Woodshed as a verb means to me to practice a tough part until you can play it successfully. Since no one wants to listen to this process, it normally takes place somewhere that you can retreat to work in private, as in going out back to the woodshed.

I can normally play whatever I can think, but I did have to woodshed seriously one time before a concert. My band does not rehearse, and the pianist brought a new tune to perform the next day. Now, often a pianist or any other non-horn player may not have the same understanding of patterns and/or range issues that may be more difficult to finger on a horn. I took my part to the only quiet place I had (the sailboat), shut the hatches, and played it over and over, increasing the tempo until I could play it quite well. This was a great success, as the pianist counted off the tune way too fast, and I was the only one left standing at the end of the melody. Hey, it happens. Hooray for woodshedding.

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