toronto Improvisers Orchestra and friends.
4. Drum lessons.
5. Summer Jazz workshop. Every year I attend I learn new valuable ideas, strategies, and tactics for my students. 
6. Jam with my friends a few times a month. 
7. Continuing my university studies at Athabasca. What a surprise this has been. 
8. Continue Breakfast piano minutes. 
9. Keep working with the Malletkat GS. 

What are your goals?
David

Earlier in the year I posted this:
"Top 5 things I can do to grow as a musician in 2022

1. Listen only to recordings from the last 5 years
2. Practice my instruments daily
3. Compose more complex works
4. Start a group playing original music
5. Continue to take lessons, follow instructions, pay for feedback

​The goal is to update the sounds in my head for a more modern outlook, sound, and sensibilities."

How did it turn out? 

1. With so much crap competing for my attention online it was difficult listening to contemporary music but, listening to JazzFM in the car helped. 
2. I do practice daily. But it's mostly on percussion. In early fall I spent Saturday afternoons playing piano with a jazz group which was a tremendous help. This winter I will be playing piano in the Toronto Concert Band. Resuming my daily piano minutes is also worth considering in 2023. 
3. Composing took place with the group Fade/Dissolve and at improvised events. 
4. I tried putting a group playing original music together, but my old pieces sounded so dated and stale, aka 1990's, that I gave up on that project.
5. Drum lessons are roaring along. 

David

Top 5 things I can do to grow as a musician in 2022

1. Listen only to recordings from the last 5 years
2. Practice my instruments daily
3. Compose more complex works
4. Start a group playing original music
5. Continue to take lessons, follow instructions, pay for feedback

​The goal is to update the sounds in my head for a more modern outlook, sound, and sensibilities. 

1. Teaching online. Business is booming. One new student this week. I'm very grateful. 
2. Complete at least one more unit of the Royal Conservatory Online teaching certification.
3. Classical piano lesson on Tuesday. I beginning to see the results in my teaching. 
4. Drum lesson Friday. I'm at the stage where I fight for every inch of progress. But, my confidence in creating a jazz solo has gone way up. 
5. Piano/violin duets with my wife will be a high light this week. 
6. Daily practice on 2 instruments.

Looks like the covid thing will keep us locked up until the weather improves and we can play safely outside. Indoor playing looks suspended until further notice.  Damn. 

​David

1. Piano: practice my students' pieces to perfection. Jazz Trio with Rory and Tim.
2. Synthesizer: fun with my friends at Fade/Dissolve, Jacqueline Leung, Toronto Improvisors Orchestra, and the Array Crowd.
3. Drumming: Jazz Trio with Rory and Jim, Roland and Ed. Geez that's a lot of trios. Pursue a seat in a big band. Rock on with my mates in Burlington in our classic rock group, "The Vintage People". Plus jamming in the community as that opens up again. 
4. Composing for the Jazz and Synthesizer bunch. 

​
Those are all good reasons to practice, study, and dream. 
​
David

I want to change my time sense. I play on top of the beat. Drums and piano ride front and centre. I want to learn to control my placement, consciously and deliberately. At age 61, why not? If not now, when?

Metronome exercises

Drumming ideas from Lowell Whitty

1. On the beat
2. On beats 2 and 4
3. On beat 4, 2, or 3
4. One an “and” of any beat

Classical Piano From Jacqueline Ching-Ling Leung

1. One beat per measure in Chopin Mazurka in A minor
2. Then slightly ahead of beat one 
3. Then slightly behind beat one 
   1. Each phrase may have a different approach. The metronome stays steady. The score gives clues which approach to take.

This should keep me busy. 

David

Her retirement project? Violin. Started 2 years ago. Next month she plays her first violin exam. I will be accompanying. Our first world tour can't be far off now. 

This being throw-back Wednesday we present from last year: Batman Boogie Woogie