I went to a jam session at a friend’s house last night. Nothing fancy or formal, just a fun group of music enthusiasts that likes to pick guitars and do a little off key singing.
We had a new player in the group last night. She had met us during one of our tavern performances and mentioned that she played the guitar. So she brought her guitar seemed to have trouble “jumping in” as we played. So it was logical to assume that she might not play all that well and so well-intentioned tips were offered.
As it turns out, it wasn’t a lack of proficiency that kept her from participating, it was our musical selections. When we asked her to play a song or two that she liked she dazzled us with classical renditions of Beethhoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” “Ninth Symphony,” and “Fűr Elise.”
We were awestruck as we watched her fingers fly along the frets and we heard notes that apparently our guitars can’t even create.
The lesson to be learned from this is a simple one. It is sometimes better to find your niche field of expertise and learn to do it very well than it is to cover as broad a spectrum as possible at a moderate level of performance.
By narrowing your scope you can focus on becoming the best that you can be with specialized training and lots of practice. And if you don’t fit in with the rest of “the group,” so much the better!
Because the soloist always stands out from the rest of the crowd!
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Good advice on "pickin'" your field and getting good at it!
What a lesson for all of us. We need to bloom where we're planted even if we don't look like everyone else.
Hi Richard, thank you for teaching us again. It's amazing how someone can play more difficult pieces but get thrown with simpler ones. You know what they say, Jack of all trades, Master of none! :)
Which is why I generally make buyer referrals to former agents whom I trained to represent home buyers. It's a speciality that isn't easily learned.
Like playing a Beethoven Sanata on a guitar.
Just an aside, what would have happened should the group decided to "jump in and play" with the young lady???
Richard, My teen plays the guitar, and when his friends ask him to play stairway to heaven..he can oblige, but when he plays something by B.B.King their mouths fall open. Never Assume lack of talent, just a difference in focus...for sure good lesson.
Richard: I know narrowing my focus kicked my business into a completely different level. Finding a niche is a great thing.
Richard awesome analogy. So true in so many fields. It takes a lifetime to be a renaissance man----or woman----and one gets that way by focusing on one thing at a time and doing that one thing really well.
Richard, How true of most things. That is a great story. Not only to keep to what we know, but as a reminder not to be so quick to judge.
Amen to that, brother Richard... I grew up playing guitar (and accordian)... Music is a great example of community. The songs we play are our conversation. It can be a big challenge to simply jump right in and start jamming away in a new conversation we have no experience with... Also, it's a great lesson about not making assumptions because 'they' are new to 'our' conversation. Thanks for that... I'm now on my way to a great Saturday.
Richard, I have a similar story within my own family. My daughter is 17, she has been performing in musical theater from a very young age with not much success. The reason--she is a coloratura. That is a very high soprano. What type of music are they suited to? Opera. So she recently competed in Miss Junior Miss and guess what? She won the talent competition. Why? Because she sang an Italian aria. She blew the other competition out of the water because she was able to do something that many her age cannot. It's a good lesson to all of us. Find what we're good at and run with it.
Jumping in and playing.
Somewhere. Somehow. We all have to do that.
Richard I have just one question, when do you sleep?
Richard! So true! I also see the comparison to our profession. We need to find our niche and specialize. That's where we are the most successful I think. Have a great weekend.
My wife is a pianist. One of the happiest sounds in the world is that of her playing while the children play quietly nearby so they can listen while they do their thing.
Doing something not everyone can do, and doing it well, is one of the true joys in life.
Richard, one of those times that we 'jum' to conclusions. It sounds like the way I would be if I bowled left handed!
Your point is good.
However, as one of these types of people, I want to add something.
Some people are good at leading or following--exclusively. Some others are good only at leading with certain skills while only being good at following in other situations.
Your message is a good reminder to refrain from jumping to conclusions UNTIL you have all of the facts.
I wonder how annoyed this person was upon hearing all of this unsolicited advice. Personally, I've been the victim and the assaulting party. THAT is the biggest thing I want to take from this.
Again, thank you for your great posts, Richard.
You have to all play the same tune if you want to fit in well my friend. I myself don't play well with others when it comes to the guitar, but of course, I can't play like your friend did either.
I love your take on this. This really is symbolic to what happens around us every day no matter what our endeavors are.
I believe this also shows us that we must have confidence in our own ability to shine when others are making us feel inadequate. When we believe in ourselves and what we can do then we can go out and get things done. Sometimes my confidence level isn't where it should be even though I know that I am proficient at the task. This is something I have to work at all the time. Ability is important of course but sometimes it needs to be accompanied by confidence in ourselves.