Focus on Your Unique Musical Message
Legendary pianist Bill Evans said you should play the music that pleases yourself. Painting: "Submerged (Bill Evans)" by Iris Lavy.
The guitar world has always been obsessed with who is faster or better. The reality is that all good players are fast and knowledgeable about chords, improvisation, and harmony. So speed and knowledge, are, in themselves, not that meaningful.
What makes one player different from another is not the external factors of technique but the unique projection of personality that comes through the music. Just as you meet one person that you like and another person that you don’t like so much, the audience is only affected by their own individual response to a player.
Does the player move them or not? After all, the audience is not in a position to judge a player on the basis of his or her technique or knowledge. The audience can only react. This is ultimately a good thing.
Bill Evans said something that I always admired. He said you must please yourself. Play what pleases you. You can’t chase players or styles or trends. In essence, he was saying: find your own voice.
From a marketing point of view, you have to find an audience that likes your style, your sound, your personality. If you become your own unique self, you’ll never be disappointed with the results!
Note from LRG: Read more about developing your unique voice:
6 comments
Posted 02/09/10 at 7:33 am
I see you are using my friend Iris’s painting! Very Cool work!
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:15 am
Robin: Your work is beautiful! Let me know if you have any music-themed paintings; I can use them for future posts.
Posted 02/10/10 at 8:27 am
Leah I do! I have some ideas and perfect pieces. Is the “contact us” the best way to reach you?
Posted 02/10/10 at 8:35 am
What a wonderful piece and great compliment to Iris, the artist! Excellent post!
Posted 02/11/10 at 9:44 am
Thank you for this. It has helped me feel more confident about playing what pleases me and finding my voice rather than thinking I need to be like someone else in order to be successful. I like the Bill Evans quote. (the painting is great too.
Posted 02/11/10 at 9:44 am
Thank you for this. It has helped me feel more confident about playing what pleases me and finding my voice rather than thinking I need to be like someone else in order to be successful. I like the Bill Evans quote. (the painting is great too.
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