I recently attended a Masterclass for musicians led by jazz guitarist Dan Wilson. For those of you wondering, I don’t play any musical instruments. I simply find musicians incredibly creative and jump at the opportunity to understand more about their world.
Dan talked about Woodshedding or Shedding. If you’re a musician, this is probably a familiar term to you, but it was new to me. It’s the process of learning a new piece of music. As Dan put it, you learn the first 2 notes, then the third, the fourth, and so on until you know the song.
The thing I admire most about musicians is their willingness to try new things. To receive a new piece of music and “head to the woodshed” to work through it. Very few musicians get a new song and play it the first time through.
Musicians take on challenges with dedication and gusto. Because they have a process, they know that with time, determination, and practice they will master the song.
Mitch Towne doing what he loves.
I reached out to my friend and talented organist, Mitch Towne, to learn more about this concept of “shedding.” He shared an article by Brian Fraser that included this quote from Texas sax player, Paul Klemperer:
“The term woodshedding in jazz means more than just practicing. It is a recognition of the need to sequester oneself and dig into the hard mechanics of the music before you can come back and play with a group in public….At the same time, woodshedding is a process of demystifying the music.”
I asked Mitch about his own practice of shedding a new song. For him, it’s about immersing himself in it. It’s about learning it note by note.
He listens to the song when he’s doing other things like walking his dog or driving the car. When he hits the tricky bits, he reaches out to others for help.
The more familiar he is with the song, the more comfortable he becomes with it. And the more comfortable he is, the more confident he becomes playing it with a group in public.
How do you handle new things? Do you jump in with gusto? Or maybe, if you’re like me, you go through a period of hesitancy and doubt. You overthink the work involved in learning something new, and the fear of failure creeps in.
It’s easy to forget to give yourself grace that this is simply a learning curve. Instead, you demand perfection from yourself as soon as you try it. At the first sign you won’t reach immediate perfection, you begin to back away.
Perhaps 2025 is the year you start to approach the unknown differently. Maybe you create time and space to sequester yourself and dig into the hard mechanics. You take the first step, then the second, third, and fourth….
You reach out to experts when you’re stuck – to get help past the tricky bits. You demystify the challenge until your confidence grows and you feel ready to play with others in public.
What new thing wants to come into your life in 2025? How might creating a shedding process to demystify increase your chances of success? And what new level might you reach in your life if you were courageous enough to do it?
And if you’re on the hunt for new music, check out Mitch Towne’s trio, SRT, or Dan Wilson on Facebook or streaming platforms.
Mitch at the piano with his muse.