Category: Commandment 10: Have Dessert

Most pipers spend a few minutes jamming out some old favorites, with all of the embellishments in, ‘just to get some air in the pipes’, run through your band sets a few times, and then pat themselves on the back for a job well done.

And, I don’t want you to think I’m saying you can’t do all of that super fun feel-good jamming – sometimes.

Just like eating dessert isn't necessarily bad for you in moderation, jamming out tunes at full tempo while playing all the embellishments isn't either – sometimes, you just want to let loose, play your tunes and have some fun!

That's ok, and encouraged… but only in moderation.

Doing this all the time would be like eating cake and ice cream for every meal while trying to train to run a marathon. You’re undermining your progress (to put it nicely) by giving in to the lure of that delicious dessert quite a bit too often (to put it nicely)!

Embellishments, ‘expression’, higher tempo than we can handle, and other high-level fundamentals are the dessert of a practice session for beginning and intermediate pipers and drummers. They’re invigorating and fun! They make us feel accomplished, even if we can’t do any of the fundamentals properly! It can feel like we’re a ‘real piper’ or ‘real drummer’ to just go for it.

However, be careful not to drink too much of your own Kool-Aid. If we insist on maintaining a strong ignorance to reality, if we just try to fake it ‘till we make it, all day every day, what do you suppose the end result is going to look like?

I think you know the answer to that question. It may not always be ‘fun’... but you know by now from everything else in life that, in order to avoid failure down the line, you always have to ‘eat your vegetables’ before you can have dessert.

I encourage you, if you want to become a great musician, to have the willpower to fend off the siren call of ‘mindless jamming’ for at least a few minutes a day. Before scarfing down dessert, you must mindfully practice the fundamentals for your own sake.

The 10th Commandment is to sometimes let loose and throw caution to the wind, but only sometimes. The more healthy practice you can learn to stomach, the sooner true creative freedom (the ultimate goal for growth-minded pipers and drummers) will be within your grasp.