Applying Theory To Everyday Life: A Musician's Perspective

[Liam Johnson]

@jjer94 Haha that's awesome!

You're completely right in saying it's a blessing and a curse. I remember hearing a song on the radio the other day where I noticed that the bass was completely out of tune with the rest of the instruments. The worst part was being the only person who seemed to notice it and care about it! I'd argue that it's mostly a blessing, though 

That's an interesting story about how you came to adopt perfect pitch. It's giving me even more reason to believe that it is not a 'natural talent,' as it is hyped to be. Perhaps it's something that can be taught. That'll be the topic of my next entry!

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 106 | Unboxed Inspiration

Theory: In order to "think outside of the box," you must first be willing to put it to one side.

Applying it: If you have a strong identity about what your work will entail in the future, do not make it too strong as to cut off forms of inspiration that exist outside of that identity.

 

This morning, I sat and contemplated what to do with myself. The usual things came up such as guitar practice, planning, reading, procrastination, etc. But none of those things felt like they could cut it. For a brief moment, I put my musician identity to one side and wondered what else I could be doing. Then suddenly, a great idea came to me! An idea that seems to have been inspired by my journal entry last night.

It is generally accepted that 'perfect pitch' is a rare talent that certain people are born with. But having gone through the process of developing this gift myself, I can conclude that it wasn't true. Perfect pitch was an ability that I acquired through an unconscious practice, which only this morning I became conscious of. The inspiration that hit me was that 'perfect pitch' could potentially be taught to others who do not possess the ability. All they would have to do would be to follow the exact steps that I took in order to master the ability.

As with all teachings, it relies upon two things: the teacher and the student. The teacher must be able to isolate the exact learning methods and transform them into a functioning lesson plan. The student must be willing and faithful to put the work in to acquire the ability. This is the journey that presented itself to me this morning when I stepped outside of the 'box' that I had created for myself. Rather than focusing on "Liam, the musician," my focus was drawn onto the truth (at least in my own life) that perfect pitch is acquired, not inborn.

By stepping outside of my identity, I came into contact with a truth of my own existence that had been there for years. It just so happened to present itself to me at this time: the time where I was ready to receive it. My mind was willing to step outside of the box and, therefore, produced a result outside of the box. From now on, I must not define what inspiration comes my way. Rather, inspiration will define me.

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Dan Arnautu]

9 hours ago, Liam Johnson said:

It is generally accepted that 'perfect pitch' is a rare talent that certain people are born with. But having gone through the process of developing this gift myself, I can conclude that it wasn't true. Perfect pitch was an ability that I acquired through an unconscious practice, which only this morning I became conscious of. The inspiration that hit me was that 'perfect pitch' could potentially be taught to others who do not possess the ability. All they would have to do would be to follow the exact steps that I took in order to master the ability.

As with all teachings, it relies upon two things: the teacher and the student. The teacher must be able to isolate the exact learning methods and transform them into a functioning lesson plan. The student must be willing and faithful to put the work in to acquire the ability. This is the journey that presented itself to me this morning when I stepped outside of the 'box' that I had created for myself. Rather than focusing on "Liam, the musician," my focus was drawn onto the truth (at least in my own life) that perfect pitch is acquired, not inborn.

Hi Liam. Good info.

Yes, absolute pitch can be aqcuired but it's still a different kind from the one that some get when they are born. Inborn perfect pitch is acquired through playing ”high information music” (like classical music, with a lot of instruments at once) in a period of high neural plasticity (played to the baby while it is still in the womb). Once that period is gone, the same kind of neural plasticity will not be there ever again and the baby won't acquire the ”real” kind of perfect pitch ever again. I will point you to the studies if I can find them again.

The difference between the two is that the one born with perfect pitch can't just space out the notes that he hears and play with them conceptually.

For example:

My guitar teacher has a friend that is a keyboardist and he was born with perfect pitch. Because of that, he is not able to play on a piano that transposes keys for him (digitally). That is because in this case, unlike when you transpose a song by just changing your hand positioning, the piano keys that you are playing and the notes that you hear are different. When he plays he instantly identifies the notes that are being played and they are not congruent with the keys that he is playing. That fucks with his head and he can't space out. The name of the notes are coming to him whether he likes it or not.

This is one major difference from inborn perfect pitch and perfect pitch acquired through relative pitch ear training (conscious or not).

More differences can be found in the series below if you'd like to learn more: 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2017 by Dan Arnautu

[Liam Johnson]

@Dan Arnautu That's some good info. Perhaps you're right in saying that there are certain abilities that we are born with. It's true that we all have our own strengths, weaknesses, and preferences for which bodily sense that we like the most. For some people, vision is their strength. Therefore they can appreciate and produce visual art better. Then for others it's sound.

The video was very informative, and it was a nice surprise to hear him flat out declare that it isn't possible to develop perfect pitch as an adult! All I would say to that is as someone who's gone through a formal music educational system, nobody teaches you how to develop perfect pitch. It's just assumed that those who get it are fortunate to be born with it and that nobody else can develop it. However, I certainly wouldn't have developed it if it wasn't for my guitar teacher doing some 'ear tests' back in the day.

Granted, he said that I picked it up more naturally than other people. But even a natural talent like this has to be worked upon. Even though guitar playing has become my life, there were a good few years where I struggled through the learning process: it didn't come naturally. It came through determination, not through natural talent.

Thats the way I feel about perfect pitch. Whilst some people are naturally better at it (as is the case with anything in life), that doesn't mean that other people are suddenly incapable of learning it too. My aim is to find some willing students to test this theory out. Until then, it's just another hypothesis 

[Dan Arnautu]

12 minutes ago, Liam Johnson said:

@Dan Arnautu That's some good info. Perhaps you're right in saying that there are certain abilities that we are born with. It's true that we all have our own strengths, weaknesses, and preferences for which bodily sense that we like the most. For some people, vision is their strength. Therefore they can appreciate and produce visual art better. Then for others it's sound.

The video was very informative, and it was a nice surprise to hear him flat out declare that it isn't possible to develop perfect pitch as an adult! All I would say to that is as someone who's gone through a formal music educational system, nobody teaches you how to develop perfect pitch. It's just assumed that those who get it are fortunate to be born with it and that nobody else can develop it. However, I certainly wouldn't have developed it if it wasn't for my guitar teacher doing some 'ear tests' back in the day.

Granted, he said that I picked it up more naturally than other people. But even a natural talent like this has to be worked upon. Even though guitar playing has become my life, there were a good few years where I struggled through the learning process: it didn't come naturally. It came through determination, not through natural talent.

Thats the way I feel about perfect pitch. Whilst some people are naturally better at it (as is the case with anything in life), that doesn't mean that other people are suddenly incapable of learning it too. My aim is to find some willing students to test this theory out. Until then, it's just another hypothesis 

@Liam Johnson I can relate to what you are saying. I too went through a formal music educational system and nobody told me how to develop perfect pitch even though I've certainly improved on it in the last few years. What I do though is I try to capitalize on my strengths and not dwell on my weaknesses (that will just put me more behind the curve).

I've tried looking at it within my band. One bandmate is very good at composition and has a good ear, but has a low technical skill as a keyboardist. The vocalist has an extremely good ear, good technical skill, but meh compositional skills. Lastly, I have a very high technical skill, but a ”bad” ear and decent-ish compositional skills. This makes for a well rounded band. If each of us dwelled on our weaknesses, we would get nowhere. Instead we capitalize on our strengths.

That though is not to be used as an excuse not to do ear training. I know I benefit from it as I can relate better with other musicians that way, but I know I will never be world class at it, and I'm okay with that.

Self-awareness is the game. 

[Liam Johnson]

@Dan Arnautu It's good to hear you are in a band where you recognise each other's strengths and play according to them. It's very rare to find the right combination of musicians like that, so it looks like you're doing a great job!

As a solo performer, I have to be willing to throw caution to the wind and try new things. For example, I made the radical decision to change from being a heavy metal "shred machine" (an actual nickname that people used at one point!) to becoming a percussive acoustic guitarist. It was a completely different realm of guitar playing but nevertheless I embraced it and made it my thing. I've been playing acoustic for around 4 years now and for others around me, it seems like it's been my niche forever!

And too right, self-awareness is where it's at! Keep up the good work with the band!

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 107 | Who Am I?

Theory: Every single time you wake up from sleep, you awaken into a whole new existence.

Applying it: Be willing to accept that who you think you are is just one part of existence. It isn't actually who or what you are.

 

This morning, I woke up as if I was reborn into the universe. There was an immediate detachment between the body, the mind, and the awareness. First of all, I realised that I had a fully functioning body, which was nice. Not only that, but I didn't seem to be bothered about the possibility that my body might be damaged or incomplete. It just was what it was. Second, I noticed the thoughts and images in my mind depicting my life story so far. This was nice too, but I no longer felt it necessary to tell myself that "this was me."

This leads to the beloved question "who am I?" As in, "No, who am I? What am I?" It feels obvious that there is that separation between these three core elements of existence. One of which is bound by space and time, the second only by time, and the third bound by neither. It doesn't necessarily feel alarming or weird. I've been through similar experiences, as the mind would be happy to point out through the collection of memories it has acquired.

It doesn't seem to matter anymore what my mind wants to dictate in my life. All of a sudden, I'm filled with values and priorities (which have been there all along in the background) concerning the honouring of my body, my mind, and the whole of existence. My body wants exercise and good food whilst my mind wants emotional stimulation. The creative muses that feed into my awareness will continue to work their magic and I should continue to submit to it.

All in all, it just feels wonderful to be 'alive' after just an hour of being awake. Just gotta keep on soaking it all in!

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 108 | Time Vs Presence

Theory: As you grow in presence, your perception of time begins to change.

Applying it: Continue with meditation, contemplation, and any activity that draws you into the present moment until you start to forget about the past and the future.

 

Yesterday, I had a chat to one of my flatmates about something that happened last week. I told him that I'd forgotten all about it as it felt like months ago to me, which it did. He teased that I might have dementia. What a dick! Whilst that's hardly the case, something has definitely changed with my perception of time recently. I've mentioned before that increased presence has been able to slow down the rate of time from my point of view. Now, it is almost as if the past and the future have become completely non-existent.

That doesn't mean to say that I can't remember anything or envision the future. Instead, a shift in priorities has occurred whereby the present moment is all that I'm bothered about. Today has felt like multiple days in one go. In the space of one day, I've meditated, exercised, been to the library, walked around town, practiced the guitar for over 2 hours, and made it back home with bounds of time and energy. It feels bizarre and wonderful.

The illusion of the past and future are starting to appear in a way that is more concrete. They only exist conceptually. However, the present moment is unshakable. Especially given the nature of my musical life, there's nothing to hate about the present moment. I've got nothing but love for this existence! As the conceptual memory of my past would tell me, there were times when I completely despised everything: myself, my schoolmates, society, modern culture... Times have certainly changed. Even more important, perspective has changed! Life is a joy right now.

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 109 | Practice

Theory: It's not the quantity of time you put into practice that makes a difference. It's the quality.

Applying it: Whenever you need to practice a skill or teaching, remember to enjoy the entire process from being shit to being the shit!

 

Last year, I accompanied a drummer for his third-year recital. This guy is incredibly talented and masterful with the instrument, achieving one of the highest marks for performance (86) and was awarded a performance scholarship like me at the start of university. We talked about how much time we like to practice our instruments. I told him on average, I would prefer to practice for 2-3 hours a day during university. He told me that he can put in 8 hours a day! Bearing in mind that drums are physically demanding, that's a hell of a long time!

There's a part of me that wonders if 8 hours a day would be too much. Although I have spent 8 hours practising before, it was only ever for one day only. Yet despite how little time I spent practising in comparison, I still find myself being highly productive. The main reason why is because not only do I recognise that quality of time is the most important factor, but I only ever practice as much as I feel is necessary to maintain high levels of enjoyment and fulfilment. There have been occasions where I've forced myself to practice so much that guitar-playing felt like a chore, not a joy. When that happens, nothing good can follow.

The last few days, I've been preparing for a live music video session in which I'll be singing and playing guitar. It's a very difficult thing to balance enjoyment and productivity. On the one hand, I must discipline myself to perform as flawlessly as possible. On the other hand, I must stay relaxed and energetic throughout the performance, meaning that I have to enjoy it and be comfortable with it. I could easily allow myself to stress out about this music video because I have never sung in a recording situation before. But I must remain present, allow my emotions to just come and go without denying them, and have fun!

So that's my practice for the next few days. And each second in that practice is going to be spent loving the shit out of practising. If I hated practising, it would take 10 times as long to learn what I'd need to learn. Because I love practising, I love performing. Every gig that I've played this year has followed with dozens of comments by audience members saying how much I seemed to be enjoying it. And, as a result, they enjoyed my performance. Last week, a random woman remembered me from a small 10-minute performance I did a month ago solely because of the energy of my performance.

I'm not writing all this down to brag about my achievements. After 10 years of solid playing, I know how good I am. It's the blunt truth and it's nothing to be humble about! I've put in a lot of time AND a lot of love into what I do, all the time knowing that I can be even better than I am today. That's where the arrogance ends. The possibility of being better is always open to me. If it wasn't, I would just stop growing and wallow in my arrogance until it would eventually start to deteriorate.

The bottom line is that I love what I do. So much love goes into my practice and my performance. I know that because if I were the only person alive on the planet, there would be no other way I'd rather spend my time. I do my music regardless of what others want me to do. That mindset is what I take to the practice room every day and it pays off every time.

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 110 | Reflection

Blimey, it feels like a while ago since my last reflection post.

In all honesty, the last 10 days have been incredibly rounded. There's been a great share of positives with a small few negatives in terms of emotions, productivity, and general life fulfillment. The most important thing is that I always manage to end the day on a high regardless of what goes on beforehand.

I've been working behind the scenes for my own future as an artist. On Monday, I managed to record enough music to release an EP in the next month or so, which will be very exciting. Also, tomorrow will be my first video shoot in which I'll be both singing and playing guitar! After a practice session today, I feel so excited to record the songs I have lined up.

In terms of self-actualization, this is where things have gone a bit rocky. Whilst I've still managed to be productive with my music and university work, I've developed the habit of watching back-to-back videos on YouTube. Although, there is a part of me that believes that this will not be the norm. Perhaps I'm just letting loose for a few days during the holiday season as this is a newly-acquired habit. I know that this behavior will become destructive eventually. Therefore, I must undo this habit sooner or later. A little bit of binge-watching won't hurt. A lot of binge-watching will.

Having said all that, I still remain to be happy throughout the day. My emotional well-being has improved so much over the last year and it continues to shine on. Last night, it occurred to me that there is every possibility that I may not wake up in the morning. There is no way of knowing. Even though death came to the forefront of my mind, I was calm and accepting of it. I've lived a fulfilling life and I would die happy with the things I've done. Whilst I can never know which day will be my last, one can only hope to see the morning once again.

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

Edited April 6, 2017 by Liam Johnson
It decided to post itself before I'd finished!!

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 111 | Effective Transmutation

Theory: The effectiveness of transmutation of thoughts, desires, and ideas is directly proportional to time spent cultivating them.

Applying it: Remember not to expect immediate results when these things are in their early stages. Just housing a strong desire for something is not enough to simply get what you want. Be patient.

 

This comes from reflecting on my video shoot earlier today. All in all, things went pretty damn well! It feels so good to have the idea of shooting a music video and seeing it through to completion. I have a feeling that the end product will turn out just as I would like it. However, one observation stuck out to me: I'm not the best singer (in my opinion). There is a very big difference between how I think my voice sounds in the moment and how it actually sounds when listening back.

To anyone else listening to my voice, it will sound completely different because they will be listening from a place of anticipation rather than expectation. Nobody knows what I want to sound like. They just hear what I sound like. That probably puts them in a better position to enjoy the music. But I can sense a notable defect in the transmutation of my desire to sing like a pro. Boo-hoo for me. But I recognise that I've put far more time into becoming a guitar player rather than a singer, which would explain everything. The guitar is the show, not the voice. And for that reason, I suspend my criticism.

The important lesson here is that effective transmutation cannot come on a whim. It must be cultivated properly. If this were false, then everybody who's tried the though "I want to be a millionaire" would be rich. It's not enough to simply have the desire to change. We must spend time cultivating these desires by self-actualizing and acting upon those desires. We must balance being with our desires and doing the work towards them. Both are necessary for change. It's an obvious lesson but often overlooked.

 

Pick of the day:

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 112 | Smile

Theory: Smiling can be an instant indicator for your mood depending on whether it feels forced or natural.

Applying it: Look in the mirror and encourage yourself to smile. If you notice that it feels forced, perhaps it's time to take a moment to become aware of your deeper negative feelings.

 

This is exactly the method I used today to indicate my deep, negative feelings. In my reflection entry, I decided to write about some destructive habits that I had acquired. These niggled me a bit. I knew that I was better than that given my track record with this journal. That's one good thing about keeping a journal like this. You can look back upon those days where you really kicked ass and remember how you did it.

I noticed that when I tried to conjure up a smile, not only did my facial muscles feel strained but my eyes remained with the same blank expression. You can always tell someone's happy through their eyes, and I wasn't happy. So at that moment, I decided to meditate on the bed, open myself to whatever emotions were being resisted, and not move until I became happy again.

So I sat still and waited patiently for my emotions to surface. As they came into my awareness, they were so vague that I couldn't describe what they were. It just felt uncomfortable, to say the least. What's more, there seemed to be no thought attached to the negative emotion. This seemed unusual as thoughts trigger emotions. It felt like the main thing that I was resisting was the 'no-self' along with the other truths that I had collected on my self-actualization journey.

After around 15 minutes, I found myself laughing at seemingly nothing. At that point, I knew a breakthrough had occurred. I could once again see the sham of the ego and its sneaky ways to bring suffering into existence. My whole body chuckled with joy as I embraced this wave of positivity. I savoured every morsel of it.

All of that came from the simple indicator of a smile. If my smile had felt genuine and natural, then there would be no problem. But because it felt forced and unnatural, that indicated to me that there was an underlying resistance that needed to be released. Now I can smile all the while  

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Seraph]

@Liam Johnson Your journal is great!

 

3 hours ago, Liam Johnson said:

After around 15 minutes, I found myself laughing at seemingly nothing. At that point, I knew a breakthrough had occurred. I could once again see the sham of the ego and its sneaky ways to bring suffering into existence. My whole body chuckled with joy as I embraced this wave of positivity. I savoured every morsel of it.

Here's a musical interpretation if this ^  

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

@Seraph Thank you! That's a great video, just pure feel-good music sung by dogs (beautiful creatures). And it's true that we worry and care about silly things things way too much. Want to check out more of those cartoons now 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 113 | Do It Yourself

Theory: Rather than relying on other people to do things for you, have a go at creating things for yourself. It can be far more rewarding.

Applying it: Once you have acquired the know-how to build something for yourself, recognise the enormous potential behind it and start working towards its creation.

 

In the last 2 days, I've received a unique calling within the realm of music. As soon as it appeared to me, I realised that this would allow me to create a whole new form of music as a guitar player. It would allow for some of the most innovative compositions to come into being. The calling can be represented with this picture:

Programming! YAY!

This monstrosity has been taught to us since first year at university (music course!). Over the course of 3 years, I've gone from hating it to loving it. The goal with this is to program my own special effects for the guitar in a live performance. This involves building the effects, connecting them together, and adapting the controls for a foot controller which I can use during the show.

To boil it all down, here is the ultimate benefit from doing this. Lots of guitarists rely on manufacturers to produce foot pedals with built-in effects. At £100 a pedal in most cases, that's money I didn't want to spend. But then I realised that the foot pedal that I own can connect to any computer/laptop and work with programming software like this. Now, I have the ability to build any effect I desire with no extra cost! Of course, this requires sufficient know-how, which has been provided for me by lecturers. This isn't the easiest software to get used to. But once you understand it, magic happens.

Although my main motivation was to save money, I also realised the true value of the things already in my possession. The benefits are far deeper than just the money. This will open me up to a whole new world of music composition. The type of music that can be generated through this 'simple' piece of software will be at its most innovative in terms of human history. Technology is, by far, the most recent phenomenon that has taken the world by storm. To use that technology to explore the realm of music is something that many musicians haven't thought about (apart from DJs, techno guys, etc).

By simply doing things for myself, the benefits that it will bring far outweigh those which come from leaving it to professional companies. It's not that they do a bad job or anything. But making my own effects is going to be far more beneficial for me because it's yet another skill under my belt.

 

Here is an example of what it means to make your own special effects within music...

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 114 | Energy and Enthusiasm

Theory: Enthusiasm towards a particular cause or goal provides a surge of energy through the mind and body which allows you to transcend fatigue and laziness.

Applying it: Whenever you set a goal for yourself, try to develop enthusiasm towards its attainment by realising that you have the ability to achieve it.

 

Following up on the programming work that I've done recently, I feel it necessary to talk about enthusiasm. This force of nature applied to desire is like throwing petrol into the fire. It gives it much more life, energy, and radiance so that it can spread farther. Enthusiasm has hit me hard with programming. The reason I know this is that after making the journal entry yesterday, I stayed up until 1 am playing around with it. By the time I got to bed around 2:30 am, I was still buzzing with energy. (Although, the morning after felt tough!)

The same enthusiasm fills me whenever I'm performing any kind of music. It's an energy field that many people have recently called me out on. People have come away from my performances feeling a similar energy surge and have been able to recall it after weeks and months. It's a wonderful force of nature and it's one that I embrace with regards to making music. Thanks to enthusiasm, I can perform for hours and hours without feeling fatigued. Not always have I managed to maintain high levels of enthusiasm in the past. But the many times I have, those performances felt magical.

In a way, the same sort of enthusiasm brought me to self-actualization. It came from seeing an end goal in mind, as with most enthusiasm, and having faith that it can (and will) be attained sooner or later. Admittedly, my enthusiasm levels have died down since the start of the year. Not completely, but significantly. But it doesn't feel bad. I still practice mindfulness every day and try to see the world with all of the truths I've acquired along the journey so far. My enthusiasm, for the moment, is focused on music-making.

After following some of the steps in Think and Grow Rich, I can't help but wonder if this change in enthusiasm has resulted from the action steps described within the book. Perhaps this change in enthusiasm is a necessary part of my journey through life and a vital step closer to the end goal I have in mind (put in simple terms: to become financially independent as a musician). Up until this week, I very much hated the software pictured in my previous entry. So the fact that I have developed an obsession with it from a place of love and fascination makes me wonder if this has anything to do with my end goal. Time will tell!

Enthusiasm is a freak of nature. It's what keeps you motivated, focused, energetic, and passionate in life. Perhaps it comes from life purpose. And perhaps the world would be a much happier place if everyone were enthusiastic about building a better world, not building a better sense of self.

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 115 | Cringe

Theory: Cringing is an unnecessary feeling that comes from resistance.

Applying it: Whenever you notice yourself cringing, try and figure out what is causing you to become resistant of the present moment. Once you isolate the reason, notice how it brings suffering into your being.

 

Today, I received the audio from my live video session last week. Upon the first listening, I ended up cringing so bad! Dunno if you've ever tried listening to a recording of your own voice when singing but apparently it's a normal reaction. The cringe was so painful that it detracted any sense of enjoyment out of the track. Does this sound destructive behaviour sound familiar? Maybe if I call it out for what it truly is: an Upper Limit Problem.

After the painful cringe, a question popped into my head: "why am I doing this to myself?" My singing voice is by no means the best in the world but it isn't that bad. All this feeling was doing was creating suffering and resistance. All of which was completely unnecessary. I realised the truth of this and gave my track another listen. After several other listens, I can sit back and relax. I did a pretty decent job! Sure it could be better, but there's no reason to beat myself up about it.

Looking deeper, the cringe came from a clash between the ego and reality. The ego gave the impression that "this isn't who I want to be!" But that's just a thought. It's not the reality of what I am. Interestingly, the ego seems to attach itself to the qualities and achievements that get complimented on by others. Whereas it tends to abandon and disown everything that it doesn't like. I wonder what would happen if this video was received positively on the whole. Perhaps the ego will step in by saying "yep, this is me," only after it had previously ridiculed the shit out of it.

No matter what criticisms the ego makes or how much I end up cringing, this video has got to be released. It really looks like I'm slating the hell out of this video and, indeed, myself in the video! It didn't go half as bad as the ego would have you believe. To be honest, it inevitably doesn't matter what people think of my music or videos. I'm no longer performing for the sake of material or sentimental benefit. I'm performing because it's my life purpose. I didn't choose the musician's path. The musician's path chose me.

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 116 | Something For Nothing

Theory: For harmonious co-operation to exist, you simply cannot expect 'something for nothing'.

Applying it: Never seek something from others without offering fair compensation for their efforts (which doesn't necessarily have to be money). Also, do not work for people who expect something for nothing.

 

Today I had to make an important decision. It was a toss-up between two different theatre companies who are hoping to perform a musical for the Edinburgh Fringe festival in August. The first theatre company that I had accepted to perform for was one I was familiar with for two previous shows in Sheffield. Their musical was non-profit, no mention of travel/accommodation expenses covered, and very vague with their schedule (they didn't yet know what times they were performing the musical.) The second theatre company, who got in touch with me in the last few days, has a very definite schedule, travel expenses covered and £500 in cash.

The second one seems far more organised and beneficial to go for, right? But my dilemma came because I had already agreed to do the other musical. In fairness, I wanted to remain with the first theatre company because they asked first. However, even though I'm not particularly bothered about making a profit from this festival (from the musical, at least), it seemed only fair that they at least paid for travel and accommodation expenses. After trying to negotiate this with the musical director, he concluded that this wouldn't be possible with their business model.

At this point, I was reminded of one of the most important lessons that I had picked up from Think and Grow Rich in relation to business, namely, you can't get something for nothing. If you try to induce others to serve you without providing them with an agreed amount of compensation, it would not only violate their rights but it would highlight just how much you value the other person: not at all.

This principle was the one that made me decide to make the swap for the second theatre company. One of the sentences of the 'Self-Confidence Formula' in this book reads "I will engage in no transaction that does not benefit all whom it affects." By staying with the first company, it would only benefit the directors of both companies. But by switching to the second company, not only does it benefit me and the second director, but it will eventually benefit everybody involved in the first company because my actions will provide them with the opportunity to learn this principle for themselves.

I recognised that the sooner the first director learned this principle, the better. If I continued to feed his ignorance, hopefully everyone here would recognise how that would cost him in the long run. I'm not being a money whore here by selling out. Money and profit don't interest me that much. However, I do believe that the very least a company can offer someone is travel expenses and enough money to cover accommodation. After all, it's the performing that brings me joy, not the money. But so long as it costs money to get anywhere and do anything, it cannot be ignored.

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 117 | Doing A Good Deed

Theory: If you go the extra mile to promote the services of one company, they may decide to promote you.

Applying it: Wherever you can, try to promote the good work of others before yourself. This will help them to reach a wider audience, build their reputation, and may earn their respect and willingness to do the same for you.

 

These music videos that I recorded are nearly finished. As a way of saying 'thank you' to the recording company, I wanted to give them credit where credit is due in the form of a blog post about the session. Not only would this promote myself, but it would promote the company to a wider audience. Although it may sound sleazy to "suck up" to the company as some may describe it, this action doesn't feel forced. I'm not trying to get anything from it. Rather, I want people to know how happy I am with the recording company and their job. They deserve the credit for making an awesome video shoot.

This follows on from yesterday's entry. Perhaps the lesson here provides the Yin to the Yang described yesterday. Whilst you cannot expect something for nothing, you can expect that the more you are willing to serve others, the more you can induce them to serve you. Even with this in mind though, it feels good to just serve others without expectation of something in return. When you reach this state, you know that your actions are coming from a genuine desire to serve others, rather than serving yourself.

Feel free to read my blog post by clicking here to visit my website.

 

Pick of the day:

 

 

[Liam Johnson]

Entry 118 | Look After Yourself

Theory: Especially as a youngster, it is vitally important that you learn how to look after your physical body to prevent problems in the future.

Applying it: Apart from the obvious hunger and exercise needs, also be on the lookout for tension in your body, lack of circulation to certain parts of your body, and anything else that could prove to be problematic in the future.

 

The path of the performing musician is a very physical one. It demands excellent coordination of your whole body as well as unwavering concentration. For almost 7 months, I've been preparing for my third-year recital at university which will be one of the biggest gigs that I've ever performed. Not necessarily because of its prestige. More so because of the sheer virtuosity that is required to play the pieces I've chosen to perform.

This has been one of the biggest challenges I've ever had to face in the field of music. I've definitely undergone some spiritual cleansing on this journey as is reflected by how much I've improved over this time period. The most important lesson I've learned from this journey so far is that it is essential to look after your body. This means releasing all unnecessary tension in the muscles and, in my case, maintain high circulation in my fingers at all times.

I've learned that my shoulders, arms, wrists, chest, and back can undergo lots of tension whenever I'm performing difficult pieces. Also, my fingers have been especially subject to the cold, making it near impossible to perform to my highest quality. If I continued to let these symptoms slowly paralyze my body, it could be the case that my career would end after a decade or two. I've heard stories of guitarists who have been subject to game-changing illnesses which has left them unable to play like they once used to. But also, I've heard of guitarists who have maintained an unbelievable amount of virtuosity over many years. (e.g. Michael Angelo Batio)

From this latter group, I know that if I take proper care of my body, it will be able to last a lot longer in the long run. By keeping my muscles relaxed, my fingers warm, and my general health levels at an optimum level, I will be giving myself the best possible chance of longevity. Then when my mastery levels inevitably begin to suffer, it will be due to old age and not to ill-treatment of my body.

 

Pick of the day: