Music is something that is universal, one of the very few things that connect everyone in the world. No matter where you live in the world or what your personality is like, you’ve definitely heard and enjoyed music before. Due to this, becoming a musician could be an extremely attractive career option. Not only can musicians use their music to connect people and make the world a better place, but they can also creatively express themselves through their music. So how can a fledgling musician go from a novice to an expert? Here’s some advice for new musicians.
Practice Often
No matter what you’re trying to get better at, practicing often is among the best ways to improve. Sure there are a handful of people that are born with some amazing natural talent, but even those people need to put in the hard work in order to become truly successful at what they do. As a musician, practice is extremely important, as it will allow you to hone what you already know, as well as allow you to learn and master new techniques. If you want to be a successful musician, or even just want to improve at all, then you’re going to need to practice your instrument frequently.
Learn New Songs
Another great way to improve as a musician is to go outside of your comfort zone and learn some new songs to play. Learning some new songs could be great in helping you learn new techniques and styles of playing, and you could even find something that you’re naturally really good at. Experimenting with different types of music can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, showing you things that you may need to improve upon or avoid altogether.
Find Your Style
Although you may find this piece of advice to be contradictory to the previous suggestion of branching out and going outside your comfort zone, finding your style can have a huge effect on allowing you to be a successful musician. You should definitely experiment and try out new things in the realm of music, but once you find a style that you like and comes naturally to you, you should integrate it into your identity as a musician. In order to do this, you need to hone your skill with that particular type of music. Many famous musicians have a certain type of music that defines them, and although they could branch out into other types of music, their particular style served as a vehicle to get them to where they are today.
Take Lots of Gigs
If you really want to succeed as a musician, then you should be trying to take as many gigs as possible for the experience. Regardless of where you live, there will always be local bars, restaurants, and other venues looking to hire musicians for live entertainment. For example, if you’re in Austin, a bar may be looking for Austin musicians for hire, while an L.A restaurant may be looking for L.A bands to add some ambiance to the venue. Performing at these venues can be extremely beneficial for your career, as it will allow you to not only enhance your skills, but will also get you used to performing in front of a crowd. Things like stage fright can really tank a performance, and being able to get used to things like that is critical to success as a musician. Finally, patrons at the venue can provide you with valuable feedback about your music, allowing you to improve further as a musician.
