Had the good fortune to run into John Wedemeyer at Cadillac Ranch on Tuesday. This guy is incredible. Originally from CA but fortunately for Vegas he lives here now. Take a looksee:
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What makes a marketer/musician/businessman/individual truly “great?”
This is the ongoing debate I’ve had with a friend of mine. He believes greatness (particularly in the political arena) is defined by being “the smartest person in the room.” I disagree.
It’s not just about being the best, smartest, or fastest, or knowing the most notes, or helping others. Greatness is also defined by your limitations.
Can you look at a situation, acknowledge that you can’t pull it off alone, and bring in the pros? Can you hire for your deficiencies rather than just employ people who think like you? Do you play with musicians who are better than you or strive to be the best musician in any project?
I am TERRIBLE at arranging music. I like to write tunes and noodle around a bit with it but when it comes to arrangements I’m lost. Back in Chicago I discovered an awesome piano player and arranger. No matter how uncomfortable I felt with his suggestions, I did my best to implement them because I knew he had a skill set that I did not have.
It is hard to stifle yourself when you disagree with an idea, but sometimes that is exactly what you have to do to grow and become great.
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I’m still on the boat in Cabo so this is going to be a quick one -
I met a new buddy on the boat. His name is Dave and he’s a music teacher in Mesa, AZ. We had a great time with terrible impersonations during a karaoke contest – he was the Elton John winner, while I attempted (and later withdrew) a bid to become the boat’s official Britney Spears. (pictures forthcoming)
Although I didn’t learn a whole lot about him, I respect the heck out of anyone who can ditch the self consciousness and hop on stage for a tune or two – particularly one that they haven’t practiced.
That made me think about this week’s tip: If you’re trying to make a career out of playing, being a great musician is really important. That said, being a great performer is just as important. If you’re new to performing, you will be nervous your first time…without a doubt.
The best way to get over those nerves is to practice, right? But how do you practice being on stage without actually being onstage at a paid gig? Simple. Karaoke. This might sound kinda goofy, but it will help you:
- Be on a stage in front of people.
- Learn to be ok with making mistakes during a performance.
- Get past your nerves and relax while performing.
- Deal with pre-performance jitters.
- Depending upon the venue, adjust to lighting, hecklers, bad sound systems, etc.
This one might not apply if you’re on stage regularly but should prove to be a simple (and free) practice technique for the newbies.
Anyways, thanks to Elton John from Mesa for this week’s tip!!!!
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and the internet access sucks here.
if you are going to offer a product, don’t half ass it. offer a good product.
this applies to guitar, music, and business. if it is worth doing it is worth doing right.
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I was interviewed in BellaDog Magazine regarding Las Vegas, the #2 most dog friendly city in America. Read about it here: http://www.belladogmagazine.com/top-10-most-dog-friendly-cities-2010Other Random Stuff:)
Meet South Carolina Democrats’ nominee for senate. My check is in the mail: “The people have spoken. The people of South Carolina have spoken. The people of South Carolina have spoken. We have to be pro-South Carolina. The people of South Carolina have spoken. We have to be pro-South Carolina.”Other Random Stuff:)
A popular guitar forum that I frequent gets a lot of these types of questions: 1. How do I learn how to shred? 2. What scale is this (random notes that have nothing diatonically to do with one another)? 3. How can I make my sweep picking faster/better/whatever? 4. What chords are these (random, again [...]
Made this instructional video on how to structure your practices for ultimate productivity. NSFW. Oh, and the neck beard is optional…Enjoy. Other Random StuffGuitar Tip of the Week-STOP F***ING SHREDDING! (and more) Best Blues Guitar in Las Vegas
….wow. I never thought my guest post on Music Soul and Music Sold would create such a dust-up by fellow musicians. I’ve had people calling me names (although for some reason they all got “G” rated when posting here – wimps), questioning credentials, criticizing my approach, ethics, morals, blah blah blah. Flush it. In the [...]
[Ernie is my 5 year old bouvier des flandres. As a special surprise for my birthday, he has agreed to take some blogging burden off of my shoulders and answer some reader questions. -Joe] Hi everyone! I’d like Joe to have a fun birthday weekend, put the laptop down and play catch with me for [...]