Krispy Kreme on a Healthy, Balanced Practice

Tuesday Quotes are short explorations of music, life, and the daily endeavor of practicing classical guitar. Find more here. Enjoy!

Doughnuts are a normal part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Brooke Smith, Krispy Kreme spokeswoman.

Vegetables, proteins, doughnuts. Now there’s a food pyramid to get behind!

As ridiculous as this quote sounds, there’s actually some deep truth within it. Or at least when we use it as a metaphor for guitar…

In our musical lives, we have two main elements: practice and play.

• Play is for fun or sharing.
• Practice is to get better.

Too much play, and we find ourselves in a rut, doing the same things over and over.

Too much practice, and we risk feeling overworked and underpaid.

Practice should focus on solving specific, timely problems:

• master this right-hand pattern,
• connect these notes smoothly,
• switch between these chords in rhythm,

Practice is work. It demands focus and concentration. It takes our full attention on a regular basis.

And that’s great. Life is more meaningful with a challenging pursuit. Days are more satisfying when we get in a good, deep practice.

But sometimes we just need a doughnut.

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. And sometimes, the best course of action is to let go of all practice concerns and just take the guitar out for a spin.

• Play some old tunes at top speeds, never mind the mistakes.
• Strum and sing a song.
• Sight-read music you have no intention of learning.
• Lean back on the couch with legs crossed and noodle around.
• Do all the things we work so hard not to do in practice.

Just as doughnuts are a normal part of a healthy, balanced diet, goofing off and tinkering around are healthy parts of a balanced guitar practice. Maybe not every day, but when we feel the craving, there’s no harm in caving.