The importance of practice
Posted: 9 Jan 2004 3:33 pm
This post is not intended for “polished” players; it is intended for those of you who are relatively new to the steel guitar. The older guys may think it is trite, but I don’t care. I just want to do what I can to help the younger generation. The world needs steel guitar players, and you younger people are the future of the music world.
My case is an extreme one, but I believe it serves as a good illustration of the importance of practice. I decided to post my “story” for the benefit of any up-and-coming young steelers who have to force themselves to sit behind their instrument for hours at a time.
I played steel professionally for about 17 years, surrounded by excellent musicians on other instruments. I practiced at every opportunity, although a lot of time was on the road going from one gig to the next. I became moderately proficient and built up a relatively fast right hand during those years.
Then I quit music and rarely even touched an instrument for over 40 years. When I retired from my “day job” in May 2003 my wife bought me a D10 8+4 and a Nash 1000 amp and I began trying to get my hands back in shape. For the first few weeks I couldn’t even get through “The Waltz You Saved For Me” without major mistakes – mostly associated with manual dexterity. Most of my music knowledge still resided somewhere in the back of my brain, and came back pretty quickly as I brushed away the cobwebs. But execution (especially with the right hand) was a major problem. I have been saying for months that “I can still remember all of my hot licks; I just can’t get there in time.”
But I have been determined to recapture the joy of playing steel with real bands and real musicians. So, I have been practicing for 2 to 4 hours each day – including Sundays and holidays. I still can’t do the “speed picking” stuff like the real pro’s of today’s world, but after just seven months I can hold my own at jam sessions and steel guitar shows. I can see the practice starting to pay off big time. So, the benefit of regular practice is very clear to me. Hank Garland, an old friend of many years, was a teen ager when I first met him, and was playing some nice stuff on lead guitar -- but he wasn’t setting the world on fire. But he practiced eight hours each day, and within just a few years had become one of the best guitarists in the world. Even the great George Benson was a follower of Hank, and Hank wound up in New York playing with the super jazz jet set such as the legendary Charlie Parker. He didn’t get there through any magic formula or short cut; he got there by practice, practice, practice. Don’t ever underestimate the value of practice.
When you practice, don’t just keep going over the stuff you can already do, spend at least half of the time trying to reach beyond your present abilities. Push the envelope. Pick a lick you “wish” you could play and keep at it until you can play it. Then still keep at it until you can play it flawlessly. Then move on to another lick. Learning to play like the pros is like eating an elephant. You can do it if you take one bite at a time.
The best advice I can give young steelers is the advice I used to give my students: If you enjoy playing but don’t enjoy the learning process, you will never become great. You have to enjoy learning – and you have to enjoy practicing. There is no substitute for practice.
My case is an extreme one, but I believe it serves as a good illustration of the importance of practice. I decided to post my “story” for the benefit of any up-and-coming young steelers who have to force themselves to sit behind their instrument for hours at a time.
I played steel professionally for about 17 years, surrounded by excellent musicians on other instruments. I practiced at every opportunity, although a lot of time was on the road going from one gig to the next. I became moderately proficient and built up a relatively fast right hand during those years.
Then I quit music and rarely even touched an instrument for over 40 years. When I retired from my “day job” in May 2003 my wife bought me a D10 8+4 and a Nash 1000 amp and I began trying to get my hands back in shape. For the first few weeks I couldn’t even get through “The Waltz You Saved For Me” without major mistakes – mostly associated with manual dexterity. Most of my music knowledge still resided somewhere in the back of my brain, and came back pretty quickly as I brushed away the cobwebs. But execution (especially with the right hand) was a major problem. I have been saying for months that “I can still remember all of my hot licks; I just can’t get there in time.”
But I have been determined to recapture the joy of playing steel with real bands and real musicians. So, I have been practicing for 2 to 4 hours each day – including Sundays and holidays. I still can’t do the “speed picking” stuff like the real pro’s of today’s world, but after just seven months I can hold my own at jam sessions and steel guitar shows. I can see the practice starting to pay off big time. So, the benefit of regular practice is very clear to me. Hank Garland, an old friend of many years, was a teen ager when I first met him, and was playing some nice stuff on lead guitar -- but he wasn’t setting the world on fire. But he practiced eight hours each day, and within just a few years had become one of the best guitarists in the world. Even the great George Benson was a follower of Hank, and Hank wound up in New York playing with the super jazz jet set such as the legendary Charlie Parker. He didn’t get there through any magic formula or short cut; he got there by practice, practice, practice. Don’t ever underestimate the value of practice.
When you practice, don’t just keep going over the stuff you can already do, spend at least half of the time trying to reach beyond your present abilities. Push the envelope. Pick a lick you “wish” you could play and keep at it until you can play it. Then still keep at it until you can play it flawlessly. Then move on to another lick. Learning to play like the pros is like eating an elephant. You can do it if you take one bite at a time.
The best advice I can give young steelers is the advice I used to give my students: If you enjoy playing but don’t enjoy the learning process, you will never become great. You have to enjoy learning – and you have to enjoy practicing. There is no substitute for practice.