Musician 101- Practice, Practice, Practice!

Tim Wenger | August 1, 2013 | 0 Comments

Musician 101 – Practice Your Ass Off

What to do to take it to the next level

By the Swami

Back in the 90’s when I had a developmental deal with Sony, I was privileged to have several great mentors. Then the labels still had A/R departments and would look for talented artists to sign and then “train” to be a pro. For me, I was lucky enough to have such encounters. Here in this monthly column I will share with you not only the things I learned from “the big boys” but really from the school of hard knocks and the other school of figuring out what not to do.

Each month I will pick a different topic that I think truly makes the difference between amateur and professional.

# 2: Michael Jordan wasn’t born with his basketball skills…

Spending time with the likes of Barry Fey (RIP), Chuck Morris and other notable local music stalwarts, one thing was always in common with them on what separated the amateurs from the pros…Being as good as you can at what you do.

If you are in a band, you not only owe it to yourself to practice your instrument or voice as much as possible, but to your band mates, your fans and your future. NO ONE ever became amazing at what they do out of the womb. Whether you are a prodigy or not (ok, maybe Matt Bellamy from Muse is an exception), everyone that is incredible at what they do worked extremely hard and continue to do so to be as great as they are.

Practicing doesn’t mean getting on stage on a Wednesday new talent night. It means applying yourself to your craft. Education is a must. You play guitar? Watch video lessons, read books, study your peers and icons! Learn how to play their songs!

I remember interviewing the Boulder based band Rose Hill Drive a few years back and asked them, “how many days/nights a week do you guys practice?” – Their reply: “6 sometimes 7.” No wonder they toured with The Who.

You can separate yourself from the menusha of musicians by becoming great at what you do. Not only as an individual, but more importantly as a band. Raise the bar with your band mates. Push each other. Demand it.

I ask new bands 3 questions: One – How long have you been together…Two – How many times do you practice each week…Three – What are your goals. It will pretty much tell me 90% of what the band is about.

Band A: “We been together 6 months, practice once a week, and really aren’t sure yet what are goals are.”

Success rate: 5%

Band B: “We been together a year and half, practice 3-4 times a week and want to dominate the world.”

Success rate: 75+%

Don’t’ be band A and embarrass yourself on stage. Like Chuck Morris said at a music conference – “Three words of advice: PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!”