Why I like to Practice

[Bill McCloskey]

Why I like to Practice

Everyday I sit down to my Mullen G2 D10 9x9 and I practice for hours. Here is why:

When I practice I don’t feel 71. I don’t feel old. I feel young.

When I practice I don’t hurt standing and walking. My knees haven’t been replaced, I don’t have to pee 4 times a night. When I practice, I’m 20, working on a lick.

When I practice, my body is getting better at something, not falling apart. When I practice, my mind is engaged and learning, not trying to remember “what’s his name who was in that thing”.

When I practice, there is no politics, family issues, regrets, disappointments, worries. No fear of death and dying. No cancer. No pills to pop.

When I practice, all is right with the world.

What a gift we’ve been given.

[Pete Finney]

Very well put, Bill! I'm sure many will relate, as I do.

That's why I personally tend to refer to it, and usually think of it, as simply "playing" as opposed to practice - something done for its own sake and not primarily to reach some goal. Of course sometimes it is done to learn something specific for a specific reason (a particular gig or something) and to me that's a slightly different mindset. All good...

Thanks for the great post.

[Doug Taylor]

Well said Bill

[Ian Rae]

I hate practising. What I like is figuring out how to contribute to a new song, because that's creative. I have adequate technique after 12 years to satisfy the other band members, although now and then I discover some new trick or lick, as this instrument is an endless source of treasure.
My old trombone teacher said "Don't practise stuff you can play".
I have been a performer since my teens, and that's the age I feel once I'm on a gig.

[HowardR]

Bill, I feel the exact same way when you practice......not a worry in the world and it frees up my time to pursue many other idiocies that I seem to get into.....please keep up the good work!.......

[Lee Rider]

The Zen of practicing is enticing!

[Bobby Martin]

I agree with Lee about the Zen-zone when "noodling" and practicing specific solos and kick-offs. At 73 I'm still the 23 year old with my student Maverick focusing on the sounds that I heard Tommy Hannum and Buddy Charleton make that hooked me. Same thing ridin' a motorcycle on the open road. Like going in to a trance except a lot safer sittin' at your pedal steel!!

[Fred Treece]

Excellent post, Bill.

A relative of mine once told me she was jealous of my musical “ability” because practice/playing/performing is an endeavor that requires being “in the moment”, with the weight of all other worldly matters set aside. It was an astute observation from a non-musician, and an aspect of musicianhood that I too often take for granted.

Regarding the “don’t practice what you know” advice, well that leaves just about everything on the table for me
I like “to know and to not do is to not really know”.

[Brooks Montgomery]

Excellent observations. It’s sort of like our yoga.
Or as I jokingly call it: “NOGA”

“I can stretch, if I have to. ..I guess”

(in Red Green’s voice)

[Marshall Woodall]

words to live by-

[J D Sauser]

I’m turning 60 next month. Some folks will say, “You’re still YOUNG!”—and honestly, I feel pretty great. I’m 175 lbs, quit smoking 30 years ago, and have a clean bill of health.
Sure, my back has been grumbling for most of my life, but as long as I feed my chiropractors wherever I go, I can manage.
I LOVE practicing music. Now that I have more time and fewer “must-attends” in life, I’ve shifted my practice sessions to the mornings—right after breakfast. I am fresh and open to new things and there’s something magical about starting the day with sound.
Playing any instrument reasonably well keeps your brain active. It’s like physical exercise: the less you move, the less you can move.
Recently, I started taking creatine—4 grams a day. Research shows it also helps with brain function, and I’ve noticed a little boost in energy and yes, even a bit more “brightness” upstairs.

Now, I’m finally diving into something I’ve wanted to do for years: designing and building my own pedal steel guitars. I moved all my tools and machinery down to my Caribbean place, so the adventure begins!

Our youngest son is 14. My wife is 45 (and looks even younger), but to him, we’re just… “OLD.” I get it. When I was his age, I looked at people in their 50s and 60s and thought, “No thanks—I’d rather live fast and full.” Well, I have lived. More than most I know. I’ve called many countries home, have seven kids I KNOW OF, scattered across three continents—and been able to do my best to be financially responsible for all of them.
Now, I can sit here in my music room in the middle of the day—surrounded by guitars, a B3 clone, a freshly rebuilt 1970 Wurlitzer 200, and a bunch of other noisy toys—and realize: Hey… the kid inside is still very much alive.
Yes, after a couple of hours at the steel, I’ve got to stretch my back (playing standing at a console helps—too bad it doesn’t have pedals), but I can play, I am learning, and I’m finally developing the style I always dreamed of.

So here’s my mantra: Practice—but practice well. Always aim higher. Always look further.
I need that. And I enjoy it.
Learning jazz and how to improvise—trying to play the “stuff” that’s bouncing around in my head—is an emotional rollercoaster. But doing nothing? That would be an emotional train wreck.

Still some mileage left!... J-D.

[Don R Brown]

You're only as old as you feel, J D. (this morning, for example, I'm 102 )

Seriously, you don't slow down because you get old. Rather, you get old because you slow down. Obviously things don't always work out within our control, but stay active both mentally and physically to the best of your ability and maintain a positive attitude.

[J D Sauser]

You're only as old as you feel, J D. (this morning, for example, I'm 102 )

Well for a guy well into his 150's, I assume that's a GOOD day, right Don?

[Mike Neer]

Music has been an escape for me since childhood. It is a safe space where nothing else matters. That hasn't changed.
It is also probably one of the reasons why I have always been reluctant to become a career musician.

[Bobby D. Jones]

I like to sit and work songs with minor chords, And strange changes, To keep my ears tuned to hearing them. And figuring out how to play them up and down the neck. For different voicing. Here is a few I have worked.
Ashakon Farewell
Some Day Soon
Amarillo By Morning
Unchained Melody
Where Corn Don't grow
The Blame
Helps me keep this aging body and mind feeling younger.

[Larry Allen]

OK at 81 I love the challenge of transferring the songs from 60+ years of Guitar and Trombone bands to Pedal Steel. Keeps my brain working.. on my 1 gig a week I can pull out a couple I have figured out , did 2 BeeGees last week. keeps the other old band mates alert!!