• Self-Improvement

    The Secret Link Between Chess & Playing Music By Ear

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    Along with golf, I’ve recently picked up playing chess. And like any new interest, I’m a huge proponent of immersing myself in the topic by reading books, subscribing to services to learn from others’ experience, and of course, practicing regularly by playing friends online. But I cannot underscore enough, the power of “reading.” Some will [...]

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    “If You Think You Can or Cannot, You’re Right”

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    I learned a long time ago that nothing is hard and nothing is easy. Everything is relative. Playing in one key is not more difficult than the other. If you’re a gospel player, Ab may come easy to you because there are an overwhelming amount of songs written in that key. If you’re classically-trained, you [...]

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    How To Build Momentum Towards Your Musical Goals

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    Not to get too scientific but Newton’s First Law Of Motion states: “Objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless something stops their momentum.” What does that mean for your playing? Your life? It means that whatever state you’re currently in will most likely remain that way until…

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    “If I Only Had More Time”

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    Having the privilege to interact with tens of thousands of musicians online every year, I get to see the collective reasons, objections, and excuses given for not practicing or staying focused on one’s music. And overwhelmingly, “TIME” is the excuse.

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    “Being In The Now”… The Key To New Insights

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    Here’s the problem with any activity, skill, hobby, or craft that takes a considerable amount of time to master…

    You might even find this counter-intuitive but it’s: “memory.” Here’s why. The first time you do something is always a journey of discovery…

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    Don’t Throw In The Towel…

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    My brother in law was over during the holidays and it’s become a tradition for us to dust of my xbox 360 and enjoy a game of Nba 2k or Madden Football. (I can’t stand playing the computer so the only time I engage in video games is when I can play a real person… “in person.”) Well, every year is the same…

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    The Key To Real Growth This Year…

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    You’ve heard it before… “Practice Makes Perfect.” You may have heard it this way as well: “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect.” I prefer the latter because you can definitely practice something incorrectly and get “perfect” at doing it WRONG. But at the end of the day, it’s about making and putting in the time.

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    Happy New Year… Or Happy New YOU?

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    I’ve been fortunate and blessed to see 28 new years in my lifetime. And while I probably didn’t understand what was going on for the first 5, I’ve been cognizant of at least 20 of them. And so, for at least 20 years, I’ve seen how excited we get about the New Year. We make resolutions. We make goals. We make decisions to cut off or cut out things that are not good for us. We set out to lose weight, increase our productivity, make more money, reach a lifelong dream, etc. And that’s all good and fine.

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    Awesome Feedback From A Student

    by Jermaine Griggs
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    If you haven’t signed up for the 4 free video lessons, I highly recommend it. Click here. After watching the 4 videos, student Tosyn Omojola had these touching words for me…

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    Pop Warner Football, Busted Lip, Stitches… And What It Taught Me!

    by Jermaine Griggs

    If you’ve read my story about being born severely bowlegged with little chance of walking properly, then perhaps you’ll understand why mom and grandma kept me away from sports.

    But somehow, pop warner football slipped through the cracks and I found myself playing tackle football for the first time in my life. I was 12 and boy was I thrilled!

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