I found some very sound musical advice while perusing the Trombone Forum. This is from a seasoned processional and he is addressing a question posed by a young musician just starting out. This is going in my files right next to Jason Ricci's excellent primer for a young musician. Much of the advice is similar, but it is from a slightly different perspective. While the speaker is talking to a trombonist, much of what he says very appropriate to members of this forum. (Except maybe the part about the trombone being at the bottom of the instrumental food chain :-), although he may be right. I'll bet I would be asked to leave a public space faster if I was playing trombone than harmonica!)
There have been many threads that have addressed the issue of earning a living through music. I could not immediately find one this fit in so I started an new thread. I hope you find it interesting and useful, I did.
Last Edited by STME58 on May 01, 2015 6:41 PM
You need to be aware that you may not always be making music that you enjoy, and with that comes with putting your own music on the shelf, and after a long days work you never get around to taking it down.
The trombone player places great emphasis on paying attention to what the rest of the musicians are doing and blending in. Good advice. But it seems to be quite a contrast with so many MBH posts complaining about the guitar player being too loud, the drummer playing too fast or playing on top of the beat, etc. Generally speaking, one gets more opportunities play (paid or unpaid) if one can fit in with what is being played as compared to expecting the other musicans to adapt to you. For harmonica players, that includes being able to formuate musically inteligent harp parts for tunes that were not recorded with harp. FWIW.
So Goldbrick, would you advice a young musician to play classical, rather than blues? :-) the hair cut will work there, but is it a real job? Or you could mean what my sons wind ensemble director did, join the Marines and get paid to play the trombone and lead Marine bands, then retire after 20 years!
LSC, why is that joke always applied to trombonists? It applies equally well to a harp player! It might be interesting to discuss which instruments/instrumentalists get the least respect and why.
hvyj. you comment is right in the spirit of the letter and emphasizes why I posted the link to it in this forum.
I have had the opportunity to play with a few informal acoustic groups. All of the members have been very helpful and I have learned a lot about how to fit in. When playing harmonica against fiddles banjos guitars and other unamplified instruments is is much easier to fit in then when you pull out a trombone and try to make it work.The difference between me with the horn, and the guitar player you listed is at least twofold. One, I am trying my best to serve the ensemble whatever instrument I am playing and two, I know I will be asked to put the horn away if I use its power to step on others!
In general, if you are a musician you need to be a team player. there are darn few slots for musicians in general and even fewer for prima donnas.
Last Edited by STME58 on May 02, 2015 6:40 PM
Perhaps I might not be qualified to answer , but one fellow I know who plays professionally went to the Berkley school of music got his degree became very good at clarinet and some other instruments. Joined the musicians union works regularly at the theaters when shows come to town put his kids through college etc. Another fellow got his degree, maybe Juilliard, writes musical scores, musical director at a large church some other stuff put his kids through college. Perhaps you can see where I'm going with this...Billy Joel..let's see got his degree definitely at Juilliard made a dollar or two. (...oops.. he may not have) So kind of what a person defines as being a successful musician. Willie Nelson.. life on the road very famous personal life a bit rocky. My wife got her degree in music education would that count as a working musician ? I did none of the above worked odd jobs, big believer in adult ed.. play a little harp after years of setting it aside. Admittedly I felt under educated when meeting working musicians who had degrees could sight read any music put in front of them and play it. So at some point in time sooner or later you kinda have to decided which version of musicianship you want your life to be.
...on a lighter note you'd lose big points if you can't spell Rhythm...or.. A Cappella..those educators will come lookin for you..
Last Edited by Spderyak on May 05, 2015 3:39 AM
Music, like any of the arts, can go in one of two directions. The commercial side which is composed of classically trained musicians who practiced their scales every day and can sight read the scores can perhaps earn their living either in performing or in teaching. Then there's the rest of us who play for the sheer enjoyment and creativity and make our living doing something else and maybe a few coins here and there at a gig or busking. Who is more successful? Who is enjoying their music more? You can decide for yourself.
Spderyak, thanks for posting your friends experiences. I have a son who will enter high school next year and one of the colleges he is considering is Berklee College of Music. He is young yet so who knows how his desires will change as he goes through high school. If he chooses to go to a music school I will not dissuade him. When representatives of Music Schools from around the country were at the youth symphony college fair, none of them could offer examples like you just did when I asked how one earns a living with a music degree. They mostly talked about teaching, lessons and the occasional gig. I was impressed that San Diego State's Music department has added a segment on entrepreneurship to their music curriculum.
I am taking lessons from a recent graduate of SDSU Music and his level of knowledge is impressive. However, a good part of his income comes from lessons, at least at this early point in his career. Many people think the arts just happen somehow to the innately talented and the lucky, and do not realize how much there is to learn to become a good musician, actor, artist etc. It's really not about waiting tables until you are "discovered"!
Last Edited by STME58 on May 03, 2015 3:47 PM
Well said. A bit daunting too. I heard a lot of my own stories in there. This was awesome: ". Freelancing is not a race, it is a more of a potluck dinner. Everyone brings something for everyone else to enjoy." And the summary at the beginning: "As I see it, success as a freelance trombonist requires a combination of well-rounded competence, personal reliability, musical consistency, patience, trustworthy-ness, diligence, humility, knowledge of your own strengths and weaknesses, a total love of music..."
Then he adds "...regardless of the kind of musical situations you find yourself--if the music on a given gig is not "your thing", you play the gig the best you can, you keep quiet, you take the money and go home..."
That wacked me pretty good. I'm debating some new gigs with someone who I am indifferent to musically. My red flags say no but I need the $. I think I'll just do one and see how we feel afterwards.
Last Edited by Littoral on May 04, 2015 6:31 AM
