My Color Music

I’ve said it before … and I’ll say it again: All great musicians are total nerds.  And that’s how they got so good. But you’ll sometimes see musicians who naturally have more mojo. Like they were born with an extra dose of suaveness.

To see what I mean, check out the following shortlist of extra cool musicians. Am I right … or am I wrong? Do these musicians seem especially cool to you?

Music basically took these guys to the next level. Sure, they might have made some pretty cool accountants, police officers, or airline pilots. But they’re all especially hip because of music.

So, all I want to know is … what will music do for you?

After recently watching that video by The Cars, I think we all might have noticed something interesting … that is, even good musicians can be total nerds. I mean, The Cars really know how to rock. But part of the reason that band is so cool is that they’re also pretty nerdy.

In fact, you might even say that all great musicians are like that. Because, if you think about it, they kind of have to be … right? Making music is all about patterns, patience, and practice. It takes time and focus. So to get really good at making music, you have to get into it. And that means you have to geek out a bit.

But what’s nice is … it’s all worth it. Seriously—practice doesn’t just make you perfect. It also makes you cool. (Just ask The Cars’ front man, Ric Ocasek, who’s married to model, Paulina Porizkova.) You see, one of the best things about music is that it turns nerds into hipsters. Like magic.

If you don’t believe me, then check out these famous examples from history. All of these people are well-known for being cool (while secretly living the life of a music nerd):

Don’t get me wrong … I love all of these guys. And each one of them is very cool. But that’s because they’re all really good at what they do. And, of course, they got that good because … well, because they’re complete music nerds. Anyway, who do you think is the biggest music geek of all time? And what instruments do they play? I’d love to hear what you think.

Like I said … chords make music especially cool. They add weight to a song and provide support for the melody. By giving our ears something to listen to, chords just make life more interesting.

At the same time, chords also create a little more work for our hands. And that’s because, on a keyboard, the right hand focuses on the melody (in the treble staff), while the left hand picks out the notes of each chord (in the bass staff).

As it turns out, it’s all pretty easy. Sure, it might take a little more coordination … as we play melodies with one hand and chords with the other. But it’s also very basic. Like learning to dance, ride a bike, or jump rope, it just takes some focus … and a little practice.

And who knows … after a little while, you might even learn to play like this: