Become a Great Musician

By Guest Blogger Nehal Parikh

Becoming a great musician involves so much more than just learning a bunch of songs, theory, scales– so much more than just music. Becoming a great musician is about learning who you are as a person.

A great musician must face some of his greatest fears, and recognize all of his insecurities.

The reason great musicians have gotten where they are today is because of perseverance, not because of talent. Talented musicians go unrecognized every day.

The reason great musicians can touch your soul through their music is because they can emote through it, not necessarily because they play everything perfectly.

The reason great musicians exist is because they love what they do. They love making music, and they live their lives through it. If they didn’t, they would never be able to face all the hardship involved.
What great musicianship is, more than anything, is a journey into personal development. You can learn your music lessons from a book, or from a teacher, but only you can discover for yourself what kind of person you are, and express that personality through music.

It doesn’t matter if you are perfect, or beautiful, or confident, because people don’t care about that. People respond just as emotionally to insecurity, to neediness. Every person has insecurities, imperfections, and the secret is to get comfortable enough with that aspect of yourself to where you can broadcast it to thousands, even millions of people without an ounce of shame. This is one aspect that every great artist has, it’s why they can make people feel what they feel.

Need proof?

I have recently been reading the book On the Record, by Guy Oseary, which interviews over 150 of the top music professionals to date. Here are some of the responses to the question, “What qualities helped you to get where you are today?”:

“I think they’re [my] defects really. My attention span is really short, and I get bored fast.”- Andre 3000

“I have a lot of good qualities, but the ones that got me where I am today probably lean toward the needy and the angry!”- Fiona Apple

“Insecurity. It’s hard to get anywhere interesting without it.” – Bono

See the common trend? All of these great artists are so comfortable with who they are, they recognize their insecurities and they use them to their advantage! They put the good and bad of themselves into their music, and that’s what makes them great.

The key is that whatever your personality may be, you know it inside and out, and you can present it through your music.

Realize that just learning music isn’t going to make you a great musician. It will make you good, it might impress some people, but it’s not going to change lives, it’s not going to warm hearts, and it’s not going to make you be remembered.

“Okay…so what do I need to do?!”

It’s simple, really. Just open your mind. Open it to new concepts, new ideas, new perspectives. Start focusing on your belief in yourself, start thinking positively. Take inspiration from things around you, be open to new lessons, to stepping out of your comfort zone.

People always seem to be looking for answers, for shortcuts, for tips and tricks on “how to become a famous musician”, or what techniques are going to make them the “best”. In the end, great technique barely takes you halfway there. Your desire is what lets you live your dreams. Take time to enjoy yourself, to have new experience, to learn new lessons, to take a break! Work incredibly hard, but always keep in touch with your emotions. The reason so many people can’t become great musicians is because they let their emotions best them, they let insecurities take over them. Instead, you should channel them through your music. Find out who you are, and let people see that, they will love it.

Enjoy this article? Find many more like it at my website, Musicians-Make-It.com.

-Nehal Parikh

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