WOODWINDS
Jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator Jim Brenan is an Associate Professor at Mount Royal University
in Calgary, AB. His dynamic performances have garnered acclaim from worldwide audiences. In 2014,
his album January won a Western Canadian Music Award. His latest work, The Jim Brenan 11 Featuring
Chris Andrew, was released in February 2018.
By Jim Brenan
Fixing a Problem
My name is Jim. I have a problem.
hen I meet new students, I’m of-
ten asked to help “fix” a problem.
This in itself takes some time to
figure out, and then a bit more
time to work out a solution. Achieving success
is helping the student understand what the
problem is and realize that the solution, through
consistent practice, will solve the problem. And
therein lies my problem: over the last number of
years, I have found the same solution again and
again. About 90 per cent of issues that students
have can be solved with a focus on fundamen-
tals, good practice habits, and a consistent work
ethic. Without these elements, progress and/or
success can be difficult to attain.
As a young student, I sat in a practice room
working on the next item my teacher assigned:
scales, chords, and transcriptions, which all
amounted to time on the horn figuring out
where to put my hands. Unfortunately, I wasn’t
the brightest student, but what I lacked in the
understanding of how to accomplish the objec-
tive, I made up for with a stubbornness to sit in
a room until I figured it out.
There were some positives, though. Through
transcription, I was able to discover the musi-
cians I liked, and through a lot of inefficient
technical practice, I gained an understanding
of “where to put my fingers.” Ultimately, though,
my learning process was flawed. I would need to
keep revisiting the material as I would regularly
forget my scales and chords. During solos, I was
hoping that the “muscle memory” I’d heard so
much about would kick in to save the day. It
wasn’t until I spent time with the biggest influ-
ence in my musical life, Ralph Bowen, that I was
able to understand that a solid foundation did
not rely on muscle memory, hope, or a faulty
memory, but rather a deeper understanding
– a conscious awareness of what I was doing.
W
The Threshold
Ralph’s approach was eye-opening and simple:
• practice slowly while remaining
constantly aware of what you were
doing;
• practice everything in small cells
(bite-sized chunks), and;
• practice until you met your thresh-
old … the illusive threshold.
The first two elements took very little time to
figure out and the results were immediate,
but the third element took some time to work
out. Threshold can be defined as: “a level,
point, or value above which something is true
or will take place and below which it is not or
will not”. Uh, sure, but how do I relate that to
my practice routine?!
The trick for me was determining where this
threshold started, what “met” my threshold. At
first it was focused on tempo, to play as cleanly
and as quickly as possible. I spent a good amount
of time here, but then it expanded to equality
of skill through all 12 keys. Or, could I play ev-
erything I knew in 12 keys at the same tempo
comfortably? (Hello, A flat!) And finally, how con-
sistent can I be in every musical situation with
regards to tuning, tone, reading, improvising
(stylistically, including language), and time? I find
that the best way for me to meet my threshold is
through fundamental practice every day.
I should point out that I wasn’t naturally
gifted, and quite frankly, I didn’t have a musical
bone in my body, but understanding the con-
cepts Ralph taught me gave me hope that I could
one day become the musician I wanted to be.
My Practice Routine
Practicing can be rewarding, but it can also be
frustrating, boring, and unproductive. I make
an effort to keep my practice sessions mov-
ing, realizing that I may not reach my goal
every day. That said, I do practice certain exer-
cises every day the same way to completion.
The Warm-Up
We all have one. At times, mine has been
lengthy, including any manner of skill-devel-
oping exercises to help build up a weakness.
For decades, I practiced overtones on the
horn to help build a sound, but it also helped
my ears work out some tuning issues and
had the added benefit of helping me work
through the altissimo register. I no longer
work on them but instead practice a modified
version of Caruso’s long tones.
Carusos are traditionally known as a trumpet
exercise but work really well for woodwind play-
ers as well. Carusos are interesting in that the
focus is on the development of stamina for your
embouchure; by never releasing your embou-
chure you are putting strain on your “chops.” This
strain will lessen over time while developing a
stronger embouchure.
On the saxophone, most tuning/tone is-
sues are related to your embouchure’s lack of
strength. An embouchure that cannot hold the
mouthpiece has little chance of playing in tune.
After 8-10 minutes of long tones, I move on to
focusing on flexibility.
Ex. 1 is a modified Caruso exercise. Try it with a
metronome (I like 60 bpm), being sure to breathe
only through your nose and to not move your
embouchure (especially through rests).
I like to play three rounds of this, starting
each new round on a new note. (This example
starts on G but because it’s based on chromatic
movement, you can start on any note.)
As with any practice, the warm-up is only
the beginning. Check out part two next issue to
discover the meat and potatoes of the routine,
a fundamental approach of technical practice.
Good times!
Ex.1
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 29