IT STARTS WITH DESIRE

Heya, music-makers ...

So, you're thinking of joining the ranks of the greats? That's admirable. Very cool, in fact. It's a very common ambition as well. Of course, many musicians who get "the calling" never get there; they never move from intention to reality.

In some cases, they could blame externals: An inadequate musical education, not enough time spent practicing and developing one's craft, not enough talent. But these excuses fall short when you consider the following: 

There are many great musicians who had little, if any, formal training; many have had to work their practice time around other responsibilities; and there is certainly no shortage of greats who started out with serious technical shortcomings and still managed to move many, many people.

Greatness is, indeed, a very broad term. There are so many things for people to be great at, and so many ways to be great at everything, that it seems to be quite the impossible term to define.

I'll get you started by sharing with you one of the very few things nearly all greats have in common. It applies to athletes, scientists, and writers. It also applies to chefs, police officers, and interior designers. And it certainly applies to musicians.

Greatness starts with desire. It doesn't matter what field you're talking about -- or what kind of musician -- greats have one unifying quality that sets them apart from the mediocre. They are filled with desire.

These people want to do what they do so bad it hurts. They don't just hope for it, they want it. They want it more than anything else. They can't picture themselves doing anything else. Great musicians want nothing more than to play. Many of them may have had a job unrelated to music, but that was just to pay bills. Music is why they are here. It's their purpose; their life's work.

Many of them may, for various reasons, never go on to find fame and fortune. Greatness has nothing to do with that. I've heard musicians who are true masters of music playing in clubs, leading church choirs, singing and playing for their sixth-grade class, even simply playing for occasional friends or family members. They're monsters on their instrument. And desire is what got them there. It's what made them practice and study and persevere.

That's the great thing about desire: It takes care of so many problems and obstacles. When you have the desire to be a great musician, nothing stands in your way. Desire propels you beyond whatever technical limitations you might have. It may take years, but desire gets you there. The desire to play helps you handle the pain of criticism, as well as to establish music as a priority in your life so that other less important distractions can be moved out of the way. It helps you to be more patient with yourself and your progress, to endure temporary setbacks, and to work around whatever weaknesses in your ability you can't overcome.

Desire empowers you to become great. It is like a magic pill that helps to give you whatever you need, be it energy, ability, knowledge, courage, or anything else that will make you the absolute best player you can be!

Until next time...
Stay tuned and play great.

Your Whiz-guru
Stan Munslow