I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag. 

Today’s tip is to turn a regular activity into a playful game today.

One of the things I like to do to relax is play some guitar. While I enjoy learning and playing songs, I don’t do quite enough dedicated practice for things like scales. These would help me with improving my play and exercising my fingers. I’ve seen a few exercises, but I haven’t always been interested.

Today I tried something different. I set up a metronome app on my phone, and set it to a fairly slow speed. I then worked on a scale, matching the beat.

Not terribly playful.

However, I started to try other things.

• doubling up, two notes for each beat
• tripling up, 3 notes for each beat
• playing triplets, as in for the C scale, playing
• C, D, E
• D, E, F
• F, G, A
• etc.
• Skipping some beats. As a prelude to some solo practice, I would play3 notes on one beat, then let a beat go by, holding the 3rd note. Then 3 more on the 3rd beat, and holding the fourth.

None of these are earth-shattering, but they do make the exercise a little more fun, and they are a little game.

Now if I would do this more often.