Check your ego at the door

I was just reading a great interview with one of my favourite guitarists, Carlos Santana, this morning. What really stands out with this guy, whether you love him or loathe him, is just his sheer love of what he does. Something that struck me was when he talked about the fact that other people had warned him against playing with people "better" than him, such Herbie Hancock, Jeff Beck, or Steve Lukather. Carlos' response was that he didn't really care what people thought, he wasn't there to compete, he was there to learn from them. The guy still does it, working with new artists and old from all genres, he sees his role as complimentary, almost part of an whole rather than the star.

I like that attitude and it's what I want to be known for, rather than any percieved ability. Because of our culture and who we make heroes off, musicians often have a problem when it comes to ego and competition. Lead guitarists are often the worst. The old joke goes, "How many lead guitarists does it take to change a light bulb? ...10, one to change it and the other 9 to stand around saying, 'I could do that!'."


And don't kid yourself that Christian musicians get away with it. I've been lucky enough to meet and have contact with musicians of all levels both Christian and non-Christian. To be honest there was often no way of telling, there is an equal amount of humility and ego in both camps. The guys that get around it are those who aren't doing it for any reason other than they just love doing it. These are the guys who get off whether they are fronting the gig or just playing some chords in the background. They are also the guys who willing to share, teach and mentor in orer to pass it on. Danny Daniels was one of those guys for me. A really great musician, I played for him a few times when he came to Southend to do some blues gigs in the pubs. I learned a lot from watching him and listening to him. He'd been around but he knew his stuff and he was real. Those gigs and rehearsals did me more good than months of lessons ever would have.

So, let's put any competition and ego aside and make a decision that our job as musicians is to make the other guy sound great. Who fancies a jam then...?