Major Writing Project 3

         

Varon          7

         
Alma Varon
Professor Wells
English 102
17 November 2016

A Good Musician

A good musician is hard to define. The qualities that would make a jazz musician great would not be the same qualities that might make a classical musician great In other words, each musician is held up to different standards depending on what music they play. Fiddlers, for example, are not as concerned as reading music because they learn by ear while a classical musician is more concentrated in reading music. So what are the universal qualities that could help a musician be great? Each person has their own definition but most agree on certain characteristics
Without talent, a musician will not be able to take up playing an instrument. Having talent is where like having the match to spark a fire. In this metaphor the match represents talent as it is essential to begin the fire of music. One can practice day and night but without talent, the practice will not productive. I want to really emphasize that talent is just the bare minimum of what it means to be a good musician. If a musician does not have the commitment or the desire to build their talent, then talent cannot help a musician grow.
So now our theoretical role model of a musician has our starting point of talent. The next thing we need is a passion for music. I like to refer passion as being that commitment and desire to build a musician's talent. Having passion for the music is something that applies to all good musicians within any genre of they play. Being passionate is also important in one other aspect. It brings out the best that a musician has to offer. To understand what I mean let me give the example of presenters in a class. One presenter is monotone and doing just enough to present but the other is full of energy and excited about their topic. One would most likely prefer the second presenter because passion brings out the emotions, the technique, and the will to play within a musician. It also serves as a motivating factor for a musician. Without a doubt, a musician will be frustrated at some point because they do not understand a piece of music or they are struggling to find a gig. Passion helps keep them optimistic about those dark times.
The next skill that I believe an ideal musician should have is business skills. For example, let's say a young musician wishes to make it big. Talent can only do so much. A musician has to put themselves out there. For example, they have to be active on social media to receive publicity and show what they can do. Furthermore, they have to be good at communicating and being able to talk about their accomplishments. No one will hire them for a gig if they cannot communicate for themselves. A musician must have connections whether they are musicians or not. This is extremely important. Connections will other musicians allow them to find gigs. It also helps them have a group of possible musicians to call when they need more players in gig. Lastly, it allows them to have a source for recommendation to get into that orchestra or to be able to play in a concert. Having connections with non-musicians helps acquire gigs too. A non-musician might say "I heard you play, you sound great, can you play for my party Saturday?" and if you do a good job they might refer you to other people. The truth is that some musicians may not have much talent but because they can navigate the business world which is how they made it big.
One last thing that a musician must have is creativity. The reason I say this is because a musician is always on the go and must be able to fit the needs of the gig they are accompanying. They will be times when last minute notice comes in and something changes. For example, let's say that there is a song change and they do not have sheet music for you. Using your best musical instincts, you will create your own part by hearing the notes the other parts play. Most styles of music like fiddling music thrive on improvisation so it is a very good skill to know.
Carie Cole, a vocal coach with her own blog, states that a good musician is more of what aura they convey and how they are perceived by other people, they must be "compelling" like her article suggests. She gives the example of how a musician would touch an audience, "They have an ability to connect with people about what's going on in the world and tapping into the pulse of what we're thinking and feeling," (The 10 Characteristics of a Compelling Musician).What I mean by this is how a musician can move the audience, making them feel emotions and having that human connection to the artist. Any musician can play for an audience but to get the audience to have an emotional reaction is what a true musician should strive for. Further on, she argues that an artist must be humble because no one wants to approach someone who is full of themselves. Furthermore by being humble, the audience feels that they can relate to the artist more and the artist can put themselves in the shoes of the audience they are playing for.
In conclusion, a good musician has many connotations. Some think of talent as being tied to musical greatness, others think it is about the passion the artist has, others think business and communication skills should be taken into account, others say creativity, etc. The truth is there is no right or wrong way to define a musician. It is simply a matter of perspective. If there one standard and one genre of music that meant being a good musician we know have talent within so many musicians that play in different styles.

Works Cited:

Cole, Cari. "The 10 characteristics of A Compelling Musician". Http://www.caricole.com/. Carie Cole, Vocal Magn., Inc. 28 Jan 2014. Web 18 Nov. 2016.
Leon Olguin. "What Makes a Great Musician?" Http://www.musesmuse.com/. The Muse's Muse Songwriting Resource, 2000. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

Audience Analysis:

My intended audience is for both musicians and non-musicians. I feel that everyone can relate to this topic because music is a universal thing and everyone has their own perspective. It is also crucial for not just musicians to put out their opinion of what a great musician is but for the audience as well. An audience can be a great use of judgement as they are the ones the musician is directing their music to and critique musicians when they play. I feel that my audience should be any musician because the qualities that I describe in this paper such as passion, talent, etc. are universal and any musician can relate to this and understand it. Additionally, I aim my audience to all musicians because I specialize in classical music and I would like to get feedback from musicians in their areas as to what they think of my ideas. I aim to make my audience general because the definition of the term "a musician" is somewhat general. Everyone understands that a musician plays music and knows about their genre of music.