Video 3: What makes a musician a "natural"?

Hello, and welcome to this special training on How to Crush Complexity - So That Music Comes Easily.

I’ve put this training together because when we surveyed you about what we should include in our new 6-week musicality course it was amazing how many of your answers mentioned how music learning was hard, too complicated, even overwhelming. That often combined with a busy life or limited practice time, and it was clear that you were feeling seriously frustrated.

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You said things like:

“It’s really challenging”

“I’m trying to learn”

“Why can’t it be simpler”

“I’m making progress through sheer effort and determination”

“I need it broken down into smaller pieces I can fit in among other activities”

And it was fascinating because you were coming from a wide range of backgrounds:

- Some had learned music all their life, some taken a break and were now coming back to it as adults, some just starting for the first time in retirement

- All different instruments, including singing, and all different styles of music

- Some playing music just for fun or to relax, others as a serious hobby, others semi-professional, professional or wanting to have a music career in future

And yet this topic of complexity came up again and again, it was really remarkable.

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And I feel your pain! The thing is we all love music so much - and when we listen to music it seems so neat, so elegant, so easy to enjoy. But then when it comes to learning music, it’s a whole different thing and a lot of that elegant joy just disappears. Am I right?

So I know where you’re coming from. I was a music learner growing up and in fact I’d consider myself a lifelong music learner, I’m still picking up new instruments and trying to master new skills.

Over the years I’ve learned some really great strategies for dealing with complexity and overwhelm and I wanted to share them with you in case they can help you the way they’ve helped me and lots of our members at Musical U.

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And when I put that idea out last week a ton of you responded to say yes, you’d love that, and so I’ve been hustling to put this together amid all the preparation for our new course that’s going on.

But as I went through the 200+ responses to our survey it actually became clear that there was actually one single root cause of almost all this frustration about complexity. When it comes to playing by ear, improvising, improving your rhythm, sight-reading and sight-singing, all those skills that can seem seriously challenging to learn - there’s one root cause.

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And you might have suspected this yourself. That it just seems like there’s something crucial missing that if you could just pinpoint it you could solve it and then everything would flow easily. Some of you talked about there being a “missing ingredient” or how there seemed to be “some secret” that you weren’t clued in on.

And that’s what got me really fired up to create this training for you - because once you understand this root cause of complexity it can be pretty easy to unravel it and start feeling a lot more free and confident in music.

So I want to dive in to that specific root cause and talk about some nitty-gritty of pitch and rhythm and how music is put together. But I know that there are also some of you who just felt this general sense of complexity and overwhelm in your music learning.

So before we dive into that root cause, in today’s session I’m going to be talking about the overall topic of complexity and some general strategies that can help you throughout your musical life. Then in the next session we’ll go into that root cause and how to address it. Sound good? Cool.

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Introductions

Before I begin, I asked you all to introduce yourselves when you registered, and a big thank you to all of you who went ahead and did that, it’s been great to get to know you a bit through those intros. And I figured I should probably do the same myself, to be polite! So in case you don’t know me already I’ll just take a minute or two to explain who I am and where I’m coming from in presenting this training for you today.

Following the same format I asked you guys for, here it is: My name’s Christopher Sutton, I’m in my mid 30s, I’ve a wife and two young daughters and we’re currently living in Spain though I’m originally from London. I grew up with a lot of music, learning several instruments to a decent standard and singing a lot - but I always felt like a bit of a fraud because while everyone else thought I was very musical, I felt totally ungifted and had no idea how the “naturals” I saw around me could play by ear, improvise, create their own music. All these skills it seemed like you needed to be born gifted to do.

And every time I tried to become a better musician, any time I tried to tackle one of those big impressive skills, I quickly got overwhelmed. Add in that I was learning multiple instrument and playing in various groups, and my musical life got pretty complex pretty fast.

I’ll give you the super short synopsis from there to explain what brought me to this training today. After almost two decades of learning music I finally discovered this thing called “ear training” that could let me actually learn those skills I’d thought were just magical. But the methods I found were really slow and boring, so I started a company (despite not having a clue about anything relating to business!) to try to create new solutions to make ear training easier.

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After several years this grew into what is now Musical U, a website and online training system that helps musicians develop these skills in fun, interesting and effective ways.

It still blows my mind a bit to think about it, but we’ve now helped well over a million people with our free material and several thousand through our paid membership site, and we’ve always prided ourselves on providing very personal support because that’s really key to succeeding with this stuff. And the upshot is that I’ve had the chance to see in detail and at a great scale what works and what doesn’t. The biggest sticking points and the most effective strategies for actually succeeding in musicality training and indeed music learning in general.

And to top that off, through the Musicality Podcast I host I’ve had the chance to interview over 50 of the world’s leading experts and learn from their vast experience too.

So I wanted to say all that so that you know I’m not here today as a “natural”, “gifted” musician to whom it all came easy! And that what I’m sharing with you isn’t just a personal method that helped me become a superstar, like you’ll find many self-proclaimed gurus online teaching. What I’m sharing is what’s come out of working with tons of passionate amateur musicians of all ages, backgrounds and musical interests - and consulting directly with the world’s top experts on these subjects.

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Practicalities

So that’s me!

Now a couple of practicalities before we start.

The first is that you’ll notice I’m going to tend to jump to musicality skills as I deliver this training. And that’s partly because that’s just my own personal passion and what I’m most expert in. And it’s partly because these “inner skills” of music really lie at the heart of everything else you might be learning or doing in music.

But I did just want to say that if you’re coming to this immersed in the nitty-gritty of instrument technique, like how to get your fingering fluid or how to refine your vibrato, or you’re immersed in music theory and the detailed conceptual underpinnings of music - please don’t tune out. You’re going to find that the major points I’m teaching are all applicable throughout your musical life.

The second practicality to cover is just to remind you that there is a comments section below this video and I would love, love, love you to get involved there. When I do live training sessions I get immediate real-time feedback on what doesn’t quite make sense or what needs more info, and we don’t have that here because it’s prerecorded. But if you can please post feedback or questions in the comments then I’ll be sure to answer them there, and may also pick up on them in the following videos. So don’t be shy, please dive in, and thank you again to all of you who already have.

Oh - and a quick disclaimer. This isn’t going to be the prettiest presentation you’ve ever seen and I apologise for that! Normally when I give a presentation I spend hours putting together slides and finding great pictures and so on. But as you may know, I’ve put this together for you guys amid all the launch busyness for our new musicality course and so I had limited time - and a choice between making things look pretty or making sure the content was really valuable for you guys. And I decided you’d probably prefer I focused on making sure the teaching was as good as possible. So if the slides are a bit barebones I hope you’ll forgive me and that the material will make up for it!

Okay, so let’s get into it!

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Musical complexity.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I believe there is a single root cause of most of the complexity that may be plaguing you in your musical life, and in the next session we’ll be discussing that in detail and how you can unravel it once and for all.

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But first I think it’s important to address the overwhelm part of complexity. Not any one topic or skill seeming complicated or difficult. But the simple fact that there are lots of different things vying for attention in your musical life.

And what’s worse it can seem like even when you manage to focus on one area, that sends you down a rabbit-hole and suddenly even that one area seems vast and overwhelming.

Tell me if any of these sound familliar:

“I really struggle”

“I dabble in lots of things but never go far”

“I’m reluctant to sign up for anything new until I complete the courses I’ve already started”

“we end up developing many bad habits and waste a lot a our time”

“I wish I had more time”

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I want to particularly pick up on that last one, lack of time. Because it’s one of the most common frustrations among musicians that I’ve ever encountered.

And I’m not going to deny it. Your lives are genuinely busy. If you’re anything like me you have a busy work or study life, you’ve a family, maybe even kids or other family members you look after, you have responsibilities in your local community, and somehow on top of that or squeezed in there you have your passion music - and possibly even another hobby or two that’s battling for precious time each week.

It can feel like you’re pulled in a thousand directions and everything is yelling out for attention, and wherever you choose to spend your time there are things you end up feeling guilty for neglecting.

So there is a real challenge there.

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But what I’m going to propose to you in this training is that lack of time isn’t actually a cause of your lack of progress or frustration in music learning, even if it feels like it right now.

Lack of time is actually a symptom - it’s a symptom of the complexity that’s going on, and we’re going to be talking now about what you can do about that overall complexity, then in the next session about some of the skill-specific complexity that comes up in music.

I’ve seen repeatedly with our members at Musical U that it’s possible to fit in enough music practice time to make steady progress forwards, even among the busiest of lives. But there is no time to waste, so it’s essential that you crush the complexity and use your time as clearly and effectively as possible. That’s what I’m hoping this training is going to equip you to do.

So let’s get into it.

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For this topic of overall complexity I’m going to talk in terms of “overwhelm” because I think that’s the emotion it stirs up. When we think about our musical life and there’s just too many moving pieces and too many tasks and everything seems inter-related and complicated - the result is that we feel overwhelmed.

It can feel like a great crushing weight that paralyses us and makes it hard to take any action at all.

And so normally it’s that overwhelm itself that becomes the barrier for us. Because if we tackle any single area of our musical life we’ll do fine. There are some that are in themselves complex, and we’ll be talking about that next time. But if we assume that any one bit is manageable then what we really need is tools and strategies to handle the overwhelm.

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And transform this [IMAGE]

… into this [IMAGE]

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I’m going to share with you the three big causes of overwhelm and strategies for tackling each. You can use one or more of them, they’re most effective when used all together.

In short we’re going to be talking about: Where are you going? How are you going to get there? How can you ensure your journey is successful?

Now if you’ve been following us for a while or you’re a member of Musical U then some of this will be familiar to you. And there’s a lot to pack in here so I’m going to move quickly. But whether the ideas are new to you or not, if you take a few minutes to think about each of these and how to apply them in your musical life you’re going to find those feelings of overwhelm quickly start to fade away.

Since I’ll be going through these quickly I’m going to provide a handout too with more detail and examples for you, and of course if you have any questions or need help just shout in the comments.

1: Vision and Goals

The first of the three is about vision and goals. The easiest way to feel muddled in music is to dive in without being clear on what you’re actually trying to accomplish.

You know you’re enthusiastic and excited - and when you simply combine that with all there is possible to learn, the result is total overwhelm.

• Instead you need to begin with the end in mind. Set a clear picture of what you want to accomplish, what at Musical U we call your “Big Picture Vision”. And then figure out what training goals are going to lead you to that vision.

• Just setting a goal, any goal, isn’t necessarily enough - not all goals are helpful! So At Musical U we have a framework called the “MAGIC” framework for goal-setting that helps you make sure the goals you set will really work for you. I’ll put the details of that in the handout for you.

If you can’t say immediately, right now, what your Big Picture Vision is, and what your current Goal in music is (ideally a “MAGIC” one) - then I would say that’s the #1 cause of any overwhelm you’re feeling. Fix that first.

And a quick side note because I know some of you are thinking it: How many goals should I have? • The answer is “try to keep it to one, for each area of your musical life”. I’m not going to insist on a singular focus across all your musical activities. But if, for example, you’re taking instrument lessons, working on ear training, and starting a band - then a single goal for each of those would be appropriate and help you to avoid overwhelm in any of them or overall.

2: Plan

So once you have a clear vision and good goal, you need to figure out how to get there. You need a plan. But like goals, not all plans are created equal.

What we’ve found most effective is a 6-8 week training plan leading towards your specific training goal. Break it down into about 5 steps that lead you there in sequence. Factor in all three of the essential aspects of music learning: instrument, theory and ears. Plan on spending 15 minutes each day, most days. Try to keep to a fixed schedule where possible. Don’t overdo it, a little and often is better than occasional epic practice sessions. And plan where you’ll get help if you need it.

Now I could talk at length about the reasons behind each of those recommendations, but if you’re looking for a shortcut to creating a plan that will work, I suggest starting with this. Of course the details of what goes into the plan will depend entirely on the goal you set, and that’s a whole other topic - right now we’re just talking about crushing complexity and ridding yourself of that feeling of overwhelm. And I can guarantee that a plan like this is going to do that for you.

3: Progress Tracking and Support

Now it’s all well and good having a suitable goal and plan - but that only alleviates the overwhelm for a day or so. After that it’s time to actually do the thing!

So you need some strategies for ensuring your journey is actually successful, that you follow through on your plan and that you reach your goal.

There are two big pieces to this.

The first is progress tracking. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the midst of a plan if you lose track of where you are in that plan and what’s next. So there are various techniques that can help here, including: A practice log (simply what you did each day), a progress journal (more detailed and descriptive and reflective), recording yourself and listening back, and trying to keep up a “streak” of practicing day after day.

Those things will all help you stay clear and motivated in following your plan. But what if there’s a problem with your plan, or you hit a point where just putting in the practice isn’t moving you forwards? That’s why the other big piece of ensuring a successful journey is having support.

This can come in the form of: teachers, coaches, musician friends, accountability buddies, or whatever support options are provided along with the training resources you’re using.

Now just to pick up on that point for a second - I’m going to provide a link to a podcast episode I did about this because it’s really important to understand what support for an “online course” should look like - because that word can mean a huge range of things, and the right kind of support can absolutely make the difference between you having easy success and you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

So I’ll link to that podcast episode for more info on that.

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So those are the big three causes of overall overwhelm and what you can do to tackle them.

If you:

• Have a Clear Vision

• Set a MAGIC Goal

• Create an Effective Plan

• Track Your Progress

• Get Suitable Support

Then those feelings of overwhelm will quickly disappear. If you feel overwhelmed right now thinking about your musical life then ask yourself which of these are missing.

Put it in place and you’re going to feel much clearer and more confident in everything you’re doing.

Big ConcernsOkay, so that’s complexity in general, and the overwhelm it causes. What about the specifics, like “playing by ear is really hard to learn”, or “I have no idea which notes to choose when I try to improvise” or “I can’t figure out the right pitches to sing when I look at the score”?

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In the survey you guys were saying things like:

“I always go look up the notation, why can’t I just sit down and play instead”

“How do you transfer a melody you hear in your head to your instrument?”

“My dream is to look at notation and sing it”

“I can’t always hear what’s going on”

“Improvisation is the dream for me, improvising freely”

“I need a course called ‘music theory for idiots’”

If something like this is on your mind then fear not, we’re going to be diving deep into specifics like these next time. First though, before we wrap up today’s session I know there are a couple of big concerns that may be on your mind.

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The first is that you’ve been trying to learn music for a while and you don’t feel like you’ve had much success with it. If that applies to you then I want to encourage you - because in the next session I’m going to be sharing a kind of “missing piece” that may have been holding you back.

“I don’t believe I have much natural ability in music”

“My lack of musicality has held me back”

“I’m skeptical about my own potential”

And it means that however hard you’ve worked, however long you’ve been working on this, however many different resources and solutions you’ve tried, without this piece you were missing a vital component for actual musical success. So hang in there and see what you think after the next session!

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The second thing I know might be on your minds is the question of age. Maybe you’re returning to music, or coming to it for the first time later in life, perhaps in retirement. And I know that if that’s the case you might be a bit concerned about whether it’s too late to learn some of the skills we’re talking about, and whether your age means you’ll learn more slowly.

“At my age this seems impossible”

“I started music later in life”

“I have a lot of catchup to do”

The first thing to say is that you might be surprised to know that most of our members at Musical U are aged 35 or above. So when I say we’re the world’s leading provider of musicality training, I’m not talking about helping young whipper-snappers whose brains are like sponges.

Our members are adults, often later in life, and they show every day that it’s possible to learn, and learn quickly. You can progress a lot faster with an adult brain and the right methods than you can with a young fresh brain and the wrong methods.

So there’s absolutely no reason why with the right methods to crush complexity you can’t learn the inner skills of musicality, whatever age you might be and whatever you’ve tried in the past.

So in our next session we’re going to be going deep into two specific methods which can help you to quickly and easily learn to play by ear, improvise, sight-sing, improve your rhythm, and a whole lot more.

I’m going to be making the case to you that you’ve actually been missing out on something fundamental which mainstream music education has failed to provide you - and that missing piece is what’s been making all these skills seem so intimidating, complex, and even overwhelming.

So stay tuned for part two. And until then, if you’ve found this training helpful please leave a comment and let me know.

If you’ve felt that overall overwhelm in music which of the strategies we talked about do you think you’ve been missing? Vision, Goal, Plan, Progress Tracking, or Support? Or if you haven’t had that sense of overall overwhelm then please share any tips or strategies that have helped you.

Oh - and I’ve mentioned a few but let me know what specific music skills have seemed overly complex to you and I’ll see if we can pick up on them specifically in the next video.