Gradual growth
(This builds on yesterday’s blog)
Most musicians do just enough musically to get the gig, and then stop advancing.
I play in a high end corporate party band, and there’s a familiar pattern to most people subbing into the band:
The first show they know about 80%-90% of the material, but are tentative and need coaching to get through the set
Shows 2-3 they lock in a little more to the point where they feel comfortable playing
From show 4 on, there’s very little in the way of growth- most musicians feel they’ve locked in enough, and seem to let off the gas.
My friend Gabe is the exception. When we first started playing together 9 years ago, he was a solid bassist with a lot of musicality.
In the last 9 years, he’s worked every week to get just a little better at bass. Each week he was trying to add a new little “thing” into the set, trying some new approach to a song, honing some new technique.
Today, he’s one of the best bass players I’ve ever played with, and the quality of the group drops significantly when he has to sub out. He’s bought as much job security as is possible to buy as a bassist (and MD).
Getting the gig is great and important. But the place where you can grow the most is after you’ve settled into the show.