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I’m Here to Tell You Why You Are a Bad Musician, and Why You Need Better Equipment and Skills...

Writer: Chris Hughes/Wailin' Gnash
Chris Hughes/Wailin' Gnash
Oct 9
8 min read

That’s a heavy accusation, isn’t it? Before you close this window in a fit of rage, let me explain where that thought comes from. Last night, as I was laying in bed trying to doze off for the second time, I was scrolling through Facebook. Looking past the politics and the ads, I was staring at a sea of local music flyers, gear groups, and videos of players. And as I lay there browsing, a harsh reality about "where we are" in the modern music industry hit me like a runaway Amazon delivery truck.


The truth is, I don’t know anything about your specific skills, and I don't know what kind of gear is currently sitting in your stash. That is your own bag of tricks. But looking at the state of the music world today compared to where it was forty years ago, we have to talk about what it actually means to be a "good" or "bad" musician in an era where everything has become so incredibly easy... but is it actually easier? Or has it actually become much harder to maneuver, and more difficult to make a mark in the industry?

 

Having worn a dozen different hats across various corners of the music business over the decades—though admittedly to a far lesser extent now than I used to—I can't help but notice how drastically this industry has shifted. Yet, some things never change. There will always be that unquenchable desire inside everyday musicians to better themselves, conquer their instruments, create something out of nothing, and carve out a name for themselves. We all want our creations to be recognized, respected, and let's be honest, compensated. And there is still the desire for fame and fortune in many cases. There are also the people who are just surviving in the industry, simply because they've done it for so long that it's what they know and where they are comfortable. Then there are some, like myself, who once saw music as a God-given ability and pursued it with all their heart and passion for many years, but walked away for a variety of reasons, only to eventually come back to playing, performing, and writing.


I’ve done that back-and-forth cha-cha many times. I will say, for me personally, each decision to return has been more difficult than the last. It doesn't matter if you come back to pursue the exact same goals you had before, to make a few fast bucks when the economy is tight, or just to play as a hobbyist. Regardless of the reason, the landscape of the music business has changed drastically over the last 40 years.


Technologically speaking, the modern landscape is nothing short of miraculous. It offers independent musicians tools that used to require a massive record deal or incredibly deep pockets. Today, it seems like there’s a 13-year-old kid with a professional-grade home recording setup on every single block. The ability to write, record, and globally distribute your tracks from the sanctity and comfort of home has completely upended the old status quo.


The internet has democratized music education, too. The number of young kids who are absolute monsters on their instruments is completely off the charts. For veteran musicians, it can honestly be frustrating and a little disheartening to watch a 10-year-old display a level of technical proficiency that older guys won't achieve in a lifetime of trying.


But while the internet serves as a revolutionary platform for networking and showcasing your product, it has also destroyed the very friction that once drove us to become musicians. "Back in the day," the only way to get the word out was a handmade flyer and a physical live performance. If you wanted to play with other musicians, you couldn't just swap files online; you had to set up a real jam session and physically get together.


We used to learn songs by playing cassettes and vinyl over and over, manually dropping the needle or rewinding the tape back a few grooves, trying to decipher cryptic lyrics on a legal pad. Today, you just copy and paste the lyrics from a server into a word processor and hit print. You can learn, write, record, distribute, and promote without ever leaving your desk. It is revolutionary, yes. But by the same measure, it has meant the destruction of many of the facets of playing music that used to make it a true community.


Most music lovers and old-school players remember the absolute rush of going to the local record store or discount shop to buy new music. Whether it was a 99-cent single, a five-dollar album, or digging through the cutout bins, it was an event. Who among us didn't belong to Columbia House at some point? We signed up to get 10 cassettes or vinyl records for a penny, and even though they'd inevitably mail you random junk you didn't ask for instead of your actual selections, we still couldn't wait for that package to arrive.


We were the kind of fans who would sit by the radio all night with our fingers hovering over the play/record buttons of a cassette deck, waiting hours just to capture our favorite song on a mixtape so we could learn it and share it with friends. I guess a lot of kids today don’t even realize that’s where the term "mixtape" actually comes from.

We were a different breed of music fans back then. Even if your favorite artist put out an album you didn't completely love, you stayed a fan. You supported them through the evolution, hoping they might return to their roots on the next record, but there wasn't this modern animosity about change. Lineup changes were a drag, but it was just part of the deal.


Today, audiences are far more tribal, vocal, and bitter. Politics has poisoned the well. Back then, we were just music fans proud of the artists coming out of our hometowns or our country. Now, as classic rock giants age out, pass away, or do their best to keep touring for the fans who love them, they are constantly dismissed on social media as "nothing but glorified cover bands cashing in on a paycheck." Without the original lineup or an active record deal, they are written off entirely by people behind a keyboard.


The tragic irony is that music is supposed to be the ultimate unifier. It should be medicine for the spirit, art for the ear, and common ground for the soul. It was never meant to be a tool to divide us.


Because everyone approaches this craft differently, we can't expect our definitions of success to be identical. To understand where the soul of the modern musician hides, we have to look at the different reasons people pick up an instrument in the first place.

This isn’t an all-encompassing guide, but it hits the core realities from a working musician's notebook:



The Working Musician's Breakdown: Types of Creators


  • Home Musicians: Creators who play strictly at home for their own personal enjoyment and mental release.


  • Practicing for a Purpose Musicians: Developing players who practice regularly with the specific intent of pursuing a career in music.


  • Non-Performing Amateur Songwriters: Writers who craft songs for themselves or others but have zero desire to ever step on a stage.


  • Professional Songwriters: Industry professionals whose main objective is writing songs for publishing, sale, or performance by other artists.


  • Singer/Songwriters: Artists who write their own original material and perform it live or on recordings.


  • Studio Musicians: Session players who play professionally, focusing on recording tracks for other people's projects for pay.


  • Cover/Copy Musicians: Solo acts or bands who perform other people's music, driven by the joy of live playing and the gig economy.


  • Original Bands: Collaborators who focus exclusively on writing, performing, and recording their own collective music.


  • The Weekend Warrior: Corporate or trade workers by day who gig hard on Friday and Saturday nights, using the stage as a vital creative escape from the 9-to-5 grind.


  • The Hired Gun / Touring Sideman: Independent players hired to back up a specific artist on the road, focusing on live endurance and executing someone else's vision night after night.


  • The Busker / Street Performer: Musicians who perform in public spaces for tips, driven by raw, immediate public engagement and capturing the attention of passing strangers.


  • The Content Creator Musician: Artists whose main stage is digital (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram Reels), focusing heavily on high-frequency video production and algorithm engagement over traditional live gigging.


  • AI Musicians: Creators utilizing artificial intelligence to make music due to limited traditional skills/gear, or professionals using it to streamline song-pitching.


  • Teachers: Educators who pass down skills, finding mentorship to be personally, creatively, or monetarily rewarding.


  • The Church & Liturgical Musician: Players who perform weekly services, where their purpose is deeply tied to community, faith, and spiritual atmosphere.


  • The Musical Therapist: Professionals using instruments and song structure specifically for healthcare, rehabilitation, and mental health support.


  • Recordists: Creators deeply embedded in the technical and creative world of audio engineering and studio production.


  • Live Sound Engineers: Technical artists who mix, produce, or run live sound, shaping how the music actually hits the room.



Looking down this list, it becomes obvious that there isn't just one way to be a musician. Our goals, our gear, and our stages look completely different from one person to the next.

So why did I start this piece by telling you that you are a bad musician?


Because in a modern world where everything has become so effortless, it is incredibly easy to become lazy with our art. When technology removes all the friction, we risk losing the patience, the community, and the raw soul that used to define the craft. If we spend more time behind keyboards acting as tribal critics instead of looking each other in the eye at a real jam session, we fail the very purpose of what music is supposed to be.


You don't need better equipment or monster skills to be a good musician. You just need to remember why you picked up the instrument in the first place. Whether you are playing strictly for your own mental release at home, gigging hard on the weekends as a warrior, or chasing original songs down the highway, the goal remains the same: keep the soul in the sound and use it to build bridges, not walls.


I have provided a list of some folks who have caught my eye, and work hard within the industry here in the Houston/Galveston Gulf Coast area. This list is "once again" not an all-inclusive list, but it will point you in their direction and perhaps shine a light on their hard work and support they give back in the music community. I hope you will support their endeavors at every opportunity.






Let's start the conversation in the comments below. Take a look at the list above and let me know:

Which of these categories do you currently find yourself in? And looking back at your own journey, what is the single biggest change you've noticed in the music scene since you first started playing?

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