If only Mozart had had a Smartphone. He could have made cute little videos of himself playing piano at age 5, and become a YouTube sensation. After posting a selfie with Bach (#LondonBach), he could peruse the classical charts, see what’s hot in the king’s court these days, and work up some covers. He would have had so many Twitter followers even Papageno would have been impressed (oh boy… opera humor, sorry). With all the social media distractions, who knows if Mozart would have even had time to write The Magic Flute. More importantly, would he have had the patience?
My particular generation grew up in an interesting technology shift. I’m proud to say that not only did I record to a cassette, I actually bought one. Yep, “Weird Al” Yankovic's Running with Scissors. Not long after, I bought the CD, but in ‘99 it still made sense to get the tape. Plenty of things went out of style back then, but even more things came in. Mostly, the Internet. Instant. Global. I still remember a time without it, but it’s faint. The Internet has had a mind-boggling effect on human culture. Since the beginning of our existence, the quest for knowledge was very important: the bigger the book collection or album collection you had, the smarter, more cultured you were. Then suddenly, everyone could go on their computer and listen to all the music, watch all the movies, and learn about everything ever, everywhere.
I was at the tail end of the generation who knew a time before and after instant everything. But for everyone after me, it’s always been that way. I believe the Internet (and other computer-related technology) is a great thing, but its greatest asset is also its greatest problem: it’s so easy. This is also true with music software. When someone with a computer and a DAW can literally make a decent song in 5 minutes using copy and paste, how will they be able to sit for hours and hours, every day, learning to master an instrument?
Discipline. Mozart had it. Every famous composer or performer had it (partly because they didn’t have a lot else to do back then anyway), and you can still have it today, but it’s definitely harder. I’m not referring to the punishment-type of discipline, but rather the kind you manifest within. I strongly believe anyone can learn a new instrument, become a decent painter or actor, or write a book. Good distraction (last week's blog) is key, but the second and most important thing is discipline. Discipline is knowing what you are trying to accomplish, having patience, and realizing that it will take time. When you train or practice, you will improve, but it will take time. Your mind finds places to store your new knowledge, and it needs time to build and strengthen those connections. Your body needs to be strengthened too, physically and with muscle memory. With even with the simplest of tasks, like holding a paintbrush or a guitar pick, you are using muscles you haven’t used before, and your muscles will probably hurt from it. Not for long, but it takes time. As your muscles strengthen, so does your muscle memory, which is key to any skill. If you are decent at typing, do you consciously think about where each finger goes on the keyboard as you type? Or is it a combination of conscious thought and your muscle memory taking care of the rest? The same applies to anything, especially music.
Living in a world where I can “get it now,” as well as being a perfectionist, I am easily frustrated when I don’t achieve huge successes right off the bat. If it takes years of hard work for movie stars, rock stars, CEOs, and other successful people to make it, how can I be upset if I don’t get it the first time around? Sorry Internet, but I’ve got some practicing to do.
Ross
Upcoming shows: July 25th @ The Foundation Room, House of Blues w/ John Flanagan. $10, 9:30 PM!
My particular generation grew up in an interesting technology shift. I’m proud to say that not only did I record to a cassette, I actually bought one. Yep, “Weird Al” Yankovic's Running with Scissors. Not long after, I bought the CD, but in ‘99 it still made sense to get the tape. Plenty of things went out of style back then, but even more things came in. Mostly, the Internet. Instant. Global. I still remember a time without it, but it’s faint. The Internet has had a mind-boggling effect on human culture. Since the beginning of our existence, the quest for knowledge was very important: the bigger the book collection or album collection you had, the smarter, more cultured you were. Then suddenly, everyone could go on their computer and listen to all the music, watch all the movies, and learn about everything ever, everywhere.
I was at the tail end of the generation who knew a time before and after instant everything. But for everyone after me, it’s always been that way. I believe the Internet (and other computer-related technology) is a great thing, but its greatest asset is also its greatest problem: it’s so easy. This is also true with music software. When someone with a computer and a DAW can literally make a decent song in 5 minutes using copy and paste, how will they be able to sit for hours and hours, every day, learning to master an instrument?
Discipline. Mozart had it. Every famous composer or performer had it (partly because they didn’t have a lot else to do back then anyway), and you can still have it today, but it’s definitely harder. I’m not referring to the punishment-type of discipline, but rather the kind you manifest within. I strongly believe anyone can learn a new instrument, become a decent painter or actor, or write a book. Good distraction (last week's blog) is key, but the second and most important thing is discipline. Discipline is knowing what you are trying to accomplish, having patience, and realizing that it will take time. When you train or practice, you will improve, but it will take time. Your mind finds places to store your new knowledge, and it needs time to build and strengthen those connections. Your body needs to be strengthened too, physically and with muscle memory. With even with the simplest of tasks, like holding a paintbrush or a guitar pick, you are using muscles you haven’t used before, and your muscles will probably hurt from it. Not for long, but it takes time. As your muscles strengthen, so does your muscle memory, which is key to any skill. If you are decent at typing, do you consciously think about where each finger goes on the keyboard as you type? Or is it a combination of conscious thought and your muscle memory taking care of the rest? The same applies to anything, especially music.
Living in a world where I can “get it now,” as well as being a perfectionist, I am easily frustrated when I don’t achieve huge successes right off the bat. If it takes years of hard work for movie stars, rock stars, CEOs, and other successful people to make it, how can I be upset if I don’t get it the first time around? Sorry Internet, but I’ve got some practicing to do.
Ross
Upcoming shows: July 25th @ The Foundation Room, House of Blues w/ John Flanagan. $10, 9:30 PM!