Waiting ‘Til You Have Something to Say

Audiences respond to what you say, not how objectively 'good' you are.

Anyone who plays music at an amateur level has likely had the experience of being asked: ”Are you good?” I’ve been asked it a couple of times, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. “Good” in music is so subjective, there really is no way to answer the question.

Some extraordinarily famous artists have made entire careers playing and singing songs that involve the same three guitar chords. Are those musicians “good?” It depends on how you respond to them. If you think they’re good, and their songs inspire you, then they’re good. Others may not think that a musician who plays only three chords is “good,” so they’ll listen to someone “better.”

There are amateur musicians on the Music After 50 forum who are likely “better” players than some rich and famous household names. Of course they might like to be rich and famous, but many amateur musicians are in it for the learning, the camaraderie, and the playing.

Many people don’t understand the drive that some amateur musicians have simply to improve. It’s an internal, personal drive that is unrelated to striving for external success. Amateurs may also strive for eventual external success, but it’s completely separate from the drive to improve.

If you’re interested in studying music as an adult, you are likely doing it for an internal need to express yourself and to improve musically. If you’re looking to transition to performance, acceptance by an audience will only come when you feel you have something “to say” musically, whether or not it’s as ”good” as you’d like it to be.

So, if you’re not ready to get out there and say something until you’ve reached a certain level, then your goal is to study and improve musically. If you want to say something,  but you’re not at a particularly high level musically, it may not matter. What you want to say may be so compelling to an audience, that being “good” on some objective level may be meaningless.

The first blog post I wrote for this site dealt with the issue of questioning your artistic contribution while at an amateur level. Regardless of where you are on your musical journey, keep the following Martha Graham quote in mind:

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”