One of the “7 Deadly Sins of an Artist” I talk about is “being good.” Doesn’t sound like a bad thing, does it? But trust me, being good…is bad!
There are a lot of artists out there that are good. Often, they don’t know they need help – they know they’re good. And when I work with a group that’s really bad, taking them to good is easy! There are so many things that can be fixed.
However, going from good to great is messy. It’s reshaping things, taking bunny trails and trying ideas, listening for strong parts of the song and developing them. Mistakes will be made, but that’s OK. Some of the best ideas by far come when someone makes a mistake – they try something and it didn’t work, but it stimulated an idea.
If we’re always just trying to get it “right” then we’ll never get to the place that’s great. We’ll always be just good. So get it right for the recording, but then mess it up for the live show. Try different ideas, reshape it. Follow your instinct.
Remember, going from bad to good is easy. Going from good to great is hard. Well, maybe not so much hard as it is tedious. It’s the little things.
Some of you have heard me talk about a hotel room as an example. A “good” hotel room has a nice bed, it’s clean, it has a bathroom, a TV, a place to put your clothes, maybe a little desk. Nothing creepy about it – it’s a nice hotel room.
But what makes a good hotel room a great hotel room? It’s the little things. The mint on the pillow, fat towels, a soft robe, and my personal favorite: a phone by the toilet! It’s not flying beds or a TV with 5000 channels. It’s all the little things that make the difference.
Conceptually, it’s the same thing with what you do with your music. Every one of you reading this can say you have some songs, you can sing or play, you can talk, you move around the stage. You’re all “good hotel rooms.” You’re all good music career people.
But what will take you to the next level? I’m telling you right now, it’s the little things. It’s form, it’s spontaneity, it’s creating those moments. It’s having the faith and courage to take those chances.
Is your show too canned? Too structured, too planned? Is it under-prepared or is it over-prepared? Is there no room for spontaneity inside it? (Winging and spontaneity are two different things.) Are you creating moments or are you just singing songs? Is your uniqueness coming out?
Most of you would probably like to do music full time. So let’s look back at the hotel analogy and money: who makes more money in the hotel business and what costs more? Why are the Hyatts hundreds of dollars while you’re spending $79 for the Hampton Inn? Is there anything wrong with the Hampton Inn? No, I stay in them!
But when I get to stay at the Hyatt or another high-end hotel, it’s pretty amazing. I don’t even want to leave the hotel room. (“Sorry guys, I can’t make it to rehearsal – I need to stay in the hotel bed ’cause it’s a pillow-top!”) It’s a bunch of little things that make an amazing difference in how it feels.
It’s the same thing with your show. There are many facets that go into taking your show from good to great. Some of those things are: leading an audience, creating moments, arranging your songs so your personality comes out, being creative visually (with or without production.) and other elements that I deal with in my Live Music Method Book.
All these things make a noticeable difference in making a connection with your audience; taking your show from good to great. This will help you sell more merchandise, help you get better paying gigs and develop a fan base.
Don’t be OK with being good…when you can be great!
Tom Jackson
Tom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist's live show into a magical experience for the audience; helping artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, teaching them to exceed their audiences' expectations and to create fans for life. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Shawn Mendes, The Band Perry, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, & many more. Tom also teaches at colleges, conferences and events worldwide.
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great analogy. I’ll be looking at taking some of these techniques and approaches to the next round of rehearsals!