This morning I sat, watched, and marveled as my wife practiced at the piano.  She was getting ready for a Christmas sing-along.  Since we’ve only recently returned from our mission, I know for a fact that she hasn’t played those pieces for at least three years, yet her fingers were flying across the keys.

Last evening three grandchildren came for piano lessons.  I heard her tell one that it is important to not keep repeating mistakes—to correct them as quickly as possible—because our fingers have memories.

That is a somewhat startling statement, yet one that I believe.  I can’t play piano, but I am a very good typist.  My fingers fly across a typewriter keyboard like Marjorie’s fingers fly across a piano keyboard.  Our fingers don’t have to stop and think about where they’re going to go next.

It’s interesting to me that I can’t play piano, and Marjorie can’t type.  It’s a matter of practice, training, desire, and a little talent.  Talents can be developed.  If one has desire and diligence, I am of the belief that one can do anything he sets his mind to do.

I asked Marjorie about her statement that our fingers have memories.  She said that the proper term is “muscle memory.”  If you do something the same way every time, it becomes habitual, and you can do it without even thinking about it.

A horse trainer told her that when he’s training a horse he walks it through its paces slowly.  He does it the same way every time, gradually increasing the speed.  Then when it’s time for the horse to perform before a cheering, potentially distracting crowd, the horse performs flawlessly because of muscle memory.  It doesn’t have to think about what it’s going to do next because it has done it so many times before.

Marjorie says that when she’s learning a new piece on the piano she goes slowly at first, concentrating on getting all the notes and timing right.  She doesn’t want a mistake to become habitual.  When she has taught her fingers where to go, then she challenges herself to gradually go faster until she’s up to tempo.

When she was younger, and playing in recitals, she found that she did best when she “zoned out” and didn’t try to think.  There was no need to be nervous because her fingers knew what to do.

Life and gospel learning are like that.  Mistakes need to be corrected early so that they don’t become habitual.  That’s where parents and church leaders and teachers come in.  They have become masters on the keys and know immediately when their child or student hits a wrong one.

The young person will do well to listen to their advice and correct the error quickly.  It will save him from mistakes, heartaches, and difficult repentance.

This is why addictive substances and practices are so harmful.  It’s a matter of memory.  Addictive substances and practices rewire our brains, tangling up the circuits until normal life and relationships become impossible.

It’s necessary for us to avoid making the mistake in the first place, and to correct it as quickly as possible when we do hit the wrong key.  It is possible to live life as a virtuoso if one regularly and consistently uses the great gift of repentance that the Savior gave us through His Atonement.