"Specialization." I recently came across a jazz guitar forum thread with this same title. They person who posted it was relating his feelings about focusing on what he really wanted to do and what he was good at. In his case, it was playing bebop jazz guitar. The thread got me thinking about my own long journey toward what I do now. I had to agree with his sentiments: the more focused you can be, the better you can get at what you do.
It took me such a long time to realize this. I was into so many types of music at one time that I see in hindsight why I never got very far playing piano. I wanted to do it ALL, and really thought that I could. I was trying to become a great player in blues, jazz, rock/pop, classical, and salsa/Latin jazz. I honestly thought that a certain level of fundamental technique was all that was needed to master everything. How wrong I was! It is the subtleties in music that make each style, each tune unique. Being immersed in a style is what leads to mastery.
I remember very clearly an admonition given in a piano method book I used to use. The author cautioned against doing several styles of music for the sake of authenticity. He used rock and classical as examples, saying basically that one who tries to master both can excel at neither as well as one who focuses on one style. And that's not to say that both styles don't share many fundamental techniques. I know from experience that they do. It is what is in the details that can make or break you as a player.
And that is exactly what caused me to give up piano playing. I assumed it was because I had hit a wall with technique. Now I know that it was more likely the fact that I had tried to master too much. When I think back, I remember the frustration I had at having almost no repertoire (tunes I knew well). It was always the same thing. I would get started on something, intending to master it, but could never truly get there because there was too much to do. I simply had a lack of focus. Had I really known about focusing, I may well have continued to play piano!
When I switched to the guitar, I thought my solid technique would be that answer I was looking for. I had very good technique from playing and studying electric bass for several years before I switched to piano. I also made a commitment to playing jazz on the guitar. While the better knowledge of technique did help, it wasn't until a few years later that I realized that specialization and focus meant more than just working withing a basic musical genre. It meant I needed to go even deeper.
That turning point occurred after having a particularly poor experience at a jazz open mike-jam session. I realized then that even though I thought I knew what I was doing, I was still stretched too thin to be really GOOD. It took some hard decision making, but I eventually came around to the idea that I really wanted to do something that could work both as a solo player and in groups. I began the journey that has continued until today and hopefully will continue on for many years. I committed to playing swing jazz guitar in the style of George van Eps, Carmen Mastren, Marty Grosz, and others. I also made it a point to get back into singing, and I have been quite happy ever since.
I think it really allowed me to get to the root of what I want to do without the excess baggage we as musicians tend to assume we need. I no longer worry about the things that I once thought so necessary to being taken seriously. I don't care about playing everything in all keys. I don't practice memorized licks over 2-5-1 progressions. I do what I need to do to make music the way I want to. I practice those things that will make me better at the music I care about. Jazz is just to big of a genre to try to do it all.
I hope some of you out there who may be going through the same thing I did will find this helpful. There isn't an exact time when you will experience this. Maybe you never will. There are plenty of dabblers in various genres, and that's fine if it moves you. I personally needed to focus and go deep to get to the heart of what I needed as a musician. I still love and listen to great variety of music. There is inspiration to be found in all kinds of unusual places, but I no longer have the urge to try and do it all. Without focus it is hard to do incorporate something different or exciting into your music. Do what moves you, and go from there. You'll be amazed at how quickly you'll get good!
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