How Not To Suck

by Cari Cole

Are you secretly afraid that you might suck?

You’re not alone.

Did you know that there are big stars who think they do, too?

The good news is that pop music is not rocket science, and it’s not about perfection. It’s about imperfection – that’s what makes it so cool! If you take it too seriously, you’re not cool. It’s about style, using what you have, expressing something you can get behind and being entertaining for yourself and others.

I have a student who is constantly comparing herself to other artists. She berates herself for not having found her own style, yet she constantly tries to sound like other singers because she is insecure about her own sound. She wants so desperately to find her sound and yet is afraid – almost paralyzed by her fears of not being good enough. I know that at her core, she is afraid to be herself – on some level she thinks it’s better to be like someone else, as if there’s security in that. She also tends to work less on her voice than my other students – which is not unusual. Her perfectionism sabotages her all the time. We’re working on it together. The more she surrenders, the quicker she lets go of the heavy chains she doesn’t even know she’s dragging around.

The truth is, today’s music market is so highly competitive that everything you can do to improve your craft and conviction, the better it is for you. If you’re not growing or working hard at it, you have to ask yourself why?… Why don’t you do something about it? Is it because you secretly think you suck – or that somehow getting help will mess with your creativity? Don’t hold yourself back from carving your path and working your craft to the bone!

If you’re like me (obsessed with sounding good), then you want to suck as little as possible.

So here’s my top tips for How Not to Suck:

1. Train your voice – every day: Training your voice with a good vocal technique program absolutely works – it doesn’t take anything away from your style – it will only improve what you have. I’ve watched hundreds and even thousands of people over 20+ years transform their singing voices. Simply put, I believe in vocal training, not because it’s “good-for-you” like kale is good-for-you. It’s because it works. I just recently raised the bar on vocal training for all of my artists. I gave them an ultimatum. It’s working and their voices are getting really good, much faster. ;)But while technique will make your voice incredibly strong and help you deliver more to your audience, it’s only one part of it. And at the end of the day, the most important piece is the emotion a singer has, their message and how they give their audience a piece of them that makes us love them – not just the vocal instrument.
2. Study music, learn the language: As a trained musician you have a rich storehouse of tools that enrich your music and songwriting skills. I’ve always been the kind of person that has to know the structure behind things, so I have walked that path from early on. I started at 6 years old reading sheet music. But if you don’t, don’t fret – not everyone is like that. Time and time again I hear famous artists say they did it without lessons or reading music, and I honor that – whatever works for you. But to hold yourself back because you think it will take away something unique is to possibly limit your music. Get a theory book, take some piano or guitar lessons and learn your chord progressions!
3. Write the Best Songs You Can: As I often tell my students, “writing great songs takes a lot of practice.” You have to work at it every single day. Study it, read as many songwriting books as you can – push the limits here. Finish as many songs as you can – don’t try to make every song great… songs are snapshots. The important thing is to finish them. It’s easy to start songs, you have to learn how to finish them! It’s a large part of the craft. Try co-writing; 2 or 3 writers are better than one – and be sure to work with writers who are better than you, because you will learn from them. The biggest mistake with songwriting that I see artists make, is not working on their material enough. To breakout as an artist, you need songs that really speak to people. They’ll need to be better than what’s out there. You can’t compare yourself to 2nd or 3rd hits of artists that are already out in the marketplace. They have an audience already. You need to build your audience from your first song on. Co-writing is essential if you want to get somewhere in this business. It’s a great way of networking and getting help with your career. The more people who know about you the better. Meet co-writers at music conferences like the ASCAP Expo, Taxi Road Rally, Durango Songwriters Expo, and the Hollywood Reporter Conference among others. You can also meet songwriters through publishers or at open mics and by going out to see music. If you find a writer you like, ask them if they are open to co-writes.
4. Make the Music You Want to Hear: Period. This is the key to your success, and I don’t mean being indulgent – I mean being smart. When you are ready to record, create a budget, raise money online and don’t skimp on your recordings – do it right. You can’t get anywhere without a well-recorded record, which means:
   • Record only your best songs – that means your very, very best ones (get feedback from fans to help you choose).
   • Work with a Producer who has a vision for your music and can help you find your sound (not superimpose their sound on you). The best tip I can offer in regards to this is to find someone who has the sound you are looking for.
   • Record at a good studio, but spend your bigger dollars on mixing. You’ll need a great mix to get a good footing and to get a leg up out there. If you don’t, your music won’t get placed or get the attention you need.
5. Get Your Music Out There: Once you have a great product (album or EP), it’s time to do some heavy lifting. Too many DIY artists put their music out on iTunes and expect it to hit the big-time. Guess what happens: nothing – big fat zero. That’s because nothing will happen when you don’t do something to make it happen. PR, marketing & promotion are the worker bees of the industry; it’s what makes or breaks today’s artists. The days are over of being discovered. You have to carve your own path. There are many tips I can give you here and I go into this in much more detail in my Step Up to the Spotlight Program (and btw, several artists have made major strides in their career from this program), but for now, the best tip I can give you is to get connected in the industry by joining a performing rights organization (they pay you royalties) and I absolutely recommend ASCAP (I am an ASCAP writer and publisher member). You’ll have to have finished copyrighted songs in order to sign up. Register your songs with them and set up a meeting with member services to see what they can do for your career. Things happen by being active inside the industry, not waiting on the outside.
6. Visualize Your Career Succeeding in all the ways you want it to – every day. Science says your subconscious brain follows orders from your conscious brain. Watch what you tell yourself and spend at least 10 minutes every day imagining it working out exactly the way you want it to.

Bonus Tip: The 10,000 Hour Theory.
Training or not? Athlete’s, dancers, or musicians all agree, you have to put in your 10,000 hours until you are home free.

You can’t fool the public, and least of all yourself.