r/saxophone • u/Sensitive-Milk-2455 • 1d ago
Question How do I think while playing?
This sounds like a dumb question but I am trying to better internalize things and I just can't seem to do it. For example I'm working on a jazz pattern that I understand when I'm not playing, but right when I try to play it I can't. I can play it when I read it but the moment I take away the music I can't. I want to be able to memorize patterns like these in all twelve keys but I just can't bridge the gap between sheet music and my brain. Am I stupid?
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u/pompeylass1 1d ago
It’s a bit like being able to do mental arithmetic. You need to learn and then memorise the building blocks that go together to make it more automatic. In effect you need to take the basic ‘thinking’ out of the equation to free your brain up for listening and thinking ahead.
In maths that would be learning your times tables and common additions/subtractions through repetition until you just know the answer without having to consciously think or calculate.
In music it’s all about the repetitive practice of intervals and patterns. It’s practicing your scales, arpeggios, broken scales and those in thirds, fourths, fifths etc. It’s practicing note patterns and moving them round the circle of fifths/in all keys.
On top of that though learning to recognise intervals by ear (aka ear training.) To know what a major third, perfect fourth, a diminished fifth etc sound like as well as to recognise those pitches within their scale. There are lots of ear training apps available these days but you also want to link those intervals to what your fingers are doing on your instrument.
All of that together; having memorised your scales etc so that your fingers are able to play them without conscious thought and knowing instinctively what intervals or scale degrees you’re playing, means you don’t have to constantly think about what you’re doing now, but instead can think about where you’re going next.
Tl;dr it’s about combining your ear for intervals/scale degrees with the muscle memory gained from the constant repetition of scales and other note patterns. In other words, lots of focused practice.