There are an estimated 50 million people in the world who claim they play the guitar. Meet the one person who works it.
Mike Rayburn is a guitar virtuoso. In fact, his concerts have sold out Carnegie Hall eight times.
But this isn’t about the talents of a renowned musician; it’s about the relentless work ethic that underlies a brilliant career. And if you aspire to greatness in any aspect of your life – or you want to help your kids/students/coworkers achieve greatness in their personal and/or professional pursuits, this is a study in how to go about that.
NOW AND BACK THEN
Mike Rayburn doesn’t front for a famed rock band, but he is in high demand all over the world as a convention keynote performer. (Check out his 2009 TedTalk.) His ability to blend masterful guitar working (it’s hard to call what he does ‘playing’) with hilarious comedy and an inspiring message of innovation is unparalleled. Over the years, Mike and I have presented on the same stage many times and we have become good friends. That being said, I am, first and foremost, a Rayburn fan.
This artist can make a guitar do things that even seasoned musicians would think impossible. And it’s not because he was born a child prodigy anointed with some genetic gift, but rather because Mike practices his craft for hours and hours every single day. Even at age 52, Mike Rayburn simply refuses to greet tomorrow without being significantly better than he is today.
Mike grew up in a family of highly competitive jocks. But when he was given a guitar as a gift on his 8th birthday, he tossed the football aside and fell in love with music. Self taught, Mike didn’t take formal guitar lessons but did spend a lot of time practicing and playing for friends. After high school, he left home for college to become a shop teacher; a vocation his father saw for Mike as a ‘safe’ career choice. But during his freshman year, Mike felt uninspired and threw ‘safe’ overboard. He left the college he was attending and headed east to enroll in the music program at James Madison University. It was at Madison where he studied guitar, practiced guitar, and studied and practiced some more. To earn tuition, he played evenings at local coffee shops and bars. Eventually, Mike Rayburn became one with the guitar, but that wasn’t enough. So he learned the history, the structure, the design, and every conceivable nuance of his instrument. And as he got better at the guitar, he got better at getting better. And after 44 years, his pursuit of continual improvement has never gone away.
EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A ROCK STAR, BUT FEW PUT IN THE PRACTICE
You might be thinking to yourself, “Yeah, well it’s a whole lot easier to work hard at playing the guitar than it is practicing to be a virtuoso accountant, truck driver, or fry cook.”
Not so.
What keeps Mike Rayburn progressing in his chosen profession is his insatiable desire to improve. I’m sure there are voices in his head that scream, “C’mon man. Why are you spending so much time practicing? You’re good enough as it is! Very few people can do what you can do. Give it rest. You’ve paid your dues. Just do what you do and let the money flow in.” But while so many are guided by voices of mediocrity, Rayburn tunes them out.
He confesses the extreme frustration he feels when he comes across a piece of music that he can’t play because it isn’t written for a guitar. Rather than accepting these ‘realities’ and moving on, Mike forces himself to figure out a methodology, and it challenges him to the core, often making him feel like a beginner. Take, for example, a song that was written by the late Freddy Mercury, frontman of the legendary band, Queen. Freddy wrote the hit Bohemian Rhapsody for a full orchestra and a choir of blended voices. Mike loves this piece, but wondered how it would ever be possible for one man using one guitar to play all those notes and voice tones and make it sound like the symphony Mercury intended? He could have simply moved on to another song, or continued to play those he already mastered and no one would have ever been the wiser. Instead, Mike spent more than 2,000 hours, in solitude, focused on making the impossible, possible. Hours, incidentally, that were unpaid, agonizing, and often left his fingers bleeding.
The result of that Herculean pursuit is now a symphony of one guitar, and if you have 6 minutes to experience it unfold, I promise it will leave you inspired and determined.
ON POINT – Mike Rayburn stands out as an example for anyone who wants to achieve greatness. In a world where there is no shortage of talent, many believe that success is based on the talent you are born with, and that this is a gift that is given randomly. Therefore, if you aren’t inherently blessed with some immediately recognizable raw gift for playing music, or throwing a ball, or deciphering complex algebraic equations, then you are destined to a life of mediocrity. Nothing could be further from the truth.
What are you doing today to become a virtuoso in your chosen profession?
Mike rocks, literally, and anybody who has ever heard him perform knows he’s best in class. He combines mastery with creativity to create musical magic. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Mike and his wife Tara through our collegial group, Speakers Roundtable. Not only is he a world class musician, but he’s a world class human being, deeply spiritual and totally authentic. Great article, Eric. Thanks for sharing.
Eric, I haven’t come across you before, but thanks to Mark Sanborn, you have my attention. While I don’t “know” Mike, I have had the privilege of talking with him for about 20 minutes after one of his performances. He IS the real deal, a superbly talented musician with an empathetic heart and the drive of a teacher. 10,000 hours? To Mike that was just a start. For those who have never heard Mike Rayburn, run don’t walk if you have the opportunity. It is an experience that you will remember, and if you are wise, you will let it change you just a little for the better!
Thanks, Craig. You obviously are a fan of excellence. I hope our paths cross someday soon.