Practice This! is an educational project of Earshot Jazz with sponsorship from The Seattle Drum School. Each month in Earshot Jazz a new lesson by a different local jazz artist will appear for students to learn from and for non-musician readers to gain insight into the craft of improvising.

Using Technology for Practicing
Using computers and new technology to be more creative with your practicing and composition has never been easier. With free software like GarageBand for Mac and Acid XPress for PC, you can start creating in minutes. For more advanced computer users, there are a wide variety of programs to use, including a new free package called Pure Data that is at the forefront of creating adventurous electronic music. Just add an inexpensive microphone (less than $100), and an audio interface to your software program of choice, and you are ready to go.

Remembering that these tools are here to help you be more creative, one of my favorite uses for this kind of technology is to sing whatever it is that I’m hearing – bass line, melody, drums, counter line – into the computer, and keep singing in new layers, as I’m able to directly link to what I’m hearing and express it. Using the multi-track recording function of my software, I can layer these ideas to hear a more complete realization of my composition. I can also use multi-track software to experiment with how an arrangement flows, changing the length or placement of certain sections.

More related to practicing a specific idea, I can use the built-in effects in these tools to give what I am practicing context in some way, be it a single pedal tone, an open fifth, or harmonic structure. Whether I’m experimenting with untempered tunings, or practicing more structured kinds of sounds, setting up a drone to practice against can be very rewarding. I also enjoy recording a simple idea into the computer, playing it back with a delay effect, and trying to play the resulting idea on my instrument. The delay helps create abstract patterns that we wouldn’t think to play on one instrument, but certainly can and should. For experimentation purposes, I recommend Pure Data as being the most expansive and experimental. But remember – these tools are just that: tools to help you get to the music inside of you.

You can get started using free software and a cheap microphone in minutes. Start recording yourself on some level. Record with your voice, or primary instrument, or whatever makes you feel comfortable. You can use these tools to realize your dreams of a symphony, 90-piece rock band, or a power trio. But the key is to start – start recording something into your computer. But don’t forget to press record!

Kevin Nortness is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and sound designer, currently in residence at the Seattle Drum School Georgetown. In this installment of Practice This! he discusses how to use technology to enhance practice sessions.