If I were 22: Chad Lawson

#IfIwere22: I’d say yes to everything

“Before you can say no, you have to say yes,” I was once told. Take everything that comes your way. You don’t have to be good at it, and truth be told, you probably won’t be. That’s the point. But you’ll figure out what you are good at and your focus will turn from good to great.

When I joined a wedding/corporate band in my late teens did I envision it would be my only future? Not at all. But up until that point, the only world of music I had known was Bach, Chopin and the circle of composers that wrote everything down. It wasn’t until I started playing Stevie Wonder that I started playing things that weren’t written on paper. This led to jazz, which led to writing my own music, which led to a number one Billboard and iTunes release.

Early in your career mistakes aren’t allowed, they’re expected. You still have time to change the course of things. And you can only make mistakes by trying things you never thought you would throw your hat into.

#IfIwere22: I’d find a mentor

I started taking piano lessons at the age of five. I’m 41 now, and I still take piano lessons. I’ll take them as long as my fingers will move and my mind can retain the information – which some days feels like yesterday. I continue my studies for a number of reasons but the most important one is accountability.

If I am accountable to someone, it keeps me disciplined. A week goes by, maybe two weeks, things get busy and then before I know it, I haven’t touched the piano in three weeks. That’s unacceptable. Am I working on other things that will expand my career? Yes. But perhaps during that time I’m called to do a last minute show in front of a large audience. Are my chops rusty? Would I know how to create spontaneously after a time away from the 88s?

So, I continually study (jazz mostly), because it provides me with new colour, tones and sounds in ways I had never imagined, and it allows me to stay honest to my craft as a pianist.

#IfIwere22: I’d be myself

This is a difficult one. Especially when trying to find your place in the field of your passion. It wasn’t until I was recording an album, The Space Between, at the age of 38 that I became comfortable in my own skin. The general tone of this album is very sparse. You could probably take a nap between the notes because they’re so long. Having come from a jazz background, where everything had to be fast, it never felt like me or what I wanted to be as a pianist. So with The Space Between, I found myself asking ‘Why am I trying to rush this?’ I told myself to be patient and if part of a song only had three notes being played, and that’s exactly what I felt, then so be it. It may be one of my favourite albums that I’ve recorded. 

#IfIwere22: I’d step away

Find an outlet to escape your passion. This sounds strange, I know. Work diligently at your craft. Be willing to go broke for it. But find something that allows you to put the pencil down, close the lid of the piano or laptop.

I run. I love to run. I don’t have a competitive bone in my body, but running allows me to step away from what I’m doing and change my perspective. Some of my most unique ideas have come to me while running. Sometimes I literally run a few minutes, stop and open Evernote, run a few minutes, and stop again. For me, ideas come outside of the office more than from the inside.

I once read that Steve Jobs would take walks rather than having meetings at his office. Get outside of your box and let your mind work on things behind the scenes. What you see before you is one thing, but your mind is subconsciously working every moment of the day. Perhaps watching a film, maybe you love baking chocolate chip cookies (private message me for my address, please) or volunteering for elderly people at a care centre – whatever it is, step away from what you see everyday.

#IfIwere22: I’d find inspiration elsewhere

As I mentioned before, I was classically trained and eventually moved into jazz. While I absolutely love these two styles of music, I honestly don’t listen to either of them much, especially solo piano. I’d rather not be influenced by other pianists. I immerse myself in every other style I can find, particularly on long runs when I can listen without being distracted.

A few years ago, I heard a bass drum pattern on a Lorde song and thought ‘what if I had the cello playing that rhythm over the piece I’m working on?’. Inspiration can come in the most unusual forms and I find the further from my own ‘sound’ that I explore, the larger my palate becomes. If all you do is focus on your contemporaries, there’s less chance you’ll break the mould and stand out in an otherwise crowded domain.

Chad Lawson is a pianist and composer.
www.chadlawson.com