Tips For The Solo Musician: Get paid for practicing?
Copyright 2006 Curse Buster Sound
Hi, my name is Kevin Brown. In this article I would like to
address the subject of practice, and how to get paid for it.
Sounds funny?...well, when I finish, you will have a different
view about this idea.
We have all heard the statement, "Practice Makes Perfect",...and
it is a proven fact that this is so very true. There are many
different ways, and technical aspects of just how one should
practice. I am going to talk about the solo single line
musician, and what you can do to get all the practice you need,
and how to get paid for your efforts. When I say single line
solo musician, I mean those musician who play woodwinds, brass,
violins, cello, any instrument that does not have the advantage
of making chords.
In this article, I will use my real life experiences to
demonstrate the fact that this does work. To what degree depends
upon the individuals efforts, and desire to succeed.
First,...The one thing that we all need, and want, is a joyous
life, and abundant living. One of the main questions that we ask
ourselves when taking this journey through life is,...Just how
can I make a living, and enjoy what I do? One answer I know is
true, is to find that talent that one has been blessed with,
nurture it, pursue it, build on it, and it will take care of
you, and the question of a joyous life, and abundant living will
be answered.
To begin, I will use my life, and experiences as a basis, and
outline for this article and show just how to, "Get Paid For
Practicing".
For starters,...I am a blind individual,... I play
saxophone,...and that is what I know how to do well. I have been
playing the saxophone for 40 years, 36 of those professionally.
As I dont consider myself an awesome musician, I absolutely love
to play! I love to hear other musicians,whom I consider awesome,
play. I can tell, as well as any music lover can tell, when some
one has spent the time, and effort, and many, many hours in the
practice shed.
Practice is an absolute must, if you want to be a successful
musician. There is no way around it. I cant tell you just how
many thousands of hours I put into practicing, not because I was
made to,...but, because I loved it.
I went through high school, and attended Berklee College of
Music, in Boston,...in the pursuit of a career in music. It was
while I attended Berklee that I discovered the princible of
getting payed for practice.
I remember being dirt poor, as most musicians were at that time,
having no food, no job, not knowing what to do. So...I called my
cousin, who lived about 40 minutes outside Boston at that time,
and asking her if she could bring me some food, and money. She
said,..."you had better take your horn, and go out on the street
and play somewhere"! I was completely shocked!...I could not
believe she said that to me!...How could she? I said,..."Are you
Kidding"? You cant be serious? She said,...Yes, I am,...I hear
musicians playing every day, and I know that you can do just as
well, if not better than a lot of them. That moment right there,
was a turning point in my life.
So, I did what she suggested,...I found a spot that I thought
was acceptable, took my sax, and set out to make some money. I
realized very quickly that there was more to this street playing
than just dropping on a spot, and just making some noise. First:
I didn't have a clue on what to play,...What did people actually
like to hear? So, the first time I did this, I just played
scales. Can you believe that?...I played scales! I made about
$20, just playing scales! I couldn't believe it!...I just could
not believe it. Out of all the songs that I knew, the only thing
I could think of to play were scales.
One thing lead to another, and I learned to pick, and choose the
songs that people liked to hear. I also learned that being a
single line instrument took a lot of work. It is very hard to
play by yourself, without chords, and have people understand
what song you are playing. So, I started to invest in
play-a-longs to help me build a song list by which to continue
this new found source of income. I would get a new play-a-long
as my finances permitted, and build my song list, which in turn
put more money in my pocket.
It wasn't until later that I got an idea from this guy that used
to play his guitar while roller skating up and down Boylston
street with a battery powered amplifier strapped to his back. I
thought,...Boy, it would be great if I could get a battery
powered amp like that,... and play all of those play-a-longs,
That I have acumulated, through it while I am out playing. So,
that's what I did. As soon as money permitted,...I bought a
battery powered amp,...a Peavey KB15, got a cassette
player,...and proceeded to play with my new play-a-long band.
You know what!...It worked!...It really worked!
Not only was it better playing,...people really liked it! I
could last longer,...and I made more money!...A Lot More Money.
There were many benefits that I had not considered. 1. I made
money 2. I got more gigs 3. I made a name for myself 4. It made
my chopps a lot stronger 5. I met other musicians to play with
6. It was steady work, at my own hours 7. It has lasted a
lifetime, even to today
I was literally getting paid for practicing! So,...if you are a
solo musician, and you live in a major city, or even a small
town,...consider this example. Take advantage of every
opportunity to further your musical career. there are many ways
to make a living as a musician if you look for it. Check around
in your area,...look for places were you can play,...you will be
surprised at the response you get when you do things right.
This followed me through my whole career. I have played all over
the world,...in all kinds of venues,...in all styles of
music,...in all kinds of bands, and orchestras. I have not
regretted that very first time I set out to play on the street
in that place called, "The Bean Town", Boston".
Note: 1. A great source for jazz play-a-longs is :
http://www.jajazz.com
2. Listen to my music: http://www.cursebustersound.com
3. Promote your music on line: http://cursebuster.linkscout.com