You might have guessed it, considering you’re on a guitar lessons website, but did you know that a lot of successful people play an instrument? It could be a saxophone, piano, violin, the guitar or even drums, anything that helps to focus on music and switch off from other activities.
I love reading biographies and stories about successful people, and I found it fascinating that success and musical abilities can go hand in hand. By musical abilities, however, I don’t necessarily mean superhuman virtuoso skills, it is just the ability to play an instrument to a decent level.
Some Examples Of Successful Amateur Musicians
- Google’s CEO Larry Page plays the saxophone and studied music composition. He says that being a musician was integral to Google’s success
- The CEO of Microsoft, Paul Allen is also an avid guitar player and in 2013 released an album with his band The Underthinkers called “Everywhere At Once”
- Famous actor Clint Eastwood plays the piano, and according to his friend he 'would actually play the piano until his fingers were bleeding'
- heoretical physicist Albert Einstein played the violin to help him brainstorm new ideas and quite possibly playing an instrument contributed to the development of the theory of relativity
- Famous American inventor Thomas Edison while working on inventions such as the phonograph, the electric light and the autographic printer played the piano in his spare time
The research conducted by psychologist Dr Ines Jentzsch revealed that being musically active not only enriches the quality of life but also can slow down or even reverse mental dysfunctioning caused by ageing. You can read more about this research here: https://www.sciencedirect.com…
Interestingly, I also noticed that many of my clients, who attend my private, one-to-one guitar lessons, hold high positions and are usually successful business owners. When I ask them why they enjoy playing music so much, they usually say that playing an instrument helps to take the edge off their day, when they usually have quite stressful jobs. Music helps them to relax, gain perspective and enhance creativity, which in turn, leads to bigger professional success. Their guitar journey’s also don’t end at my guitar studio, they often play in local bands and have a quite a dedicated fan base!
People who study music, develop patience, creativity, pattern connection, perseverance and many other skills which successful people need in their demanding jobs… So maybe this is not a coincidence that playing an instrument is so popular among leaders.
I believe these skills project into our everyday lives. By reinforcing these qualities, you can become not only a better guitarist but also a more successful person, and that can be a success at the level that you define for yourself.
When I was growing up, my father was the only person at his work that played the guitar and also, as it turns out, he was the most sought after car mechanic at the garage. To this day in his older age, he is amazingly creative and healthy, far beyond all of his friends. As you might have also guessed, he also inspired me the play the guitar, which I am grateful for every day.
Do you agree that there is a relatively strong connection between playing an instrument and success? If you’re thinking of learning the guitar, piano or any other instrument, you will be gaining some of the skills that successful people use every day in their life and hopefully also benefit from the calming effects that playing an instrument brings.
What do you think? Do you play an instrument and if so, how does it affect your everyday life?
Darius | Guitar Couch Lessons
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