“An essential guide to grow better as a musician” — An insightful series by The Showrunners
Picture : Brad Mehldau (Composer/Pianist)
I’ve been always looking forward to writing down my thoughts and perspectives regarding my learnings I’ve got through my musical journey. This road has taught me some dedicated lessons which however turned my whole self into a better person. In this article I’ll be sharing my years of learnings and experiences which I’m fortunate enough to experience in this life and every single credit of these valuable lessons goes to music. These lessons really helped me growing up as a dedicated and committed musician. I will not tell you how to start walking on this road as many of you are already walking along for a long time. I’ll share my experiences and I hope that it might help anyone who cares to learn.
Let’s start!
- How ego problems can affect your work and personality?
I’ve had my fair share of facing many people with ego issues when I was starting off as a beginner and it has affected my progress and development very badly. I’ve been treated as a joker and defamed by many due to some false alarm. What is ego and how does it work? In a short sentence, Ego is a feeling which separates you from others. It’s an important part of your existence but usually it’s not aligned perfectly. How does it affect your journey of being a better musician? Well, first of all, you gotta be really honest with your music and yourself. There will be absolutely zero chances of any good profits you’ve been expecting from your career if your decision-making ability is controlled by your ego at all. Start practicing to let go and keep moving forward. If you have this habit which makes you hold onto something which affects your brain negatively, you do yourself a favor and learn the art of letting it go.
We must understand that this line of work requires group of people as it’s a community. We are one big family trying to promote some meaningful art we create and a true musician will never go off the road to attempt anything led by his ego. Practice to love yourself and to equally love everyone around you. Remember that you’re the creator of the art and this universe has given you this ability to get the work done. Look at it as an opportunity and stop complaining about your hardships. Hardships are there because you are worthy enough to learn a thing or two from them. Don’t blame anyone for your failures and learn to take criticism. Remember that at this moment, there are millions of musicians doing much better than you will be able to do in the next 10 years. You can only do your 100% so start fresh now rather than engaging in comparison. In the end, even if you fail, you will be satisfied knowing that you gave your 100%. Ego holds you back from your success and achievements.
Picture : Allan Holdsworth (Composer/Guitarist)
- Don’t take fundamentals for granted!!!
Take this step very seriously. I’ll be very honest, I’ve been there and suffered a lot. It is the biggest barrier you put in your musical journey. To make it more relatable, imagine yourself on a race track with big rocks tied to your each leg and now imagine yourself sprinting your way towards the finish line. The answer is you can’t. Let’s say you’ve come so far somehow but you’re never gonna cross that finish line. Of course you can create an imaginary finish line but trust me you will never be making music that comes out from your imagination. I call that fake music and unfortunately a lot of us are doing it every day. Big names like Allan Holdsworth, Steve vai, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Guthrie Govan, Jaco Pastorius, Freddie Mercury, Eddie Van Halen, etc have worked their asses off mastering their fundamentals because it gives you the creative ground and freedom. These great artists will come, create, and eventually die but music will remain constant. You must look at the difference between each one of these giants. Nobody sounds like each other and there’s a reason behind it.
They knew what they’re doing and to have that level of awareness, you must know your instrument and fundamentals of music. Of course it takes hard work, commitment, and good listening skills but if you’re not having fun in this process then you’re not being honest with yourself. There is no shortcut to success. I see so many musicians immediately getting into covering so many songs and after that they never look back. Sure you know a lot of licks now and all those difficult riffs/songs you’ve got down so perfectly, Right on! Congratulations!! But where’s your music in that? Where did you contribute? How do you see your future in this down the line? Why do you think you deserve that position for which millions are running the same race? I can write a book on why fundamentals are important but please go ahead and ask yourself these questions. You must see the bigger picture before you participate in this race.
Picture : Queen at live aid 1985
- Don’t do it primarily for money or fame purposes. Make it a part of your life!
I’m trying to portray a person who lives, eats, and breathes art. It’s not just for musicians, it’s for everyone who thinks their craft is unique as well as a deep part of their daily life. Mostly people think that one day they’ll be super wealthy and famous musicians. Sure, but do they know their homework? Is music a part of their life or just a cool activity? Like I said, the competition is much bigger than you can see. Maybe you know this already that a reasonable competition can only be done between equally skilled individuals so make yourself worthy to be able to participate. I’m giving a reality check here. You will not bet your money on a rabbit in a hound race. Think that way. Why Allan Holdsworth was the most creative, not so famous, and innovative guitarist? Not because he wanted to earn a lot of money through music or to be a famous public figure. He crafted himself in a way that no one else could even imagine the possibility. He was criticised by many but he kept on doing his own thing and guess what? There was a fundraiser for his funeral.
Money is important but learning a skill and mastering it is a different concept. Music is a seed that nourishes in the creative spectrum of a musician. Music is like a tree full of leaves and it never runs out of them. Many musicians tried taking a leaf or two from this tree and died knowing the structure of this tree but this tree stood tall and constant. It always will be constant. So instead of knowing the tree, just pick your leaf and take good care of that leaf till your last day. Even if you’re making some stupid mumble rap song or a pop number just to look cool and earn a fortune out of it, just know that even particular that process requires a deep study of the market, right strategies, and a lot of promotional activities. You gotta play smart. A lot of people are doing this as well but they’re not reaching anywhere. After one point it gets depressing and stressful more than fun so do your homework carefully.
Picture : Jacob Collier (Composer/Multi-instrumentalist)
- Mindfulness will make you a better musician as well as a better person!
There’s a saying which goes like, “Sometimes, a better musician isn’t necessarily a better person”. It’s strange but I know a lot of people who comes in this category. On the other hand, I’ve seen some Rockstars who can barely even play and they behave like the Freddie Mercury when he left his band “Queen” for a while. Watch Bohemian Rhapsody, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I often see many musicians suffering deeply from some serious issues like depression, stress, addiction, ego issues, fear of rejection and criticism, having a bad relationship, delayed payments, failing their responsibilities, getting unnoticed, due bills, internal politics, defaming, bad attitude, etc. For sure these problems are serious and it takes a lot for an individual to overcome these issues. I’m sure a lot of us can relate with these issues and we see it almost every day but lemme give you a solution to all these problems.
Start watching and reading your daily activities. Apply yourself. There are really bad as well as great people in the world and it goes hand in hand. There is bad that’s why you know what good is. If delete the existence of bad then the word “good” will vanish away. Sit back and try to understand that if you’re consuming negative thoughts or hanging out with toxic personalities then how would you progress in your craft? It will only get worse. One good way is to start meditation or find a bigger purpose in your life. Start watching your actions like I said. What you release in this universe is what you always attract. So let’s say you have a problem and I’m sure there would be a reasonable solution for it. Give your 100% towards the process and I guarantee you that you will find your solution happily. Rest if we talk about those things which are totally out of control, I would suggest to let go and keep moving forward with a positive mindset and the universe will reward you with all the positive things in your life. I still don’t know how to get those delayed payments to be honest! Finding a manager will do, Haha!
Picture : Jaco Pastorius (Bassist)
- Don’t settle for short term goals. You’ll never be satisfied!
Let’s say you want to build your organization or you want to establish your brand in the market. You know that there are certain types of processes one has to go through no matter what. It requires some ground rules, commitments, dedication, and a bigger purpose. You still decided to ignore these facts and you saw a temporary profit and you bought it. After a while, I can assure you that your brain will raise a few questions which you won’t be able to answer. You drew your own finish line way earlier than it should be. Finding short term profit will work for the short term, as simple as that. But when the purpose will be fulfilled, you will be back to zero and starting over from scratch. I see many musicians talk like they’ve got it all figured out and absolutely ready to win Grammy. Right on, Sure but like they say, “grass is always greener on the other side”. I have a small suggestion which is not my way of doing things but almost every successful musician has been using this way to achieve their goals.
Sit back, make atleast 5–10 years of business strategy plan down the line. Do a deep analysis and make sure you’re writing every bit down in a journal or anything. Write it down and when you wake up everyday, just have a look at that journal, read your plans and feel positive about them. It will boost you will power and cut down all the negativity out from your mind. You wanna play at your favourite festival or you wanna get that record label to sign you? Well you gotta have a business strategy or else there are plenty of people in the queue. You will find yourself either standing in the queue waiting for your turn or you will just give up. I’ve seen many people giving up on it and starting a different line of work. Think about it, do you homework well.
Picture : Brian Blade (Drummer)
I’ll be sharing more of these useful experiences I’ve been through in my life. I don’t call myself a successful musician but at least I’ve learned from my past experiences and I absolutely know where to move. So I’ll continue writing more in this series where I’ll try my best to guide those who need help. I don’t earn anything out of it but it feels good to help if I can.
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See you next time
Mohan Kumar