Practice - Nothing Can Happen Without It

DH always wanted to play the guitar well. He loved, and still loves music, and owns several guitars that are on stands in various rooms of the house. As we were watching the final episode of the rebroadcast of "Country" last night, he said that he had always wanted to play guitar well but ... and then the excuses/reasons commenced. His fingers were too short. His fingers were too fat. He should have tried the mandolin instead of the guitar. Etc, etc. I commiserated with him and then went to bed. Why am I bringing this up? Because the one thing he didn't say was he didn't practice enough. 

Guitars are a beautiful instrument. I have one guitar - not a great
quality instrument, but good enough for my skill level. I haven't
played it for many years, though. I do love a well played guitar, though. 

It's a fact that not all instruments are perfect for all people. I played the guitar tolerably, and the flute horribly, and the cello with excellence. I found my instrument. But I also spent hours upon hours practicing my music, just as I spend whatever time I can spare on my art. Practice. That's the really important stepping stone to progress. You'll only get good when your hands and brain have practiced their dances so that the steps are intuitive. 

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has been making quite the stir in 

the world of top-level cellists. I was never at that level, although 

I did extremely well in High School, placing at the top of my 

age group for the state. I wasn't good enough and wasn't 

driven enough to carry it farther for a career, though. 

There are a lot of really excellent cooks out there - bakers, candy makers, and chefs. I am NOT one of them, but I guarantee the bread I was baking at the end of my sophomore year of college was better than the bread I was baking at the beginning of the year. The recipe didn't change, but after weeks of making two loaves a week, I got really good at it. I didn't have to check my recipe, I didn't have to think about how much to knead the loaves, I just did it, stuck them into the oven, and pulled out two perfect loaves every time. Practice. 

Not every chef has to be the next Gordon Ramsey, there are a lot
of different styles of cooking out there. Practice will pull almost 
anyone out of mere competency to excellence, however, if the
 desire is there. 

It's not enough to just want something. The want has to walk hand in hand with the desire and that desire has to take over a life to the point where every spare minute is dedicated to the goal of improvement. One thing in common for most of the talented musicians we were listening to on the documentary was they started young, and most of them took years to achieve a high level of skill. Years. Years of everyday practice. Years of practicing fingering, trying new riffs, and putting wraps around bleeding fingers. It's the only way. Practice might not make perfect, but it gets a person much closer to perfection. 

Not everyone is a painter or a weaver or a writer. But
if you have a great desire and drive to do one or the
other thing, you won't achieve your goals without
practice. Write for an hour, paint for an hour, draw
for an hour, practice music for an hour,
and do it every day. You'll get better
and better at your chosen craft. 

So today in your life, think about practicing something you want to improve for yourself. If it's music, pick up your instrument and practice for an hour or two. If it's artwork, grab that piece of charcoal or those paints or whatever your media and immerse yourself in art for an hour or two. If it's sports, grab a ball. If it's cooking, start a new recipe. Just DO it. Don't think about it ... DO it. 

Do it! Make it happen! Make the best pie, sew the best dress, or
be a great parent. That takes practice too. 

I'm off to the pool for a second day in a row. I should be doing floor exercises today, but I changed my mind and I'm going to swim instead. I suppose this is one way I practice - I'm there, exercising, five days each week almost without fail. I'm not great, but I'm working on it. I'm practicing. Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back on Monday.