By Being a talented musician is hard. It is a profession that demands a lot from you. You have to be able to perform at the highest level, be able to play at a high level every day, and be able to perform at high standards. However, it is also a profession that requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and practice, and that comes along with a lot of time and effort.
When you’re doing something for a long time and you enjoy it, it’s not the most fun. It’s not as easy as it looks. It doesn’t come easily. But in the midst of all the hard work and dedication, you can get a little more of a sense of satisfaction. I’m talking more about the end result than the process itself.
This is what middle school music teachers like me call your “habits of success” or your “mental habits.” In my years of teaching middle school, I have come to the conclusion that the most successful musicians have a few things in common: They are very disciplined, they have a great work ethic, they like to play the most challenging music possible, and they are willing to put in a lot of work.
In other words, they are not just a bunch of self-centered jerks who have no self-awareness beyond their egos. They are doing what it takes to be successful because they are doing it for themselves and because it’s the right thing to do.
The thing is, most people don’t do what it takes because they don’t truly believe what they are doing is the right thing to do. They believe they are doing the right thing because they are following someone else’s instructions. They may be following the advice of someone who is famous or respected in their field or who they believe can make them a lot of money and fame, but most people aren’t.
Some people dont even bother to ask themselves what their true purpose is. They make up their minds on their own that they are doing what they think is the right thing, and then they will act in accordance with the advice they have been given. People who have been successful for a long time in the music world tend to be pretty good at this, and we see this play out in the careers of many musician’s.
Here’s an example of someone who has been successful long enough to realize that they have the potential to become great. It’s a guy named Bobby Barefield who was in the early days of the San Francisco Bay area metal scene and was in the process of breaking into the world of rock music. Then he got a call from Dave Grohl and said, “Hey kid, you’re a talented musician. You’re going to make a lot of money.
He is so excited to be a rockstar that he becomes even more interested in playing a guitar with a pick. This brings him to a point where the rest of the band is concerned that he might be a bit out of touch. Then he begins to play with a pick in his mouth, a sign of extreme talent, and he does.
After a while, the other musicians decide to take notice of this. They figure out that he is truly a gifted musician. So they start to teach him how to play guitar at their practices. This brings him to the next level of self-awareness. They now realize that he has a gift for playing guitar. They start to ask why he doesn’t use a pick. He says that he can see the notes and the chords in the air.
This self-awareness allows him to see the path of his own talent and ability. He is able to see all the possible paths of his talent. He is now a more confident, focused performer.
Comments