Then He Said I Had a Mental Problem

Several years ago, I was in the middle of a trumpet lesson with the best teacher I ever had.

At one point he paused and said, "Danny, you don't have a musical problem, you have

a mental problem." Before I could thank him for that observation he continued with this, "Performance always follows our concept. You'll never play better than you

think. Unless you address your concept of how you should sound, you'll never do

anything more than play the same pieces in the same way without making any

progress."

There are some comments that linger in your memory. This was one of those. The

lesson was quite a while ago and, if I were to see him again, I doubt he would

remember either the lesson or what he said. I, on the other hand, have never

forgotten it. I began to listen to other trumpet players with greater interest,

developing my concept of the ideal sound. Improving my concept of what I wanted to

sound like made a remarkable difference in my playing.

If you're a musician, you know the importance of having a clear idea of how your

performance should sound. Music legend and business entrepreneur, Carlos

Santana said, "Everything starts with an idea, with imagination." If you're talking

about music, whatever comes out of your voice or your instrument begins in your

mind with an idea of how it should sound. As your idea matures, as your concept of

what your music should sound like develops, your performance will follow as long as

you're willing to pay the price of time and effort to bring your idea into existence.

What's true in music is also true in sports, other arts, hobbies, crafts, business and

anything we choose to do. Everything starts with an idea, with imagination. That's

where real creativity begins. Once you do that, you're ready to make some music!