What Do Most Great Musicians Have In Common?

They play music?


Just'a guess

 

They ignore cultural trends, ignore recording execs, learn many genres and bring forth the unique from inside.

Talent itself is something we're born with.

 

They ignore cultural trends, ignore recording execs, learn many genres and bring forth the unique from inside.

Talent itself is something we're born with.

 

natural time

 

Madness or maybe it should be considered ECCENTRICITY!!!!!!

 

Passion.

Great artists don't ever set out to be famous, they get addicted to expanding their knowledge and ability. They push themselves because they HAVE to. They become great by doing what they can't live without. It's like breathing to them. It's not a choice to practice, it's an obsession. They don't look to teachers to learn, they grow by experimenting with their craft. They climb, they build, they expand, they wonder what would happen if, and then they do it. They take the thing that's never been done before and figure out how to do it. They set their own course. Nothing will ever satisfy a great musician, they always have something more to add, to accomplish, to figure out.

 

Most professional musicians are double jointed and, of course, they tend to have good hearing, at least, when they start.

 

not sure what the correct answer is but they seem to be super talented and highly creative at least
the one's that I have personally known

 

I think the honest answer is they spend an inordinate amount of time practicing; like 6 to 9 hours per day? I'm guessing... but I think I actually heard Tom Morello (rage against the machine) say that the other day on the radio.

 

that makes a lot of sense. I think they are super talented to be able to sing and play instruments like they do

 

I think that's a component but that can't be the only thing. Jimi Hendrix died at 27 (for some perspective, Stevie Ray Vaughn had not even released his first album at that age), surely many other guitarists have spent much more time practicing than Hendrix did and are not on his level.

 

I feel like he's not saying anything that hasn't already been mentioned in this thread but it popped up in my recommended vids so I'll post it...

 

Musicians tend to be double jointed, while the same networks in the brain responsible for music and beauty and mathematics are also responsible for language and abstract thought. The Chinese literally use more of their brain for thinking and have perfect pitch, and you could say we use more of our brain for thinking when we are in a relaxed state. FMRI studies have indicated more intelligent people think less, going from A to B to C, and saving their brain power for when it is more productive. Artists such as musicians require both creativity and a working memory, explaining why insanity is valued among their ranks. People like Elvis were flat out insane in some ways, but it made him as creative as he was, while Asians merely imitate him.

 

Don't we all have it?

 

It's about striving to always become a better musician, and keeping your art honest. Being a musician for a long time, I will be honest and say I've strayed from being true to myself as I made wrong decisions and followed what the "big executive" type guys in the music industry were telling me. Ultimately, I got nowhere while I was under the influence of their ways of thinking. I always felt like I was writing much more exciting stuff before all that formulated method of creating music interfered with my own creative style. At one point, I suffered a bout of depression because I really didn't know who I was any more as a musician, and it got so bad to the point where I even considered retiring from music altogether. But I realized I couldn't, so from that day on I decided to create only the music I wanted to and believed in again, just like when I was a young aspiring guitarist way back when.

Now, practice is very important but only if you approach it with a mindset where it's still generally enjoyable to do so. Edward Van Halen would actually say "don't 'practice', just play". I tend to see his point there. The love of playing has to be there even when things become challenging, because they do get challenging. If you perceive practice as "work", then it's not as enjoyable and thus you might get bored of it pretty quick. But even if you outwardly say, or perceive, "oh, I'm 'working' on this stuff right now", if you're really just perceiving the process simply as playing, you have a far greater chance of remaining enthusiastic about what you're doing. This way, when you're finally able to play what you've been working on without no noticeable errors, you may feel that the result is that much more rewarding. That also drives a musician to excel further and, in turn he/she has a much better chance of becoming a great musician.

 

Most of them have tinnitus or other hearing conditions. Better wear custom IEMs/hearing protection like this one from Big Ear!

 

All great guitarists have natural aptitude; that's a given. Probably good memories, since you need to be able to remember licks and patterns. And finally, creativity -- the desire to create something from nothing. There are plenty of musicians who can emulate other musicians' styles, but to develop a unique style requires curiosity and a desire to take it where it hasn't been before. On the other hand, many great musicians were unable to play like anyone else, so they had no choice but to develop their own styles.

 

Tom Morello (who is in my opinion one of the most innovative guitarists on the scene) talks a lot about that this video:



C/S,
Rev J

 

If they compose as well, they look to arrange the songs carefully and seriously.

 

mostly that you'd never know they were if you met them in every day life.