Well before the economy took a giant **** and I lost my job if I wasn't working I was doing gigs and session work as often as possible. Not that im currently unemployed im trying to pack them as often as I can. But then then the economy took an even bigger ****, and then less work
.
But I make ends meet, extra thanks to my girlfriend.
As for the almost full time playing thing, I love it. Ive toured, gigged done session work and on some occasions dragged into a room stuck behind an upright , or had a P or J bass dropped into my hands and told the chord progression and the whole shabang cranks up and were off.(fun times
).
You have to be really dedicated to music, it becomes your whole life. You also learn ALOT about your gear, what to use how to set it up. For example my current main bass is an Ibanez SR700: its versatile, its light, its comfortable to play, and its very very familiar to me (Ive been playing SR for years). I use an Ampeg combo if i have to bring my own amp,otherwise I use the one on hand at the venue/studio (you get very familiar with amps and EQ settings). Often times it can get stressful, but if music is what you really love then its all worth it.
The only major problem Ive had is maintaining relationships, mostly intimate dating relationships. More than once Ive come home to a tour to an empty apartment. It took me a long time and alot of patience to find the kind of person my current girlfriend is. And its still not easy, right now were sharing a one bedroom apartment with 7 electric basses 2 upright basses two full amp stacks, 3 guitars and a 210 stack. A 11 piece drum set(not set up) and all the gear associated with that,and to top it off shes a graphic design artist, photographer, and painter, the relationship gets strained some times (Ive spent more than one night on the couch or at a friends house) but we get over it and move on, lifes too short to worry about these things.
Wow, that was longer than a Stephen King novel, sorry. Anyway best of luck and have fun.
