The Secret Knowledge of Musicians

In the world of music and music performance, there are many different pieces of information known to most musicians that the average person might not be aware of. This material can be obvious to an experienced musician, while foreign to the majority of the general public. The difference between collaboration and when music starts to feel like a competition is one of the most unfamiliar topics for non-musicians. When performing and practicing music with any instrument at an advanced level, little pressure from others is required for a musician’s defense mechanisms and nervousness to activate, regardless of whether you are alone or in a group. There are perks and drawbacks of both musical collaboration and competition, although it is crucial to achieve a healthy balance so that you do not lose your appreciation and interest in your musical talent.

Competition in the arts can be exciting and interesting for both the performer and the audience. It pushes the performer to work harder than other previous attempts in order to reach new personal achievements and in some cases beat others in the same categories. Through competition, it is simple to learn about past mistakes and how to improve those areas for next time, especially when a special adjudicator is brought in to give an unbiased opinion on personal difficulties and strong points within a song. One healthy change that was introduced to local music competitions several years ago was that now everyone at music festivals is given a marking or achievement stamp based solely on how their performance went, there is no longer a system in place to give position ribbons to children in categories. This was a crucial change for youth competitions because children used to have to have the mindset that they had to beat all of their friends in order to do well in their category themselves; which was clearly true if your goal was to have a spotless performance. While the world of competitions in music is constantly evolving, competitiveness continues to be a thrilling factor associated with playing instruments.

There is always a dark side to competition in the music world. Musicians are often caught having thoughts about wishing that their peers will have lousy performances so that their performance will sound better by comparison, simply because they are unconfident in their abilities to deliver a certain piece effectively. As well, there is always loads of jealousy in the room whenever there is a performance or testing in the near future because some people know that their talents are no match for others they have grown up competing against. Although nerves has its effects on performers at various different intensities, all musicians get a slight rush of adrenaline, nerves, and butterflies in their stomach right before starting a performance. If performing in a musical group, you may not even be nervous for yourself, but more so the fear that someone in the group is going to make a mistake which is out of your control. If one person in a musical group has issues or makes a mistake, the dream of completing one or multiple songs with an unbelievable performance diminishes rapidly. Nervousness and jealousy are certainly no strangers to the average musician.

Collaboration in the musical scene can create an unending window of possibilities, as well as several difficult obstacles. Obviously with many people working together on a single project, you can create a much-improved product overall. With larger groups, it is less complex to practice and perform complicated pieces that are from a level higher than what you are accustomed to and it is not quite as noticeable if someone makes a small mistake while playing due to the quantity of other sounds being produced. Collaborating for songwriting is extremely valuable because you have more combined knowledge, experience, and exposure to other material with multiple contributors. One of the largest downfalls associated with musical collaboration is the pressure to make your collaborator(s) proud and not to let them feel disappointed because of your effort or performance. It can also be extremely difficult if you are not on the best terms with or do not get along with one or more of the people you are working with because this will have direct negative effects on the creative process from a vision to a final product. Along with the great joys of being able to collaborate through music, it is safe to say that there are also some heavy drawbacks.

With musical collaboration, there will always be increased difficulty in pieces. With having more people involved in playing a piece, the composer is more likely to include much trickier sections such as switching hands on a piano, rotating the melody between different instrument sections of a band, or alternating melodies between musicians of a small group. This can be seen as an obstacle to many, and certainly does frighten some people at a first glance, but this opportunity to place yourself outside of your comfort zone can have an immense benefit on personal skill level. The hard work you put in will surely improve your overall musical talent for all ventures following suit. By creating a healthy environment to push yourself, surrounded by others determined to achieve great feats, this heightened complexity can be helpful to all musicians.

Although achieving a healthy balance is crucial, competition and collaboration are key qualities for participating in the music world. With an excessive amount of either element, it is impossible to withstand a long career in the music industry without losing passion. By sharing this information normally familiar to musicians, more of the population will be attracted towards playing instruments and contributing to the music world. By informing the public of this knowledge, society will produce musicians already equipped with the education of the greatest benefits and the largest downfalls of living with a musical talent.