Moving In and Unpacking

What to do next! So the new place is all cleaned up refinished and ready for business, now all I have to do is move everything in and get everything in its correct place. Let the dust settle then get working! The problem is there's just too much stuff to unload and then unpacking everything is going to clutter up the new place so bad that it will probably look worse than before we moved in! Add to that where to put everything! What a nightmare that can be, there's only so much free space to work with. Oh great, here comes that "overwhelmed" feeling again. Well then this is a good time to take a break and hey I'll have more clarity tomorrow morning! Oh wait, its only 10 am.. Hmmm...


So this is me right now, KNOWING what needs to be done but making it into such a mountain that I find it hard to even attempt moving one pile of junk into the other room or even just throw it away! Sound familiar? So yea here comes the music thing... Ok so I have all these basic foundational things that need to be done, but not just done, MASTERED! I mean really get this down deep so the fingers and heart play the notes, not me thinking ok here comes the ii V I. So I turn on the beatbox, pull out the exercises and get playing them in all 12 keys. Ok one down! Whew I'm exhausted, I think I want a break now! Then comes that guilt and the overwhelming thoughts like "I'm too old for this" yada yada...


The first goal then, has to be getting to the house warming party! Yea that's it a party! Now we're talking, that would be fun! Here's the dilemma, how do we make the basic rudiments feel and seem fun and even enjoyable? You know something with an instant reward right? We're all about instant rewards aren't we? Nobody wants to wait 4-6 weeks for shipping these days! No, we pay premium so we can have it tomorrow! Same with our work etc.. Its easy to talk about but how do we address this, how do we stay inspired in the day to day grind. Its not like my job is going to pay me to practice at night after I leave work so theirs no monetary reward at least not yet. Most days I'm pretty exhausted from being at a computer all day, now I need to sit or stand in front of sheet music and metronome for how long each day? If I can turn this into "fun" then hey I'm there, isn't that a reward in of itself?


I don't think there's an easy answer to this, I wish it were easy but something keeps popping into my head.. Something from a movie. Yea that's it, "Million Dollar Baby"! In the movie, there's a quick scene with the actors talking in a boxing gym. Behind them is a huge poster that says simply "Winners do, what Losers Won't!".


So its getting later into the evening and I want to call it quits. I push myself for about 15 more minutes of intense practicing. NO NOODLING AT ALL!!! I've learned that is the fastest way to ruts and wasting time. So now with 45 minutes of solid "real" practice (learning mode) I have to take a break. I do something else for about 20 minutes and guess what? I'm thinking you know I could put in another 20 minutes at least. So this is how it is, some days I'll put the instrument down about 4 times but still pick it back up a little bit latter. I got the idea of shorter practice sessions from Kenny Werner the author of "Effortless Mastery" a book I think all non-prodigy musicians should spend some time on.


  Where is it written that you must practice for 4 hours each day without pausing? I used to do that when I was young but after a lot of reflection I realized that those "so called" practice times were also filled with a lot of random noodling and brainless rehashing of things I already knew! That's not "practicing" in the sense of becoming a master, that's staying where you are! Well I'll tell you I have come to  realize that I probably spent about 20 years of my life in that mode! Lets think about this, seriously! Aren't we all supreme masters of dental hygiene by now? I mean we brush our teeth everyday right, so we must have really improved on it? Hmmm.. interesting concept. Kenny Werner asked a simple question about "how much is enough/ how well do I need to know the basics etc.." then he said.. "How well does the tight rope walker know his craft before stepping out onto that wire"? Yikes! I think you get the point!


Stay tuned!