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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/6/2008 8:09:37 AM | Realising that starting out by putting a band together, writing all your own originals, paying studio time to make an album, then sitting back and waiting to be discovered does NOT work. You have a better chance of hitting Lotto.
You have to pay your dues like the rest of us.....play crappy bars for the door, play cover tunes that you despise, absorb abuse from jaded club owners and staff, and interactwith the general danceclub/pub population, or at least tolerate them , even though they are boorish drunks. | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/6/2008 4:09:54 PM | Don't be afraid of connecting with your audience. Acknowledge them and try to connect. Eye contact is good or smile, even a nod. You might even want to pretend they're in your living room....
If you're a singer... avoid singing songs that aren't in your key. If others can't play the song in your key, then find a new song or someone else to play it. Know your lyrics. But, if you ever forget - don't sweat - fake it or admit it. ... | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/7/2008 1:22:04 AM | Great thread, great responses. I pulled out the ones I agree with.
musically, i want to do things that nobody has done or isnt doing.
i keep my mind and ears open and listen to as many different types of music as i can (and can tolerate lol!)
and of course practice and silence.
We're all gonna die someday....make life count...and play your ass off.
Technique comes from accuracy. Accuracy comes from practicing slowly at first. Practicing slowly is for allowing yourself time to find and correct inaccuracies, not for mindlessly waiting until you play another note. | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/20/2008 6:34:36 PM | Practice good showmanship, even if you're music isn't totally perfected.
Dress so that you do not look like you are part of the crowd or the audience-stand out, accordingly.
Don't start of your 1st set already drunk and high-it's a long way down for the rest of the gig.
Clean your tongue- nothing worse to see a coated tongue when a singer or any other musician opens their mouth to sing or speak.
If you are playing in a band, everyone playing should be introduced, especially after a solo.
Don't become like most other musician who think it's their duty and right to screw around with anything that's got something to get you high.
It doesn't make you a better musician.
Get paid in money, not booze.
Wipe the coke of your nose, before performing.
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
Get a good manager/agent so you don't have to work for chump change and no future.
Keep yourself and your instrument clean and in good shape. | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/20/2008 8:18:41 PM | Wow I can't believe I made the same post twice. Ok seriously.
Practice standing up, the guitar sits differently.
Practice moving around, get a wireless if you can. You want to know the songs inside and out, so you aren't staring at the neck all night.
NO MUSIC STANDS ON STAGE.... EVER
If you need a stand, you don't know the music good enough. If you are going to be a professional, BE a professional.
If you are practicing as a band, practice in a straight line facing away from the drummer, as though you were at a gig. This will get you used to the position. Lots of bands practice in a semi-circle around the drummer, and when they play a gig, they end up slowly turning until they are pretty much playing to the drummer. You are playing to the crowd, not the drummer.
Also a couple practices before the gig, whip up some sets and go through them as though at a gig, non stop. No do-overs, just soldier on through and see how it goes. Time the sets as well.
Have fun on stage, smile, look around, move around. Videotape yourself if you can, this will give you something to critique yourself from. We noticed we played certain songs a bit fast, so it helped us realize this and were able to slow down as a result.
Be tuned up before you go on stage, and no noodling before or between songs. You should be tuned up, and ready to go. Nothing more bush league than a band all farting around between songs. Have a beer or two, but don't overdo it. There is plenty of time to drink after the gig is over, in the hotel. Again, you want to be professional, being drunk on stage doesn't impress too many people.
Buy a volume pedal, or a tuner that cuts the signal. You can quickly check your tuning between songs, probably every second or third song. Quietly put it back into tune. Have a spare guitar if you can, in case you break a string. Mine all have Floyds (yeah, old school) so I would typically have 3. My main one, a back up, and one tuned to Drop-D
With the sets, do a couple songs at a time, nothing worse than a singer talking between every single song, really breaks up the flow. Again, have fun, move around. If you are having fun up there, the audience can't help but have fun as well!
My old band, I'm on the left with they looooong black hair, and pink guitar. (LOL yeah they just don't make guitars that color anymore) Jumping around like a fool, having a hoot. Place is packed, people are loving it. It was a great time!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UEDYQx4MZtQ | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/22/2008 7:41:49 AM | This is the best post I've seen on the forums, setting aside the cleaning directions. In order of importance:
1. Get an education from a qualified source or sources. Take lessons from a reputable local professional or sign up at a local college for an extension course or two on nights or weekends. If you fuss around by ear you'll never live up to your own potential. 99% of those who skip this step miss the mark. A good amateur will always be swept away by those who are technically fluent. Keep in mind there are only 12 notes to learn, and that's hardly a deterrant if you can manage to memorize them. The rest pretty much falls into place as you do it.
2. While you're doing step #1: practice. Then, practice some more. Set baby-step goals every day and progress exactly as fast as you achieve them.
3. Never play for free. You put the time, funds and effort into steps one and two. If you'd gone to dental school, would you give away free dental care? Only work for free if it is some charitable cause, and only if you are compensated for at least the expense of getting there.
That is the short answer.
/I | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/22/2008 8:27:37 AM | Chet Baker said ''keep it simple and play loud'' 
I agree about keeping your instrument clean, I picked up this guys strat & the body was thick dust & the strings had tiny mountains of black crud under them. it was disgustingly filthy.
my own are cleaned after every play. | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/22/2008 2:49:34 PM | | help out the rest of the guys in the band! dont baby sit em ,but try to make everybodies job as fun and simple as possible...Be the easy going guy that people WANT to play with! P.S. never touch the knobs on another players amp! or put drinks on anybodies amp,and singers? please buy your self a good mic. and a good cord,dont rely on the mics at gigs,you never know if some drunk just threw up on the mic your about to use! haha... | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/23/2008 3:55:44 AM | music music music
music is not about theory
is it good to learn, yes, can it help you
amazingly so
is it required no,
im personally tired of hearing people groan because i use down tunings... and they have more musical knowledge than me
and can recreate my entire song in normal standard tuning
i could care less
okay ive written some very strict guidelines you should follow
some serious, some funny
all true
1. music comes from the inside, it is an expression of yourself, use it as such
2. if the expression of yourself gets fed up with music theory, toss it and rely on your ear, practice, and repitition
3. start singing when playing guitar immeaditly, or its a whole other learning curve later on
4. DO NOT read everything in a guitar magazine... on how to create a song... and consider it one of the ten commandments in the bible
5. DO begin creating music as soon as you touch the guitar, always create.
6. DO start coming up with music ideas in your head, and begin praciticing duplicating it on your instrument of choice ( extremely valuable skill when song writing )
7. DO NOT ever.... EVER... let other people discourage you. you keep playing no matter what....... however
8. always have an open ear for ideas. never dismiss an opinion. just dont take the bad ones to heart.
9. No song needs 10 solos, ever
10. amazing song writing will always beat amazing lead work, hands down
11. do learn bits about other instruments as you can. you can take the same ideas ie on guitar.... and be able to convert it on piano... which will open up all kinds of new possibilities
12. do learn how to open a beer bottle 50 different ways before your third live gig
13. excess drinking makes you sloppy, unless your a seasoned pro
... then what happens..... is if you dont drink... you screw up
so really decide what your going to be
14. if you think your a good drunken player.... make sure to get an outsiders view who is currently not taking shots with you
15. if your parents dont like your music
it usually means your on the right path
16. do not smash your guitar on stage for the crowd, only to remember seconds later that was perhaps the only one you owned
17. if you get drunk at practice, do not allow a video camera to tape the practice, otherwise you will pay for it on youtube later
18. if this does happen, you might as well use it as free publicity
consider it, your sacrifice for the band
19. if at any point in time in " practice "
you believe one of your pa speakers is smoking
do not continue playing to see if it will magically erupt into a ball of flame at the end of the song
20. if your singer
constantly tells you to turn down your halfstack cause he cant hear himself
and you respond to turning it higher
allow him to take a bat to your leg
21. if you feel the need to force your singer to scream
feel free to allow him to take out the other leg
22. if you feel that the only songs you will consider playing are the heaviest darkest metal on the face of the planet
allow him to cut off the thumb on your strumming hand just to force you to think of something different
23. never brag if you cant back it up
24. never back it up, and well... fail
25. never brag about skills on guitar hero
25. preforming a rock " stance " while playing live has proven to only impress girls
26. always preform a rock stance
27. never allow girlfriends to enter into the place of practice
unless they have enough friends for the rest of the bandmates
and some
28. create porn movies as a way of advertising your music
your girlfriend will thank you later when you are rich
29. you can never have enough bass
30. never let someone convince you that writing catchy songs is bad
31. if someone tells you that and proceeds to play 200 triplets of 3 drop d chords
while flailing his long hair around
feel free to kick him in the balls, just as a scientific experiment to prove that those drop d chords didnt in fact
give him balls of steel
amen
some more later
32. ill write more later | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/23/2008 4:05:18 AM | From my experience, the most important thing for musicians to do, regardless of their technical abilities, or the gear they have, is to get together with other musicians as soon as possible. And do not stick to one kind of music. My favourite music is metal, but I have hardly made a penny from it in the past. I have made lots more money from playing 70's covers! So it is not a good idea to isolate yourself to one type of music.
From working with music every day, I see it all too often where a musician (often a guitarist) will have complete tunnel vision. They have played for so long on their own, they cannot work with others. They cannot improvise or jam with others. This is why I encourage all my students to start bands up as soon as they can!
And of course, practise. You should always be pushing yourself to learn new things, instead of playing the same old riffs each time. Practise with a metronome about 50% of the time, and RECORD yourself, even if its only on an old tape player. Recording yourself will show all your mistakes, and is a good reference to where you need to improve!
Also, stay away from drink (and drugs) before playing. If you do them, there is plenty of time after gigs, etc. There is nothing worse than watching someone playing completely baked. | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/29/2008 7:41:40 PM | Some good stuff here.
My 2 cents worth are:
Study, practice, play. Do all three with passion.
When stateing your price always start high (you can always go down but you can't go up).
Stash a percentage of each gig. Muscians generally do not have health insurance, life insurance, Social Security, etc and eventually you will need it.
It is ok to play for free if it is for a good cause. Last year the IRS finally made it possible for us (and other artists) to deduct benefit performances based upon our average hourly earnings. Pay taxes quarterly it eases the pain at the end of the year. Keep good records and do tax forms on the muscians you pay in your band.
Learn as much about the business as you can. Better safe than sorry.
If you are a beginning muscian in a small-medium sized town, tell the club owner you are from a specific large city because they generally would prefer to hire someone from "out of town". (I've never understood that but it is true!)
Move to Europe. Shhhhh, no one seems to know this in the USA but our most valuable export is our music and it is the thing that other cultures like best about us. In more and more of the world it is the only thing that they like about us. Last summer I noticed that there were 2 bands playing in San Marco Piazza in Venice, Italy and they were both turning out jazz, blues and American standard tunes. There are jazz clubs all over Europe and blues is even more popular. The people that I know who have moved there to play are very happy and are appreciated at a level that is uncommon here in the states. | |
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| What are some important things you should know when you're a musician?
Posted: 6/30/2008 6:12:11 AM | My advice is this:
Play with your emotions, don't worry about sound, if you nail your emotions it will sound good eventually.
Don't listen to people who tell you "this is how it's done and you should always do it this way" when it comes to some trick to make a good sound, chances are they are really close minded and only playing to impress people.
Don't be afraid to make an ass out of yourself in front of others, some of the coolest things you come up with will be when you are playing total crap.
Learn to hit record when you come up with a good riff, a lot of people will give you the story they played the most awesome thing last night but not able to do it now, that's probably true because they didn't record it, doesn't matter if your recording on pc, tape, or even writing it down, just be sure to record it somehow for later reference as you'll probably want it again.
Do not play your favorite musicians because you want to sound like them, instead play and think about what your playing, this will help you learn how they came up with that sound and allow you to apply it yourself without ripping off their sound. | |
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