Just Walk Away

There are a lot of one-liners out there about “just put the (insert noun here) down and back away.”  A spinoff of that could easily be applied to things you might be trying – repeatedly – in your music pursuits.

And my hope is that this is the push that you need to finally take that step.

Friends, family, fellow musicians, instructors, mentors, and other interested, concerned parties have all told you.  Hopefully most, if not all, of them have tried to be nice, yes, giving you the dreaded ‘constructive criticism.’  But, sometimes an uninterested third party has to be the one to get you to see clearly on the features and benefits of something new, or just something that isn’t the same old tired something that isn’t working.

Is there an original song of yours that you perform that nobody really says anything about?  Or, if they do, it’s not a clear and direct compliment?  Do you find yourself going back to it now and then, changing a line, tweaking some chords, or maybe even eliminating the bridge?  Just walk away from that song.  It’s probably best left in the notebook you first wrote it in.

Do you have a guitar that every time you play it you find yourself laughing into the microphone and telling the crowd, “This thing always goes out of tune.”?  Maybe that money that the venue is paying you and the tips you’re getting need to go toward finally getting a new guitar.  Sure, you probably have some sentimental story (or stories) about the times that you and the guitar have been through, but hang it on the wall and leave it there.

Are you somewhere in the singer/songwriter category, perhaps folk pop, yet you’re always trying to push out an AC/DC cover on-stage?  Or Journey?  We know you want to please the crowd and get them all up dancing and singing along.  Yes, it’s a common temptation when you see so many other performers doing those.  But, just because you live in a garage, that doesn’t make you a car.  You’re not meant to perform rock songs, so just walk away from them.

Is there a joke that you always tell in conjunction with a certain song that you always perform, yet you’re the only one who laughs at it?  Don’t fool around with the wording of the joke.  Accept that you’re a musician, and not a stand-up comedian.  You’re not up there to tell jokes, so, just walk away from that material and stick to lyrics instead of punchlines.

Have you auditioned for “American Idol,” and/or “The Voice,” and/or “America’s Got Talent” a combined three or more times?  Yes, there are stories of people who have auditioned more than once and gotten on the show.  But those are few and far between.  You’re wasting time, gas, and money, and your friends are running out of ways to say, “You’re better than that show anyway.”  Clearly, you’re not.  Walk away from the audition emails, websites, and lines, and focus on other efforts with your career.

Now I’m going to walk away from this blog and wait to read your social media posts about what you’ve decided to finally walk away from.