Bebop Calisthenics 1A

[david walker]

HI Richie,

I’ve been going through the summary of bebop calisthenics 1A for a couple of weeks now. My brain hurts. I come back the next day, and my brain hurts again as if I’ve never played this stuff. Is it normal for me to be struggling with this? I’ve been playing for years but my brain has trouble remembering this stuff. And I can only play along with you at half speed, but not without stopping and rewinding as I blow the notes. At what point do I move ahead to the studies? I feel this could take some time, at lot longer than two weeks! Just hoping that I’m not alone in this. Is it normal for people to struggle this long to get these neighbouring tones into their heads and fingers? Maybe I need six weeks? Or longer?

[Richie]

Don’t worry about the amount of time it takes to master a module or exercise, because everyone is at a different level! As a matter of fact, two out of every 3 subscribers to VOL 1, sign up to the course again for an additional year before moving on to VOL2. That’s because it is a college level program and each module is equivalent to almost 2 semesters. However, nobody here is studying music full time or necessarily comes in with the music background requirements needed to be accepted into your typical degree music school. So even though the membership lasts a year, the program except for a select few, is rarely completed in that period of time (even if you’ve been playing for years).

Having said all this, let me add that most students that graduate from a music college, usually have passed exams which prove they have a clear understanding of the theory and application of the concepts at hand. However, they will have to spend many additional years practicing and maturing said concepts in their playing. Trust me, I speak both from experience as a life long student, as well as professor at many schools.

The bottom line when it comes to your question regarding the mastery of the Calisthenics is, spend 4 to 6 weeks practicing them consistently. You don’t necessarily have to match the tempo I do them at. The most important thing is to play them at a slow to medium tempo, consistently without messing up.

Keep in mind that the calisthenics are meant to create fingering habits and help you understand the location of all the chord tones and how to use the given approach concept to target them. Once you feel relatively comfortable, its time to move on, as they are not an end in themselves, but instead a means to an end… to improvise music!

Also don’t worry, you will be using these concepts again and again in the Etudes, Rhythm Templates and other exercises to come. This will constantly reinforce their application in practice.

I hope this somewhat eases your concern regarding any slow progress you may experience. I also recommend you read my answers in the FAQ section under “bebop calisthenics” and “other” regarding this issue. Feel free to let me know if I can be of any further help!
Richie

[david walker]

Thanks Richie, that puts everything in perspective. Appreciate you taking the time!

[Author]

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