One of the very important things I can say about music is that you can't let anyone bring you down and destroy your dream. If you are a real musician, you know it. Don't let anyone else try to tell you different. There will always be someone out there that doesn't like your music. But what you have to realize is this...there are also thousands of people out there that WILL like it. Don't let someone that likes heavy metal put down your classical, or vice versa. My husband often tells me my music is boring. (I play a combination of classical, soft rock, blues, jazz, and classic rock) Coming from a guy who listens to heavy metal and some old rap...I tend not to let it bother me. Remember, if you enjoy your style...so will others.

Also, a real musician never lives a moment without music. Music follows them around like an aura...always there, always a work in progress. I'm always composing, at work and out on the go. I'm learning now how to be able to write music when I'm away from my keyboard. That way, I don't lose songs by forgetting them before I get a chance to get home and record them. Getting to know what notes are what when you haven't an instrument is hard, at least for me. But it is a good idea to study this as well.

A musician can sit there and anylize a piece...try to imagine what the person was thinking when they wrote it...studying every note and every expression the musician had made in the piece. For me, music has always been a study. "That's great how he did that drum solo", or, "Listen to the way the pianist paused in that one spot to allow the audience to linger on that one moment, letting it fade before he finishes the piece." Study other musicians' styles. Every musician is made from the combined styles of others that they've listened to their whole lives...really listen to theirs.

One thing I always do when I burn my pieces onto a cd is listen to them endlessly in the car on the way to work, or where ever I go in the car. Then I can study my own work and figure out what I want to change, or what I want to add. Always a work in progress. Always always...

Another thing I want to add is how a song may be ruined when one tries to make it too complicated. Sometimes the most beautiful songs have a simple melody, a simple beat. I once used to make the mistake of trying to make my music as complicated as possible. Perhaps trying to show my potential as a musician. Like saying, "Look what I can do!" Well, lately I've been concentrating on making a simple melody, and adding just enough layers to enhance that melody, not to bury it!

Well, hope this all makes sense. I've been a musician my whole life. Music has always been major to me. It wins out over anything else, always.

-Tracey