How do you know what to practice?

That lick is telling you how you feel about the music, not how Coltrane felt about the music.

If you’ve ever found yourself in the practice room, horn in hand, thinking “What should I work on?”, this fantastic mini-master class from Hal Galper is for you.

Some points to listen for:

• Where he learned vocabulary
• How he learned solos
• What you need to be doing 28 hours a day
• The real purpose of external information
• The reason you’re attracted to particular players (and the important information that gives you about yourself)
• What art is supposed to teach you
• Why he did not want to study Bill Evans‘ playing
• His meticulous approach to deep listening
• What you didn’t know about harmony
• His “first rule of practicing”
• Whether or not to use a schedule or routine (hint: I practice the way he describes)
• 10:25, 10:25, 10:25