When I was a kid I was scared to death!

Scared to death of people of critisizing or rejecting my own performance. In my high school jazz band I played Tenor Saxaphone, and we played the tune, “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. As you all know, “Respect” has this killer sax solo. And of course yours truly had the privilege taking the solo.

Every time we performed in front of the students or at some function, “Respect” was an obvious choice, but when the sax solo came up I didn’t have the balls to stand up. I froze like a cube. I still played it but I stayed in my seat and let the rhythm section drown me because I was afraid to stand out of the crowd.

After the semester ended we put that tune to rest and never played it.

Thank you Jesus!

The fear of criticism can be a huge barrier in our quest to become a successful musician. Today I don’t really have that fear of playing a solo but it still lingers there and everyday I’m still working on it. Repetition is the key to conquering any skill. If we repetitively face our fears that fear will reduce every time.

Many times we can’t acquire a skill due to fear and it’s a battle all humans have. We need to be more Vulcan.

Be like Spock!

Before anything… What are the “4 Unquestionable Skills of a Successful Musician?”

Many of these skills do require facing personal fears, courage is one of the attributes of a thinking musician.

Here they are:

1. Technical Skills: Composition, Improvisation, Sight reading, Ear Training, Timing and Rhythm, playing technique.
2. Knowledge: Music Theory, History, Versatile in all music styles.
3. Business Skills: Leadership, Band Management, Marketing, Promotions, Finance, Social Media, Delegation.
4. People Skills: Networking, Negotiations, Public Relations, Sales.

Many musicians today have only the first two skills (technical and knowledge). They have the chops to just rip on their instrument and know everything about music theory, music history, the names of members of their favorite bands, where they live, born, who they studied with, went to school, blah blah blah…

That’s all fine and dandy but if you’re looking for a career in music the first two skills will only get you so far. The last two skills (business, people) will land you your dream gig and make you a bazillion bucks.

Well, maybe not a bazillion, but you get what I’m saying.

If you’re saying to yourself, “Well, I don’t like business and I’m not that much a network type person.” That’s fine, just find people that can handle those areas. That would mean you’d have to hire a manager, get a record deal with an indie or major label (which doesn’t really happen much these days).

There is a wave of musical entrepreneurship in 2015 and we need to grab our surf board and catch that wave. If you don’t know how to surf then you can learn. Anything is possible my friend.

Many musicians today are making six figures, promoting and marketing themselves. Remember, part of becoming a thinking musician is picking up new skills. Become a learner, and if this new skill is not your cup of tea, that’s okay once you began making enough cash you can outsource that particular job.

This is part of becoming an entrepreneurial musician (aka… thinking musician)

Lesson

1. Master the “4 Unquestionable Skills of a Thinking Musician.”
2. Pick up new skills.
3. Outsource a job once you can afford it. Delegate.
4. Face your fears repetitively and they will reduce in size.
5. Learn a new skill because you have to, not because you want to.

Okay. Okay! I grumbled.

In my high school chemistry class for some reason I always seemed to finish my work at least 15 minutes early. I’m not a nerd I got a C grade at the end of the semester.

In my bag I always carried around my bass player mags. When my work was done I always popped out my mags and read the articles. I read the music lessons also in chemistry class even though I didn’t have my bass with me.

Without being aware what I was doing I was actually practicing. Throughout the entire semester I did this a lot at school. My music skills and sight reading dramatically improved.

I would read sheet music everyday just like I was reading a book. I guess I seemed to enjoy it. I made this routine just a natural part of my life even after high school leading into my teaching years.

Now I can recall why I was pretty good at reading music. Recalling long and hard in the shower ( Hey, I know you come up with ideas in the shower too.) on what was my unassuming process of my music reading development.

I discovered what was the key!

Are you ready?

The key is “Visualization!”

Yes, my friend, visualization. Many successful professional in many industries use this strategy.

As a kid I was not aware that I was practicing visualization. I just did it. I do have a vivid imagination. Now it’s your turn. I have laid out my exact step by step process.

Here is how to double your music reading skills.

Visualization 

1. Before anything. You need to find your time and place where it’s just you, your instrument and your music. No distractions what so ever.
2. Grab your sheet music, and imagination. Take a few big breathers and delve yourself into visual ecstasy. Meaning focus your mind and heart into your practice.
3. Establish the tempo of the song in your head. What I do is playback in my head a drumbeat based on the tempo. Maintaining a tempo is important you can choose whatever rhythm works for you it’s your imagination.
4. Place the sheet music in front of you and observe and practice the rhythms only. Don’t worry about the notes yet.
5. Next, visualize yourself, your hands and your instrument in a video playback. Visaulize watching yourself on YouTube if that helps.
6. Visualize yourself performing the piece. As you read the music slowly you’re playing back the video in your mind of yourself performing the music as you’re sight reading.
7. You can rewind your visual video if you’d like it’s your mind and repeat this process until you have achieved visual perfection in your head.
8. Take it bits at a time. If you’re just a beginner than it could be little tough at first. But your not expected to read Mozart yet, just simple quarter notes and half notes etc. Start with a few measures first, then master that then move on to the next set of measures. You pick your pace.
9. Repeat this process 15 minutes a day.

Conclusion

Scientific studies indicate 15 minutes of visualization equals to about 2 hours of practice time. That’s amazing!

It’s worked for me and if you apply this methodically I’m sure it will work for you

Keep on looking and you will surely find the answer. Matthew 7:7

So, what happened with my magazine in chemistry class?

Well, the teacher took my magazine away thinking it was something inappropriate and gave it to my guidance counselor Mr. Ferwerda.

I still remember him because he was a musician as well. After the last school bell rang I ran into Ferwerda and he asked what happened.

I told him the story,” I finished my work early got bored, popped out my bass mag and started sight reading the music lessons. The teacher (I forgot her name. I wonder why.) caught me reading it and asked me to turn it in, even though I was done with my work.

Mr Ferwerda giggled a bit and smiled and handed me back the mag. ” Don’t worry about it. Here you go.”

My guidance counselor was cool that’s why I remembered his name. Not what’s her face chemistry teacher.

I guess that’s it for right now. Please share this info if you dig it and please comment below and tell me if this visualization method works out for you.

Thanks

My favorite movie is Amadeus.

The movie is about one of the great composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

It won best picture in 1985 plus many other awards. It wasn’t until when I was teenager in the 90’s was the first time I saw it. What an awesome movie.

Mozart is considered one of histories great composers next to Bach and Handel.

After studying many musical geniuses I noticed certain patterns.

Here is a list of who I think are musical geniuses.

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
2. Johann Sebastian Bach
3. Michael Jackson
4. Stevie wonder
5. Frank Zappa
6. Steve Vai
7. Victor Wooten
8. Jaco Pastorius
9. Benny Goodman
10. Charlie Parker
11. John Coltrane
12. Maynard Ferguson
13. John Williams
14. Jerry Goldsmith
15. Danny Elfman
16. Hans Zimmer

I might create a stir by saying this but I don’t believe in so called God given talent. Only the spiritual gifts described in the book of Corinthians.

As a kid growing up everybody complimented me saying, “You are so talented, God has blessed you with those talents. “I would just say thanks and later would contemplate how hard and long I would practice to get achieve my goals. Was it God or me?

I believe that God put me in the right place and the right time that fueled my desire to practice and learn as much as I could in order to achieve the skills that I have today. Was I blessed with God given talent? Absolutely not. I was blessed with God given DESIRES! This led me to dedicate many years to hone my craft.

After studying these musical geniuses one pattern I found that every genius had was desire and concentration, this huge addiction for their craft, dedicating long hours to perfect their skills.

Desire is obvious, but that’s just the beginning. Here are my steps to being a musical genius.

Musical Geniuses:

1. Learn forever: Geniuses are always learning something new they never stop trying to improve.
2. Practice forever: Geniuses love to dedicate time to grow their skills
3. Perform forever: Musical geniuses seemed to be kind of show offs they love to share their gifts. I guess it’s kind of an ego trip.
4. Review forever: Even geniuses make mistakes, they are always reviewing their work and correcting their mistakes. Geniuses are perfectionists.
5. Create forever: Music Geniuses are always composing and creating new musical ideas. They love being unique and different.
6. Evolve forever: Music geniuses seem to be always changing their music. I can’t speak for everyone but they are the ones who create the musical trends and new ideas. If Mozart were alive today it’s almost certain that his music would not be the same today.
7. Live it forever: Musical geniuses, eat, sleep, and breathe music. That’s all they think about, they won’t and refuse to do anything else but music. I know many gifted musicians here in LA that are broke because they refuse to take a day job to pay their bills. The thought of working a day job at Jack in the Box makes them wanna vomit.
8. Desire this forever: Musical geniuses are addicted to music, it’s like drugs, they can’t put it down. Take them away from music and there lives will be miserable. Music is in the their blood and it will be there the rest of their lives.

Those are the 8 Addictions of musical geniuses.

I may have missed some components feel free to add any in the comments section below.

Over the last 15 years I have taught thousands of students, young and adult. Very few were really good and most were average to terrible. The terrible ones would wanna make you quit music forever because of their terrible playing. Haha!

There are many patterns to sucking, and to being really good. Here they are:

To suck:

1. Learn some
2. Practice none

To be ok:

1. Learn some
2. Practice some

To be average:

1. Learn some
2. Practice some
3. Perform some

To be good:

1. Learn a lot
2. Practice a lot
3. Perform a lot

If any these sound like your routine, now you know why you play the way you play. We have to train daily like athletes. We are musical athletes for the one true God. To be a musical genius follow the 8 steps to musical genius.

If have any suggestions or comments feel free to use the section below.

Thanks

Roland

Let’s jump in Doc Brown’s DeLorean time machine and go back to the past…

In the year 2000, when I started teaching music I didn’t have a guideline on what to teach. I didn’t have a bachelors degree in education and as of today I still don’t have one.

Now, 15 plus successful years later and having taught thousands of students I’m not sure if I still need one.

I’m not knocking education, it’s important that we get the right education and most colleges try to get you by requiring you to take classes that have nothing to do with what your majoring in. I am a person that naturally doesn’t like owing anyone anything. I don’t want to be a slave to the system.

“The borrower is a slave to the lender.” 

Yes, I was a college drop out and the reason was because the classes I was attended had nothing to do with music and art, and the system just wanted to suck the money out of my pockets. I attended only the music and art classes that I needed, payed my tuition and I was out.

During college I started teaching music at a local music school. I studied great musicians like: Victor Wooten, Abraham Laboriel, or Matthew Garrison

I learn so much from these great teachers, I developed over the years and applied my own guidelines on what a great musicians skills should have in their own arsenal.

Whether you play guitar, drums or bass these skills apply to all musicians regardless the instrument.

9 Skills of Musical Awesomeness

1. Technical Skills:

Technique is the physical part on how you approach your instrument. If your a guitarist you would most likely use a guitar picking technique or the fingering technique. You don’t need to know every technique on your instrument just the main ones. Sweep picking on your guitar is an awesome technique to have in your back pocket. It’s a “nice to have” technique but not a “need to have” technique.

The main techniques on your instrument should be mastered, so whenever a complicated riff or scale comes your way you can attack it with a vengeance.

2. Reading Skills:

Music is a language and like any language it has a reading and writing system. We don’t necessarily need reading and writing to express ourselves with our instrument. Reading music will expand your knowledge and allow you play music from around the world.

There are plenty of unrecorded music out in the world, but there is sheet music for it, and being able to read and interpret it will bring your value up to another level.

3. Music Theory:

The ABC’s of music. Just like you know your alphabet, vowels, consonants, etc. There are tons of people who can speak english well, but can’t read or write. Would you think they were ignorant? If they the knew their ABCs and the basic rules, they would be able to communicate in a lot more clearer fashion.

Music theory gives you the “why” aspect. When I was a kid I always wanted to know why certain sounds, sounded a certain way and “how” I can use what I just learned and interpret it in any key or style. Theory gave me that “AHA” moment and allowed me to expand, experiment and be “out of the box”. If you don’t know the rules, then you can’t break them.

4. Style/Rhythm:

“If you ain’t got no groove, then you ain’t got no pocket.” Victor Wooten.

This world has a plethora of different cultures with beautiful music that we have yet to discover. Musicians should be eclectic, which means we should be familiar with different styles of music.

I’m a jazz, rock, funk, blues, gospel, latin music kinda guy. Being a diverse musician in many styles will give you that advantage and feel that no other musician will have. I know of many rockers who just stick to their style of music and there’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t be a conformist and expand your horizons. Believe me you’ll be glad you did. Your groove will be so tight.

5. Listening/Ear training:

Mozart had what they call “absolute pitch” which means he can identify a musical note or chords just by listening to it without a musical instrument. Relative pitch is when you use an instrument to identify the musical notes.

Most musicians don’t have absolute pitch, they have relative pitch or can develop it. I have relative pitch which took me years of hard work transcribing songs and solos. I have gotten to the point where I can identify a key or note in a spilt second on my instrument. This ability has gotten me many gigs, because I can pick up a song rather quickly, usually within one or two times listening to the tune, depending on the difficulty or course. I don’t have absolute pitch yet but I’m still working on it.

Listening skills is where your ear focuses on not just yourself, but the music around you. Knowing what feel and notes to use at the appropriate time during the song will take your music beyond. Don’t add too much hot sauce in the tacos or you can ruin your meal. Serve the song, not yourself.

6. Improvisation:

When they shine the spotlight on you so you can rip on your guitar solo are your ready? This is where instant creativity will flow. I’ll be honest, I’m more of a rhythm groove guitarist, not a lead soloing guitarist. This is my next step in taking my skills to the next stage. I’m really working on this area, transcribing solos after solos. I’m getting there slowly but surely.

By standing on the shoulders of giants, which means modeling after great musicians, discovering what their process was on how they reached that level. Modeling after their methods and tweaking it to fit your style to be more effective will make you a giant yourself. Google your favorite musicians and study their methods and thought process and apply it and soon you’ll be able to tear the walls down with your mind blowing solo.

7. Composition:

Most musicians I know are mostly copycats, meaning they only play other artists tunes and they join cover bands and play top 40 music. There’s nothing wrong with that, and you can make good cash playing in a top 40 band, but I’ve been there and done that.

Composition is what separates you from the wannabes to true musical art. Creating your own compositions, good or bad gives you advantages that no one has. You interpret melodies and harmonies from deep in your mind and bring it to life so everyone can enjoy your creation. You don’t really need music theory to create a song, but it will really gives you wings to fly further. All the greatest musicians and artists are composers. Stand on those giants shoulders and see where they can take you.

8. People skills:

My friend Jimmy P. is an awesome drummer probably one of the most gifted I’ve ever seen, but there’s one problem. He has no people skills, he could be playing with big major artists. He’s played with some artists and done thousands of gigs, but hasn’t done much to advance his career.

Could it be his musical ability, I highly doubt it.

I, on the other hand have gigged with various major artists and traveled the world and have been sustaining my career as a professional for over 10 years. Jimmy is still struggling. Why?

He lacks basic people skills, doesn’t know how to interact or network with others. Jimmy thinks his music skills is enough to get him the gig. If we compare each others music skills, he totally outweighs me in musical capacity no doubt. What Jimmy outweighs me in musical skills I, outweigh him in people skills.

My buddy Jimmy is a good guy, but he’s very shy. Being quiet doesn’t mean your shy. Shyness is the lack of comfort or awkwardness towards people. This feeling can be overcome step by step. It’s definitely a process and I know Jimmy can conquer it. You can be shy or a total jerk or just weird if people don’t like you or are uncomfortably around you, you won’t be getting a call for the next gig.

If your not a good “hang” or team player with members of your group, then I think it’s best that you try to work on those people skills.

9. Entrepreneur skills:

Entreprenuership is a mindset that I’ve discovered most musicians don’t have, including myself at an early age. All I wanted to do is play music, get my paycheck and go.

Surprisingly, that is what most pro musicians do, they audition hundreds of times for artists, get the gig, play the gig, get paid and go home. When the gig is over with they just look for the next gig and repeat the process over again. Kind of like working construction, once the building is complete you have to find the next job.

Entrepreneurs should use their creativity, talents and skills to create assets, so if a gig doesn’t come through they don’t have to rely on that income, cash flow will keep coming in regardless if they get the gig or not.

What is an asset?

It’s something that you create or invest in that puts money in your pocket without you lifting a finger.

For musicians an asset can be: licensing your compositions to artists, commercials, movies, releasing an album and selling it on iTunes, publishing your own music instruction book, creating a instructional DVD, investing in a production music studio, and many others.

The biggest artists in the game for example invest in: a clothing lines, energy drinks, colognes, shoes, etc, most of their millions come from their investments, not from record sales, especially not today.

I have invested in this website, publishing a book, an online retail company, and the stock market. I plan to keep building my assets as I move forward and believe me it’s not easy, but I would rather struggle in working on my assets knowing that one day it’s going to bless me, my career, others and my family then struggling trying to find the next gig.

That’s my two cents.

Ok, I’ve talked too much, here’s the run down.

If you want to be a:

Great hermit musician stuck in your cave ripping on scales all day. Master skills: 1-7.

If you want to be a:

Working musician and get in the game. Master skills: 1-8.

If you want to be a:

Musically awesome ninja musician and share your gifts with the world. Master skills: 1-9.

I hope you found value with this information. Feel free to add anything in the comments section below and please share this post with someone.

Thank you much and build those assets.

Roland