A LETTER FROM CHRIS SUAREZ

PLAY YOUR SCALES

This morning I woke up to my daughter practicing piano. She was playing scales - up and down the keys. Over. And over. And over again. Now as much as I love the sound of the piano in my house, after a bit, I really wanted to ask her to stop practicing. I refrained and just let her continue. Eventually I went outside to spend some time in the vineyard. Later that morning I came back in for lunch. She was at the piano playing part of her recital song. Over. And over. And over again. I ate my salad, grabbed my book, and went outside to read - still faintly hearing the repetitive sound of the piano from inside. Later that evening after dinner I went down the hallway to my room to finish up the book I was reading. A few minutes later the piano scales started again. Over. And over. And over again. 

On one hand, I was ready for the piano to stop and for a bit of silence. On the other hand I was proud of how committed to practice she was on a day that no one was asking her to practice. She clearly has fallen in love with the piano and looks forward to playing every day. Is she a concert level pianist? No. But no doubt she will be if she wants to be, based on her commitment to practice. It struck me that we have the opportunity to get to “concert level” in our craft if we show up each morning, each afternoon, each evening committed to getting better.

It won't feel good - or sound good - early on. Practicing scales for hours may not feel mission based or even purposeful. But if the mission is to end today better than we started it, then that practice is steeped in mission and purpose.

Those scales aren’t pretty. They aren’t music. They aren’t accomplishments. They are the necessary work before any of that. They will prepare her to play almost anything put in front of her on a sheet of music. Scales are the work before the win. They are the drive to get better. Playing scales just allows a pianist to train their fingers to move more fluidly, respond quickly, and become familiar with necessary future movements.

Those scales won’t guarantee perfection  on a piece of music that she’s been working on. But they will guarantee that she is able to take on any challenge put in front of her. They expand her versatility, build her capability, and strengthen her both physically and mentally.  

It’s a good reminder to ask ourselves if we are willing to put in the practice.  Do we want the outcome so badly that we are willing to sit in front of the keys of our piano and practice - practice the right questions to ask, the right responses to deliver, the right data points to pull from, the right scripts to use. Are we willing to do it every day?  Are we willing to do that in the morning, and the afternoon, and the evening. If we wait until the performance to play, we won’t ever want to be on stage.

So go ahead. Wake up each day excited to practice your scales. It’s through that incredible commitment to get better each day - even by doing boring and mundane activities - that the best become the best.

Chris Suarez