The 10 Worst Habits of Musicians.You’re Not Talking About Me, Right?
Sqweeeeeeeeeeeeech. That’s the sound of me pulling my soap box to the front of the class. Today, I want to talk about the 10 worst habits musicians struggle with—always remember this post—steering clear of these mistakes will make you outstanding!
1. Avoiding Constructive Criticism—If you are a true musician, you have to be open to criticism. That’s just how it is. Criticism doesn’t have to be painful—-look at it as being excellent! People care enough about you to give you feedback. It will make you a stronger player and if well taken–others will respect you for it.
2. Being the Sham Wow Guy—What do I mean by that. This essence of this phenomenon comes about when a musician feels that they have to pitch the fact that they are a great player. I know you’ve seen this before. They are constantly talking about how good they are, what songs they are playing, where they are playing, and the famous people that they have run into. They rant on and on and on. If you’re a genuinely talented musician–your skills will speak for themselves.
3. Ignoring the Technicals—I deem myself guilty on this one. In order to be a great musician, you have to practice technique daily. If you don’t, you will never really advance. Oh, you might play some challenging music, but without the technicals—your performances will just look sloppy—and nobody likes that.
4. Throwing Temper Tantrums–Do you know where temper tantrums take you? To the unemployment line. You heard me. A group can’t get anywhere when a team member throws a fit and storms out of practice every 15 minutes. Control thyself.
5. Rushing Practice–Sometimes it’s easy to rush through practice and not really focus. It’s more of a nanny nanny boo boo-The End–kind of practice. It’s important to take a balanced approach to practicing but you need to make your minutes count.
6. Beating yourself to a Pulp—We have all had performances that have not gone so well. Some musicians get stuck on them, “I remember that spring day when I was playing Debussy, it was hot and I had eaten shell fish before hand. That was a terrible day.” Learn from your mistakes–but don’t make a bad performance your defining moment. If you have one bad performance–get back out there and try again.
7. Over-thinking—If you’re a perfectionist, it’s easy to get tunnel vision. You may work on a piece–and keep plugging away on it as if you were a Duracell battery–and six months later you’ve only gotten 10 measures down. You over analyze. It’s good to be detail oriented–but balance is a precious thing. It will help you to achieve more.
8. Showing up Late for Appointments—Yes indeed. Just because you are a musician–doesn’t mean you don’t have to be a respecter of time. Mmm hmm. You know I’m right.
9. Not Making Friends with Musicians—You need to make good friends with other musicians. Not only will they lift your spirits, make you a better player and give you someone to be nerdy with—they may also be a great contact for future opportunities.
10. Not Managing Money Well—I have seen musicians toss their paychecks into a heaping pile of sheet music on the floor–take cash for gigs and never record where the money came from. Many musicians aren’t that great at managing their money. They make it a habit to scrounge around the house for their gig money when they need it. Their taxes aren’t taken into account–and neither are their tax deductions. If you’re like this–go get an accountant. You never know–the accountant might help you save money by just getting organized.
Alright, I’m putting my soap box away, but think about what I’ve said, maybe it will help you avoid the trouble that others have dealt with!
