We need some definitions to start. Practice means repetitively undertaking an activity with the aim of getting better at it. By this, it could mean:
- being familiar with the topic,
- being “smooth” with delivery,
- being able to respond to changing situation within the activity (sort of, mastery),
- demonstrating confidence in the activity, and etc.
“Perfect” is more difficult to define. Your perfection is not mine; if we aim for perfection, one day we will find we never reach perfection, or we find the goal has extended even more, or we might come across other better things to do or problems that prevent us from practising, and we are further away from the goal (perfection).
Let’s re-define that for now
Let’s say the “Perfect” in “practice makes perfect” means we want to get better, and keep getting better, so long we have the capacity to do that. Such capacity could be time to practice, availability of equipment, rooms etc.
That means if driving test becomes priority, then the hours we spend in perfecting our brush art technique will have to be reduced, the perfection routine put on hold.
Practice does not make perfection some of the time. Aimlessly practising leads nowhere; idol-worship type of pratising to reach a goal could well be wrong, because you are not that other person you treat (secretly) as “idol”, eg, because they sing so well, play the instrument with incredible dexterity etc.
The science and art of music practising has to do with "nature" and "nurture".
The first – nature – means something like what you are born with, the second – nurture – means….. “practice”! For example, we might naturally have a good and expressive voice, and with little effort we can fit in singing solo or with several other voices, e.g. in parts. That refers to “nature”. If we find it difficult to sing solo without accompaniment and still maintaining the pitch (or key), and we practise it to get better at it, that is “nurture”.
Some of our nurturing might sound like going to waste, i.e., unfruitful and unproductive.
- Pratising scales is one example.
- We can take either side of the argument,
- For example, scales reinforces grasp of harmony to help with reinforcing “high” and “low” sections of a hymn, and the transition between.
- The really negative aspect is the amount of time spent on practising when rarely, if ever, we play only scales in worship! On that note, I make use of every opportunity to do a “scale run” of notes in between phrases. Dramatic effect!
What’s so unusual about practising an ability, a skill etc? Is it taking too much priority? Practising is discipleship, a core activity, it builds our own faith and others.
Being undisciplined might be as bad as over-commiting to the point of utter determination no matter what. God can lead us to something, and then it’s time for something else. Be wary of “perfect practice” because God might want us to mature further in our faith by working on something else.
