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:

Aug 12 2011 03:37 PM tal******yne@yahoo.com
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Subject: TOO MUCH WORDS FOR YOU.

Jermaine,

Throughout the period of this special video release, I’ve been preparing for a professional certification, but I ensured that I watched and learned from the videos.

My soul keeps blessing you each time.

Let me tell you what you’ve achieved in me…

I never had problems picking the key to a song. I sort of have ears for music (even before I started playing Lead and Bass guitars), but in all of the four videos I learnt these two crucial lessons that I will always be grateful to you for.

1.
I have always known there are 3 major (1,4,5) , 3 minor (2,3,6) and 1(7) diminished chords in a scale. You know what the puzzle is over the years? I never knew what makes a major chord major, nor what makes a minor chord minor let a lone a diminished chord. I used to think those were the names given those chords by the inventors of musical theory.
Now in this video series I learnt and now understand why a major is a major and why a minor is so called, likewise a diminished (7th) chord.

2.
I have read books talking about the cycle of fifths or fourths and, somehow, I always carry the image around in my head trying to figure out its meaning and application. Recently, I started playing keyboard in church and, because I promised myself not to ever transpose but play any song on its natural key (which I’ve been faithful to, with some challenges of course, for a starter). When I play bass accompanyment, I placed my left hand on the keys such that my little finger and thumb rest on the key octaves while my index finger rests(automatically) on the 5th note of the octave. This has been part of me such that I dont have to look at my left hand. I just know once I locate my target note, the 5th note will harmonise it and others would follow depending on how I choose to play.

So I’ve been trying to find a relationship between each root note I play and the corresponding 5th tone. After I watched this video four…I almost cried…I felt you’ve been spying on me. I felt like shouting. The Circle (or cycle) of 5ths just sank deep in me. That is what I’ve been looking for.

You made it happen. I don’t know what to say to you. You transformed my understanding. Now my playing will be impacted in a BIG way.

T.H.A.N.K. Y.O.U. GOD BLESS AND INCREASE YOU. You have been megaly helpful. I will always treasure you.

My response:

Tosyn,

While I’ll take credit, you’re the true hero here because you temporarily suspended any thoughts of “I already know this” and continued to study the videos anyway. And your breakthrough came in the minor details that eluded you in times past. I applaud you for your eagerness to learn and I appreciate your kind and encouraging words. They’ve made my day and I just had to share them with the rest of the community.

Keep up the great work and continue to excel. Applied knowledge is power.

All the best,
JG

I remember like it was yesterday.

I was 12 years old and my mom had just bought me my first “real” keyboard. I don’t recall much but I do remember being at Guitar Center all day long as she master negotiated the lowest deal possible. It was like we were buying a car.

By the end of the day, we walked out of there with a new keyboard, amplifier, stand, bag, sustain pedal, and cords — all for the price of just a keyboard! (I wish I could do that these days at the car dealership. I’m usually like “give me that one!” “Where do I sign?”)

Prior, I had a radio shack keyboard. Don’t get me wrong, it did the job and along with my grandma’s antique piano, I had more than enough to develop my skills (“It don’t matter where you start… only where you finish.”)

Unfortunately, the excitement of owning a real keyboard was short-lived when one day, while carrying the amplifier that was bigger than me, I tripped on a step, fell to the ground, and the amp crushed my thumb into 3 parts.

Doctors said my thumb would never be suitable for the piano and I better start learning how to play with 4 fingers. Three months after that, I dislocated my right pinky, which you can still notice til this day.

I was determined to play though. I played with one hand. I learned to play with the fingers I had left. I didn’t let any of this stop me. I couldn’t.

I once heard a quote: “A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.” (Author unknown).

I made the turn. And another. And another.

In fact, 12 was a very special age for me. I don’t remember all the things that happened at 12 but it’s a year I always go back to, mentally. It stands out more than any other adolescent year.

At that age, you couldn’t bribe me off the piano. I could hear a song and 3 minutes later, be playing it exactly as I heard it. Choir directors would bring their boom boxes to church, let me hear the song at rehearsal, and a few minutes later, was teaching it to the choir with full music, compliments of this 12 year old.

And guess what, just 1 year after that unfortunate accident with my fingers, as a 13-year old, I was playing for 5 churches and 2 regional children choirs. A couple years after that, had half a dozen part time students and started a gospel choir at my school. A year later, started hearandplay.com. Fast forward some years and now I reach over 2 million musicians every year.

Moral of story?

Don’t let your circumstances control you… you control them. If I had given up, if I had given in, if I had said “I hate this keyboard because it crushed my finger” or cast blame on my situation, I wouldn’t be where I am today. And chances are, you wouldn’t be reading my words right now.

Little turning points in life affect us years down the road. At every turn, there is a decision to make and when you turn one way versus another, the effects of that decision will be felt many miles (years) down the road.

I’m reminded of the Butterfly Effect, which essentially asserts that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause changes in the atmosphere that effect a huge weather event in another place of the world. Put another way: “Small hinges swing big doors.”

So as you go about life and strive to achieve and accomplish certain things — whether music or otherwise — think about the long term effects of your decisions and response to adversity and setbacks.

If you have little children, them witnessing mommy or daddy accomplishing something can affect their attitude towards achievement many years down the road whereas if they observe the slightest hint of you giving up, acting defeated, being easily frustrated — those things can have an impact on them in the same way.

Remember the butterfly.

That’s all I have for you today.

Until next time -

When I was young, my mom was told I’d probably never walk properly.

I was severely bowlegged. I don’t know if it was full blown Blount’s disease (as that tends to get worse with time whereas bowleggedness tends to straighten out as children develop), but it was bad.

I wore braces. I even had surgery where they break your shin bone to place it in the proper position.

As a child, I would get teased and called leprechaun all the time. Add that with my grandma’s incessant disapproval of sports (because she always thought we’d get hurt) and you’d probably say I was destined to be a “creative musician.”

And that’s what happened.

I couldn’t tell you I was an all-american, club-playing athlete in those years but I did excel in communications — whether speaking, writing, acting, or expressing myself musically. And those are the skills I honed over the years.

I mentioned all of this to say this:

Most of the time, you’re set up to be who you are — if you heed the signs, warnings, directions, the voice.

You’ve probably heard the saying: “When one door closes, another one opens.”

The problem is: Most of us focus on the door closing so we miss the door opening. We focus on what we can’t do til it blinds us of what we can do.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus told the story of the master who summoned three servants to him. He gave the first servant 5 talents, the next 2 talents, and the last 1 talent. When he returns, he expects them to have invested these talents, returning to him more than he had given them.

The servant given 5 talents returns 10. “My good and faithful servant!”

The one given 2 returns 4. “You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

The the last servant given 1 talent doesn’t make gain. He buried his talent and did nothing with it. The master is angry with him and not only punishes him but takes away his ONLY talent and gives it to the servant with the most.

It doesn’t matter where you start, only where you finish.

Do you focus on your “Can’ts” or on your “CANS?” … what you don’t have or what you DO have?

When one door closes, do you stand nose up to the door or do you turn around and immediately search for what has opened?

If you’ve failed at one thing, do you bring the “expectation of failure” to your next endeavor or do you start anew, knowing that your past doesn’t equal your future?

Some questions to ponder…

Until next time -

Today’s post isn’t directly about music but anything you aspire to achieve in life.

In most pursuits, you’ll probably start with nothing. Heck, if you’re like me, you’ll start with less than nothing.

Well no, I actually take that back because we ALL START WITH SOMETHING… so, I admit, the title of this post is a little misleading.

On the surface, it’s easy to see “nothing.” But there’s always something there.

For me, growing up in the inner city of Long Beach, CA, most would say I started with nothing (and I’ve been guilty of this) but as I ponder it, I had MORE than enough.

I had a loving mother and grandma who sheltered me from the mean streets. I had a church community that loved and supported me. I had a gift to learn fast, which included teaching myself piano at 7 years old. And I had a knack for talking. I was always the one picked to represent the group in class.

It’s not surprising that what I do today encompasses all those strengths. Purposefully or not, I found something that harnessed everything I was good at.

I think a lot of people find themselves in situations, careers, and endeavors that don’t complement what they’re already good at.

I subscribe to the “fix your weaknesses” ideology to some extent, but I’d far rather build up my strengths and team up with or have people around me who are strong where I am weak. That way, you get exponentially better at what you do great… and you let those around you get great at what they like doing.

When you have passion (what I call “The P Factor”) for something, you’ll never go wrong. (With that said, the endeavor has to be worthwhile but assuming it is, passion will keep you there trying and trying again until SOMETHING HAPPENS).

So when people ask me for advice, I always try to pinpoint what they are already good at and more so passionate about because where there is passion, everything else will fall in line.

But passion can’t exist without ACTION. And if you’re truly passionate about something, you’ll take action to learn everything you can about it… to do everything in your power to get better at it… to strive for excellence… to live it, breathe it, daydream about it, envision yourself doing it at your best.

On another note, imagine if someone gave you $1,440.00 everyday. You don’t have to ask for it. In many cases, you don’t deserve it but it keeps coming anyway… everyday, none stop — $1,440.00 (…a lot of money right?)

The only kicker: You have to spend it because it won’t “rollover” to the next day. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Would you find a way to spend it… give it away to someone who needs it… put it to [good] use?

Well, we do get 1,440 minutes a day but most squander it. And unfortunately, when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Yet if time were money (like many people say it is), why don’t we treat it the same way?

When it comes to your dreams, goals, aspirations in relation to others, TIME is the common denominator. We all have the same amount — no more, no less. So if “they” can do it with the time they have, you can too!

So if you truly want to get “something” from “nothing,” assessing your strengths, being passionate, taking action, and being cognizant of time is where it all starts.

Gotta go!

JG

Brought tears to my eyes…

He’s joking around in the beginning but around a minute into it, he gets serious. If he can have this much hope and joy for life, then what excuse do most of us have?