After 15 years of practice...
2010-06-15
Since 14, I was determined to be a great singer. But my pitch was bad, my tone was bad, and everyone said I was just not a singer.
At 17, I started taking voice lessons, and practicing two hours every night. I'd go into a soundproof room for two hours of long-tones, scales, arpeggios, and practicing specific song phrases over and over.
At 18, I started touring, doing two to four shows a week, always as the lead singer. Often they were outdoor shows, sometimes with no PA system at all, so I really had to learn how to project to be heard.
At 19, I was still practicing two hours a night, but still having a problem with pitch. People kept telling me I was just not a singer - that I should give it up, and find a real singer.
Then I heard a man giving a demonstration of Indian vocal music, and his pitch was so perfect, I went rushing up to him afterwards to ask how he did it.
I said, “How are you able to hit the notes so perfectly dead-on? Are you just natually good at this?”
He said, “No! When I first started singing, not only was I not within an inch of the note - I wasn't within a football field of the note! I was horrible!”
“So how did you do it?”
He jabbed a finger in my chest, and looked me in the eye. “Practice. Thousands of hours of practice, and eventually I got it. I can show you how.”
For the next year, I'd take a bus out to his place every Wednesday night as he'd teach me some esoteric ways of thinking about singing. (I mentioned them in a previous article, here.)
I continued touring for years, always as the lead singer. Still taking voice lessons with different teachers in different cities. Still practicing tone, scales and trouble spots for an hour every night.
At 25, I recorded my first album. When I gave it to someone who was a real mentor to me, he gave it a focused listen, then said, “Derek, you're just not a singer. You really need to stop trying. Admit you're a songwriter, and find a real singer.”
But I bounced away from that meeting unfazed. I knew I just had more work to do.
I toured for three more years after that, always pushing, always practicing, always determined to be a great singer.
At 28, I started noticing that my voice was getting good! I recorded a few new songs, and for the first time, I really really liked the vocals!
At 29, I had done it. After 15 years of practice, and about 1000 live shows, I was finally a very good singer, at least by my own standards. (You can judge for yourself at sivers.org/music. Old stuff at the bottom. New stuff at the top.)
Someone who heard me for the first time then said, “Singing is a gift you're either born with or you're not. You're lucky. You were born with it!”
I had to remember this story now because I'm spending most of my time doing things I'm not good at. It's overwhelming, sometimes.
I'm really trying to be a great computer programmer, and so in awe of the people who seem to do it naturally. I'm just such a beginner.
It may take me another 15 years, but I'm determined.
Great article! It doesn't come easy most of the time, but that's when it pays off. When you don't quit. When you don't take no for an answer. Keep it up! It is exciting to see what you will do next. Thanks for letting us have some insight on your journey.
Inspirational as always!
As someone who aspires to sing myself, I enjoyed hearing this!
Derek, there are few people that truly inspire me. You are one of those people. Thanks so much for yet another inspiring post.
Sounds like a little fishy I know so well, Malcolm Gladwell, who professes the 10,000 hour rule. But very true, too.
Time to put in the work. I'm on about ten hours as it comes to writing good blog comments.
universal ...it has been said "The more you practice the luckier you get" a quote offered as an apology for succeeding where others were short or in awe
Derek, one word - love.
what a beautiful human being you are!!
thank you for another wonderful story full of true inspiration!
I feel the same way about several aspects of my life...It's almost like I've chosen these activities and aspects of my career because they are more challenging to me. A by product of this is, when success comes, I appreciate it since it was far from being handed to me. Nice post.
so true!
wow, 15 years, that's a lot of work... do you balance that with doing something that you are just naturally gifted at - where your start point is where most people end up after years of work - or do you just prefer the "work" part of mastery?
If it's something you REALLY want, you can do it, no matter whether you're a natural or not. It's not that I preferred the work. I would have preferred to be a natural. But if it's something you want bad enough, you keep at it. -- Derek
oh boy, did I need this post. Thanks!
its whats inside the person that counts, if you have the belief and determination then the world truly is your oyster
For a long time, I thought I wasn't a singer, but man, I wanted to sing what I was writing.
After 5 years and lots and lots of hard work, I've realised, I'm just a singer who needs more practice.
I've also realised that ignoring the people who told me otherwise was exactly the right choice. And probably will be next time, too.
Well, no matter how good or bad you are as a singer or a programmer, you're a hell of an inspirational writer. Maybe you had to work like crazy at that too. But you certainly have accomplished it.
Yes- I am feeling this hurdle now. How do you inspire young people to follow when their heads are in their Iphones and controlled by their hormones? A million issues are swarming around their world but how do I get them to look up, choose to grab a cause, and get involved? I guess it's practice Derek. The practice of focusing on the goal until you get to the finish line! Great article!
Ahh,excellent! American Idol syndrome hides the ridiculous amount of work it takes to get to good and hopefully great- and all the rough stumbles on the way.
Really nice reminder.
Another good post, Derek-thanks!
This is so me....I still sitting shocked about thinking if to check this article or not... ;) Brilliant one. Thank you.
Reminds me very much of myself.
Keep the light burning. More power to your effort.
Always helpful to read these posts of encouragement - they are much appreciated. I hope one day I can return the favor.
My singing came about much the same way. Though living with a vocalist that many people consider to be one of the best rock vocalists ever - kinda helped me kick my butt in gear. He would encourage me, but at the same time, attempt to get me to quit singing.
He finally came to me and asked if I would sing backups on a CD of his. I felt truly validated as a singer. I still can't match his one take ability (usually takes me 3).
I still have to work my ass off at it. I want to be able to nail stuff in the first take.
Why think about what you're good at doing or not good at doing? The fun is in taking on the challenge and learning. Great that you didn't take nay-sayers seriously!
I read a book within the past year that mentions this 15 year/1000 hour concept of mastery. Maybe someone else knows of which book I am thinking.
Outliers, by Malcom Gladwell. Though I think he said 10,000 hours or 10 years. -- Derek
Wow, your advice is always so timely. I've recently started song writing again after 10 years. I've always disliked my voice and have been told I'm really not a singer. At least they did after I hit puberty. Before I was winning awards and scholarships to music schools.
I now have inspiration that all I need is lots of practice and dedication to get back what I used to have.
Thanks as always, for your incredible, insightful posts!!!
100% agree - after two years of practise while walking the dog, I can now play a paradiddle on my knees - badly
I don't think I want to be a drummer badly enough to achieve it, but there are other things I DO want, and you're right - I just need to practise.
Ian
I play guitar - or at least claim to.
How can you get past the thing where, for instance, in a particular recording, you know you have done great, you feel you've hit the pinnacle for that instant and it was all captured on tape. Even listening to it days and weeks on down the line you know that it's the best it could be, but then someone like Billy McLaughlin or Andy McKee rolls by and your recording suddely sounds like the dog got into your studio while no one was looking. Yes I hit my best, Yes I delivered, Yes I am proud of the result. Yes I am constantly humiliated.
How do I get past that. The real problem, is that yes actually I could share a stage with these guys and hold my own, but it;s all so very different. Styles, content, disciplines - all so very different. I have become a miserable perfectionist in the studio, and if I carry on like this I'll probably never release another CD!
Love y'all
-sf
yes! i recall my first vocal tracks. rough. i recall one talented vocalist tell me, "you should just try and sound more like you're singing".
don't know about you, but having a space and time to belt things out - and being on the road - the number of shows building a confidence, which is such a big part of it -really helped.
another great post derek.
tommy
"Get Famous Fast" I'll bet Jimmy Buffett wishes he had written that song.
10,000 hours of practice seems to be a constant.
Derek, Thank you.
You've heard this a zillion times from so many folks who appreciate your insights. I hope that that doesn't dilute the appreciation we express. For those of us who have also spent those "15 years" honing craft to match the passion - we just flat out understand. Great to have someone with a large following (i.e. so folks will listen) by simply expressing what it takes to stay focused and translate the inner vision to actual action.
We'd love to hear from you also. Many thanks!
Jerry and Lois
They say it takes 10,000 hours of practice at something to master it. Looks like you found them!
Its funny Derek. I started violin lessons when I was 6 years old and was told by a top violin teacher that she had never herd a child sing so out of tune in her whole life! And it was true. And it was only through mastering the violin that I began to be able to "hear" in tune, something that was not natural at all to me. And now this is what I do for my living. Life is good. We really can do anything! Thanks for reminding me!
Monique
Seems like you reached pro-vocal status right around the same time they released Autotune. Coincidence? 8^)
Nothin' but love for you, Derek.
What an inspiration this story is, Derek!
Piano playing and composing came natural for me, but singing is another story that, for me requires massive doses of melodyne and autotune fx
I'll have to check out your previous article about the ways of thinking of singing, etc..
THANKS!
-Steven
Thanks for the thoughts. People forget just how much hard work goes into being a "natural." I've often felt about my guitar playing the same way you felt about your voice. Just recently, though, I've started to feel more comfortable with it--after over twenty-five years. After doing some rough calculations I figured that I must be getting pretty close to Malcolm Gladwell's magic 10,000 hours.
I don't know if practice can make a really good singer, but I've seen that some people seem to be great singers almost without trying. (Of course, unlike instrumentalists, they've been working on their chops from birth.)
I've also observed that many truly great singers are unbalanced, fragile personalities. Maybe lacking some inhibiting or censoring circuits.
I'm glad you kept going in the direction you wanted. Most things in life are achievable if one keeps at it. There are plenty of naysayers out happy to block the way for whatever reason, if one lets them. It's not always easy to block out the noise and continue a particular path, but I am glad you did!
Got a very funny image in my minds eye of the indian fella jabbing you in the chest to punctuate his point.
Made me remember this very funny film called run fat boy run which features a portly english indian dude who trains a lost cause wannabe marathon runner (aka simon peg) by following him on a moped an whacking him with a fry pan spatula.
All joking aside though that's a most inspiring level of commitment and determination. Great musical influences btw parliamant & prince wicked!
Hey Derek,
Great story. I feel a kinship with you after reading because I was told the same thing, that I'm not a singer, by my entire family. Now I make money singing songs and never asked them for a dime to survive as a musician. The "gift" is not the singing, or the playing of an instrument. The "gift" is having enough confidence and optimism to reach for what you want in life no matter what it is, or no matter how many people tell you, you'll never do it.
Craig
without passion, you wouldn't did it
another thing to note is how subjective talent can be.
there are over 6 billion people on this earth... no matter how bad you think you are at something, you can pretty much guarantee finding thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people who enjoy what you do, whether because they like it, they don't know enough to know they shouldn't like it, or even because they don't like it. you just need to find them.
for example, there is an entire genre of music called "noise" which consists of the most awful cacophonies of sound for album-lengths on end. people buy these albums, fans go to the shows... some of these bands are listed by major successful acts as important influences.
as much as talent can be a fine skill perfected over many years, talent is also subjective.
Or as one of my mentors used to say "The nut goes to the gopher that just never gives up."
Awesome written! I Got a big smile on now ;) My story is abit the same...Peace D.
The Journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step....then many more after that. Your beutiful. Keep doing what you do. The world needs you.
really needed to hear this today......thanks for the reminder and the inspiration!
still trying to get good.....
paul langford
I love this article. Thanks! The mistake we humans make is to forget that they're all just skills. And as a skill, you can learn to do just about anything.
You may not ever reach the mastery of someone who starts out with a lot of innate talent and then adds years of practice to develop skill on top of it. But if you want it badly enough and are willing to pay the price to achieve it - you can get good enough to succeed.
What's the price?
--Hours, days, weeks, years of practice.
--Being willing to be coached or taught and PAY for that training.
--Being willing to do it badly, look stupid, have people tell you that you should just give up and choose not to.
--Blood, sweat, tears.
How badly do you want to succeed? What price are you willing to pay?
I think often, the people who are tremendously talented from birth are often the ones who are most challenged by this - because they can do "X" thing so easily - so why should they have to work so hard to do "Y" thing?
Some people call it laziness. I think it's just that they haven't yet learned the skill of having to work really hard to learn a skill that doesn't fall within their talent wheelhouse.
And so, they think they have a problem with focus or dedication or resistance. And really, it's just that they lack the skill for working really hard on something they are lacking a natural talent for. It isn't a skill they've developed.
But just like every other skill - it, too, can be learned - if you want it badly enough.
And on the other hand, I think it's why a lot of only moderately talented musicians are really successful - they knew they had to work really really really hard and they wanted it badly enough to do that.
If you are anything like me, when you are determined to do something and believe that it is achievable, someone telling you to give up only causes you to be more determined to reach that goal. My congratulations to you for reaching your goal and not giving up. I'm sure that if you apply the same strategy with the singing to your goal of computer programming, you will have great success and perhaps in a time span of less than fifteen years.
Go for it!
Solitoode
Your article inspires as usual. I read them but never responded until now. I manage my husband who is a fantastic singer. I don't want to sing to anyone but my husband. I sing in my mind. I hear msic in my head. I recruit back-up singers for my husband. My problem is I cannot express what I hear. But I continue to try. Thanks for the forward.
Great story Derek - and as other commenters noticed, you must have hit (or been close to) the 10,000 hour practice mark. Any calculations there? 2 hours/day for 15 years is actually 10,920 hours.
And what are you doing to practice programming?
Derek,
Seems like there's always another learning curve (steeper than the last) lurking 'round the bend that that calls us - and those like you who rise to the occasion, lean into the challenge, reach a little deeper, persist a little longer - arrive in each present moment with that certain je ne sais pas ce qui... Oh, Oh... that certain Beautiful Character!
It's funny, because no one would expect to sit down at a drum kit for the first time and play a steady groove with great dynamics and in-time fills... but when it comes to singing, the prevailing mindset is that you either have it or you don't. Derek, your story is my story, except (as usual) you're much more dedicated. Thanks!
As the practice hours pile up, no matter what the discipline, a deeper understanding occurs. I believe that only practice allows for the develpment of that deep understanding. Practice and the process itself has allowed that to happen for me in my songwriting. A person is never really finished with that process or the practice.
Thanks for sharing.
Allen
Hey, you are a clarinet player, Derek!
People tend to forget or never knew that Tiger Woods spends hours on practice tees and Michael Jordan spent hours in the gym. Persistence is an under appreciated virtue.
GREAT !
I was never a singer but I was play
my guitar only.. Now I write my tunes and I am a singer.. so now
I am a songwriter. I know .. There are a lot of good singers in the world but I'm always going toward
my way..Thanks Derek..You know what I'm saying and I know what you say !
As usual. Great stuff.
Ernie
You ARE a great singer! Love your song samples. Thanks for the inspiration!
Derek,
Others have said it, but I will say it again. Research says it take 10 years or 10,000 hours to master a skill. Persistence pays and you should be very proud of yourself, and I'm very proud of you because you didn't listen to naysayers or let anyone rain on your parade. Thanks for sharing!
Avil
YOU are SO determined and NEVER
give up...I guess when you want something bad enough practice and
stick to it ness is the key!
U rock and I hope your travels in Amsterdam keep you singing...pics would be nice...
Hugs2ya,
Kat in Princeton, NJ
That is good, if at first you don't succeed try,try,try again
Reff:
http://bible.cc/luke/11-9.htm
Great article. Thanks! Check out the book, "The Talent Code" by Daniel (David?) Coyle. It's a great read, and all about what you've just written, and more.
St. Francis of Assisi:
"He who works with his hands is a laborer.
"He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman."
"He who works with his hands, his head, and his heart is an artist."
As always, Derek, nothing but the best. Stay safe and be well.
Being out of my league is an important thing to realize.
Verne Troyer will not be the center for any NBA team no matter how much he practices.
I am at an age now where my own voice is faltering. Physically there is no way I can practice myself into "better". Even the best of the best retire at some point.
Success comes in many flavors though, so while I'm a little disappointed I never will be a rockstar, I have rockstar friends who are disappointed they never got to settle down into a (relatively) stable life
It's all about perspective.
When you shoot for the sky, either you always hit it or never hit it, depending on your point of reference.
Great example of digging in Derek. Diligence is man's precious possession! After 40 years of singing professionally, I am comfortable with my voice, yet still striving for excellence in the littlest of details. I picked up slide guitar 3 years ago and working hard on tone and (my) sound and have a long way to go, however I have started recording with slide and next record will be better
Thing is, I love it; I'm no Sonny Landreth, but for what I am writing, I am putting it where it feels right to me
Thanks for your encouragement & example!
db
Singing always came easy to me and my guitar playing was what I had to work on. Now sometimes I listen to my own recordings and wish I had spent more time working on my vocals!
It's sad when people think they have to be perfect from the beginning at something they want to do. Those who have to work at something are often, in the end, better at what they do than those who are "talented".
A story I will share with my daughter. She needs inspiration.
Thank you
Very cool article man I went through the same things learning to rap, probably not as difficult as singing but I can definitely relate!
I just turned 60 and am determined to become a great pianist. People tell me to stick with singing, but I love to play piano. After 7 years of daily practice, I am finally good enough to fill in at church when the "real" pianist is on vacation...but I won't be satisfied until I can sight read any hymn or simple classical piece in any key. It's never too late. I agree with Derek...just keep practicing. By the time I'm 80, I'll be a beast on the keyboard.
I always love what you write, but this especially hits home. I'm also a musician and also trying to learn to use the other side of my brain with some internet marketing. I feel like I've become my favorite Far Side cartoon, the one with the elephant sitting at a Grand Piano on a concert stage, with a think bubble coming from its head exclaiming "I'm a flutist for crying out loud!"
Thanks for the incredibly encouraging words! I needed this now... thanks for being there. And, I've just listened to your song "Ready to Live" about 5 times in a row. I love it. And I love your singing, especially those octaves. I may take you up on the offer to use it sometime... will let you know! Thanks again. Linda
thanks Derek- after 33 years of playing guitar I'm still not good- but still determined, focused and pushing myself harder than anyone else ever could. Thanks for some more inspiration to keep going...and going... and going...
gotta love commitment and vision
What's the quote... "some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." Practice is an art. One is blessed to have the drive to practice. Without that drive, I believe, even great artists end up selling themselves short. We live in a culture of instant gratification so it is great to hear you espouse the value of practice. In all things it is essential be it math, running or singing.
"practice doesn't make perfect! perfect practice makes perfect" -my father
Yes, you can now sing. Just heard "Ready to Live" and "Flexible" - but the last tune was recorded in 1999. So, do you still sing, keep up your chops? Hope so!
Well done for winning something so hard-won. And, once again, writing so well about it, so that others can really "get it."
1,000 or 10,000 hours. Yep. I've been playing piano (and now, other keyboards) since I was 4, and I'm 62 now - and I'm now finally "good." I was always "good" and always had a talent for the ivories, but now I "say something" and have a mastery and control over it.
The thing that intrigued me about music, as a teen, was that it was so DEEP, that there would always be something new for me to learn. And now I'm learning about Orchestration (the craft and skill of learning, exactly & precisely, what combination of notes & real-life instruments will produce, in the studio or live stage, the music as you exactly want to hear it. I'm also learning about Engineering, and about Logic and ProTools and the world of Softsynths, and the world of Film Scoring.
At 62, the gig becomes keeping really healthy so that one can truly enjoy the "golden years," and I AM doing that (from lots of research and trying things out). I plan to continue well into my 80's or 90's. In fact, I know exactly what I want to be doing at 80 and at 90. There's no reason one has to throw in the towel just because one's body gets older, as all bodies do.
I don't "age" - but my body sure does! And it's true about aging, one just gets better and better at one's craft.
After 58 years of playing the piano, I have become good. I've probably spent well over 10,000 hours playing and practicing. Well worth it.
I've suffered plenty. Been fired from gigs (I'm not a jazzer, though I love listening to jazz), been passed over, been told to "keep my day job" -- and when I DID take that "day job" full time and didn't do music, well, after 6 months of doing that in my early 30's, I nearly went insane from music withdrawal ... and realized that "I AM a Musician" ... and that was that.
It's not that I haven't done other non-music work in my life. Plenty of it. It's just that I AM a Musician, doing other work too. Oh, and I AM a Mom, and a Wife, and so many other things too, concurrently.
And now I make my full living from music. It isn't easy, but I'm doing it. I've gotten good at many things in music (from lots and lots of hours of practice) ... and I keep expanding my Musical Horizons, one might say -- keep learning new things, keep practicing at something new.
And I keep up the piano chops too. And pipe organ chops ... and synth chops ... and on it goes, keeping up the hard-won chops and honing and sharpening the new ones.
Life is exciting - and so is Music.
Thanks for your Blog.
It's SO easy for musicians these days to just plug in a tool, like Garageband or Logic, and record and produce music ... and NOT be able to "play", to not really "play" an instrument or to sing well (and rely on those pitch-correcting tools).
It's great to use these tools, BUT continue to hone one's craft and practice, practice, practice -- put in those 1,000 and 10,000 hours.
Then one day, like you, and like me, a singer or player can finally say "I'm good."
That's quite a day. And VERY worth it.
music being derek
bright on.
i've been practising doing nothing and i am so very good at getting it done.
my singing is so bad that when i go to karaoke people who heard me before take up a collection to pay me not to sing.
a great gig.
bright musical ways
ian
I really needed to hear that.
I can remember the first time I had to sing lead, keep in mind I was the guitarist, not even a background singer, we were on tour somewhere in the south, we had four singers, but one had throat problems this particular night, I was asked, "do you want to sing the song, I was like no, are you crazy, but he kept after me, and I did sing the song,in front of thousands of our fans, to me I awful, but there was a lot of applause, even from the other guys in the band, it was terrifying, but I did it. I'm saying this to say, if you believe in yourself enough, and be honest with yourself enough to know when its good and when it needs work, and not only listen to singers you like, but listen to all types of singers, you'll be surprise, remember, all great singers are not naturally born singers, and even they have to put in the work...
Derek,
Thanks for passing along your post;
check out
http://ccrma.stanford.edu/planetccrma/software/
for help with your computer programming requirements...
cy...
It's the same with anything you wish to do...first you have to believe in yourself....That inner knowing that 'you can do it'. Gary
Hey Derek,
Thanks for your great inspiration. I guess that if you were out of tune it was in the same way that Hendrix is out of tune pushing the message between singing and talking.
I love your productions.
I look forward to see you in NY soon.
All the best,
Beledo
Thanks Derek,
You always know how to inspire through your own personal experience. It is wonderful to have a friend like you, who can give advice that will help us get through the road blocks.
Be blessed, and continue moving in the spirit.
Esetsta
Excellent! I have had a similar experience in the vocal world. At 28 I am just now coming to know my voice well and finally liking what I hear and being confident. Thanks again Derek!
We must be on the same wave length. I've been thinking the past few weeks that even though I am a good singer and have been all my life, performing is not something that I have done a lot of and so while I feel extremely comfortable singing a song I've practiced and practiced, the banter between songs feels so AWKWARD and I really SUCK at it. So three weeks ago, I started watching comedians on Youtube hoping to feed my humor wit. I'm funny when I'm comfortable talking to friends, family and even strangers at the supermarket but I lose that when I'm on stage. So I'm studying the humor and trying to find my own style and trying to find a way to put it into writing, learn it and then execute it on stage. I'm also hoping that focusing each day on humor will help me produce some off the cuff banter while I'm on stage as well. No, I'm not trying to become a comedian but I do find that when I tell humorous stories from my everyday life, it really connects me to people. So I am hoping to give a better impression of who I really am when I'm on stage through my normal relaxed humor that currently seems to run for the hills when I'm in between songs on stage. I wish you the best of luck with the computer programing! Please wish me luck too!
I started playing guitar at 8 , my mother could not afford to send me to music lessons so i learned by ear , we had a piano and i would often try to hit each note vocally and with my guitar . I'm 57 now and i still practice 3-4 hrs a day . Practice they say makes perfect but , perfection takes practice so , it never ends .
Derek, what a great post man. I can totally relate based on my own vocal journey. I am reading this great book by John Dillon called "The 20-20 Creativity Solution" that has a neat passage:
"Mrs. Stickler (yes, that was her name) singled out the boy next to me and told him to mouth the words because he was singing out of tune. Well, I was such a sensitive child that I took that message to heart and stopped singing as well. ...I don't want to risk being called out for sining off-key... This seemingly insignificant event grew over time into a deeply held belief that I'm not a singer, that I don't have a good voice."
-John Dillon
Amazing just how much difference things can have on us depending on what ages we're told them! I'm so glad you kept singing man. Hope all is going well on your travels with the wife.
Andrew
I've always believed "What separates people is drive. Ive heard my whole life "You have to be born an artist, born an athlete,
born a musician." The fallacies go on and on but I was born with little talent and have been successful at all the above especially (including) as a professional stand-up comedian and I was not born funny but I will be making my living at it again soon.
Hi Again Derek,
Perhaps the 15 year singing odyssey was partly a chance to work with your very advanced ability to concentrate and focus, especially on a self-defined goal.
So, you start from scratch with singing, but are already way ahead of most in being able to stay attuned to your goal. A super-skill!
Not that this excuses anyone else from following their particular dreams! Each person has to figure out what specific skills and abilities they can use to make it happen.
The Super-Derek 15 year monklike-focus method is one way - a proven to work.
Another could be the Hang Around With Other Brilliant People method, if your talent is to bring out group genius, or the Canny Right Place Right Time method (which requires lots of patience and prescience).
Another is the Limited Energy Desert Method, where you stop doing anything that would siphon energy from doing the one thing you must do. (Don't do that if you have kids)
Go Derek! And Go Everyone else (including me!), in whatever way works!
You go Derek !
Hey--my drummer and I were discussing this one day about why if anyone criticized our playing--it didn't bother us at all--but if anyone criticized our singing--our feelings were hurt. Yazid and I both felt very comfortable with our playing and just thought any critics were just jealous or had terrible taste in music--but the singing thing was different--it was more like a personal attack.
I have to tell you that I just have a regular person's voice and had almost given up trying because of the criticism. The comment mean spirited folks make most is, "oh--have you heard Allison Krause?"
Of course I have and believe me--I do not sound like Allison and never will--I'm glad she sounds good--but everyone can't sound like a big time singer.
But a few years ago--we had some really nice concerts coming up and you just can't entertain an audience for 2 hours with all instrumentals--so I went to vocal camp a couple years--practice the exercises--but most important--I began to pick out only songs that I really liked and fit my voice and a key where I'm comfortable. I found that if I chose really good songs that the song would kind of carry itself--I just had to stay in tune.
And now--I'm kind of glad that I don't have a big time voice because those folks can sing anything and sound good--but I can only sound good if I sing good songs.
Best wishes,
Mary Z. Cox
maryzcox.com
Brings to mind a quote I have heard attributed to Thomas Edison: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
Sometimes the worst we can do is to pay too much heed to those who do not help us grow our own wings and soar.
Indeed - the old phrase "some people are just born with it and some are not" is true. BUT Not everyone is born with determination either.
And that is the key I think to eventually getting it done if a person really wants it.
I was a terrible singer when I first started out. I couldn't project or stay in tune to save my life. When I first started taking lessons, my goal was to get just good enough to be able to show the "real singer" in the band how I wanted my songs to sound.
Eventually I got tired of looking for other singers. It took time and lessons, but I became just good enough to do open mics without completely humiliating myself. Then I got good enough for real coffeehouse gigs. At some point, I'm not sure when, I became a real singer. There are still certain things my voice can't do that I'd like it to do, but there's time to learn.
I was lucky in one respect. My friends never discouraged me. In fact, it was one of my friends who suggested I take lessons in the first place -- it had never occurred to me.
Thank you! Exactly what I need to hear today. By the way, I always thought that you had the best voice!!
Derek:
I'm glad you didn't listen to those people telling you that you weren't a singer. Being a veteran music educator, I have heard that said by too many people too many times. We are all born with the ability to sing, dance, or create. We just need the right nurturers. "Practice makes perfect" is so true. Some people are born with it--like Gregory Douglass--who has been singing since the age of three. By his teens, he became the male equivalent of Mariah Carey--range and vocal acrobats! Then there are the people who don't have that gift. But I believe it can be taught. It just takes time and practice. Sing on!
Hi Derek,
I listened to some of your songs. I think you sing pretty well!
I always considered myself as an instrumentalist, but last year someone in the music business suggested I start doing some singing telling me my voice wasn't that bad.
So I started adding some vocals to my concerts. I'm not a great singer and am on pitch sometimes, but people seem to like singing the places I play no matter how good or bad I am!
The next step is to get voice lessons.
I am 48 and I am just now coming into my own as a musician.
Keith
My dad use to tell me that how determine you are will show how talented your going to be. As a lead guitarist. I wanted to give it all that I had. And the more challenging it got the more determine I was to get there. I believe we all have the talent to get there but how badly we want it. Will determines the results that we are looking to achieve. Love reading your story Derek your an inspiration to us all. Peace.
Do what u love and love what u do. When u
Get a chance do something new.
Tortoises of the World, Unite!
Derek, you had the advantage of desire and the musicianship to be able to hear what good pitch and tone should sound like. When something comes easily, people don't always appreciate it as a ''gift.'' They often move on to other challenges and let it fade away. How many of our childhood friends raced ahead with their chops like they were winning a BMX race, but have long since quit making music?
Thanks for such true story, it should be natural for everyone, but regretably we are raised as if "magically" we are born with something special. Just like my father always said "congratulations, you are special, just like the rest of us" at first it was hilarious, but as one matures, you can understand that what he ment was "if you want something really bad, work for it really bad", thanks for sharing this with me and everyone.
I KOOL WIT CDBABY - DEY TOOK LONG TIME 2 RETURN I E-MALE WHICH INSULTED I EGO - I LET DEM NO I NOT LIKE DEM - DEY NEVER GAVE I ONE SECOND PROMOTION - SO I REQUESTED ALL I MUZAK 2 BE REMOVED FROM DERE SITE - DERE WAS A GLITCH IN DA SYSTEM & I COULD NOT RETRIEVE OR GET 2 - I 1ST SPIRITUAL BABY HERBAL HEAL'N - WHICH COST I 3000 IN DA STUDIO - I NOT KOOL WIT AMIESTREET - I WILL CHANT DOWN AMIESTREET WIT LOVE - U KANT DEFEAT EVIL WIT EVIL ONLY WIT LOVE - I NOT KOOL WIT AMIESTREET - I SENT DEM 100 E-MALES - LETT'N DEM NO I KANT GET 2 HERBAL HEAL'N - DA SYSTEM GOT TWEAK & I KANT RETRIEVE I SPIRITUAL BABY - I WANT IT REMOVED FROM YOUR SITE - I ONLY PLACED IT UP DERE 2 EXPLOIT IT 4 A LITTLE WHILE - NOT EVERYONE SILVER SURFS DA SAME SITES - DA ARTIST NOT HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER DERE MUZAK AT AMIESTREET & I TRUST DEM NO FURTHER DEN I KAN SHIT - I PLACED ALL I MUZAK AT PUREVOLUME & ILIKE BECUZ DA ARTIST HAS FULL CONTROL - I KAN REMOVE ALL I SONGS AT ANY TIME - NO REQUEST TAKE DOWN AND WAIT 7 DEYS LATER TO SEE IF ITS REMOVED(AMIESTREET) - TO RESPOND 2 YOUR AFTER 15 YEARS OF PRACTICE - WHAT I HAVE REASONED IS NUTT'N HERE ON EARTH MAKES SENSE - I EX-ATHLETE NOW I BATTLE GROUND IS DA MICROPHONE - BUT DA GREATEST COACH ALWEYS KEEPS U HUMBLE - CURSE'N EVERYDING U DEW WHETHER ITS GOOD OR BAD - SO WEN DA LITES TURN ON & ITS GAME TIME U WILL PERFORM AT YOUR BEST - DA GREATEST MUSICIAN HERE ON EARTH KANT SING - ITS DERE LYRICS AND TIME'N - DA MERCY OF CHANCES - BEING IN DA RITE PLACE AT DA RITE TIME - BLESS'N & LUCK - AS A YOUTH I WAZ GEEKED OFF BILLY IDOL BUT DA BOY KANT SING - AS A YOUTH I WAS GEEKED OFF DA GUY WHO SINGS WISH'N WELL WIT LADYSMITH MAMBUZA - BUT DAT GUY KANT SING - AS A YOUTH I WAZ GEEKED OFF DA ROLL'N STONES - BUT DAT BOY KANT SING - AS A YOUTH I WAZ GEEKED OFF DAVID BOWY BUT DAT BOY KANT SING - AS A YOUTH I WAZ GEEKED OFF BOB MARLEY BUT DAT BOY KANT SING - WHAT DESE GREAT WORLD ACCLAIMED MUSICIANS DEW IS HYPNOTIZE U WIT DERE LYRICS - MUZAK - STAGE PERFORMANCE - EGO(PERSONALITY) - DEY NO BETTER DEN ALL DEY WERE BLESSED & LUCKY - DA INFINITE POSSIBILITIES OF BEING IN DA RITE PLACE AT DA RITE TIME - NOW DA MUZAK DAT I CREATE IS 2 ECCENTRIC - 2 SPIRITUAL - FAR BEYOND DA COMPREHENSION OF MAN - U MUST BE A DEACON OR BISHOP OR MINISTER OR WELL VERSED IN DA BIBLE 2 OVERSTAND ANYDING I SEY - I BELIEVE I CREATE MUZAK 2 CLEAR PASSAGE SIMILAR 2 KING DAVID - SING'N 2 DA HEAVEN OR HELL - 2 LET DEM NO I WANT 2 BE A SOLDIER IN DA ARMY OF DA MOST HIGH - I WANT 2 DWELL IN DA HOUSE OF GOD 4-I-EVER - BUT I KING KONG IN SIN - LIKE ALL MAN - NO MAN IS FREE FROM SIN OR BREAK'N DA LAWS - FROM DA POPE 2 DA PRESIDENT - FROM DA MINISTER 2 DA HOMELESS - ALL COMMIT SIN - ALL EXIT DA MATRIX INTO A WORLD OF SIN(CORRUPTION) - SO I CREATE MUZAK HIGHLIGHT'N DESES DINGS - OFTEN I CREATE SILLY SALLY SONG SO I NOT A DOWNPRESSER - DESPERATELY I WANT 2 PLAY DA FLUTE WOULD DA CHILDREN IN DA PLAYGROUND DANCE - OFTEN I SING A SAD SONG WOULD DA CHILDREN IN DA PLAYGROUND CRY - STAY SWEET LIKE HONEY DEREK SIVERS - A SPOONFULL OF HONEY KEEPS U HAPPY & STRONG - BIG UPS - MUCH LOVE
I cannot tell you how much of my youth I wasted because I thought I had to be good at something in order to do it. Your story proves my former type of thinking was BACKWARDS. How can you be good at something if you don't keep at it? I wasn't born knowing how to read...but now, because I kept reading I got good at it.
Even if you are born with a gift (like music) it is DOING it that gives you chops.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Derek! Love the way you think.
Hey Derek ...
That's a great story you've shared. It reminds me of the 10,000-hours of dedicated practice that must be accomplished before anyone can truly be considered great at what they do. One must first believe in themself; and, he/she must never give up in the pursuit of his/her own personal goals and dreams.
Best always,
DF
Love your sense of irony. Awesome post...
Thanks I needed that!!!
Ready to Live is a great message. Pitch is good too. What would we do in life with no room left for improvement?
Keep it up, man.
Your story is an inspirational one for that reason alone - you really wanted it, and so you did everything in your power to get it, and a quick listen of your most recent recordings show how well it paid off for you.
Vocal lessons were always slotted in as "for the future" on my to-do list, as singing has been my secret passion for as long as I can remember. I've been told I have a decent voice, but a friend early on saddled me with the realization that I have a hard time singing on pitch, so any ambition to write my own music bottomed out pretty quickly from there.
I'm realizing, though, that maybe I just didn't want it badly enough.
It's an obvious lesson to take away from all of this, but it's still a good one: if you want it, go and get it.
I might enroll in those vocal lessons after all.
You are an amazing young man. Thanks for sharing yourself.
Michelle
Great touching story I been Rapping for 15 years and just recently I've decided to take some voice lessons, because when I do show after the fifth song my voice starts fade and it difficult to do another song and someone told I wasn't breathing right, that I was using my vocal cord instead of using the diaphram
The only real gift is motivation...I love your voice, Derek. How's Amsterdam?
remarkable.... thanks for the ongoing inspiration
D: At 16, I would sneak out of my bedroom window and go downtown to tap dance and sing at a well-known club. One night, a man approached me after a show and asked if I would consider singing in his band. "I'm not a singer," I said, "I'm a dancer." He simply replied, "No, you're not." Years have passed, and I still sing, and dance. If it makes you smile, you just gotta do it!
THANK YOU x 1000.
I literally wanted to write thank you a thousand times but i should get back to practicing
Yup. Same thing with me. Once you can do something you're that thing. Until you can do something, you're just "not that thing."
Giving up is an important skill and can save lots of time and heartbreak, but it takes a keen eye to really know when to quit and when you're just in process.
I once hada teacher in College who said the music Biz is less about talent and mostly about tenacity and 30 years later a know he's right
Great post Derek. Really enjoyed your keynote at Railsconf, very inspirational. I really admire your attitude. Keep up the good work.
In everyone's life, there is an idiot who says "it can't be done".
Certain structures in the brain developed so that we could determine pitch. They are very accurate, but can be trained. It's easier for some than it is for others. If you work hard enough, you can accomplish anything.
Persistence, tenacity, commitment.
We can sing when surrenda to the belief we are worthy and have something to give [not take], in those moments we can all sing. Inbetween those moments is for training, practice and tears. Train the body to hold good vibrations. So when you need it, the training has preparded the body and is ready to hold the energy, a clean channel.
When you want to be world reknowned, get a good business partner. They know what to do, to make your talent into a successful business. Then don't ever complain that everyone wants a piece of you. Cause you trained for it. Onelove to all raising the frequencies of Planet Earth!
Thank you. I think I need about 14 more years of work, at least that's how I feel when I listen to my songs. At least no one has told me to stop singing. Yet. (They haven't told me to keep it up, either.(: My brother told me once he likes singing in the car on the way to and from work to build his voice... at least it's sound-proof. Maybe I'll try that. Thanks for this article, Derek. Very encouraging!!
I guess I should have taken singing lessons, as well as songwriting courses...
Why on earth would you want to be a great programmer when you can be a great singer?
I guess I should have taken singing lessons, as well as songwriting courses...you can critique my songs http://myspace.com/fizermusic
Thanks for posting this. After 25 years, hundreds of lessons, and thousands of hours of practice I'm still not a great guitarist. Hopefully it will happen before I die.
Derek
I am surprised to hear you say you are now trying to get good at programming. I'd always assumed after 10+ years of CDBaby it must be something you were highly skilled at. How many years/hours do you estimate you've done it? Was it something you just picked up on your own or more formally? My inclination is that MuckWork is quite involved programmatically and that is where you may be coming from?
-Dan
Huge difference between doing and improving. I improved a lot during my first 3 years of programming, but the next 7 years were mostly doing what I already knew. Now I'm focusing more on what Josh Waitzkin calls Smaller Circles: concentrating extremly deeply on tiny specific bits until it's really mastered. Only then moving to the next bit. -- Derek
I love your blog/stories/insights. I recently shared a post of yours with a friend of mine who said that you are "a fountain of good ideas," which you are.
You can do it. You stubbornly ignored criticism and surpassed your own goals before. Life would be pretty boring if once you succeeded you didn't set new goals to achieve.
hey, thanks for sharing...
i've been trying to sing as well... i still have more 12 years to go... but now, it seems lighter...
thanks
I don' like my singing voice but people say they like it.I wonder????
Hey Derek,
You scare me with your Charles Xavier like powers.
Hits home.
Thanks for another great one.
Great timing Derek...as I work through refining, adapting and re-evaluating the services we offer our clients.
Seems that hitting exactly the right note isn't always something you get right on the first go
I liked 'Flexible'... by the way.
Simon
Thank you for helping me not feel stupid for always striving to do the hard thing instead of the easy thing. One of my mentors said to me awhile back, "what is so great about easy?" I've been challenging myself to learn jazz piano for the past 2 years. Only 13 (or so) more to go! --Becky
Hi Derek,
Great post! I was at the Billboard music in advertising conference today and Kid Rock gave the Keynote. I knew of him being fairly savvy, but was blown away by how down-to-earth he is on top of being a great person who loves what he does, and believes it.
As I read more and more, and I as work more and more and hear more and more people - on thing remains constant: those who succeed are unrelentingly pursuing their goals.
I laughed to myself at the ad conference when Kid Rock was answering a question about his musicianship and diverse (hip hop and country) background. He said something like: "You know I haven't suffered like other Artists have with the degradation of the music industry. Until my most recent album [released in the fall] I did it all myself - producing, recording - I had to be my own engineer but because of that I never had to take an advance. I used my first bit of money to build a studio on my property and I spent 16-18 hours a day in the studio just working - getting my bass drum tones just right....I guess I just got lucky!"
Completely awesome as luck naturally had nothing to do with hit - just hard, stubborn, work. Anyone thinking they can do otherwise and be great I think is misleading themselves.
Great post Derek!
Andy Lykens
I hear you on this article! I remember road trips, driving the family crazy singing off pitch, way too loud. yet know when I sing it's smooth as honey baby, it just takes time and practice!
Another excellent blog, Derek!
It took me 6 years of college and seven years of teaching music before I felt good about what I was doing.
I wanted to quit but I stuck with it.
During my seventh year, something clicked, and I fell in love with teaching.
I am entering my 23 year and still love teaching.
(If I had stuck with my singing career, who knows where I would be today. Probably wishing I had a great job like teaching.)
Thanks for the encouragement.
Derek:
Once again you increased my admiration for you. You further demonstrated the need for sticking to it and never giving up.
I still wonder if I might perfect certain areas of my own vocals as I grow perhaps too old to be that young fresh vibrant talent the industry looks for.
Having used my voice for a living as a Broadcaster helped my own singing. The voice seems to be like any other muscle, use it or loose it. Also being willing to accept critic and use it to improve is always important.
I am a voice coach with www.actra.ca Helping people find their voice is challenging but rewarding. I also suggest all those hours of practice and a willingness to learn and never stop learning.
I love hearing from you Derek. I hope you contact us all even more frequently.
We have a new project called Artists for America, a grass roots project of President Obama. All are welcome to join us with their singing and or music, see www.cdbaby.com/artistsforamerica after July 25/2010 and currently, www.cdbaby.com/openeyeuniverseu1
Cheers yall,
JD
I've been practicing piano for 50 years (on and off
). I don't know if I'm good or bad, but somehow my touch has become the voice of my 'inner Self', and when it has something to say, it's the most beautiful 'voice' I've ever heard 
Thanks for 'Being' Derek
hmm, I'm suddenly hearing Ringo: '...but you know it don't come easy......' bravo; hey, he was a drummer, right, but more than got by with a little help.. .>)
Hi
You are SO right.
BD
I practiced piano 5 hours a day from age 12 to 17. From age 17 to 25, I practiced 10 hours a day. It was like training for the Olympics. And it kept me out of a lot of trouble...
Derek,
Was about to close computer with aplumb (and a tomato) minutes ago, and then found your article. Now there's miles to go before I'll sleep. Thanks for the spark. Computer screen up. Allie Dillon
Pursuing what you want is not exactly the whole picture. What you want also hooks you and draws you forward. Working to achieve your goal is kind of a cross between climbing a mountain and following a siren's song.
Great stuff.
In 1988 My music teacher in high school told me I should give up guitar because I had no sense of time... I bought a Metromone and William Leavitt's Melodic Rhythms For Guitar the very next day.
Two years later I was accepted to the College Music program. There was a hand written comment on my acceptance letter, it read: "Great sense of time",...I still have the letter.
-Mario Biferali
The voice is bound so tightly to the psyche that a change in one will effect the other, according to our voice coach who has written a book on that premise. That is one reason that criticism of our singing hurts so deeply.
We have been making recordings for over 20 years and our vocals (and instrumental prowess) have two decades of improvement as well. Yes, there is a cringe factor when we listen to old recordings but it's like a snapshot taken when you were an acne-ridden teen - that was then; this is now. We think of it as a public archive.
Before the advent of recording music was the most ephemeral of arts. It existed only in the moment then was gone.
My father-in-law is a sculptor whose favorite medium is black granite, on of the most enduring mediums for art. If he isn't satisfied with a piece he can destroy it and nobody will know. If we get captured on a cell phone and get shot into cyberspace it's there forever! Our ephemeral art has taken on a sort of permanence that has only become possible in modern times.
I am really impressed. Determination to start and continue changes a person and our society.
15 years is a long time , I have been studying percussion , and piano,and singing for 50 years, I need another life time to learn more, And its very very frustrating, when some young cat from my hood, rhymes some words and makes millions. woo is me ha ha,. Keep on keepin on, Derek.
Very interesting . . . Being a singing teacher, I agree that perseverance will make anyone a decent singer. It's also worthwhile and a great confidence booster. However, most people don't have 15 years. You have a higher instance of success and way more fun striving at something you already have the talent for. Just saying . . .
Derek.
I could sing you a song but you wouldn't want to listen very long.
I'm a writer and I'm too busy making lead sheets to worry about
singing.
Becoming my Yoda you are.
Derek, I'm still in awe of what you did with CD Baby.
Cool Derek, great to hear your songs! Dan
I am determined to be a GREAT lover... at least the PRACTICE is so much FUN!!!
Thanks for such a great life lesson... Guru.
I'm taking lead guitar lessons now from a blues guy.....I've been playing guitar for 30 years......I thought it'd be a piece of cake,,,,I want to play lead bad enough that I will endure this practice....and after reading this,,,I need to practice more, but, there is hope,,,thank you,,,you make me want to carry on, even though it isn't coming easy. Then someone says "you have such a talent". Love it.
After I made the football team in college, an old friend said it was because I was a "natural athlete".
Several years earlier, when I was 10 years old, I was told I ran like a duck.
It's funny how so many people don't get how much hard work it takes to be good at something.
Looking back every so often is a nice way to see what you are able to do today that you weren't able to do yesterday (figuratively speaking). You'll be a great programmer so enjoy the learning along the way.
I took 5 years of classical piano from age 7 to age 12, and then, at age 13, heard a very young Bob Dylan in concert, and decided I would sing and play guitar, because that was about thoughts and feelings rather than just chops. I, too, was discouraged from singing by everyone who listened, and I, too, persisted, taking lots of lessons and doing lots of practicing. Starting at age 35, I played background music in restaurants, then moved to weddings, and it was a decade before I was ready to be a star in my own show. I made my first recording and started touring at age 50. I'm 61 now, have made 4 CDs and toured to promote them in the USA and Japan. I have fans! I'm still not as good a singer as the geniuses of voice I admire (Phoebe Snow, for example), but I am aeons ahead of where I began. I am totally grateful I did not allow my detractors to discourage me, but instead, kept taking lessons, practicing, and doing background gigs. I heartily recommend Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way for anyone wanting to overcome the effects of negative feedback.
Derek, I need to tell you my story about my deceased little brother. At age 19 he started to sing and everyone would leave the room. Sound like a sick dog. He practiced on his own until he was 27yrs old. His wish was to play in a band and sing in front of people even though he could barely play the guitar. I moved to Oregon and didn't see him for years. I got a phone call telling me he died of natural causes. One thing I did find out was that he did sing in a band the night before he died. The song was lost in the fifties. I got a recording of him singing that song that night. WOW! I couldn't believe that was him. But you know persistance does pay off and I think you know that too. I have been singing too and my persistance has paid off too. Thank you for your story. It inspired me to write this too you.
Thanks
It a good memory of my little brother. :o)
You know, I can totally appreciate the result of practice.
10,000 hours baby, whether you want to not ....
Thanks Derick ...
Derek, I love your story of persistence but I would argue that all humans are born with the ability to make music with their voices and bodies and if exposed to a variety of sounds and genres of music they have a great capacity to be wonderful music makers. I make my living teaching a program of music for children from birth to age 5 to help with that natural God given talent. If you had been exposed to a program like the one I teach you would not have had the problem with pitch that you struggled with for so long. The other half of my job is to re-educate the adults who attend class with their children for many of them were told not to sing or something to that effect. I have to teach them to find the voice inside. There is a very small percentage of the world's population that is born a-musical but it is so small it hardly registers. But more shockingly is the fact that over 86% of the world's population is born with the potential to become a symphony orchestra level musician!! Most of us have missed the boat!
Cudos to you for sticking to it and finding the voice God gave you!
peace
Derek,
As always - a wonderful, inspirational article! These little glimpses of your journey are often so timely for me and they provide a much-needed shot of positive energy. Thanks so much for sharing (and persevering).
@Ellen - a sweet, poignant story. i'm so glad your brother got his wish and that you have a recoding of it to treasure!
Everyday. My teacher told me the days you feel the worst are the days you most need to practice. Practice is a refuge.
Everyday. My teacher told me the days you feel the worst are the days you most need to practice. Practice is a refuge. He's 94 and still practices the cello everyday.
Very nice article on the merits of practice and nurture vs nature...I think this can apply to other things as well. For instance I recently took math courses at a local community college and received an "A" after attending almost every class and participating and really trying.
I had previously subscribed to the "liberal arts" people can't do math and resigned myself to that.
I wanted to gain a basic skill set that includes more science, math and logic. I worked at it and am proud that through practice I was able to do well.
Thanks Derek for the inspiring article...
Derek,
I love this story, and I love your outlook on things. It reminds me of something that happened to me recently. I've spent twenty years singing and playing, both in bands and solo, and have released several CDs. I recently asked one of my musical heroes for some advice, and, amongst other things, he suggested that I look for somebody else to sing my songs, as my own voice (he said) was not strong enough. It threw me for a loop, at least momentarily. Later, I mentioned to a fellow musician that I might look for another singer and was met with disbelief. Not only did this restore some of my self-confidence, it opened my eyes to the realization that, even if they are coming from people we greatly respect, opinions are only that: opinions. It is up to each of us to follow our own calling, to work for the things we wish to work for. Remember, it's not "to thy musical idols be true." I'm glad you kept at it. I plan to do the same. Muchas gracias!
I can totally relate to this scenario. I always enjoyed singing, but always got mixed responses from people. Some really dug my singing, some would tell me, "Don't quit your day job", and this was even after fifteen years of singing as a child. Some time later I was doing some freelance production and engineering on a demo with a female singer songwriter at least twelve years my junior with a fantastically operatic voice. After singing a couple of traditional songs together, I bit the bullet,swallowed my pride and asked for some pointers on my singing technique. She smiled and said, "well, do you sing every day?" And that was it for me. Now whenever I get complimented on my voice,(and I haven't heard a negative remark in years, which has its own drawbacks)I just smile and think about all that work I put into it and how most people think it just happens...
P.S. I think you sound great Derek!
Great post Derek. Inspiring. Thank you. Made me think of a quote by the great mountaineer Edmund P. Hillary: "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."
Isn't that the truth!!
I loved your song, "Ready to Live" too.
Much respect re CD Baby and all your accomplishments.
Neil
When you keep seeking out new challenges you choose life. I just started singing lessons at the age of 51, and will practice until I can express what I need to of my music. Much respect as always Derek for pointing to the moon!
Hi Derek,
Thanks for posting this - every so often, we need a reminder that success in music (or anything else) is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration: an old chestnut, perhaps, but your story said it all.
Regards
Geoff
Ha! This reminds me of myself, except I stopped pursuing a singing career when I was 18. Nevertheless great article. It reminds of what Edison said "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration".
As they say here in NI 'Lethal'. M
Hi Derek,
It is funny, but I really don't feel too much distinction between your firsts and latests vocals. All they seem good to me, for pop songs. By the way, why don't you have any recordings after 1999?
I stopped in 1999, when CD Baby took over my life, and my goals changed. -- Derek
You have a great voice. I love "Get Famous Fast".
Some of it is just finding a style that you can call your own. There are some very successful singer/songwriters who made a style out of being 'not quite on' or 'not quite in style'. Lou Reed...for example. And how about Paul Williams? I only listened to a couple of yours...and nothing sounded 'exceptionally' bad.
Love you simple, sweet and a really inspirational story
I think your voice is very good.
Hello Derek
Just as good as any other singer out their.
You have your own style for sure.
The first song your voice was a little low though.
Just a matter of finding a song that hits home.
I know how that goes.
Thank you for sharing
Much Love and light
Richard Spasoff
Listened to 'Ready to Live' and 'Get famous fast' - Loved the second one - it put a smile on my face from start to finish! Great blog, as usual, Derek!
I'm going through the same 'practice' thing with mastering my own tracks at home! Sought outside help and each 'helper' massacred instead of mastered. Now, I'm doing what I should have done at first...referring to online tutorials and books to learn how to master...and do it myself. Even with years of studio experience, I never had to master all alone...whoa!
Could not help myself from commenting. Excellent post, you just made my day and I guess I'm much more determined to do stuff I always scared of!
Funny how you spoke of singing, yet you did not mention "Stage Fright". I want to know how you overcame stage fright when you knew you were not that good. I still get it after spending most of my life on stage. (Digging Deeper)
-Michael
Derek, you've are one magnificent human to admit what so many of us hide. I'm a classically trained soprano (doing 'regular' songs now and my own show etc.) but discouraged because there is always another teacher exposing yet another inadequacy - starting the posture all over or a new way to hold the tongue or the head and sometimes you/I just want to give up. And yet I love to sing more than anything else in the world, and to sing more beautifully/'better' is a constant desire. So thanks for sharing.
Very likely the best article you've written so far , because it touches so many areas of life . True , as someone mentioned to me ; the things that come to us as second nature may be a bleed over of some kind from another life . Other skills have to be experienced intensely in this one life .Several lifetimes in one . Now , I like that idea .
I believe in Buddhism it's called "satori", learn by doing, plain and simple. Do it regularly and wake up one day years down the line with the realization that you're not somebody who wants to do it, you're one of the people that does it.
Derek,
Your message is similar to what Henry Ford and Mary Kay Ash said: "If you think you can, you can - if you think you can't, you're right!"
Again, thanks for your inspirational writings.
Simply impressive, practice makes a person perfect
Derek thankyou for your openess of heart, no matter what we want to do in our lives we have to work hard. As a singer I think you have a great voice.I listened to two songs one new and other older. Both great
Hi Derek - I have a story with similarities to yours, but I was 20 years older. Won't go into detail here, just wanted to let you know I recognize myself in your story. Great write as usual!
wow! totally cool! thanks for taking us on your journey! i also went to berklee college of music and at 17 started writing songs ... and recently transferred all my cassette recordings into mp3s! very funny to have my songs from 1981 in my itunes! ok, i think i have the guts now to post my stuff up .... thanks!
I am at my seventh year of vocal study while hearing some people saying, "ico your songs are nice, but the voice... mmmm..", so your article is very useful to me to find resources to keep practicing.. Thank you Derek. ico
Good story Derek. Preserverance and determination. Direction, initiative and follow thru, the key to success.
Faith leads to Practice,Practice leads to Perfection!
Assume your wish through the sense of feeling. That assumption, subjectively appropriated and believed to be true, is faith. Can you believe in its reality? Knowing all things are possible to him who believes, can you persuade yourself that, although your reason and senses deny it, your assumption will make it so? Blake, in his wonderful "Marriage of Heaven and Hell," said: "I dined with Isaiah and Ezekiel and asked: Does a strong persuasion that a thing is so, make it so? and Isaiah replied: All prophets believe it does, and in ages of imagination a firm persuasion moved mountains, but many today are not capable of a firm persuasion of anything." Everything here was once only a desire, believed. This building, the clothes you wear or the car you drive were first a desire, then believed into being.
I feel compelled to comment on this article because it touches a subject I feel so very strongly about.
I have the exact same thoughts about "talent" that you now describe and can show an example of.
Talent is just hard work fueled by fun or in some cases sex (rockstars starting with music to get laid..)
Derek's example echoes the thesis of the "10,000 hour principle" in Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers. The author demonstrates through a number of similar examples that "natural-born" talent is made, not born - and that expertise is reached at somewhere above the 10,000 hour mark....
Dear Derek,
Very inspiring.Its like the old saying : Try, try till you succeed.
"Why don't you give up?" is the most well meaning advice of friends.
I think it builds character to hear them say what they say and continue to do what you have to do.
That is a great, inspiring story for musicians or anyone else trying to acheive excellence, so I do not mean to disagree with it or undermine it by saying that while it can be applicable to many people, it is not applicable to all people.
When it comes to singing, people such as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young got their point and the appropriate emotion across just fine without a great singing voice. Even more can be said for some of the great punk or hip hop singers, many of whom never had a day of formal training.
My point is that while technique is a useful tool to aid the artist in conveying an emotion or idea in their art, it is by no means necessary. Practice is important. But finding your own "voice" may be just as or more important.
Derek, thanks for the opportunity to think and share on these topics.
It's shows that determination and hard work is always the answer.
Doesn't matter what road you choose, 15 years is about the norm to achieve success. Unless luck slaps you up side the head. I keep expecting enlightenment from you Derek...nothing but crap I already know.
to me one English Master singer said once that I am tone deaf and I should not learn singing. Another one in Germany for a music college said my voice is ugly, this was when I had just started. And then here again in England one said I simply haven't learn to sit on the piano often enough, but I am ok, but had said before after looking at my amount of cd's on ebay and was surprised, that I had to learn proper English.
I think singing teachers are rubbish and I am going to offer teaching as well.
Hi Derek. Extremely interesting, your singing experience! To tide me over, I've been teaching singing for years. I've had a quite nice career doing it, though I knew nothing when I began. I learned along the way you can sing most any ol' way for a while, but if you're a pro, you have to know how to rescue yourself from the stress of it all. In mid-singing career in Vienna, I began to have probs with the ol' high notes. I tended to be dismissive of most voice teachers then, finding the profession full of some pretty unintelligent, unmusical, ego-centric, and psychopathic people. Fortunately, friends aimed me to a woman in Vienna whose father had studied with the famous Lili Lehman (student of Manuel Garcia, ur-grandfather of voice teaching) in Berlin way back when. He lost his voice, went to Italy to learn Bel Canto, lost his voice, and finally decided he'd have to rescue himself. When I walked into that voice studio the first time, there was a picture of Monteverdi on the wall, not Callas, or Domingo, or Streisand, but a composer! That woman rescued me just by helping me get rid of "attempt" conditions, and get back to the idea that singing is a natural activity; we're built to do it at birth. Anyway, I think everyone can sing and in time can sing well. For pitch and intonation problems: my experience is that people who play instruments, (like guitar or clarinet where you just put down a finger and don't have to imagine a pitch as singers do before producing it) have probs. It's a question of experience, training the perception and nerve processes to function and gradually function faster and faster. It's possible to solve the probs with patience and time. You know. As for taking on challenges: on retiring from teaching at a German Hochschule, I decided it would be good for me to do something quite different. So I took on a singing class for children (ages 8 to 11) in a suburb school as a special project for a few months. OH MY GOD! The kids were great! And they paid attention to exercises! The school has some 20 different nationalities enrolled, so we did songs in lots of different languages. But I was definitely having to invent the wheel. Teaching children is a very special task! I learned a lot! Not believing in "systems" or "methods" has made life much easier. I get on to solving individual probs much quicker. What has voice teaching taught me? I've learned that everyone is different in remarkable ways. It's part of the richness of life. Keep on having fun! jpt
Inspiring post, derek keep em coming love reading ur posts.
Wow! I wanted to leave a comment and it has taken me 10,000 hours to scroll to the end of them!
Great post - very inspirational. I want to inspire my homeschoolers like this and now I know to just keep on trying.
I feel compelled to reply to Katie's comment: "However, most people don't have 15 years."
Well, I guess if you're 95 years old, you could argue that...
Personally, I used the age/time card briefly as an excuse to not do the work required to get "good enough" to accompany myself on gigs.
Then, however, I came upon one of the most oddly inspirational quotes (from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way) I ever read:
"QUESTION: Do you know how old I'll be by the time I learn to play the piano? ANSWER: The same age you will be if you don't."
This led me to (try to) start accompanying myself on piano at the "late blooming age of 36" and although I had many blunders early on, I have been singing & playing piano now (ever since) as my only means of employment--for over 13 years...
Imagine all the crummy day jobs I've avoided in the meantime??
;-)
Sometimes it doesn't take 15 years. Once the "block" was gone, I was playing gigs about 9 months later, & most of my "practice" has been of the paid on the job variety.
PS I, too, highly recommend
"The Artist's Way."
Hi Derek,
You know what.....so long as You have gone out and kept at it and you have all those songs and recordings to show for......you are better that most people who have kept their talents still at the "thought" stage.....
so long as you are happy and satisfied with what you have done...
one up for your perseverence.....
D,
Thanks for keeping it real! What a cliche but very appropriate. About 15-yrs ago I ended my tour of duty with Uncle Sam and entered the civilian ranks. I worked various jobs and joined the Army Reserves while also earning both my BS and MBA degrees. Along the way, I met a friend from NYC who was a reggae singer and rapper. We formed a group (Dungeon 24)and developed our own style of singing and rapping, but was considered too different to get a record deal and besides we didn't look the part. Keep in mind, I started this dream while in my early 30's, when most artists were hanging their mics up. From the very beginning, I was dissed, ridiculed, and laughed at because my skills, creativity, and style was subpar or just plain weak. But I never let that stop me and I was determined to master my skills and gain respect from both artists and listeners. Fast forward to the present.. I am a Corp Manager for a Fortune 500 Company and are still in the game. I just finished my most recent CD "SuperCaliSwagalistic" and feel that my music is at the level of stuff that's being played on the radio. Of course I'm biased but I've had the pleasure of performing on stage with hip-hop icon Affrica Bombada at the 06' Dreadstock Festival along with many other Reggae Legends..you may never see me on tv or hear music on the radio but I represent the many talented unsigned underground artists, who do it for the LOVE of creating Good music, while keepign the dream alive. I have poured many years of my life into my music.. My influencs are--Bob Marley, Tupac, and dozens of unknown super talented artists from both the Dirty South and Cali Bay Area.
Derek,
Thanks for taking the time to write this. Very inspiring.
What I am inspired by is the fact that you finally got to a place where you like your voice.
That is often be very difficult. Even if you do have people telling you you have a good voice.
It's been a recent goal of mine to appreciate more what my voice can do as opposed to being so wrapped up in what it can't do.
I'm really glad you never listened to all the naysayers (not sure if that's how you spell that word).... All the people who tried to discourage you.
Thanks again.
I'm of to practice
As a singer vocal coach..this is interesting. But obviously it is about something much deeper. We all have to work to find and live the drea. It is our dream..if its a different shape or colour, that makes no odds. It belongs to us, and our right to share it.
I am 65 this year and still working on new dreams.
Great story. It just shows perserverance and determination and growth. The voice is like a plant, or a tree. I struggled many years before I was ready too. I still struggle with pitches, but I am learning to get them right. and I know now when they arent. You really feel lost when you dont know your off! lol If you listen to others negativity it can stunt your growth. If you continue to strive to be better, no matter what is said, you eventually will get better! love it! It just goes to show were all just a bunch of humanbeings striving to be the best at what we love to do!
Great. I needed some inspiration to learn web development after seeing the wonderful websites people create. I think I got it now.
This is very inspiring, thank you for the article.
You mentioned you are trying to be a great computer programmer now. May I ask, what are you working on? What are your plans?
Various things. See thoughts.pro. -- Derek
yeah, sounds familiar....i'm just getting to like some of my vocals... 25yrs in...
do what drives you- living your passion is your
contribution to evolution-
Hi Derek,
Good to hear from you.Singing is hard work and practise is even harder.Be happy with the best one can do in all things,and don't compare ones self to another.It's the end result that matters.
Hi Derek,
I have been trying to sing since 1948, trumpet & piano since 1960, organ since 1970, multi-instrumentalise since 1980. Just carry on and do my best now,
Derek, I wish other singers had a much dedication as you!
I've heard some pretty bad ones, that claim to be singers and don't seem to be engaged in improving anything they do!
Right on Derek!
Nice article Derek. Thanks for the inspiration, it's not an easy thing to admit. Regardless of whether we think we're 'good or bad' musicians, music is a marathon, not a sprint.
Determination it is!
All the Best
I used to be a real bad singer, now I guess I'm not so bad after coming across a book :
HOW TO SING by Lilli Lehmann a german soprano (1848-1929)
It's worth reading! The main line is practice, practice, practice, along with this quote:
Think with your stomach, breathe with your brain and sing with your eyes!
Thanks again Derek for sharing.
This post has touched a nerve on so many levels - thanks for emailing me about it Derek...
I always loved singing on a very deep level from when I was small, but at school I was teased for my speaking voice and became quieter and quieter until people hardly knew I was there. It took for one person to say 'I love the way you speak - how about singing for me?' and years of overcoming the mental blocks to get to the level I am at - I know Im still a long way from where I want to be vocally, but I have come to love my voice and all its little idiosyncrasies so that now even when Im off pitch I let it go. I don't let it stop me progressing but gone are the days when I just die inside because people heard a duff note.
However this article has highlighted the importance of practice to me - but what Id like to know is where people find the time? I do a full time day job, write all my own music and perform...after 8 years of this and no life I was diagnosed with mouth cancer. You can imagine it was pretty traumatic for a singer! Now I am finding a balance where I am relaxing and having fun outside of work and music but it doesn't stop me feeling guilty about not doing enough practice! If anyone has a formula for pausing time so I can fit it all in Id love to know!!!
Most excellent. A perfect example of the formation of thought. A privileged insight into self awareness manifested through thought.
Nice, Bob Dylan, Ian Anderson, etc...lead singers who were told they suck....there are lots of examples. Another point from your article, believe in yourself.
Great!
I needed that right now.
I was living off of street music for more than half a year and I was always the lead singer in my bands as well. But at some point I sang less and less because of some negative thinking that I developed from some stupid comments. Nice reflection of your process as a singer and a good motivation, Derek!
Hi Derek!!
I always thought there is a blend between attributes and education.
You know, what made Mozart that great?, being born, or having a good music education since he was a baby?.
I saw Rafael Nadal(a spanish tennis player) playing when he was 12 years old, then he was only one more of the dozens of children that "show promise". People looking will say: "look how bad he beat the ball, too much high and slow". He didn't change his style.
Of course they are things that you are given when you are born, like personality, that makes you to enjoy some things and not others. It's difficult to practice something you hate to do.
15 years of practice. My gosh.
At my 5th year of writing, it's no hurry to define myself as accomplished. Still lots to learn from where I am now.
Thanks for your encouraging post!
You may enjoy this book Derek.
http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/
How those that succeed -in business-, needed time to arrive there.
(Hare and the turtle... there is another version of the story where they are in a pond, the rabbit with wet soggen ears flopping down over his face struggling to do the dog paddle and where the turtle is sunning himself on a log in the sun, -same story, different environment - same lesson, different actors roles.)
now to get to listen to this singer!
My grandfather had me singing on his knee at around 3 years old and says I could copy and sing harmony lines along with him naturaly. I have been told I was a great singer all my childhood but only started singing for pay in my late 20s. I remember the epiphany that" I was ment to sing". I wonder where I would be had my parents promoted and nourished my gift insted of just saying "it was Sooo Cute!" and heading off to bingo night. Even thow I was born with a gift it was up to ME to do somthing with it.
Way to go Derek.
99% perspiration and 1% inspiration...
such comforting words fella...i have had to work at mine ridiculously and am envious of the "naturally strong in tune voices" i hear at my gospel choir! of course i did find out that my voice fits the arabic scales with 24 semitones and have embraced the unequal temperament of my vocal expressions. They come from the heart/soul and may not fit into limited western tone-age. tho i do practice scales most days and breathing exercises have been invaluable for tuning me up...keep on being a student o' life!
Thank you for this wonderful article/inspiration! You Rock! And the turtle made me laugh as I've named one of my tracks Turtle Heart
......Ermina
really inspirational. I believe when you have chosen a path and you are consistently following it then reaching your destination is never impossible.
derek, great article! it took me about 20 years to find i had natural singing talent.
patience and breathing correctly...
with knowledge comes power
Derek, what a wonderful story. I'm just reading Mindset by Carol Dweck - it's wonderful to see your "growth mindset" in action!
I think it was Vladimir Horowitz who said, "if I don't practise for a day, I know it. Two days, my wife knows it. Three days, the world knows it." Keep practising!
Yeah, great
15 years, about 2 hours every night.
and now you can sing !!!
man if you had put that effort and determination into something productive, you could have changed the world.
But now, we have 1 more singer ...
I know, I am a jerk, but hell, you just proved how fucked up a man's dream can be.
You are so right. I been singing seriously almost 40 years. I see proof that if you sing everyday, warm the voice up before singing, cool the voice after.Do scales and just sing your tones improve, you find your own style. I have loved singin so much that it seems to keep me out of trouble in terms of abusing my voice with to many years of alcohol.Your voice will tern into a fine wine or just a vinegar. I enjoyed your article brother. Gary Jeffries
Some things we seem to pick up "naturally" and other things seem to take ages. I think it's a kind of inherited memory, or we may be learning it for the first time in the blood line's history. I like pioneers and rebels.
Thanks for this, Derek. One thing also, despite people telling you not to quit your day job, your inner convictions kept you plugging. I think maybe *that's* what people are indirectly talking about when they say "you're either born with it, or without it."
Either you've got the passion, heart and drive to work hard for your music, or you don't and you won't.
Take it from a 43 year old guy still "finding his voice" - it pays to never give up and listen to the naysayers!
Aloha,
Bing
Great human story....thanks for not giving up, and thanks to all those that gave you an audience for those 1000 shows.
I take Suzuki violin with my 5 & 8 year old, the 47 year old man needs twice the reps but I do get it. The theory is if you can master your native tongue that is proof enough that you can learn to play the violin. All we have to do is show ourselves the love and patience to not give up. We are born with this mindset, it up to us not to lose it!
Listened to your songs. They are good brother. You are a writing machine. I could hear your tone got even better as the years of recording went on. Very cool Derek.. Gary Jeffries
You're either Bill Joyce or you're not LOL,
Persistence is the key to any pursuit.
You have shown a great deal of patience and persistence.
I listen closely to your insights, You are a mentor, I appreciate your thoughts and the journey.
So there is HOPE ~ keep pursuing dreams and passions; work hard; and work smart; but mostly enjoy the journey!
Thanks, Derek! I'm going to forward this to my fiance/drummer. He thinks he'll never be able to sing because vocal talent is ONLY something you're born with. Now I can prove to him that's not true!
Very encouraging. Belief that you will master the task is half the battle as that pushes one not to give up. I am no longer soooooooo
technically challenged but soooo technically challenged. At some point, I intend to not be technically challenged at all.
Funny story. I was determined to write and sing my music. My immediate family laughed in my face and told me I sucked, but strangers praised my work and felt enlightened by me. Follow your heart despite the rejection. Your heart KNOWS truth.
Love the photo. Just learned a few new things myself. I love the excitement that comes after the completely at sea feeling gives way to being able to struggle stubbornly, which gives way to getting right, which will hopefully give way to not remembering when I didn't "know" it.
Hey. Are you the kid that met Einstein? Now I have to look back to see whose name was attached to the story!
Derek, its gotten to the point where I look forward to receiving your posts. Your singing may have taken 15 years to perfect but your ability to put everyday experiences into words seem to come natural.
It was Jerome Weidman. Never mind! I like both stories read together.
No one ever told me I sang out of tune. I'd been working a couple of years making pretty good money in folksinger venue type bars. When I was about 18 I started voice lessons and I had done a concert in a local church. Someone had taped the concert and given me a copy of it. My voice teacher asked to borrow it. I hadn't even listened to it myself. During my first lesson he played it for me. That was actually the first time I had listened to a recording of myself. I was shocked. To this day I don't understand why I was sought after as a singer when I was so bad. The solution was easy. I just had to listen to myself when I sang. I suppose singing badly for 18 years(5 professionally) had gotten me to develop the muscles but, for the life of me I wished somebody told me I was out of tune.
Thanks so much for this, Derek. I'm hoping this means that having confidence is something I can finally achieve--to my standards--by practice. God knows I keep trying.
Half the battle with singing is overcoming attitudes coming from others and feeling free to express emotions... most of it is training and practice. Great ways to learn how to sing: study Italian song, Indian music (Pran Nath would have his students sing low tones in the morning to warm the voice), solfege, pitch training, breathing exercises, pranayama.. don't hesitate to study with a teacher or two.. most people with time can learn to sing well; a poor singer can turn into a good singer with pitch training. In-ear monitors live really can eliminate the pitch problems... it's not rocket science.
If you truly believe it you can achieve it!
Affirmation plus action equals result!
True...not every one is god gifted in all fields and hence we need to try and try and try ..until we get success...
Your story inspire me always...Thanks much for sharing this story with world!!
Yours is an amazing story of persistance. I almost feel guilty, singing, piano playing, drawing, playwrighting, have all come so easy for me. Yet, I have put thousands of hours of practice in anyway to bring them up to a higher level. I don't think I have the kind of persistance that you have. I teach singing and piano and have learned never to judge a student in the first lesson. I have experienced children who didn't seem to have talent become outstanding. There are things I want that I'm not good at, but I'm so busy I'm not sure I can put the time in. Making more money at my talents would help right now. But I have contacted an agent that has a track record because I am so busy teaching and perfecting my music. Keep singing if you wish. It's a muscle that needs to be used. Take care and thanks for shaking things up!
Derek, is your middle name "Uplifting"?
It was great to hear your raw progression as a singer/composer. I did not know you were so funky. Sweet remix of "Perfect Place To Hide".
passion, creativity and drive cannot be dismissed - only occasionally misplaced. We can find them again and pick up. And often, these things will flout conventional wisdom. However, we need to be less conventional and more imaginative to see ourselves in a new light - and move toward it. Thanks for your words, as always, they remind that I need to get back to my biggest project in life - me 2.0, which is a sub-project in world 2.0...
Yes! The Indian vocal techniques are great for improving your pitch, I had a two month stint of it in Mumbai and it is really cool and helpful. I admire your persistence. By the way, life itself is worth practicing, over and over again, until you start getting it...
Music is such a wonderful way of sharing the human spirit. You've found a way to do it through your inspirational stories and your business instincts too. Bravo!
Congratulations. Likes almost always some people simply doesn t know the strength we have inside whe we really want to do something
My band director Greg McKelvey used to say "It's not either you have it or you don't. It's: You either have it or you WON'T."
Thanks for sharing that Derek. I am looking forward to checking out your music.
Best regards, Marc
Some people are just very good at projecting their own limitations upon others.When you encounter that kind of negativity in your own life, you'd better know you're in the wrong room, summon up your courage and step outside.
Everyone has a voice within, and of course its a good one, when it resonates the soul of the self, it's clear and comes across, but it may take some time to find it, and pull it up through all the obstructions.
i saw a film recently "City Island"
where Andy Garcia plays a prison guard who wants to be an actor.
He finally gets an audition, and he does a "brando' imitation, thinking that's what they want to hear.
He soon learns that acting is delving deep into one's own self,
not just trying to imitate someone else.
Peaceout/Luvup
15 years seem a magic number. Ken Davis had told me his story, started play music by heart at 17 continuily be rejected by recording companies, until one day after 15 years, he sold 70 tapes in an afternoon outside performance. since then, money from sale his own music flood in...for a decade.
I practiced when i was teen, setting the goal of 8 hours per day. i don't practice now. and even my opinion against 'repeate' too much ..
behind your practices and many successed stories, it's the passion. but something about mysteries of brain, about our gifts etc. takes a life long journey to discover, rediscover...
Hi ,
I calculated the hours you practiced and it was 10950 hours.
I read once in the book Outliers that there is a rule of the tenthousand hours. If you practice something for that amout on time you will master it. no matter how poor skilled you are when you started .
I think. your article is convencing me not to give up practicing.
Thank you.
An underlying point for me is how the world rails against dreamers. I'm not sure if it's due to fear or their own lack of willingness to put in the work to be great, but regardless, expecting support in your pursuits will only lead to disappointment. I suppose this pressure cooker of sorts boils the true motivation to the top.
thanks for posting this.
Thanks for the reminder...I am one of those people who has been guilty of measuring my abilities against the abilities of others in the field. This, of course, is not fair because you have no idea of the time they spent to get to the place you admire.
For those who lack confidence or who lack support or the ability to make the life changing decision I would recommend Susan Jeffers "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway".
How do you find the time to review all this input?
Once upon a time (back in High School days) a mean girl told me
I walked like a duck. At the time it sucked as I became very self conscious...or rather conscious of how I walked. The day my college theater teacher had us line up to cross the room so that our classmates could critique our natural walking style I nearly ran out of the room. When it was my turn, I squared my shoulders and set out with a solid stride. My classmates responded that I walked with confidence and poise. Gone was the duck here stood a swan. Walking seems like such a no-brainer. But one rude comment by a teenage girl caused me to practice, and that practice paid off. Learning to walk in a new way required a concentration on how each limb corresponded to the others. It was this initial practice that allowed me to become a dancer.
Nice Derek!
Garret
When I was 13, I was turned on to the "low notes" and picked up bass. I sat in my room and poked at it, plucked it, pulled it -- all the while, I was told how hard it would be to make much out of my instrumental choice. After all, guitarists and singers were where all the attention was, so why pick bass? I don't know. It was just cool for me. It spoke. I spent an abundance of time alone in my room working at something I loved, dreaming about playing with my heroes on my records. Guess what? If your passion is strong, your dedication stronger, and your discipline stronger still, the line between fantasy and reality gets thinner and then fully fades. I got my dream come true -- several times -- and played gigs (real paying gigs) with many, many of those heroes.
Just Do It -- And Don't Stop!
Thanks, as always, for the inspiration, Derek.
Yes Yes Yes!! I tell people this all the time. Practice and tour! I'm at 15 years and 5 CDs now and I'm just now getting to love my voice. Cigs and booze is a vocal cliche...practice!
I think with piles of practice you can get better, but some people just have "it". Maybe that's why they call it a gift. Not everyone gets the same gift.
Great when you want to master a specific skill, profession etc. I like new ideas, starting new things very frequently, don't have the funds (yet) to act as a angel investor. How to master the desire to do something else and a lot of things at the same time?
Your voice on "flexible" sounds a bit like young Freddie Mercury. Take it as a _big_ compliment.
Thanks, Derek. Another great lesson and excellent post!
"To busy oneself with what is futile when one can do something useful, to attend to what is simple when one has the mettle to attempt what is difficult, is to strip talent of its dignity." quote by Jose Marti
Thanks for continuiing to inspire Derek. Your story reminded me of Jose's words
Well I think you're very good programmer Derek, who would consider a great programmer ?
Yes! And great photo choice.
When I was 21 I decided I wanted to become a songwriter. I had always really wanted to be a performing singer/songwriter but thought I was "too old" to start given my limited skill and complete fear of performing. No - terror - is the better word.
Insert great mentors, practice, and persistence, and 15 years later I'm an award-winning songwriter who performs over 100 shows a year. Along the way I also became an open mic/jam host, and a backing vocalist and drummer.
And guess what's the best part and still is? All of it! All of the work, and the tears, and the JOY. The journey!
Derek - Thanks for reminding us we can do anything.
xo
I used to tell myself all the time I was not a singer but I am afterall. I have a natural tone Derek but I know I can improve and will continue to grow as a vocalist with time. I worked 16 years at improving my songwriting and I believe it has worked to get me where I am. Truth is each and everyone of us can improve in whatever inspires us. What separates the good from the great is persistence, patience, practice and perseverance.
You sing great!
Kim Yarson
Now that's what I call persistence. A letter I hope that reaches all rookie and veteran entertainers alike. But what about those voice correction machines that the major artist use today live, and in studio? Thats another story I quess. Thanks Derek.
I may have tl;dr'd over somebody who already mentioned this in between all the people talking about singing, but...
You know how the computer programmers who are good enough to look natural got that way, right?
(It's a lot of work, but you don't have to get too far into it before it stops feeling like work.)
Great story Derek. I myself am not naturally gifted at many of the things i do today. For instance, playing guitar. I'm finally able to say i'm a decent guitar player, and I am finally being asked to do some session work, by a producer.Singing didn't always come easy for me either. I had such a powerful voice, i needed to harness it. I know the tortoise always beats the heir, in the end.
Peace D-man
Sean McCready
Hi Derek I like this story. All of your stories are of experiences which leads into a life's lesson learned. You really must be motivated and determine to continue on your journey to success. You must also presevere to continue to reach whatever goals you set out for yourself, especially in this business we call music.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with me.
I loved this post. I am a jazz guitarist, and when I started out, I didn't have a good time feel, and for the past 15 years I have worked like a dog on my rhythmic feel. recently on a swing gig, the bandleader told me I sounded like I was born to play this music. if he only knew
.
incidentally, I am also a programmer.
Yup.
Practice is like paying layaway on something you never really own.
There is all ways something more to learn.
I learned this from ants.
Great article - listened to your tune ,"Ready To Live" - your pitch was perfect!
I am considered a natural when it comes to singing because I started performing so young but even then I practiced hours every day before I sang note one in public - so from about the age of ten to my first performance at the age of twelve I had put in thousands of hours of practice...I didn't have a teacher except two albums of music that I listened to religiously and practiced with - The Sound of Music and Judy Garland - Live at Carnegie Hall - I practiced in secret at home when my parents and siblings were not at home - I didn't have anyone telling me I couldn't sing and when I performed for the first time in front of 1500 people at our school auditorium(got a standing ovation) my family was totally shocked..hehehehe...what a rush - however now I am learning how to walk again after a hip replacement and my legs now the same length after many years of limping around with my legs two different lengths.
anything worth doing takes countless hours of effort and practice...there is simply no way around it...only through it...
God Bless you, Derek
Melinda
Have to disagree with you on this one. How much more productive could that time have been if you would have continued to pursue other activities in which you had natural ability. The same as you can't win the Kentucky derby with a mule, no matter how much you train them, it seams too many people are trying to be something they are not. (and come on, honestly, your experience is a bit different because you are a very different person than others)
I play bass, but rarely practice because I do not want to be the best bass player in town. I do, however, spend a lot of time tracking and mixing because I want to be a well respected and accomplished producer/engineer in town. There will always be 'one of those guys' that can play or sing circles around you without trying. Instead of hating them or trying to be like them,,, use them! Because you have skills that they need to. A very yin/yang thing.
I am very happy you have come to a place that you are happy with your vocals, and I am all for bettering oneself through education or experience, but 15 years spent on something else like your song writing might have yielded more productive results.
Very interesting point, Adam! With any of us doing anything, someone can always say “But you would be more productive if you...” But being more productive, or even the end-result, isn't always the point. The real answer can be, “This is what I want to do.” Personal happiness is the real point. -- Derek
Oh I Love that for The plans of the diligent lead to profit proverbs 21v5. If you want it, go for it. Thanks for sharing Derek.
Hi Derek!!
Hope all is going well !! You have great work ethic and a kind heart which are both very valuable and rewarding.!! I wish you the best in the new chapter of your life!!
We are just finishing our latest cd Derek and so we continue on in the music! Putting a melody to life!!!
Good to hear from you!
Rachel
I found you through Seth Godin and I am grateful for both of you every time I read your blogs. It's been a challenging couple of years and your insights have helped me get up, brush off and re-engage. Fall down seven times, get up eight (regretfully, I have forgotten the author's name).
What you WERE born with is a work ethic Derek!
Damn, Derek... you are tenacious! Thanks for the inspiration--again.
Hi Derek,
Thank you for sharing your story about becoming a good singer.
Sometimes we wish to harvest fruits of efforts as early as possible, but it usually takes so long time to got ripened.
I could know that it is no matter what I am in naturally.
The most important things are what I determined to become and how I continue to do and keep it.
It's not tough thing.
Just do it!
Eventually, we can achieve them.
Thank you,
Yoshio
In No 284, Adams said,
"How much more productive could that time have been if you would have continued to pursue other activities in which you had natural ability."
Adams shouldn't have said that because the drive that kept Derek going was from the heart. The longing to become has to be a desire from the heart, it was inborn but unrealized yet. That's where he failed to catch the point.
Whatever you desire is possible to have. But you have to see it first before you set out for it. Derek saw himself as a good singer and desired the image he saw. So he kept practicing.
Did Adam notice how Derek said he kept practicing? Going from mentor to mentor? Refusing the negative ideas of those who saw the external image rather than the man in the mirror? The man Derek wanted to be?
I have a question for Adam for I heard him say,
"....I play bass, but rarely practice because I do not want to be the best bass player in town...."
Why did you rarely practice? The answer is obvious of course. Because you did not want to become the best bass player in town. In other words, you didn't desire it.
But had you desired being the best in town, that alone, according to your write, was reason enough to spend more time practicing. That was just what Derek did, logically speaking. He never wanted to be that best in town (which isn't a bad thing) but he wanted to perfect what he saw as all but perfect.
There was a desire for the time spent, there was a reason to it. And time means nothing to someone who's working toward a desired goal.
I also see you spending a lot of time doing something for you said,
" ...I do, however, spend a lot of time tracking and mixing because I want to be a well respected and accomplished producer/engineer in town...."
Why spending that so much time? What motivated to you to keep on spending time you could've put to doing something useful you are good at? say the bass playing...? Of course the answer id abvious.
Because you wanted, you desired to become an accomplished and well respected producer/engineer.
I thank God for you and hoped you've achieved your goals. However, there was a desire that let to the time consecration. That desire carries one on in the face of trials and adversities. That desire is from the heart and not the head. It embraces patience, accepts learning, encourages question asking, self-practicing and rejects the anti.
The time Adam consecrated could have been, 20 years, 2 years or even 1 week. It must be said that time for a goal should not be guided by the principles of someone who is not a player.
The time enough for a goal is the time taken to meet the goal. And this time vary from one person to another, considering several factors. 15 years wasn't too much to become what he became, it was just enough time to reach there. And he reached there because he had a desire from the heart.
I love what The bible says to this, it says the plans of the diligent lead to profit (Proverbs 21v5). It couldn't be profitable if it weren't realized.
God bless you Adams and Hey Derek, keep doing your thing. You could be the best ITP ever.
Charles
Derek, with every breath you take passion comes through you and it is clear that no matter the obstacle, you are there to be the turtle that wins the race. The turtle ALWAYS wins the race.
I love a lot of the stories you share. They are inspiring. Rock on.
Where is the actual location of that turtle and hair? Is that central park in NY?
I love how most people think that one day some just woke up with a mic in one hand and a record contract in another. Anything takes hard work.
Copley Square, Boston. -- Derek
Excellent. And quotes attributed to Thomas Edison...
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Accordingly, a 'genius' is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework."
Great blogpost Derek! I'm always inspired by your sense of dedication and to your approach to life.
My best to you.
Clarke
"If you've gotta shout... shout with joy!"
Hi Derek-
Having taught singing for many years and having performed as a singer\musician for well over thirty years, my opinion is that if most people are willing to work at it most people can learn to sing very well! I would NEVER let ANYBODY tell you "You Cant Sing!...EVER!!!" The first step is thinking "I am Derek Sivers SINGER!" That's the first step in laying the foundation to be a good to excellent singer...from what I heard of your singing...it didn't sound bad at all to me, and quite good from the songs I listened to...as you found out, it takes a lot of work for most people (then there are the naturals in that area as well that have amazing voices)....I wasn't one of them unfortunately...
With me, NOTHING came natural, I had to work hard at EVERYTHING I did and accomplished...
If you'd like to discuss this further please feel free to email me and I'll be happy to discuss some things regarding this subject...
Keep up the excellent singing Derek!
Very Best Regards,
George
How wonderfully inspiring. Thank you.
"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." -Jacob August Riis
If you'd ever like to provide a guest post at http://www.personalimprovementguestpost.com - you're welcome.
Cheers, Thea
Fantastic! I am a singer in a band and when I started off about 9 years ago, I had similar issues to deal with.
"Let's get a proper singer"
"This song is just too tough for you.."
But I cut through all of that over the years...I always knew I was a singer and the rest was immaterial.
Thanks for this inspiring post man.
Nice one Derek, and sounds familiar!
I used to play bass and sing in a 3-piece rock band. When I told my old band mates (we're all still friends) I was going to record a solo EP and play everything myself, the drummer shook his head at me and said 'Thalia, you're a bass player'.
Undaunted, I went off and wrote, played and/or sampled, recorded and co-produced my EP.
Having been told I'm not a very good singer many times, and not thinking I am particularly, (doesn't bother me, I just love doing it), while doing the mixdown a woman came into the studio, listened to track one and went 'Wow, what a great voice! Sends shivers down my spine' (I'll never forget that!).
Later I asked my drummer friend to help me finish the cover artwork, as he's also a designer. Even with the finished recordings in his hand, he still said to me, 'you're a bass player'....
The juncture where limitation intersects with aspiration is the place where style happens, if its going to happen.
When Bob Dylan started singing around New York in the early 60's there were, no doubt, a lot of people who were hoping for another Perry Como who thought, 'well, this kid is no singer.'A lot of people get hung on the same kind of self-criticism and so they miss it in themselves.
Everybody has to interface with intonation, dynamics, etc. but at a certain point you have to say
'This is me and i'm going to pull all the art I can out of this instrument,'Otherwise the world never gets the Louis Armstrongs or the John Lennons or the Derek Sivers that can be.
Go deep as you possibly can, cause that's the only way to find out how deep you can go.
I started playing guitar again when I was 50, after a layoff of some 34 years. I've gotten pretty good. Two years ago, I started singing and playing, which I thought I wouldn't be able to do. Through practice -- singing every day -- my voice is much better than it was in my youth. And, I'm from a family that readily admits having no musical talent.
Branford Marsalis on Practice: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/branford-marsalis-practice-makes-perfect
Derek - resonates deeply with me. I have actually given singing on anything but the first draft demos but I think I am going to start again and work harder
Derek, I would love hearing your songs, but my apple will not play them! Any suggestions?
They're just regular MP3 files. Try Ctrl-clicking on them and choosing “Save Link As...” then saving them to your hard drive. -- Derek
I can 'so' relate. For many people like myself who are not known for their singing ability, it's really tough to push a good song. It does however force me, personally to focus on good lyrics and catchy melodies. I've almost entirely given up the thought of ever being a good singer, so I'm focussing on just instrumentals. The sad thing is that now I have so many unreleased songs with cool lyrics that will never be heard. I can't help but think there are other song writers experiencing this same dilema. There should be a website/establishment, just to get great singers and songwriters together with a resolve. A resolve so that once the music is recorded it can then be marketed instead of just left on two peoples' shelves. The only other alternative is to break one's back trying to learn the skill of singing well. It's easy for some, but extremely difficult for others. I highly respect people who can sing and it's hard not to give up trying to. Do you know of any websites/organizations like this?
Perspective seems the hardest thing for people. Sometimes your willingness to hear a message directly and personally from someone to you can supply a piece of the puzzle of life. But I mean a piece that you really want! Not just a regurgitation of the norms down here. Norms that may NEED the courage of CHANGE. Like "got news for ya, buddy -- you're not there yet." Most of those comments are not revealing to anybody and offer no insight whatsoever. Just a lack of reverence for someone's earnest attempts and goals. When immediate gratification has long been abandoned? That alone is admirable in THIS society! Someone understands the REAL process of life and its richness?
At other times it seems crucial to disregard such input and probably is. Ooh, that balancing act. The key to EVERYTHING is learning, otherwise there could be no evolution. Anyway, Derek, thanks for your inspired personal story and music section. I already like what I hear and will take more time to listen after I complete my current production. I recall not too long ago doing an unsuccessful online search to find your music. I was curious; no longer. You already know enuff to just keep on singin' . . . ! Happy travels.
You're so right. My experience was similar - after years of attempting to sing and failing, I decided to give it one last try with a voice teacher whose ad I came across in a local paper. I was lucky - she was great, and taught me how to strengthen and focus my voice. Then, lots of practice and experience singing with a band gave me the stamina and confidence I have today. I also get the comments about how "lucky" I am to have the ability to sing and play an instrument. I tell people that anyone can do it if they apply themselves, but that's not what most people want to hear because they're not driven enough to put in the time and work.
the fact that people feel compelled to sing is one of humankind's most redeeming features.
as the artist formerly known as 'cat stevens' says "if you want to sing out, sing out". it's up to you, the individual, to decide what level of excellence is needed to attain your specific objectives.
I think it was Pasteur that said "The harder I work, the luckier I get".
Very interesting read, Derek, thanks!
I wonder if during that time anyone told you how talented you are with networking, schmoozing, brainstorming, etc. I mean, here you are making music in NYC, Oregon, whatnot, and the whole time, CDBaby and its legacy are there, just waiting to happen, and then it does, and you are why. It didn't take 15 years to make THAT a success, did it, lol.
BTW I like your voice, reminds me of the lead from Dream Theater for some reason (hope that's not an insult :P)
Now I'm a fan of your music too, great beats, great sounds! You should write more!!
Derek, not bad man. Not bad at all. I would've guessed you were always a singer by listening to your music and that's coming from a vocalist. Good stuff and a good lesson in it all. I'm working on the computer side of things, too (not programming but getting my blog looking right). It takes work and time. But the slow but steady guys win it, I'm convinced. Great to hear from you. I hope all is well w/ you. Take good care...drew
Thanks for sharing Derek! I Can TOTALLY relate to your story man. I started out playing with bands and ended up singing 'cause no one else would. People were always kind, but would often diplomatically tell me that I just wasn't a singer. I've been working on it seriously for about 15 years, performing and recording full time all the while, going to numerous teachers, making progress, but never really feeling great about my singing. JUST this year I've found a great vocal teacher and I'm just now starting to feel like i GET IT.
It's really encouraging to hear other people's stories, so thank you for having the courage to share man.
rob
ps-in case anyone else is interested the method i'm learning is speach-level singing and the idea is if you get the proper vocal chord alignment, everything else follows ...pitch is the best it's ever been without having to focus on it. feels great!
You were your own visionary and decided that you would go and get the experience that you needed.
If one does not have the experience they want, then go out and get it. That’s what I see as one of the lessons here.
In this way, life becomes our resume, not just a static list of jobs we hold, but the projects we complete and the skills and experience we gain along the way.
Your passion and drive came from a place that goes beyond what the logical mind can conceive. You pushed forward despite the difficult feedback and I give you a lot of credit for that.
On a purely physical level, science is now showing us that each time we challenge ourselves with difficult tasks, our brains reshape how they are rewired. That’s pretty exciting. What we experience can have lasting and positive effects in how we think.
Lastly, I believe in following those inner passions. That way I won’t have to look back and say, “What if I had never tried?”
Inspiration from others is always a bonus, so thanks Derek!
Thank you for your timely article Derek. After the past few days of nothing working the way it was supposed to, and feeling a slight bit of resentment that I had "wasted" another 2 or 3 days of my life, it was good to be reminded that today I am able to see past those difficulties only because I had them yesterday.
Completely agree... success is not luck, it's hard work & perseverance. If you are successful from the outside perspective others will often view it as luck and possibly with a bit of envy. It also makes a great excuse why others cannot do it themselves. To say you are not lucky is much easier than saying you didn't try hard enough or are unwilling to work your tail off.
I'm still trying to figure out what a good singer sounds like. I love Bob Dylan. He sings and I love his voice. I also love Freddie Mercury. He sang and I still love his voice.
I guess my point is that improving your technical chops is wonderful and practice can make you better at hitting the notes. But, if you're not connecting with people, is it any "good"?
Duke Ellington said, "If it sounds good, it IS good."
I think I'll just go with that for now. Thanks for sharing your views and experiences as always.
Sometimes it's also a matter of having your hearing evaluated and being able to actually hear the pitch, in order to sing well. But then, I have the same issues with guitar playing [lol]! Keep on keeping on.
Wow, just 15 years. You're lucky. I've been at it for 40 years (since I was 10). I'm serious, dude. I was almost convinced I couldn't do it. Now, I have another dose of inspiration. btw, I liked 'Hit Me' vocals.
Derek Wow You have more friends than anybody I know.Enjoyed the comments.
Derek
;) N yeah, you are a great singer!
Congratulations!!!..I can understand your passion for singing... Whatever your heart truly wants, it will find a way to achieve it!!! Reading your story really inspired me....thank you..
The singing debate is an intersting one,first of all its important to sing in tune.Do you know you dont hear your own voice exactly as others do,unless you're using a microphone.Otherwise what you're hearing inside yourself is different to what others hear you singing.How do we know if we are singing in tune?There are methods that can teach even the poorest ear to sing in tune,but they are not from the academies
You are always so inspiring. I liked the Karoke song and the Tambura song lots...I think you sing good too
Thank you for sending your music. I have listened to only a few at this point, but find you refreshing and unique. Thanks again
Arlene Faith
You remind me of my favorite quote because you have lived it:
""A genius! For 37 years I’ve practiced fourteen hours a day, and now they call me a genius!” –Pablo Sarasate (Spanish violinist)"
Amazing story. I now long to hear your voice!
We are NOT born with talents. We are born with a shot at this world and you have taken yours so well and so far!
Totally reminds me of myself.I still am not very good at vocals, but I am better than when I first started. I do have a unique raspy sound, I guess I'm sorta proud of that!
Today I finally found the time to listen to some of your songs, and, I think you're a bit "complaining" on a high level here. Even in the first songs your voice sounds better, than what many people will ever have! If something is bad, then it's the use of your voice, but not your voice. I think you started with a fairly nice car into the race, you just had to learn to control it! But that's much different from starting with a bad car!!!
Still, I liked your article!
Regards,
T
I taught a class for a few years at the Cambridge YWCA in Cambridge, MA, called "Discover Your Singing Voice." I think singing is one of the most satisfying things anyone can ever do. One of the class members told me her high school choir director asked her to mouth the words not making any sound because he had judged that she couldn't "carry a tune." Within a few weeks in this fun and low-key class (if I do say so myself) she was singing both melody and harmony parts with perfect pitch. Your story is inspiring, Derek. My favorite voices are those that have their own character, not usually fitting into a classical category such as an operatic voice. You have to start somewhere, where you are, and just keep with it, as you say, hours and hours of practice for years on end. There is no shortcut - not talent, not having the wherewithal to pay the best teacher, not having the best instrument, voice or otherwise, with which to practice. The bottom line is work.
I highly recommend Lang Lang's autobiography, Journey of a Thousand Miles, which tells of his years of personal self-discipline and sacrifice to reach the pinnacle he enjoys today as the hottest classical performing pianist in the world. I love the way he utilizes the internet, Twitter and Facebook, for instance, to reach out to young people, and the enormous amount of time he gives to teaching master classes to young pianist, inspiring in them a passion to persevere.
Thank you again, for sharing your story, Derek.
Derek
Eric Lowen once told me, "Everybody can sing". It's a matter of working at it, and you proved him right. I was told I couldn't sing and didn't try. I learned from that and have ignored those who say "can't" ever since.
Mike Gormley
You go Derek! As a voice teacher for over 18 years I will tell you that the number one thing that will improve a singer is confidence. Even a not so great singer with confidence is usually better to listen to then a meek highly gifted one. I think you Derek. Because of you I got my start selling my cds which are a full huge business for me now. Your words are always inspirational!.
Unbelievable.
I am a voice teacher and I have trouble cutting people loose when they have slow progress and a stubborn desire to continue. I will take this story into account.
I agree with the article Derek, you can be good at anything if you put a lot of time and effort on it, but you cannot be the best if you were not born to do it. I mean, you cannot be Roger Federer unless you were born with his skills, you can play tennis very well, might be a professional, but you won't be the best if tennis is not natural to you.
Even after 15 years, you sang decently but were far away from a great singer. So it's a personal decision, and it's up to everyone what to spend the time in, but I prefer to focus on what I naturally do well, so that after 15 years I have the chance to be one of the best.
After studying 3 years of a music degree (in voice), my singing teacher told me she couldn't understand how I still wasn't 'getting it', and that I would never last through a gig. Devastated, I wondered if I should just give up there and then, wasting my love and hard-work in a field I was obviously not meant for. 12 years later, I am still singing, moved to NY, have released two albums, and gig (with ease!). People say that to me - "If only I had your talent, some people are born singers", and I tell them, SO NOT TRUE!! You just gotta keep on keeping on, and don't listen to anyone who tries to hold you back from your dreams. (Even the people who say things with all the love in their heart....)
Oh, oh, Derek reminded me of my long time wish to speak Italian fluently. I gave up and gave up and gave up. I guess it is time to put in the time. I love the language so much and the culture and the food.
I teach math and students find it difficult to become fluent in math. I want to learn Italian and observe how I get around my "belief" that I cannot learn it (can't sing).
So great that you stuck with it! But then I think most everything you do is great, Derek ;)
As for becoming a good singer, in my experience teaching it, it is more about listening that vocalizing. Gaining an internal awareness of pitch and kinesthetic sense of placement/resonance is something others can lead you to, but ultimately you must teach yourself. The ones who are "naturals" do this quickly. I find that those who use their will and work on the outer mechanics of singing actually slow their own natural progress more often than not.
A great voice does not make a great singer. A great ear coupled with a strong kinesthetic map and shared with vulnerability does.
Incredible how similar we are, each in its field... Persistence and perseverance are virtues.
So inspiring! Thanks for all you share.
Great article Derek! Great moral to this story. Keep on pushing!!!
Thanks for the reminder
You did it again dude. This is great stuff. If I ever meet you (I'm sending two free tickets to the first concert in Europe next year) then I will also buy you a drink or dinner. After singing my whole life, finally realizing I was off key, giving up, trying to find other people to sing my songs, I kept trying and one day - it worked. I listened to the takes I had just done and realized, shit, they're on key. Now I'm going to finally release songs I've been working on for 7 years. It's sweet.
If the old adage that goes something like, "Nothing worth having ever comes easily" ever proves to fall out of usage, then we are all in deep trouble.
Half the fun of youth is in letting people believe that anything accomplished that others genuinely appreciate was accomplished effortlessly.
Laughing it off, knowing that (A) countless hour, months, even years may have culminated in one spectacular moment which can be repeated, if necessary, and (B) if anyone else were to spontaneously emulate, then the results might be ridiculous.
Growing older and more encumbered by adulthood responsibilities often means finding less time available to obsess upon acrobatic skills of self-expression.
Suddenly, whatever seems to be too incredible to possibly be true usually proves to be a sinister disguise for some genuinely malicious act of fraud.
The consequential pattern of behavior then is to trust only in that which reflects dedication and perseverance, despite adversity and difficulty levels perceived.
The real beauty is that perseverence through trials builds diversity, flexibility, and integrity based upon the myriad of supportive networks developed based upon lessons and resourcefulness learned via endless trial and error experience.
Natural-born talent does not connote expertise or long-term success in any field of productivity or service.
An individual with no scar tissue is more likely to exhibit ambivalence toward success for a lack of experience-based investment in the issue at hand.
The seasoned veteran, instead, is more likely to weather well both the internal and external climate changes which together attack progress and any potential for longevity.
Obviously, I'm much more in favour of the working-class hero than I am of the exceptionally gifted.
The working-class hero may speak (or sing or write) more sincerely and at length of deeply rooted issues that the exceptionally gifted could only emulate with any natural talent.
And to that mark may all live music performances approach and be judged...
The corporate songwriter may write well and the corporate vocalist may sing well that which has been written. The local grey-haired music artist with a six-string and an open-mic, however, will ever be more entertaining... to this audiophile, at least.
Sincerely,
Jett Black
Derek- It is night and day from your first recording to your last. There is no reason the singer of "Get Famous Fast" can't be a legitimate recording artist. "Waiting At The Station" is probably not that much different than the first recordings from any of us out there. Most people probably would cringe at people hearing their first recording efforts.
I heard that it takes 10,000 swings of a bat for a good baseball player to become a really good hitter...and probably x 10 to become a great hitter. The same thing applies to golf or really anything else in life. Does that mean some folks have to be married 10,000 times to get it right?
Derek- You're always so insightful.
I wish all the lessons, money and time spent in school, someone would have just said "Nothing is Easy" . It would have made the learning process that much easier.
If You really want it, anyone can have it.
Rock On!
When I started Tiny Tug-Adventures on San Francisco Bay, a book I wrote long hand on the ferry riding daily back and forth to the city highrise I worked in, it never crossed my mind it would take 5 years to produce. The young animator I hired off of Craig's list was amazing, but, boy did the poor guy have to keep upping the anti on his great art. You see, I saw his greatness, and required it,teaching him that the sky is not always blue, but sometimes yellow or purple.
I can remember 1/2 way through the book when my intellectual property attorney yelled Fire him! I just laughed and said what would I get? My expensive computer back? So, instead I fired the intellectual property attorney, stuck with my illustrator (Rob Simmons), and after five years we have a book to be proud of. The Okachobee School Board has selected it for their anti-bully program and are having wonderful results. It is a joy to make something creative, help someone else reach his best creative heights, and, here comes the jam on the toast--make a difference in childrens lives. Wow--who knew 5 years was all it would take to accomplish so much!
Priceless experience! Cheers for writing about it, i'm gonna forward this to the lead singer of my band.
"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." Great article Derek!
Thanks for sharing! Your story, your life, your experiences are always helpful and encouraging! I have never had the problem with being told that I can't sing, but this article still encourages me to remain focused and do what God has gifted me to do, regardless of the level I am on at this time!
Similarly, when I started out singing, I stunk. Though I never had the option of going in a soundproof booth for 2 hours a day and sing (lived in garden apartments mostly) I eventually developed a decent voice. After a couple decades playing and singing in cover bands, it was time to stop and move on. I still record in my basement studio, but rarely sing, and wouldn't you know, my voice sucks again!
Thank you for this - and it's so true. Practice will never make perfect, but it certainly will improve our odds. Keep on keeping!
Simone
Derek,
Great article reading abook which talks about the same thing "Outiners: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell. Interesting read
Ju7st wanted to add to the chorus! Finding this post comes at a pivotal in my life; what a happy discovery. Thanks for the inspiration
And yes, "Get Famous Fast" sounds like it's got a pretty solid lead vocal!! Good job!!
Derek, I am not sure about this one. One way to interpret your story is that if we just don't give up practicing, we can be good at anything (as long as we want it). Another way is that if you are born with a talent - but just need to work hard in order to develop your gift - it's worth it not giving up. Well, that's a different story, and I agree with it.
I know (and we all know) a person who really wants to master something, but he or she is lacking some special gifts that are necessary to develop the skill to a professional level. Then it's ok to develop the skill to a higher level, but it foolish to believe that he will be able to develop it to an unlimited level. I would never fool my best friend to believe this.
I can use myself as an example: When I was three or four, my grandmother discovered that I had a musical gift, and she gave me a wooden zither. I learned it quite easily, because it only had twelve strings and was tuned in one key. She then wanted me to learn how to play violin. I started when I was six and played until I was fourteen. I ended up playing 1st violin in the youth orchestra at our school, and we were quite good and had some tours in Germany! My teacher (Peter Hindar) was a well known musicians in Norway at that time leading a string quartet. He learned me a lot about listening to music and performing. What he struggled with, was learning me to read music. I was struggling too. I worked hard at it, practiced one or two hours daily, sometimes more. I just wasn't able to read the music fast enough. At the age of twelve, Peter discovered that I was cheating when I played in the orchestra. I didn't read the sheet music, I memorized it or improvised! That was my way of surviving! However, it became clear to all of us that this couldn't continue, as the works we played became more and more advanced, and I had to learn them fast in order to keep up with the gifted (and beautiful!) girl that I shared the note sheet with. I continued to practice reading music, but I didn't improve much. Why? Not because i didn't try hard enough, but simple because - and we discovered this when I was thirteen - my eyes had big difficulties in locating the position of the notes because I was born with eyes that weren't very well suited for it. I have a big difference between the strength of my left and right eye, and I was born with a warped cornea on my left eye. Because of this, I struggle a lot to recognize where a note is placed, and I need more time to read each note than an average person. - Because of this, I had to give up playing in the orchestra. Still, I learned a lot and was inspired to take up other instruments and eventually to compose my own music. I think I also developed my gift in improvising, and this has given me a lot of pleasure and advantages in my composing during the years. So, I just had to accept that I would never become a fast reader, and this would have made it almost impossible for me to have a career in a symphonic orchestra. So, I am glad I didn't try even harder, because that would probably have killed the joy of playing music...
Derek, you may find out (by hard work) that you are able to learn computer programming, but I know that you need some very special gifts in order to master this art, too: You need to be very systematic, you need to remember details as well as the overall structure of your script, you need to be very patient, you need to be able to focus, you need to think very practically (what is the purpose of the script, what is it for, how are the users thinking etc.). It will be interesting to see! Let us know how you develop!
Practice makes perfect. You are great Derek! Never give up.
Hello Derek this is a late reply, your words and subjects speak volumes, and relate in a lot of ways to me as an unsigned singer song writer. A couple of times I felt like throwing the towel in with rejection. But then I'd write another song and get back in to the slog. I believe it will happen for me out of the blue when I least expect it, so a million thanks for your words of wisdom. Regards Michael
Thanks for sharing this. I've bookmarked your essay - it will help keep me motivated on the rainy days. Loved the picture too.
Regards -- Amar
great article. thanks it sharing this.
yo tengo 12 y todos dicen que soy buena compositora i de que canto re bien!y verdaderamente quiero ser cantante siempre me gusto cantar las canciones las ago depende de como me sienta!!
casi todas son de amor!
espero poder ser cantante porque es mi mayor sueño!y lo quiero cumplir mas que nada en el mundo!
VERY,inspiring and am really motivated by your experience, thanks
Interestingly enough, Derek, I use the story of how we met (you asked me, "Is it hard to hit those notes so accurately?" and I replied, "Hell, yes! It's the hardest thing in the world!" or something like that) as an example of why it's important to always tell the truth to your students. That meeting was a good day for both of us!
Awww... Thanks Warren! Great to hear from you. You made a huge difference in my life. -- Derek
good song "ready to live" you not bad at singing man idk who told u that u were bad. that songs tight
I thought this article was going to end up with you saying "do what you're good at, if you're not a singer, be a songwriter, if you're not an artist, be a manager" and stuff like that. But it's so true that if you really want it, there's hope to obtain it through hard work. I like how simple truths can contradict themselves sometimes!