Beat logo

The Road to Becoming a Musician

Tips and Do's and Don'ts to Keep Making Progress as a Musician

By Victor GurrolaPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
Like

All of us who are musicians or are learning to play music go through the struggle: We take a really big step forward and then we get stuck.

For any musician out there, professional or not, here are a few things to do in order to keep improving technically and professionally.

Practice your basics every day.

Whether you're a proficient player or a beginner, it is always good to revise your basics as a way of making sure you don't fall into bad habits. Furthermore, if you're beginning to perform on a regular basis but aren't so proficient, practicing your basics will slowly but surely help you improve when playing for other people.

Listen to what people criticize about your performance.

You may know a lot more of music in terms of theory and how things work, but most people know what sounds good and what doesn't, regardless of whether they have a different taste or not. When you perform for money, your playing has to be of the liking of as many people as possible to really be enjoyed. Now, this does not mean to become a robot and a people pleaser, you can still have your own style, but if one of your friends tells you that your singing vibrato sounds like an old washing machine, they're most likely trying to help you out.

Surround yourself with musicians.

This is one of the most important factors in building a career in music. Being around more knowledgeable musicians will mean that you can always learn something from them while being surrounded with musicians of your own level will help you not feel alone. Aside from this, if you want to start a project, you can get people from your community to join you and to help you find the right path for your goals. Making connections with as many people as possible will always go a long way.

Forget all the technicality on stage.

No, I'm not saying for you to forget all your techniques and play sloppily. What I'm saying is that once you're performing, you have to let go, to relax. This has always been an issue for me, but the minute I relax is when I find that I play best and have the most fun. Once you relax, you're able to play around with the music, in order to find your style, to interact with the public as well as with other musicians on the spot.

There are many steps that have to be taken in order to become a great musician, but these are essential for musicians of almost any level. Practicing the simplest things correctly as to keep building on your skill; listen to what other people have to say about your music in order to improve things you may not be able to see; surround yourself with musicians of all skill levels to learn, to network, and to work on new projects/ideas; last but not least, to enjoy yourself while performing. After all, that's what music is all about.

diy
Like

About the Creator

Victor Gurrola

Musician, dancer, lover of Mexican culture. (Yes, I dance folklorico and play mariachi music.)

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.