subject: The Answer to the Question [print this page] Every musician around has been through a development phase and usually after a few aborted attempts at real progress begin to ask the question:
"How do I get better at playing my instrument?" "What's the answer?"
"I see all these really great players who are extremely productive and I know they must have done certain things to get where their at. Once I figure out how they got there, my success is on the horizon."
Wouldn't it be great if you can interview a bunch of those musicians and ask them, "What was the key thing that made it all work?" If you were to conduct such an interview, the answers would be as diverse as the musicians you're interviewing.
The possibilities are endless:
"I practiced scales a lot"
"I transcribed solos every day"
"I practiced technique for hours on end"
"Music theory and scale patterns"
"I got motivated by playing with musicians who were better than me"
"I learned how to play licks in twelve keys"
"I never really practiced much just ran on adrenaline"
"I kept a really organized practice schedule"
And what if you asked each musician how they got the job? The answers would be so convoluted that it's anyone's guess as to any common denominator.
I've gotten these questions asked of me over the years. I feel like I can't really give anyone a straight answer. I remember trying to do anything and everything I could. I practiced many hours a day. Worked on jazz tunes. Scales patterns and arpeggios etc. My fingers became more nimble. My brain was ticking. I became more sensitized to a regimen of practicing every day. The thing is that all the practicing became very fulfilling to me. I looked forward to practicing like it was sort of a Zen thing.
Practicing like this was cool but here's the catch: The patterns and licks I learned never seemed to get into my improvising. I was so caught up in learning patterns that I never attempted to apply these in context.. I never practiced them over chord progressions to hear how they fit into the musical scheme of things. The reason these patterns never made it into my improvising is because I underestimated how thoroughly a pattern must be learned before it becomes part of your playing. Basically it should feel as if you press a button and out comes the pattern. If you have to send individual messages to your brain like what finger goes where or should I use my fourth finger here instead of the thumb then you won't use the pattern in your solo because the mind is too busy with other things. Even after several months of practicing very few patterns became buttons. The moral of the story is take it slower and don't bite off more than you can chew. You'd be surprised how much mileage you can get from one or two patterns. In fact I heard some blues guitar players play 4 note solos.
After practicing for quite some time I noticed something wonderful happening. Even though I didn't sound like John McLaughlin or some other great guitar player, I discovered that I could play confidently and these new found skills leaked into my playing.
I think I have the answer for that person who wants to know the key to musical success, and its the common denominator shared by all musicians. Find some things that you really enjoy putting time and energy into (labor of love) and do it. If you're doing something because you think you should and you don't like it STOP! Find something that resonates with your spirit, and do a lot of what feels good every day.
