We all have to start somewhere. Writing, painting, dancing–everything requires starting from a certain point and putting in the work to become better. Even something as simple as riding a bike required tons of practice (at least for me, it did) in order to be able to roll down the street without toppling over. No matter how much work we put in, what matters most is our mindset and attitude towards playing our instrument, improving ourselves as musicians, and the different musical situations we put ourselves in or are presented with.
When reading this quote, I think of young musicians who show up to a jam session eager to play. Eagerness is good, but attitude is not. Some of these musicians walk around with the attitude that everyone should automatically make room for them and that they are entitled to play. This isn’t saying that all young musicians and performers behave this way. Older musicians who have been playing for a long time act like this as well, sometimes not letting others “have their turn” with an instrument. Attitude can potentially make or break a musical situation if it isn’t given or received constructively.
This is also something to keep in mind when we mess up. This is inevitable. We’re all constantly learning. No one is perfect and not everything goes exactly as planned (or how you rehearsed it) all the time. I’m not saying not to strive to be a good or even a great musician or performer; what I am saying is to not let it completely derail you emotionally and mentally when and if you don’t hit that high note or you forget that line of the second verse. How you react (your mindset and your attitude) to these different situations will shape who you are as a musician and person, potentially hindering or aiding you in further development.
Everyone should remember the above quote as they continue developing as musicians and artists. We all started somewhere. Successful musicians (both young and old) who forget this become cocky and are less likely to help out a fellow musician both in and outside of a musical situation. Music is a communal, human thing. When we let attitude get in the way of making music–when we forget this idea that we all started playing “bad until we played good”–it ceases to be creative, no longer inclusive, but exclusive. No longer really music.