Practice

Love to practice? Who doesn't?

One of the shibboleths in life is you don't get better without practice. It doesn't matter the discipline or activity or sport: you've got to put in the work. There isn't a revered musician, athlete, writer out there who didn't put in the time. Even with those rare skill sets or genes, or whatever you ascribe to gifted individuals, it wasn't enough: there had to be practice. Whatever you think of Kobe Bryant, he was obsessive about doing the work to be the best basketball player he could be. The same is true for Charlie Parker or Van Cliburn.

Now does that help when you're my age and attempting to be something you've never been, a lead guitarist, in your performance life?

It does, I guess, and is unavoidable unless you don't mind being terrible in front of friends and strangers. I'd prefer not to be terrible.

Ths doesn't mean I haven't ever done any lead work; I have, but I've rarely played a lead line during a show-it's tough as a one man band. And that matters; if you haven't done it, you don't have it your head, which directs your fingers, which allows you to be great, competent, or terrible.

So, it's practice, practice, practice.

©2020 David William Pearce