Music For Thought: Top 5 Secrets To Becoming A Better Musician
To have a successful career as a musician, you’re going to have to put in the time and the effort it takes to play and sound like a professional.
People tend to think that you can just record a video, throw in a little bit of auto-tune, and post it on Instagram and become an overnight success… Well, the truth of the matter is that in today’s day and age, it actually can be as simple as that. BUT if you want to be a true musician, you have to hone in on your musical skills. You might sound good on Instagram and Facebook but what do you sound like in front of a live audience?
Anyone can sound great over a recording but it’s the live performances where your musicianship and stage presence play a pivotal role in how successful your career will be. Now, to be fair, no one is perfect and you’re going to make mistakes but the goal is to make your mistakes in the studio and not during performances. One of the biggest keys to success as a musician is a mindset of always needing to improve.
Again, no one is perfect and everyone could always use improvement in some area of their careers… musicians are no different. Sure, you’re talented and have probably worked on your craft for many, many years but if you get too comfortable in your skills, you’ll eventually get lazy and start to slack off on some of your work. That reason alone is why it’s so important to constantly and consistently hone your skills to become a better musician.
Follow these 5 tips to become a better musician:
1. Practice Patience
In order to become a talented musician you know you can be is going to take time and definitely won’t happen overnight… you have to be patient, especially if you’re just starting your music career. So don’t feel overwhelmed or be so quick to give up if you’re not progressing as quickly as you hoped you would. Give yourself some time… you’ll get there. In fact, according to hypebot.com, patience is a necessity when trying to establish a successful career in music, almost as though you can’t have one without the other.
2. Never Stop Learning
As mentioned earlier, you might be extremely talented but you’re never too talented to continue learning. Whether you enroll yourself in a music school to learn music theory or if you’re looking for music lessons at an advanced level, you want to always challenge yourself to learn new things musically.
3. Get Comfortable With Your Instrument
You know how they say you can learn something new every day? Well, in the world of music, that statement couldn’t be any truer, especially when it comes down to your instrument. Every time you touch your instrument is an opportunity to learn. As a musician, you need to have a good and thorough understanding of your instrument as well as your technique when playing.
Take note of how you stand or sit when playing; If playing the guitar find out which adjustment for the strap feels most comfortable for you to play, etc. You just need to analyze every aspect of your instrument that will make you feel more comfortable when playing.
4. Be Able to Identify Your Key
As a musician, you might wonder every now and then if it’s possible for you to be tone-deaf. Well, for some people, it might seem that way because they’re not able to identify what key they’re playing in. To become a better musician, you should be able to know what key you’re in every time you strum your guitar, tap a piano key, or sing a note. The only time you wouldn’t need to know what key you’re in is if you’re a drummer.
5. Have Fun
On your journey to becoming a better musician and honing in on your talent, you’re going to have to have a little fun. It can’t always be all work and no play. As a musician, you’re going to run into some pretty awesome opportunities whether it’s playing at local bars or even running into your favorite artists… the whole point is that your music career is what you make of it and by not incorporating a little bit of fun into it, you’re going to lose your motivation to improve.
