I was talking to my Grade 9 music class the other day about what makes a great musician, and a thought struck me... Who is the ultimate judge of what is great music?
Us musicians believe that other musicians are the ones we should try to impress, and we spend hours and hours honing our 'chops' so we can play faster and more technically. We believe that if we could just nail that one Keith Jarrett solo, or play freely on 'Giant Steps' then we would be known as a 'great' player. The problem is there are already thousands of other guys who can do those things already, and although they may be good many of them have not achieved 'greatness'.
So ultimately it cannot be your playing ability alone that makes you great. In fact, I'd like to suggest that it has almost nothing to do with it... I believe that what makes a great musician is the story that is told through their music every time they play. You see, your audience doesn't care about your 'chops'. They came to see you play because they want to feel your music and be moved by it. If you do this for them they will tell others about it, and these others will come to receive the same experience. Do this enough times for enough people, and you will have become 'great', because having an audience (or following) who believes in what you do is the only way to be great in ANYTHING.
Nobody in history became great by hiding in their room and talking to themselves - so why do we (musicians) think it'll work for us?
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