Being competitive is part of the equation of what drives many people to
work hard and try to get better
I agree a million times.
I've told this story too many times on Harp-l, so I'll abreviate it.
When I was a hotshot 15 year old harpist I was introduced by my mentor to a
14 year old kid, Tom, who was over a billion clicks better than I was. I
was devastated, but I hung around the guy for two straight years so that I
could vacuum up all his licks and talent and get better than him. I wound
up doing that and he even admitted I had passed him by, and it is one of
the major reasons I got really good at harmonica.
At the very same time I had a student who was a couple of years younger
than me, and he practiced like a fiend with the goal of passing ME by. I
knew he was chasing me, and I LOVED it because I was getting better, too,
so every time he'd hit a jam session gunning for me I'd blow his mind
because he'd leapt over where I was a few weeks ago, but I had leapt over
where he was now. Fabulous.
Without that competition I would have remained sloppy and boring, I
wouldn't have become a good musician.
Lennon and McCartney were in competition with each other. For four
straight years they'd write in the same room together, often working on
different songs. If one made a leap the other would get horribly jealous
and make his own leap.
Back in the 1930's, when there were lots of clubs offering music, you only
kept your gig until a better player showed up who wanted it.
It was a GREAT incentive for musicians to get better and better. To make
real music instead of stringing a bunch of riffs together in a meaningless
fashion. The audience was, and is, there to get a great musical
experience. Even your mom will secretly dig a better player than you,
though your mother is wise and she'll tell you to hang out with that guy
and vacuum up all his licks and talent.
Muddy Waters and Little Walter would go around to nightclubs and cut other
musicians just to build their reputations. They became one of the premier
attractions in Chicago when EVERYONE played great. Not only were they the
best, they kept getting better by continuing to gun for all the other cats,
who were most assuredly dreaming up ways to cut them. And they made the
best paydays.
Playing pretty good music is fun, and it should be. Playing great music is
alot more fun.
Hell, cutting other players is fun, especially if they cut you last
time. It better be fun. They'll cut you next time.
Players who wish to improve: PRAY that some players in your town want to
compete with you, and that you get the bug yourself, and that you keep
getting better as fast as they do.