There It Is – The Gift of Excellence in Music

I started taking guitar lessons when I was eight years old. Almost immediately I began making up songs. (To say I was writing at that point may be a bit too grandiose of a characterization). Later, at eighteen, when I realized I actually wanted to become a songwriter I took up piano. To this day I’m still more fluid on the guitar. There is something about starting an instrument at a young age that makes a real difference. Just like with learning a language, it’s easier to be a beginner when one’s mind is in the “sponge” stage. My primary fascination was always with songs and so I’ve always played instruments mostly to facilitate my writing. I never sat for hours and hours, day after day, practicing scales. But at Grant High in Los Angeles I went to school with people who did. It was always easy to tell the difference. Through the years when well-meaning people have said to me, “You’re a great guitar player” or “You’re a great piano player,” I’ve tried to remember to smile and say thank you. But the truth is I’m not and I’m OK with that. The hours the great ones spent practicing are the hours I spent listening and learning how to write songs.

In my adult life as a writer and producer I’ve had the privilege of working with those who are world-class musicians. It is always a joy. Last Friday we began recording rhythm tracks for what will become the newest Music for the Soul project. I brought in four work “tapes” – now that everything is on the computer I don’t know what to call rough versions of songs anymore – and four hand-scribbled music charts. Then I watched and listened as Jason Webb, Mark Hill, and Scott Williamson breathed life into the songs with skill, dexterity, and creativity. For a songwriter it’s like your greatest most excellent day ever every time it happens. Toward the end of the day Jason told my co-producer Kent Hooper and me a story that put it all into perspective. After a particularly stirring piano performance I asked him about how much he had practiced as a child. “Oh I practiced all the time. In fact, one time I had been put in a full body cast. It went from my chest and all the way down one leg. The doctor told my mom ‘He won’t be able to play the piano for six months.’ The first thing I did when I got home was go to the piano bench.”

Jason then demonstrated for us how he had awkwardly positioned himself on the bench, propping himself in such a way that his fingers could still reach the keys and his right foot could still reach the pedals, even though more than half of his body was immobilized. “I wasn’t going to miss playing the piano for a single day.”

So kids, if you want to know what greatness looks like – if you want to know what commitment and dedication to your craft looks like – there it is. I thank God for the gift of music. And I thank God for those who have applied themselves with persistence and tenacity to becoming great on their instruments. It is because of them that we’re able to record and enjoy great music. I pray for the next generation of musicians. May we encourage them and create environments where they can be challenged and grow and flourish into the full potential of their God-given talent. It is we, those who are fortunate enough to listen, that will be blessed.

Originally posted 9/26/16