April 4, 2015 editorial: comments

Play it with Confidence 

I was recording a track in my studio the other day — adding a lead guitar overdub — and I was trying to play a pretty tricky figure. It took me a number of passes to play that difficult section correctly, but once I did, and listened back to it, the notes were in the right places, but it was lacking something.

I realized that I had gotten so wrapped up in trying to land the notes correctly, that I was simply trying to survive that passage. So even when I did get it right finally, the performance of it was flat. "Now, try playing it with confidence," I thought to myself. And I  gave it another go, this time playing each note like I meant it. Voila! A much better rendition.

Watch a video of a great musician, and you'll see it every time. Each note is put forth in a  poised and unhesitant way that makes the performance much more powerful. Obviously, there's a lot more that goes into being a great player than just confidence, but even if your playing skills are limited, playing assertively and without hesitation will improve every note, and make people much more impressed with your abilities. 

Imagine an actor in Hamlet who says famous line like this: "To...be or not...to...be? That...is...uh...the question." Not very convincing right? On the other hand, if he says, "TO BE OR NOT TO BE? THAT, IS THE QUESTION," it's much more powerful. Apply that to your musicianship — play every note with confidence — and even if your skills are limited, you'll notice a huge improvement, and so will your audience.