You’ve heard it a million times, and you need to hear it again; NETWORK. I'm not talking not about exchanging business cards, and making professional acquaintances. The kind of networking I mean is making friends on purpose, GO MEET PEOPLE! Cognitive scientist Andrea Kuszewski writes,
“By exposing yourself to new people, ideas, and environments, you are opening yourself up to new opportunities for cognitive growth.”
Make your social circle dynamic and ever flowing to maintain a constant source of new ideas and opportunities. Use this to boost the tips from part 1 and part 2 of this series.
Face to Face Networking
Arrange jams! Book an hourly rehearsal studio, invite a handful of players, split the cost (or pay it all yourself to entice others) and have a ball! Take turns playing, taking lead, or laying down the rhythm. You will learn more deeply and quickly by doing!
Jamming with players you’re not used to will shed a new light on your abilities. According to your new jam-mates, you might be less or more of [insert skill] than you thought. Also, you might get feedback you’ve never heard before. Or you might get comments that reinforce feedback you’ve received previously.
Look out for seminars and master classes hosted by pro players. It’s a 2 for 1: learn directly from a master, AND network with other serious players in your area. Surrounding yourself with people that have the same goals as you will provide you with two main benefits. It will boost your motivation to put in a little extra practice time, AND you could learn new ideas and concepts from the interactions with the new people.
Virtual Networking
Subscribe to Youtube channels and relevant accounts on social media. There are tons of musicians on social media absolutely dying to network and collaborate with other players. After a while you will find some that you can connect with on a deeper level. Leave thoughtful comments on their content and see them engage with you in a helpful way. If done right, you could build a close relationship and make a new friend.
Never in history has access any kind of music been so easily available. For crying out loud LISTEN TO MUSIC YOU’VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE! Search any of the following terms on Spotify, Pandora, Youtube, etc : Indian Classical, Middle Eastern Funk, Irish Jigs, Peruvian Folk Music, Tinariwen, Brazilian Samba, Gamelan, Tuvan Throat Singing, Zydeco. There are literally hundreds of styles you’ve never heard before! Each one is an entire universe of new musical tricks for you to learn. Promise me, promise yourself, that you will listen to music from a foreign culture!
Network across time
Do some historical research on a song, composer or style you’re learning. After you learn the history of a song or artist you will never approach it the same way. Take, for example, learning a song by Nirvana. After learning about Kurt Cobain’s distaste for all things mainstream, the chorus of In Bloom (and most Nirvana songs for that matter) will take on a deeper meaning. Or after learning about the ethos of generator parties in the 80’s and 90’s in the Palm Desert area you might rethink your approach to making music, practicing, or success.
Read artist’s biographies, and seek out interviews of artists you love. Learn what they went through, their philosophies on music, and how and why they did what they did. You will also learn what not to do and how to avoid the pitfalls they fell into. Every time I read an artist’s bio I feel a renewed sense of motivation to keep grinding and practicing my craft.
Non Instrumental Musicians
Network and build relationships with musicians who do not play instruments such as composers, producers, recording engineers, foley artists etc. Non-instrumental musicians conceive of sound in an entirely different way and there is a lot to learn from them! My understanding of recording, and the creative process in and out of the studio is deeper thanks to my friendships with recording engineers, composers, and producers.
Take this one step further and network with people outside of music. Go to an art exhibit to meet visual artists, talk to fashion designers and learn about the logic behind putting together outfits. Kuszewski writes,
“Being in the presence of other people who may be outside of your immediate field gives you opportunities to see problems from a new perspective, or offer insight in ways that you had never thought of before.”
Personally, I have learned a lot about training, mental focus, and physical and mental recovery from experts who work with athletes and bodybuilders. Likewise, learning about cinema has taught me about storytelling, narrative arcs, and motifs - all of which are found in music. Think about what you can learn from team dynamics and group motivation from a sports coach, (or books about the subject).
Conclusion
There is always something to learn from everyone and it will always deepen your understanding of music. Jam with other musicians, attend masterclasses, use social media to be social ( not just mindless scrolling). Listen to music you’ve never heard before, do some research on your favorite artists and styles, and develop relationships with non-music creatives. Every little thing that you learn can be applied to practicing or making music; Might as well have a broad pool from which to learn.
Get out there and make some friends on purpose! Have you seen any interviews or read biographies that have fired up to be a better musician? Have you learned something in an unrelated field that has helped you with music? Please share in the comments!
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