I’m not quite sure what I am doing with this blog. I rarely have time to write. I spend most of my time in the practice room at home. Then, when I get good and frustrated there, I go out and ride my motorcycle. If writing did what riding the bike does for me, I would write more. It may be time for a change. It would be one among many I need to make.

When I started the blog, I wanted to track my progress as I improved on the horn. Then, I found it easier to track my progress on YouTube. So, what do I do with the blog? Well, I don’t know.

I find describing my practice habits in written form difficult and tiring, especially since I don’t have a routine. I have been so determined to learn jazz improvisation on jazz standards that I have neglected other things that might help me.

When I say I’m learning the tunes, I mean that I have learned/memorized chord progressions. I have analyzed how they work together and what chord scales work best. However, I don’t know things beyond what I remember from college, which was very long ago. So, I have acquired books in PDF form from various online jazz education sites. And they would be beneficial if I ever used them.

New musical ideas can be challenging to absorb. New ideas seem very difficult because they’re, well… new. They take me out of my comfort zone. And while I’m working on those ideas, I need help seeing or hearing how they will improve my improvisation. However, I have yet to practice any of the material long enough to know whether or not it is helpful.

The other thing is I need to know which materials to begin working with. Not knowing where to begin is very frustrating. So much of the time, I want to quit, but the desire to be a better player taunts me.

So, this year, I will have to make a resolution, start on some of that new material, and suffer through until I put a dent in it. Practicing things has never made anyone worse. It is going to be hard for me. Learning new things was challenging when I was in college and at the Armed Forces School of Music; however, I was motivated because of the consequences of failure. In college, I could lose my scholarship. With the Armed Forces School, I could be sent to the fleet without a designation, meaning I could end up anywhere in the Navy doing a job I didn’t want to do. So, I need to find a new motivation. The only consequence of failure now is I become an older amateur sax player.

Well, I can’t bear that.😕 So, I will learn new things in 2024!