Practice in Private

February 22, 2018

Today, something just clicked. I’ve been more diligent lately about practicing my bass, even when I don’t feel like doing so. Without a regular schedule, days can get pretty crazy around here; somehow, it never works for me to exercise unless I do it first thing in the morning. Of course, it is always alluring to sleep in just for a few minutes more, but if I do, those turn out to be just the minutes I needed to fit in a workout. Midday isn’t good for planning anything, and evenings are usually filled with everything from grandkids’ sports to musicals, concerts, and a variety of other people stuff. So I squeeze practice whenever and wherever it fits on a given day. Often, I would rather read or even watch a movie on Netflix, but I’m trying to be faithful to a practice regimen.

I’m terrible with my bowing; my arco (the musician’s term for it, I’ve learned) sounds like someone torturing a cow and a cat all at the same time. It’s better than it used to be, if you can imagine that. Poor Linda! I’ve been working on my major scales, one half step at a time, through two octaves, and have been working on the music for band. I have a long way to go, but noticed this afternoon that some of the patterns that had eluded me were starting to come together. It’s not exactly music yet, but at least it doesn’t sound like I need to be put out of my misery.

Billy Graham died yesterday. By his own admission, when he looked back on his life, there were things he wished he had done differently, but for most of my life, he was the one public figure whose integrity was never really questioned. People didn’t always like him; he had his detractors, but he was also squeaky clean. I remember attending his School of Evangelism back in 1983. Most people only ever saw the big crusades; they had no idea the amount of pre- and post- crusade effort that accompanied every one of those meetings. And they never saw his daily regimen of faithfully immersing himself in the Bible, a regimen that was the foundation for all he accomplished.

The master musician seems to play effortlessly, much as words flow from the lips of the master preacher, but that public ease belies an immense amount of behind the scenes work. The same can be said for Christian life and character in general. Many want holiness, but aren’t willing to pay the price in solitude that is required to live a holy life in public. For me, one of the best parts is when after weeks or perhaps months of time in the Scriptures and prayer, suddenly the light breaks through, and it begins to click. It will be awhile before I’m ready to take my place in God’s divine orchestra and play to a heavenly audience, but I’m practicing, and every so often, it actually begins to sound like real music.