I have been reflecting a lot recently on what it means to be an aspiring musician, essentially because of the opinions and feelings I hear from other musicians in similar situations. It is true that Madeira is not the best place in the world to be a musician – in fact, it’s a very unpleasant place for that. But there seems to be a general, cynical feeling of scepticism and resignation all around which I don’t – I can’t – agree with. This feeling comes through on bitter speeches everywhere, as I hear musicians going on about how difficult and pointless it is to do anything here, about how misunderstood we are, etc… The problem, in my opinion, is that this has become so commonplace – repeated by everyone from teens who bought their first guitar yesterday to players who’ve been around for decades – that people don’t even bother to reflect on it. It’s become a sort of mantra for local musicians. More than a mantra, it’s becoming a dogma. What was once a way to express a will to do more has become an excuse to do nothing.
Becoming and progressing as a musician is based on motivation. Motivation is the most basic part of it; it’s the will or the need to make music. But motivation alone will get you nowhere. What you need to progress is commitment. And commitment is basically the ability and strength to steer your motivation and all its energy into the right direction. Commitment happens when you discipline and strengthen yourself enough to progress towards your goals. As a musician, there are two levels at which you need to commit: as a player and as a band member.
As a player, your commitment will be towards improving your individual skills. This is a very sensitive point. When I say “improving your skills” I don’t mean learning to play as fast or as hard as X, Y or Z, but working to achieve a point at which you feel comfortable and confident at whatever you want to play. This varies immensely from one person to another, as does the type and amount of practice and effort. Some musicians just seem to grow naturally as such; others need to spend hours practising. There is no right or wrong approach, each person has his / her own learning curve and habits. The vital part – and THAT is entirely up to you – is understanding and recognizing, with honesty, how your ability as a player translates into your music, good or bad.
As a band member, your commitment should be towards maximising your potential as a band. This involves understanding and recognizing where the strengths and weaknesses of your project lie, and learning how to make the most of them. It also involves understanding that a band is much more than good songs or good musicians, but it also involves a series of dynamics you need to be aware of. One essential part is understanding, if you are aiming to take your band to the highest possible level, how your project is seen from the outside. If you are promoting yourself and your work, you must make it as good as possible. You must understand that promoters, record companies and just about anyone that may have an interest on you will only take it further if you can prove yourself solid, competent, reliable and adaptable. The point is, you cannot expect or demand 100% from anyone else if you’re not demanding 120% from yourself already. How do you get there? Well, there are no big secrets or magic formulas. The starting point is talent. From then on, it’s really a matter of HARD WORK. Hard work which will sometimes leave you frustrated, exhausted and angry; which will keep you away from loved ones and friends and from doing many other things you like; and which often implies often leaving your “comfort zone” and taking risks. Sounds like madness? Some things you just can’t explain.
And now back to the local scene. Fabulous musicians have sprung out of this place, some of them decades ago. And compared to now, they were alone. There weren’t many musicians around with whom you could exchange ideas and join forces. They had nothing but their dreams and ambitions and the will to get there through hard work. And they got there. They realized how limited they were here, and they gathered the strength to get where they wanted. And this at a time when you couldn’t travel easily, had no affordable quality instruments available and had no ways of promoting your work like now. There are quite a few musicians here that are well accomplished at both levels. They seem to have lots of potential, yet just seem to hang around cursing the “system”, while at the same time seem do nothing to escape from it. There are no initiatives, no risking, and no searching for alternatives. How can you curse something if you do nothing to try and change it? Or if you don’t really want to try to change it, why don’t you go after alternatives? Local musicians at the moment are doing virtually nothing outside the “system” they criticize so much. Year after year, everyone sheepishly goes along with the same tongue-in-cheek initiatives they criticize – changing nothing, risking nothing, gaining nothing. No one dares to risk new initiatives and alternatives. And to go somewhere outside this scheme is almost unconceivable for most of them, not daring to step out of the “comfort zone”. And this is when I feel the complaining has become “institutionalized”. That it is in most cases nothing more than a way to draw your and others’ attention away from the apathy, the lack of ideas and the missed chances that fill the rest of the time…
How hard, how high and how far, it’s up to your conscience.
For apathy there is no excuse.
Into starlight.
