tito silversax

Free ten-minute music practice

Give one note ten minutes of your attention.

A small place to begin when practice feels crowded. Listen for three minutes, spend six with a single note over a steady drone, then take one minute to reflect.

Bring your instrument or your voice, or spend the whole ten minutes listening.

Three-page PDF + ten-minute MP3. Free for personal practice.

A first contemplative music practice

One Note,
Ten Minutes

Three-page guide + ten-minute Arrival drone

From the guide

Play your home note once. Let it end fully, then listen before repeating it.

Hear 30 seconds of the drone

Starting notes

D for concert-pitch instruments

E for B-flat instruments

B for E-flat instruments

What's included

A practice you can return to tomorrow.

Read the guide once and press play. Your audio player's clock keeps the time.

Follow the three-page guide

Find your home note, follow the timed steps, and use the reflection prompts to notice what changes.

Play with the Arrival drone

A steady ten-minute MP3 to listen or play along with. It fades near the end and leaves thirty seconds of silence.

Move from listening into playing.

0:00 to 3:00

Settle, listen, visualize

Three minutes with the drone before you play.

3:00 to 9:00

Explore one note

Six minutes with one familiar note, with as much space between sounds as you like.

9:00 to 10:00

Reflect

One minute with the reflection prompts as the drone fades into silence.

The guide gives you the timings. Pause or stay with listening whenever you need to.

From Tito

A small way back to your instrument.

I'm Tito Silversax, a saxophonist based in Cleveland, Ohio. This session is adapted from Arrival, the first of ten journeys in A Contemplative Music Practice in a Box.

Start with one sound you know. Return tomorrow and notice what you hear differently.

Before you begin

A few practical questions.

Do I need to improvise well?

One note is enough to begin. Use your instrument or voice, or spend the session listening. Leave as much space between sounds as you like.

What instruments does it work with?

Use an instrument that can sustain or repeat a note. The guide includes starting notes for concert-pitch, B-flat, and E-flat instruments.

Is it religious?

This practice grows from my contemplative faith. The guide includes an optional invitation to prayer, and you can approach the listening from your own beliefs.

How do I get and use the download?

The confirmation email has a button that downloads the guide and audio together. Unzip the file and read the three-page guide, then open the MP3 in your usual audio player and follow its timer.

Begin with one note.

Get the PDF guide and Arrival drone for your next ten minutes of practice.