Practice

There is an old saying – “Practice makes perfect” and it makes perfect sense to me. 

I think practice is highly underrated by too many people. Practice is not something that receives a lot of press. When you see actors and actresses at the Golden Globes, they don’t mention practice. And when you see artists and performers at the height of their success, few talk about what it took to get there....which is practice. It’s not glamorous because you tend to sweat a lot.

I read once that the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd practiced 17 hours a day in an old shed that did not have air conditioning. This went on for well over a year to perfect their performance.

Talent seems to get all the press. “Oh, she is soooo talented.” Or, “He is a gifted musician.”

But to me, the talent card is misused. “Oh, I could never write, sing, paint, dance, or perform like him/her, because they are so talented.” 

I know, without a doubt, that there are very talented people in this world. But I also know that study, hard work, and PRACTICE are the stepping stones to accomplishment. Vince Lombardy said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” The best way to chase perfection is through practice.

I’ve heard people say, “oh, he just picked up the guitar and started playing.” I can tell you without doubt or hesitation, that this is not true.  Yes, someone might have picked up a guitar and plunked out a simple melody on one of the strings (I actually, I did that when I first started playing) but that’s not playing a guitar.

What people don’t see, is when that person played the tune they thought to themselves, I can play this thing. 

They got excited and then spent countless hours going through the minutia of learning chords, learning what chords fit together, how to strum, how to hold a pick, building callouses on their fingers so they don’t bleed when they play, and all the other things that can only be accomplished through practice.

Of course no one sees all that stuff. All they see is someone who plays an instrument flawlessly and they lament -- oh, I wish I could do that.

Well here’s a newsflash for you -- you can do that....if you’re willing to pay the price. Worthwhile things are seldom free..

Practice can be painful. Jilda and I are working on a new set of songs and there are times I’m thankful we aren’t into violence. “I’m not sure what happened officer, he wanted me to do a harmony part that I didn’t like, so I accidentally cut off his head and all his limbs with a chainsaw.”

Now where was I — Oh yes, practice. Most of us harbor hopes and dreams. Here’s my advice, if you want to do something, then study, do your homework, associate with people who do what you want to do, and practice.

Yes there are a lot of talented people in the world, but you can bet those people have learned the value of practice.