Daily Action Will Transform Your Piping

What would happen if you didn’t brush or floss your teeth each day, but instead dedicated a four-hour brushing session on the weekend? It doesn’t take 4 out of 5 dentists to agree on this one… it wouldn’t be long before your teeth would rot right out of your head! 

It wouldn’t matter how long you brushed periodically – the lack of regularity would spell eventual doom for your pearly not-so-whites.

This may seem like a ridiculous example – or at least, I hope it’s far-fetched for the sake of your dental hygiene – but it accurately reflects what most pipers do each week, by trying to ‘catch up’ on their lack of daily practice by doing monster sessions periodically (usually to ‘cram’ for a performance, or lesson, or band practice).

Whether it's brushing your teeth, practicing an instrument, or any other task requiring discipline, the secret to improvement and maintenance of something lies in consistent daily action rather than occasional massive action.

Why is that, and how can it transform your routine?

Take Daily Action Over Massive Action

Think of your daily routines. Why is brushing our teeth daily better than spending all the time you would have spent each day in one massive session on a Sunday? Daily action prevents decay and maintains your health without the overwhelming stress of playing catch-up. The same logic applies to your piping. Even if you are doing long sessions, can you really expect to improve at bagpipes by practicing only once in a while? It should probably go without saying from your own experience, but – not a chance. It's lights out for massive, sporadic practices. Want to get better at something? Give it a little attention each day.

Less Friction, More Consistency

It's easy to say we should take daily action, but getting those habits in place can be a challenge. So what stands between you and your goal? It's time to remove any friction! Set things up so that your daily action is is as easy to do as possible. Keep your pipes assembled (with only the chanter out and capped, but everything else ready to plug and play) and in a prominent, distraction-free practice area so you aren't deterred before you even get started by any hurdles to ticking off your 'one tune every day'. It takes some time to build the habits and generate momentum – so let's remove as many obstacles to achieving that as we can!

Create Margin for Error

Life is unpredictable, and if you're a perfectionist (like so many of us are), it can be tempting to avoid even starting a consistent habit because of the fear of failure before you even begin. "I couldn't possibly commit to playing one tune a day because I have a trip planned in two weeks." Why? There's no reason not to just get started, miss a day or two, and then start fresh tomorrow without the stress of a backlog. You'll be miles ahead of where you'd be if you never started at all! It's the consistency that wields the power – a small slip won’t drastically affect your progress if you're committed to practising daily (and picking it up again after a day or two away). Commit to small, sustainable actions—it’s what separates lifelong learners and doers from the infrequent or overwhelmed.

 So, what’s stopping you from making daily actions your habit? Maybe a busy schedule or a mental roadblock? Step back. Is it truly insurmountable? You don’t need perfect conditions to start. What's more approachable: a 30-second tune or a three-hour practice on the weekend? 

If you're time poor and just ‘way too busy to play every day’, you’re only letting yourself down in the long run. Carve out even the smallest daily playing regimen, and you’ll be drastically better in significantly less time than someone who only gets the pipes out at band practice, or just occasionally practices for long periods. 

Check out the Dojo Conversations podcast, as Jim and I dive into 'take daily action, not massive action', which is one of my "11 Commandments of Mastery".