Bad Advice From Good Musicians

Even the most gifted people have terrible ideas

I've had the fortune to spend a lot of time with some really good musicians. From my earliest days of playing guitar through college and beyond, there have always been better musicians than me in my circle of friends.

I've learned a lot about the vast ocean that is music from every single one of them. Some advice has been invaluable. Other bits have been downright puzzling.

Let's dive into some of those puzzling bits:

Don't Transcribe Solos

You don't need to transcribe EVERY solo you've ever heard. But there are tremendous benefits to learning someone else's solo from top to bottom.

- Your ear gets better
- Your timing gets better
- You learn new phrasing
- You add their stuff to your creativity
- You get to feel what it's like to play like them

When I was 16, a friend of mine said that he never transcribed solos because knowing how Stevie Ray Vaughan played note-for-note would somehow hurt his own creativity.

(This kid was in AP Calculus.)

Where does creativity come from? Steve Jobs famously said, “Creativity is just connecting things.” And where do you find things to connect? Your influences! They are your inspiration! Every musician with any sort of distinction can tell you exactly who and what influenced them.

Influences aren't bad. Knowing your influences’ approach to music - or whatever your chosen field is - isn't going to hurt you. It's going to help you!

Sleep Less, Practice More

Fortunately, there's a lot more data and research on the value of sleep. But in 2008, the word on the street was that sleep was still for chumps. If you're sleeping, you're not practicing. And when you're not practicing, someone else is. And when you meet that person, they will be better than you.

Not if they haven't slept!

You need to sleep. You will not function well if you don't sleep enough. The proverbial wisdom is 7.5 to 8 hours. I did one all-nighter when I was at Berklee. It was the worst. I'm sure I missed out on some late-night jam sessions, but I've never had the stamina or desire to be at the rave or a gig or even the studio at 3AM. Some people like it, some people love it! But I don't. And you don't have to either.

Don't let the people with bags under their eyes who can barely keep their heads up tell you that you're missing out. You're not.

Your health is more important.

Go to sleep.

Don't Learn Music Theory

For reasons unknown (fear), people often think that knowing music theory will hinder their creativity. No, it won't. I promise you it won't.

Music theory is not an esoteric subject. It's a fancy way of saying, "This is how music works, and we figured it out AFTER we played/wrote it." It's a language of explanation. Nothing more. Nothing less. You don't write songs from theory. But you can use theory to help you if you're stuck - even in a counterintuitive way. If you know what's in a major scale, then by definition, you also know what ISN'T In a major scale. Use that inversion (pun intended) to your advantage in your own work.

There are no true rules in art. There are many, many, many useful guidelines but no actual rules. (Well, with music I would argue that playing in time is a rule, but time is very malleable so it's hard to argue it out of context.)

Don't Wear Earplugs

This one isn't just for musicians. This one is for every single one of you.

Listen to me: WEAR EARPLUGS.

If you love going to concerts and want to continue to love going to concerts, wear earplugs. Once you lose your hearing, you don't get it back. And hearing loss is one of the worst things that can happen to you. It makes you irritable and takes away a lot of the joy of living. Also, a lot of your favorite musicians suffer from tinnitus from noise exposure. They would be the first to tell you how much it sucks and that they don't want you, their loyal fan, to experience that pain.

You're still going to fully experience the music with your earplugs. Our sensitive little ear drums need protection. Treat them with the respect they deserve.

If I could have a billboard it would say "WEAR EARPLUGS." It's a hill I will die on with a full-range of hearing because I wore my earplugs.

Never Take A Break

Sometimes you need a break. People at competitive music schools will tell you otherwise, but sometimes, you just do.

I used to think my playing would go to pot if I missed a day of practice. A week was anathema. Two weeks!? There were times when I would have rather died than not play guitar for two weeks.

But there is value in giving yourself a breather. You give yourself time and space to process what you've learned on a deeper level. You give your mind and body a break from their usual routine - and that disruption is beneficial.

One of my mentors told me he took six weeks off from playing piano. When he resumed, he said he never sounded better.

I've never taken six weeks off, but I do know that when I let things settle a bit in my psyche, it all comes out of my hands better.

Taking a break is similar to going to sleep, and we know how important it is to sleep.