Say it, then play it

One of the most important principles I come back to again and again in my teaching is something I call “say it, then play it.” I didn’t make it up. I learned it from several of my own musical mentors over the years—each of them coming from very different musical traditions. Some played Indian classical music, some blues or gospel, others folk or African drumming—but they all had something in common: they were rooted in the oral tradition.

Long before written notation took hold in Western music, music was passed down by ear, from one person to another. You listened. You sang it back. You felt it in your body before you ever tried to “figure it out” with your fingers.

That’s still the most direct and natural way to learn music. When I say say it, then play it, what I mean is: we use your voice to teach your fingers. You don’t have to be a “singer.” You’ve been using your voice to communicate since you were born—it’s the most intuitive, hardwired path between your brain and the outside world. So why not use that same pathway to learn music?

Instead of memorizing shapes and patterns on an instrument by rote, we engage your ear and voice first. You say the rhythm, you sing the phrase, you feel the groove. Then, once it’s alive in your body, your fingers can follow. It builds musical instinct, not just muscle memory.

This approach doesn’t just make you a better player—it helps you think and feel like a musician from the inside out.

Try this at home:
Pick a short phrase—maybe just a simple rhythm, or a little melodic idea you like. Say the rhythm out loud. Clap it, tap it, stomp it. If it has a pitch, hum it or sing it in your own way. Don’t worry if it’s not “in tune”—just get the shape and feel of it. Let it live in your voice and your body first. Then—and only then—pick up your instrument and try to play it. You might be surprised how much easier it is when your body already knows the way.