How to Practice the Piano Successfully Without Doing Penance

How to Practice the Piano Successfully Without Doing Penance

I’ve been playing the piano for a long time. Over xxxxx years!

Mrs. Ford was very patient with me, especially the years I just didn’t get “it.”

It’s hard to believe but I took lessons from her for almost 10 years. I convinced my parents, and her, that in my senior year of high school I would be too busy with band, the Senior Play, and all the activities of the year. So, I was able to take a year off and resume in college.

But, one of the things you are “supposed” to do as a piano student is to practice.

Each week Mrs. Ford would write down exactly what songs and exercises I was to practice.

It’s one thing to know what to practice.  It’s another thing to know how to practice.

There are a couple of ways to practice a new song, or even an old song.

One way is to target the harder sections and just work on a few measures at a time. You might do that 5 times, or 50 times. You don’t move on until you get it right.  Sometimes you may start with just three or four notes at a time, then gradually add more of that section to your practice.

Another way to practice is to start at the beginning of the song and play through until the end.  That way you learn how it sounds as a whole piece, because we all know that a song is more than just a few measures in a section. Also, going through the song in its entirety will reveal the weak areas that you need to go back on put in the time with.

As a kid or young teen you don’t know this stuff, at least I didn’t.  I just liked to practice the songs I could play well and write down that I had practiced for the allotted 30 minutes.

Piano, Practice, and Penance

 

Here is the critical mistake I would make in my practice time…

While I was playing the song, if I “messed up”
I would go back to the beginning and start over!

I doubt if Mrs. Ford told me to go back to the beginning of the piece if I made a mistake.

I apparently taught myself this flaw in learning. I think I looked at it as penance to punish myself for the mistake. It took me several years to unlearn what I had been doing.

The correct way to practice and play a song is like this:

            If you encounter a mistake while playing…KEEP PLAYING!

As a performer in churches, restaurants and weddings I have learned that most people do not even know if you make a mistake. They don’t have near the critical ear as you do! So, just keep playing.  Don’t stop.

The same is true in Life.

Oh, it would be great to have a “do-over.”

It would be great to have an Easy Button like Staples.

The truth is you get one shot at this life.  If you make a mistake, put it behind, learn from it, and move on.

You’ll get nowhere in the future if you keep looking in the rear view mirror of your life.

I know a lot of people who keep rehearsing their hurts, habits, and hangups.  I’m not against counseling.  I’m not against AA or Celebrate Recovery. But I think a lot of people just like to

hear the sound of their own voice!

So, if you make a mistake, like practicing the piano, don’t go back to the beginning. Move on.  Don’t beat yourself up.  You are only human. 

Everyone makes mistakes.  Just admit it. Keep going. 

Finish Your song!

Piano, Practice, and Penance

Former WWII POW had Dreams of a Better Life

My dad was born in a small town in Arkansas in the 1920s.
Never had much. Rural living mostly.
His mom and dad couldn’t offer him much and didn’t make much money.
But he had dreams that would take him out of Arkansas.

He hitchhiked to Shreveport, LA in the early 40s.
He had 50 cents in his pocket.
But he had dreams that he could have a better life.

He got a job taking photographs of people in the downtown area.
This was popular back then.  Take their photo, go inside a
a store and develop it, then sell it to the person whose picture you took.
He met my mom doing this. [Oh, later in life he became a part-time professional
photographer and even took pictures of Gene Autry and Annie Oakley and others.]

They were married about the time he got drafted into the Army Air Force.
He had dreams but Uncle Sam came calling for a tour of duty.


As World War II progressed he was sent to England to fly
bombing missions over Germany in a B-17 with the 306th Bomb Group, 369th Squadron.
He was the belly gunner.

On his last mission the plane was shot and damaged and the Captain made everyone bail out.

So, my dad jumped, or was pushed and landed in a body of water,  3 March 1944, crashing at Hausleiten, Austria.

The village people and soldiers were not happy with him, since the Americans had been bombing their town.

He was arrested and to make a long story short, was a Prisoner of War for about 18 months. [I could write more about this in another blog] He was held at one time at Stalag Luft 4.

My mom got a telegram that he was killed in action.  She was given a Purple Heart.


A few weeks or months later Mom received a letter from the Red Cross from my dad.
Can you imagine?  Thinking your husband was dead, but he’s alive?

They continued to write. He dropped down to 117 pounds or so. He was part of the Death March.
My dad had dreams and aspirations when he got out of Hitler's POW camp.

Former WWII POW had Dreams of a Better Life

After he was discharged from the service he settled in Shreveport and
they started a family there.

He worked various jobs, and took wedding photographs, and such.
Then he was hired by Sunray DX Oil Company. Ultimately this meant
a relocation of the family to Texas in 3 different towns.

And thirty something years later Dad retired from Sun Oil.

But what about my dad that has inspired this blog?

It was this:

Dad was always on the lookout for something that would
improve his “status” in life, provide a better living for
his family, and give him the satisfaction of knowing he
was improving as a person.

These are some of the things he did as I was growing up:

• He was the ice cream man on the bicycle. He had a cold
  box on the handle bars and would sell ice cream treats to
  the kids and people of our small town.
• He took photographs of weddings, ball teams, churches and
  even made oil portraits from photographs.
• He joined Amway and bought and sold their products.
• He took the Dale Carnegie Course for self improvement and
  public speaking. He even went to Miami, Florida in a public
  speaking contest.
• He sold and distributed greeting cards in stores.
• He and Mom opened up a thrift store in our garage. There was
  a lot of junk in there and it might have been the name of the store.
• He read books like Think and Grow Rich, See You at the Top, and
  other books for self improvement.  He listened to Earl Nightingale and
  Paul Harvey and Zig Ziglar.
• He went to college part-time to learn how to work on air conditioning
  for cars and homes.
• He had a dream of owning 10 rent houses.  He achieved that goal and
  had residual income from real estate.
• He gave away 20% of his income each month to his church and other charities.

Is there any wonder that I have a lot of the same traits as my Dad?

I’m always looking for the next thing….to be better…to make more money…to bless
others…to make a difference.

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didn’t just sit around watching TV all the time. He was in a constant state of
trying to improve himself and his income, to leave a better life for his family.
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Former WWII POW had Dreams of a Better Life

Don't Run Low on Fuel in the Journey of Life

In the Journey of Life don’t run Low on Fuel

Our white Lumina was traveling nicely along
the highway with our family tucked inside.

We had been having a nice trip – so far!
I’m not even sure where we were driving to,
but I believe it was Siloam Springs.  None the less,
we had left Louisiana in the day time and now
it was dark.

I noticed the fuel gauge dipping lower and lower
toward empty.  Being “the man in charge” I had
calculated in my mind how far I could go before
I needed to fill up again.  But I didn’t realize the
rural route I was taking (to shave off a few miles!)
didn’t have a lot of gas stations.

Well, my blood pressure was going higher and higher
and I was getting more nervous by the minute.

The family didn’t help much.  They kept saying,
or at least were thinking, “I told you so. . .” And the
worst part about running out of gas is doing it at night –
in the country – where it’s really dark.

[I could imagine seeing the Bates Motel nearby or
hearing chainsaws cranking up in the woods. Too many
scary movies?]

Have you noticed how things seem to get worse
at night when it’s dark, including fear?  I have.
Children who are sick seem to get sicker at night.
Your house, or even a church building, creaks
and groans and makes different noises at night.
“Lions, tigers and bears, oh my!”

In the Journey of Life don’t run Low on Fuel

Now, back to the story.

The needle of the gas gauge was buried behind
the E symbol.  Fear was taking hold of me.

Fear of the unknown.  Fear of “What if?”

Fear of humiliation and embarrassment in
front of my family.  Fear of walking down a
dark road to a stranger’s house hoping to
borrow a gallon of gas.  Besides feeling sick
to my stomach I was doing a lot of praying!

Finally, we found a gas station that was open
in a small town and I was able to purchase the fuel we needed.

The moral of this story:  Going down Life’s Highway can sometimes be scary!  Many times your journey will seem dark, full of the unknown and “What ifs.” Take a lesson from me and keep fueled up.

How’s your journey?

www.bloggingtochangelives.com

Leadership Lessons Found in the Bible…Learn from Grapes, Giants, and 12 Guys

Leadership Lessons From the Bible

12 guys were sent out on a spying party to survey the land. Here are the results:

2 guys said “Let’s do it. Let’s go take the land. God gave it to us.”

10 guys said, “No way. There are giants in the land.
We look like grasshoppers compared to them”

2 guys said, “Man, it’s flowing with milk and honey
and look at these huge grapes we brought back.”

10 guys said, “The people are strong. The cities
have walls [obstacles}, and we saw people who
are related to a real giant."

2 guys said, “Let’s go now and take possession of the land.
We should be more than able to conquer it.”

Then the negative talk spread to the whole camp.
They said, "Oh, I wish it was like it was before when
we were in bondage [comfort zone] in Egpyt.

2 guys said, “This is a land flowing with milk and honey! Don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will devour them like bread.” [no problemo]

Then the 10 negative guys and the whole camp said,
“Let’s kill our leaders. They screwed up again.”
Here’s what happened next.

From Numbers 14. 36
So the men Moses sent to explore the land died in
front of the Lord from a plague. 37 They died because they had returned and made the whole community complain about Moses by spreading lies about the land.[c]  38 Of all the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua (son of Nun) and Caleb (son of Jephunneh) survived.

The 2 Positive Guys?
Joshua became the leader of the whole country when
Moses died and Caleb got a whole mountain to live on
during his latter years. Joshua 14:10-12

What kind of leader are you, or will you be? Can you see
past the obvious obstacles? Do you have Faith or Fear?

Most people won’t have your same enthusiasm for your goals.
The majority will not see your vision for your business.

Stay positive. Forget the haters.
You’ve got people to lead and a mountain to conquer.
Go for it.

Leadership Lessons From the Bible

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Making Memories with Your Family at Cracker Barrel

Making Memories with Your Family at Cracker Barrel

Today my wife and I took our two oldest granddaughters
to Cracker Barrel in Norman, OK.

It’s one of my wife’s favorite places to eat, along with Red Lobster,
Olive Garden, and Charleston’s.

We don’t really visit the restaurant in Norman that often, but when
we travel we like to stop at Cracker Barrel so we can eat and shop.

The real name of this restaurant is Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.
That’s where they get you. It is really genius marketing.

You get the people to stop in and eat, but you make them walk through your store of merchandise and snack items on their way in and their way out!
So, you are forced to see the “Store” and not just eat the food.

Making Memories with Your Family

Oh, one thing about Cracker Barrel, they are known for displaying
old and interesting items from the past.

They may be antiques or just unique. You could spend a lot of time
in each restaurant looking and studying the different articles, from
photographs, farm implements, shoes, toys, record albums, musical
instruments and much more.

It’s almost like a museum.

Another thing that Cracker Barrel does is make you feel like you
are having fun while you eat.  They have rocking chairs outside
for you to rock in before and after your meal.

They also have giant tic-tac-toe board games inside and outside
the restaurant.  Kids of all ages love to play these oversized games.
And at each table they not only have a keresone lamp, but they
provide you with a small game made out of a triangle piece of wood
and plastic golf tees.


Who would’ve thought such a simple
toy would be such fun to play.

You can see in the photograph that my seven year old granddaughter
was able to end up with only 2 tees left.
She beat my record of 3 remaining pegs.
I do remember I was able to get down to just one, but this was years ago.
I don’t remember the secret to it.  Perhaps you do. Leave it below in the comments.

So, I haven’t even talked about the food!

I love to order meatloaf and fried okra with mashed potatoes while
my wife likes chicken pot pie, or dumplings, or roast beef.
Sometimes we’ll go for the catfish.  Fried, of course.

And once in a while we just show up on Saturday morning for
breakfast. They have pretty good pancakes and hash brown casserole.

Today I enjoyed a hamburger steak with a slice of colby cheese on it and
green beans. It was excellent and helped me stay true to low carb eating.

All in all, Cracker Barrel is a fantastic place to eat, have fun, and shop.
Plus you’ll see interesting items from the past, enjoy the heat from the
large open fireplace, and sit in the glow of the kerosene lamp.

They serve good food at reasonable prices.

Go visit a Cracker Barrel today!

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Making Memories with Your Family