Practice and Performance
Over the past few months I’ve been practicing fairly intensely for 1 Uppers and Dudley Manlove Quartet performances. Both bands hold regular practices together (more so with the 1 Uppers) but I’ve also been putting in a lot of time on my own, memorizing material and working to improve the accuracy of my execution. I have been noticing the dividends in live performances with both bands; ideas area moving more easily from mind to fingers, and I’m much faster at recognizing / improvising as the music evolves.
One of my objectives for regimented practice has been to increase my picking and fingering accuracy, especially at speed. I don’t do very much shredding in either of my bands but I do get a few moments in DMQ where I can cut loose with a big solo, and it’s fun to have those chops available. I have been working on economical sweep picking and tapping exercises on my own, which seems to be improving my general picking technique. It’s very satisfying to have this investment of time bearing fruit. I’m looking forward to spending more time on jazz chord study, and on developing a stronger command over melodic minor playing.