Something is fishy in the kingdom of musicians. Let me tell you what it is. Some people barely practice and they’re able to perform whatever was assigned, and some people have to labor and slave and repeat the same piece over and over and still make mistakes once they’re on the spot.
This is totally unfair. To me. Because, you see, I am in the second category. Definitely not a Mozart on the drums or the piano. I am a blue collar kind of guy, I’ll do my 10 000 hours of practice and still not feel confident. I will sweat, and curse and bite the bars of the stool I’m sitting on and make progress at the speed of a continent. That’s my lot.
Yes, something is fishy in the kingdom of musicians.
Because here is a conundrum: even if it is difficult, I’ll keep on keeping on. No matter what. The routine will not be the playing, the routine is and has always been the torture. I play because I breathe, although breathing is easy. I don’t do it to become famous, to achieve some shiny goal planted high in the sky. I don’t do it to impress anyone. I don’t do it for my family or for my friend. I do it because I can’t help it. I could stop practicing like a mad man and take a rest, you know, ease up on the accelerator pedal, so to speak. After all, my skills are not bad, I can demonstrate what needs to be done to my students in piano or drums. Also, I do not have a band right now. Why should I push so hard? I still do at least 3 hours every day. Why, I am asking you, why?
You want to know the funny thing? I don’t have a clear answer to that why. Like I said, it’s because I can’t help it. It helps me exist. And I’ll leave it at that.
