The Three T’s
If you’re ever unsure of what to work on, here’s a guide to a self-directed practice session!

Transcribe

What???
Transcribing is the process of learning how to play music on your instrument by ear. It can either be written down in standard notation or memorized. Transcribing is a broad activity, and ranges from transcribing a small “lick” or an entire Big Band arrangement. 

Why do we transcribe?

-Transcribing is the best thing you can do to practice. By doing so, you work on your ears, technique, musical vocabulary, and notation skills, just to name a few. It’s like a musical multivitamin.

Got any advice?

-Use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to set up loop points so you can repeat what you’re trying to learn, again and again.

-Sing back what you’re trying to play! I get the notes in my ears first, then my hands.

-Jazz musicians like to transcribe “licks” and take them through different keys and fingerings- all with the hope they play it again in a future solo!
Tunes
I think I get this one. Go ahead and waste my time though.
-All this means is to learn songs well enough to play them with other people. In other words, have a “repertoire”.

Why do we learn tunes?
-Professional musicians across the world have a large number of “standards” they can play, in various styles - pop, jazz, rock, classical, etc - learning these “standards” - allows you to play with just about anyone.
-It’s the whole reason we do this thing!
Any advice?
-There’s nothing wrong with learning songs from books,songsterr, ultimate guitar, the real book, etc. However, try to mix it up - half by ear, half from books - it’s important to be able to do both.

-All songs follow formulas and cliches. The more you learn, the easier it gets!
-Break up a song into different sections, verse, chorus, bridge, etc, - work on these one at a time.

-Have a practice buddy/bandmate to learn songs with.

Technique

Whaddu I do?
Practicing technique, as it sounds, is working on the technical side of music- scales, arpeggios, sequences, all while aiming for good time and tone.

Why do we work on technique?

-”Woodshedding” scales, arpeggios, and other theoretical concepts creates a visual framework for understanding the transcriptions and tunes we learn.

-We get to play fast. 

Any advice? 

-Practice slowly and work your way up with a metronome.

-The number of scales, arpeggios, fingerings, etc, to work on maybe feels overwhelming and nearly impossible, but in reality, there’s a limited number of these in practical use. If you work steadily at it every day, you’ll gain proficiency sooner than you think (2-3 years).

Practical advice on The Three T’s

Alright, so that was all abstract and weird. How would I use that to practice?

I use the Three T’s to set goals for my own practice routine. 

Here’s a breakdown of three goals with the Three T’s.

-Transcribe - I learned Pat Metheny’s solo on “Police People”

-Tunes - I learned East of The Sun (jazz standard)

-Technique - I learned a diminished pattern I wrote in different fingerings, keys, and applications.

-With these goals, I don’t break them down into 1 hour chunks, but I could - 1 hour transcribing, 1 hour technique, you get the idea.

-Instead, I work on each until I complete them, and then set another goal. I find it more helpful to think of it that way b/c then I try to get the goal done, rather than just “clocking in” to practice.

I hope this all helps. Happy Practicing!