What Is A Good Practice Routine?

Dr GO

@Dr-Mark said in What Is A Good Practice Routine?:

@Kehaulani said in What Is A Good Practice Routine?:

When you're a pro, there can be a tendency to be hard-core.

You sure got that right! There are times my approach to practice seems more athletic than artistic.

The only athletics to my practice routine is the 2 hrs chest and abs BowFlex routine I do prior to my trumpet routine which is then totally artistic.

Vulgano Brother

My old routine:

Charlie Butler Routine (flowstudies, tongued scales.) Took around 45 minutes.
If I had a hard gig that night, I'd stop there. After Butler, "Total Range" last lesson. Arban multiple tongue studies, double tongue until the tongue got spastic, then the same with triple tongue. Upcoming concert material. Close before a long concert (brass quintet) I'd just do the Butler, rest a bit, and play through the concert music without getting tired.

Sometimes for fun, I'd transpose Clarke into weird keys.

@Dr-GO said in What Is A Good Practice Routine?:

2 hrs chest and abs BowFlex routine I do

Two hours! Damned, that's impressive.

ROWUK

A good practice routine is something that does not necessarily make me feel good. It is a serious collection of things that make the player „better“. Routine for me is not the same thing every day either. If I have gigs with more extended upper range requirements, I do range exercizes every second day or so. Technical studies I often treat the same way.

What is most important to me is the frame of mind, the idea of not wasting a note, containing lesser controlled behaviour. If I am on a run with great results in a specific area, I allow myself to keep moving in that direction instead of being submissive to a recipe.

I do have some basics that I do play every day. That is far from the complete daily pensum however. The daily stuff I call „circle of breath“. It is posted elsewhere here.

tmd

@Dr-Mark said in What Is A Good Practice Routine?:

What does your routine look like?

Since college, I've divided my routine into 3 sections -- working on the chops, technique, and music. I currently spend about 30 minutes in each area.

Embouchure - long tones, tonguing, lip slurs, etc. , mostly from "Trumpet Solfeggio", sometimes using Clarke or Arbans.
Technique - Scales, patterns, etc., mostly from "Patterns For Jazz".
Music - Memorizing and practicing jazz standards.

Mike