finishlineEvery jazz student I've ever met (myself included) is in a hurry. We all want to get better – and fast. In the last two posts, I've talked about the way this can impede our development by causing us to flip-flop from one thing to the next, driven either by the fear that we're practicing the wrong thing, or that what we're doing isn't working. If you want to check those posts out first, you can do so here and here.

Because everyone wants to be better now, I'm starting a new series called Power Tips. Like Quick Tips and Hidden Gems, these posts will pop up from time to time and they'll focus on things that will yield an immediate improvement in your playing.

(btw I am aware I haven't written any Quick Tips or Hidden Gems for a while, but rest assured there are some in the pipeline for the coming weeks!)

Before I post the first Power Tip, let me first make a point about instructional methods. Most students, even if they're teaching themselves, are following some kind of method. Whether the method comes from a teacher or a tuition book, the goal is likely to be to help you develop as an all-round musician in the long term.

This is a very sensible approach and if you follow the advice and put in the work, chances are you'll eventually end up as a monster player. However, if you're in a real hurry to see big improvements in your playing, it's important to realise that all methods are developed with the benefit of hindsight.

In other words, the person developing the method, didn't follow that method themselves to become the player they are. What they have done, is looked at all the skills they have developed over the years and tried to codify them into a linear and logical method.

There's nothing wrong with this but the reality is that most musicians' development isn't linear but organic and often sporadic. With this in mind, if you're patient and looking to develop solidly and completely as a musician then stick to the methods – they'll certainly do that for you.

However, if you’re looking to make improvements that will be immediately noticeable, and by that I mean on-the-next-gig kind of noticeable then Power Tips could help you out. I'm going to post the first tip immediately after this to get the ball rolling. I hope you find them useful.