The Top 10 Skills Of Being a Musician

SKILL #1

Musical Fluency
[Music like a Language]

Music is a language...

• “Thinking” in Music: You can silently hear music in your head

Music is a language...

• “Speaking” in Music: being able to transform something you specifically hear in your head into something that other people can hear (with an instrument)

Music is a language...

• "Understanding" other people "speaking" music: this means you are able to understand what another is trying to convey musically

Can you hear music without any actual noise?

Auditation

You audiate when you play a tune by ear.

Beethoven played that way when he was deaf!

musical notes = information = words

• By connecting notes or words you can create messages
• Any meaning you convey through music should originate in your head FIRST
• Make music intentional, not by accident, otherwise it's a lie or gibberish

Therefore,

to build this #1 Skill:
you should always practice music
BOTH
in your head (silently)
AND
out loud (for others to hear).

SKILL #2

Technique

Technique is all about the "how?"

Techniques Are Applications

• How one holds their hands
• How one touches the keys on the piano
• How one holds their arms + wrists
• How one avoids unhealthy tension
• How posture can change your sound
• How to do the "impossible" music tricks

Techniques can have fancy names too:

• "The Taubman Approach"
• "The 5 Finger Drill"
• "Mozart's Formula"
• "Alexander Technique"
• "Suzuki Method"
• "Arm Rotation"

Or Technique can be basic skills:

• All of the scales (and then in complicated patterns)
• Trills & Tremelos
• Arpeggios
• Cycling
• Glissando, staccato, legato

Study other musicians - be observant in how they play to pick up new techniques

Technique can be confusing however, and you may be given conflicting advice

Always listen to what your own body is telling you - learn to play in ways that protects you from injury.

SKILL #3

How Do I Get to Carnegie Hall?

• PRACTICING is the only way you will ever accomplish Skills #1 & #2
• This is why Time Management is important!

Practicing is DIFFICULT, just by itself!

What's worse is how difficult it is just to make time to practice!

Steps to Win the War Against Time

• Be super aware of how time is spent
• Strategize how some activities could be turned into practice time somehow
• Give yourself countdown warnings... Target the moment of practicing 2 hrs beforehand!
• If the plan fails, be your own militant battle strategist - look for weaknesses and conquer the time for practicing.

Let other people know when you plan to practice

SKILL #4