The head, the heart, and the emotion

Whether it be a small music project such as playing Wonderwall by Oasis, or a bigger undertaking such as your own composition, there are three things you need.  If you lack any of the three, either you will fail and get angry, or you will make your job a lot harder than it has to be...and get angry.  But if you follow these, you wont get angry...probably. 

 The three components are: 

• Head
• Heart
• Emotion

Let's start with head because it is the easiest to explain.  There needs to be a level of strategic thinking when playing music.  For instance, break the song into smaller bits and learn one bit a day. Music becomes less about failure and frustration and more about success and excitement for the next bit.  The head is what will break down the problem into manageable sizes.  I've tried tackling some complex songs at once and I always ended up quitting that song.

The next component is the heart.  You need to want to play that song.  People in music school are often forced into learning songs they do not want, and frequently end up quitting afterwards.  In my opinion, music schools should find the students interests and find songs that match that style.  At the end of the day, the heart is what will make you sit down with your instrument to start playing.  Listen to your heart....Cheesy joke ... I'm sorry.

Finally you need emotion.  It's what turns "Mary had a little lamb" to " MARY HAD A FREAKING LITTLE LAMB". Playing the required notes is fine, but the emotion is what will either make you speed up the tempo, slam the keys with your fingers, or play as softly as possible.  The emotion behind a song could easily turn it from happy to sad.  This is what makes your song worth listening to, and the best part is that it can change anytime you want.

Each component complements each other making music exactly that: Music. Give each one the attention they deserve and you'll be playing phenomenal music in no time.