Great! Now do it again

I'm always using basketball metaphors, but I guess 'tis the season to talk about football, so here goes.

For two years in high school, I played on our school's football team. It was a lot of fun and taught me much about hard work, teamwork, perseverance and more.

I remember a day when our coach introduced a relatively complex play. We worked hard and finally got it right after lots of tries and correction. For some reason, I expected the coach to move on or give us a break. He didn't.

Instead, he said, "Great! Now do it again."

We proceeded to run the play correctly for over an hour, until we could do it without even thinking about it. That, it turns out, was the goal. After that practice, our coach explained the following principle:

Getting it right is just the first step. "Practicing," means doing it right over and over again. 

Now, think of that principle in terms of your music. Do you ever move on after only one or two successful runs at something? Muscle memory develops after lots of reps over a long period of time, so be sure that getting it right becomes a habit.

It's almost cliche to hear a coach say, "Again." But it's a core principle in becoming great at anything - repetition is how we learn something, how we make it permanent. It wasn't very fun practicing the same play over and over again that day in practice, or on the following days. But it was very, very rewarding to run the play in a game situation and have it work perfectly. 

Happy practicing. (Again and again and again.) 

The Gig Log: Lokalgrown in Boise, ID

As I've said many times, I'm very grateful to be a musician. In addition, I'm lucky to play with some very good musicians who have given me the opportunity to play at some very cool places and at awesome events.

Such was the case on December 17th, 2011. I played with Lokalgrown at Utah State University's pre-game party before the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho. My Aggies actually made it to a bowl game! Although the football team lost the game in a heartbreaker, the party was a total success.

The party was held in Taco Bell Arena, where Boise State University's basketball team plays. Not only is it a pretty great venue, the staff there was perfect - accommodating, knowledgeable and friendly. They made it an absolute pleasure.

The bass player for this gig was my longtime friend and colleague Matt Redd. Not only is he a skilled musician, he's a heck of a great guy. We've been friends since college - we actually played together in the USU Jazz Orchestra.

Anyway, right before the downbeat, Matt started to get sick. His eyes went red, he was sneezing, congested and basically miserable. He didn't know it until he made it to the doctor the next day, but he had a cornea (yes, THAT cornea - in his eye!) infection, and the symptoms hit him in a matter of a few minutes.

Even though he was miserable and feeling pretty bad, he played the entire gig like a champ - and nailed it, at that. He also went and sat through the entire game and the five-hour drive back to Salt Lake City with nary a complaint. Amazing.

Matt Redd - Gig Hero of 2011

All in all, it was another great gig/roadie with the LKG boys.
















*The game was played on the infamous "Smurf Turf" at Boise State University. BSU's campus is absolutely beautiful, and even though it was a cold day, it was a lot of fun to be there for the FIPB.