No Time to Practice…

Picture this in your mind — you haven’t picked up your instrument in days, and you know you need to practice because band rehearsal is like, tomorrow. But there’s so much that needs to get done behind the scenes: you need to put fresh material on the website; you need to change your strings; you need to reach out to club owners and get new gigs; you need to take care of stuff around the house… before you know it, it’s become pretty clear that it’s gonna be a late night if you’re going to get any practice time at all.

I can tell you from experience — you should never blow off your practice time. Here’s why:
    1. You’ll out yourself as a complete idiot in front of your band mates. You’ll end up wasting everyone’s time because you’ll have to learn your part at rehearsal (on the band’s time) instead of being prepared before you get there. I’ve been there.
    2. If you’ve ever expected anyone else to know their stuff before they show up to rehearsal, you’re now a proven hypocrite for not living up to your own rules. I’ve been that guy.
    3. It could get you fired. Look, musicians are a dime a dozen; there are plenty of other musicians who are better than you, or just different than you. You are replaceable, remember that. The band — the team — is what’s special. If you won’t pull your own weight, you might find yourself looking for a new band. I’ve been there once, and I never want to go back there.

So if you don’t have enough time to practice, make the time.