Becoming a fulltime musician

[Cormoran315]

Hi talkbass family.
Im graduated from ınterior architecture program of a good university in Turkey. Im living in Turkey btw.
Im curently working at my aunt's interior architecture company. I really dont have a deep connection with the job it self and the work and time put in doesnt satisfy me, I sometimes think that live wont pass this way ı need to chase something which ım more passionate about and thats music.
So im asking anyone's opinion or suggestions on making full commitment to a music career. Since the last year of my university to this day,I don't have much time to practise bass/guitar which lead to losing my hard gained skills...
İf i go the music career way;
How do i monetise my work ?
How can i make connections which will lead to new jobs ?
Any Specific suggestions for a country like Turkey ?

 

[57pbass]

Having never been to Turkey I can’t speak to your particular situation. I’m guessing that you’re a younger person with many years ahead to recover if your musical career is not successful.
Get a good instrument and amp and just learn as much as you can. Practice and network and see where it takes you.
It’s very competitive and it’s not an easy way to get the bills paid with traditional mortgage- car - living expenses.
Good luck

 

[superheavyfunk]

This is a huge question and it doesn’t have direct answers, as so much depends on your location, circumstances, skill level, personality, style, genre(s) you play, and much much more.

I’m sure there will be several pages of discussion, so let me just start by saying that versatility = work.

In addition to practicing technique, scales, speed etc, practice all of that while playing different genres of music from classical to the most modern pop. From Bach to 100Gecs. Hip hop, metal, country, j-pop, reggae, regional music and beyond.

The more stuff you can play well, the more opportunities you’ll be able to capitalize on. Also, buy a car!

 

[Cormoran315]

Having never been to Turkey I can’t speak to your particular situation. I’m guessing that you’re a younger person with many years ahead to recover if your musical career is not successful.
Get a good instrument and amp and just learn as much as you can. Practice and network and see where it takes you.
It’s very competitive and it’s not an easy way to get the bills paid with traditional mortgage- car - living expenses.
Good luck

Thank you for your input

 

[Cormoran315]

This is a huge question and it doesn’t have direct answers, as so much depends on your location, circumstances, skill level, personality, style, genre(s) you play, and much much more.

I’m sure there will be several pages of discussion, so let me just start by saying that versatility = work.

In addition to practicing technique, scales, speed etc, practice all of that while playing different genres of music from classical to the most modern pop. From Bach to 100Gecs. Hip hop, metal, country, j-pop, reggae, regional music and beyond.

The more stuff you can play well, the more opportunities you’ll be able to capitalize on. Also, buy a car!

Thanks a lot A car seems like a must yeah

 

[buldog5151bass]

Very few people anywhere, outside of teachers, are paying rent and feeding themselves solely from music. It gets worse every year.

Lots of people are working regular jobs and playing music to supplement their income, in the hopes of catching their big break. Lots of people have been doing this for decades.

You have a job consistent with your education. You don't seem to have the training to be a music teacher.

Work your day job. As soon as you get home, start playing. Look for opportunities to play with others. Get out anywhere there are other musicians playing for money and make contacts. You say you don't have time to practice - make the time.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but if it were easy, you wouldn't be asking.

 

[57pbass]

As just mentioned..
Versatility = Opportunity
Learn how to read notation

 

[Cormoran315]

Very few people anywhere, outside of teachers, are paying rent and feeding themselves solely from music. It gets worse every year.

Lots of people are working regular jobs and playing music to supplement their income, in the hopes of catching their big break. Lots of people have been doing this for decades.

You have a job consistent with your education. You don't seem to have the training to be a music teacher.

Work your day job. As soon as you get home, start playing. Look for opportunities to play with others. Get out anywhere there are other musicians playing for money and make contacts. You say you don't have time to practice - make the time.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but if it were easy, you wouldn't be asking.

Thanks. I think this is the harsh honesty i need

 

[buldog5151bass]

Flame maple is NOT uncommon!
I see flames in boards at Home Depot ALL THE TIME.

“Roasting” is a QUESTIONABLE process from these vendors.

I HIGHLY doubt that they need to go through the process to fake readily available maple with flamed figuring, especially for necks being sold unfinished , which the example shown is. I used some 1x2” I got at HD to edge my workbench!

Freestone from eBay has flamed necks frequently.
Here’s 2 I’ve had, and another from a Chinese vendor a few years ago. I GUARANTEE that there are Not fake, I received “the raw “ and were sanded and reshaped. The Chatoyance of real wood can’t be faked either.

Thanks. I think this is the harsh honesty i need

No one says you cannot pursue your passion. That's why we are here. There are ways to do it. But it sounds like you have support from your family that would help. Don't throw that away.

 

[MuseChaser]

To add some water to the previously already-dampened blanket, I'd like to quote a good friend of mine. His son kept quitting his part time jobs when he was in college, at a time when the extra income was a necessity. When my friend asked his son why he quit his job, the young man replied that he didn't enjoy the job and that it wasn't fun. My friend kind of lost it and said, "That's why they call it 'WORK' and they pay you to do it! If it was 'FUN,' everyone would do it for free!"

The old adages, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life," and "Do what you love and the money will follow" are pretty much feel-good inspirational sayings that, for a very small group of fortunate people, may actually have a grain of truth to them, but in the vast majority of cases, those statements are just drivel. In many cases, turning something you love into something you HAVE to do as a vocation can make you hate it.

Use the skills and credentials you've gained. Enjoy the fruits of your labor (the paycheck and the good you do for others in your job) even if you may not particularly enjoy the actual labor/job. Outside your job, live a full joyous life doing whatever you find fulfilling (hint ...truly fulfilling endeavors are rarely focused on 'self').

One way to live is to make your job your life. Perhaps it's healthier to consider that a job is simply what enables you to HAVE a full life outside of your job. Your job, viewed that way, need not be the proverbial "day at the beach" in order to be appreciated.

To answer the specific question regarding a profession as a musician in particular...

Before entering life as a professional musician, I studied and practiced my two main instruments for fifteen years, hours a day. Played with other players constantly. Got degrees. After all of that, I had a nice full-time career for a few years. Then the reality of combining two things I love very much (making music and my wife) made me realize that life as a full-time musician is difficult to reconcile with life as a father and husband, mostly because of the weird hours and constant travel, but also because of seasonal fluctuations in employment, health insurance, and other societal hurdles. Sooo ..I taught public school for 31 years. It was a job I did not enjoy (although I did find it fulfilling and am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to help thousands of young people), but I enjoyed what that job made possible for me and my family. Throughout that career, I kept my chops up and gigged almost every week. Once I retired from teaching, I went back to playing full time again.

There is NOTHING wrong with a job that isn't a perfect fit. It's still an opportunity. Just have to get your head in the right space.

 

[Cormoran315]

To add some water to the previously already-dampened blanket, I'd like to quote a good friend of mine. His son kept quitting his part time jobs when he was in college, at a time when the extra income was a necessity. When my friend asked his son why he quit his job, the young man replied that he didn't enjoy the job and that it wasn't fun. My friend kind of lost it and said, "That's why they call it 'WORK' and they pay you to do it! If it was 'FUN,' everyone would do it for free!"

The old adages, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life," and "Do what you love and the money will follow" are pretty much feel-good inspirational sayings that, for a very small group of fortunate people, may actually have a grain of truth to them, but in the vast majority of cases, those statements are just drivel. In many cases, turning something you love into something you HAVE to do as a vocation can make you hate it.

Use the skills and credentials you've gained. Enjoy the fruits of your labor (the paycheck and the good you do for others in your job) even if you may not particularly enjoy the actual labor/job. Outside your job, live a full joyous life doing whatever you find fulfilling (hint ...truly fulfilling endeavors are rarely focused on 'self').

One way to live is to make your job your life. Perhaps it's healthier to consider that a job is simply what enables you to HAVE a full life outside of your job. Your job, viewed that way, need not be the proverbial "day at the beach" in order to be appreciated.

Well thank you. This was really meaningful and helpful

 

[Minimalist]

IMO as a professional musician, you have to have certain trades/skills that are as important (if not more important) as your playing:

1. You have to have people skills. Getting along with other people is essential.
2. You either have to teach or travel a lot. That is not for everybody.
3. You have to have reliable equipment. Most people don't care if you play a precision, jazz bass, Ampeg, Mesa or whatever. What they do care about is, that your equipment works.
4. You have to be reliable. That means be on time, be prepared, and play parts that fit the song with a sound that fits the song/band.

Your musical abilities have to be good, but not great. Nobody cares if you can play teen town, but key changes, playing of charts, reacting to what other band members play, matter. In the early to mid 90ties I was almost there, started teaching, played 100+ gigs and realized, that was not the way I wanted to live my life. I did a 180, hung up the bass for 25 years or so, started a family etc. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. I am glad I tried and realized this was not for me. It is much better to have tried and "failed" then sitting here with almost 60 and thinking "What if....".

My advice to every young person is, go for it, chase your dream, but don't be afraid to admit that the dream is not that great when "living" the dream.

 

[Minimalist]

To add some water to the previously already-dampened blanket, I'd like to quote a good friend of mine. His son kept quitting his part time jobs when he was in college, at a time when the extra income was a necessity. When my friend asked his son why he quit his job, the young man replied that he didn't enjoy the job and that it wasn't fun. My friend kind of lost it and said, "That's why they call it 'WORK' and they pay you to do it! If it was 'FUN,' everyone would do it for free!"

The old adages, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life," and "Do what you love and the money will follow" are pretty much feel-good inspirational sayings that, for a very small group of fortunate people, may actually have a grain of truth to them, but in the vast majority of cases, those statements are just drivel. In many cases, turning something you love into something you HAVE to do as a vocation can make you hate it.

I very much disagree with this notion. Very few things are fun 24/7, but if you don't enjoy what you do, go out and find something you do enjoy. In particular when you are young. Life is too short, and we spend so much time at work, that it's not worth it to be miserable at work. I am not saying be an idiot but don't be afraid to take a risk and try different things.

 

[MuseChaser]

I very much disagree with this notion. Very few things are fun 24/7, but if you don't enjoy what you do, go out and find something you do enjoy. In particular when you are young. Life is too short, and we spend so much time at work, that it's not worth it to be miserable at work. I am not saying be an idiot but don't be afraid to take a risk and try different things.

I understand what you're saying, and can agree that if a job is so awful that it's making one unhealthy, one's health and sanity come first. However, if everyone was only willing to do jobs that were fun (which is at least a portion of some societal problems we're seeing today...businesses are having a heck of a time finding skilled dedicated employees wanting to work), the vast majority of absolutely necessary jobs wouldn't get done at all, and everything would come crashing down.

We all have to find our way and our own tolerance levels. I try to see the plus sides in the opportunities with which I've been presented, and maintain gratitude for them, rather than dwell on the difficulties encountered therein. Admittedly, I am MUCH better at maintaining that attitude now in my mid-60s than I was in my 20s, for all kinds of reasons. The best advice I can give anyone is to keep looking Up.

 

[FugaziBomb]

Hi talkbass family.
Im graduated from ınterior architecture program of a good university in Turkey. Im living in Turkey btw.
Im curently working at my aunt's interior architecture company. I really dont have a deep connection with the job it self and the work and time put in doesnt satisfy me, I sometimes think that live wont pass this way ı need to chase something which ım more passionate about and thats music.
So im asking anyone's opinion or suggestions on making full commitment to a music career. Since the last year of my university to this day,I don't have much time to practise bass/guitar which lead to losing my hard gained skills...
İf i go the music career way;
How do i monetise my work ?
How can i make connections which will lead to new jobs ?
Any Specific suggestions for a country like Turkey ?

Even larger name entertainers I met back when I was really in the industry (about 15 years ago now) all had a side hustle. Some guys owned other businesses on the side, a lot of players gave lessons and played cover gigs when they weren't on tour and all of them were pretty broke - even the more famous guys we toured with. I can tell you that I wasn't making enough money to buy a house or a car, but I was comfortable living on the fringes of society. That's really what it takes - being able to have almost nothing and be happy about it. I finally gained new priorities in life and had to make a career change.

That's something else a bunch of the musicians I knew did - ended up becoming engineers/ producers or working in music publishing, etc etc etc. There's really no money out there as an entertainer, especially if you're not the guy fronting a band.

 

[Markmann]

It's easier if you live where there is an active music community. Be good at your craft and use good people skills. Network and look for people who are serious and working. Be an asset, not a liability.

 

[Minimalist]

I understand what you're saying, and can agree that if a job is so awful that it's making one unhealthy, one's health and sanity come first. However, if everyone was only willing to do jobs that were fun (which is at least a portion of some societal problems we're seeing today...businesses are having a heck of a time finding skilled dedicated employees wanting to work), the vast majority of absolutely necessary jobs wouldn't get done at all, and everything would come crashing down.

We all have to find our way and our own tolerance levels. I try to see the plus sides in the opportunities with which I've been presented, and maintain gratitude for them, rather than dwell on the difficulties encountered therein. Admittedly, I am MUCH better at maintaining that attitude now in my mid-60s than I was in my 20s, for all kinds of reasons. The best advice I can give anyone is to keep looking Up.

I manage a team of 20 or so people, and it's up to me that all my team members enjoy most of their time spend working. Doesn't work with everybody and all the time, but it's my job as a manager to create an environment that people feel comfortable in, thrive, and are willing to go the extra mile. It is my job to hire people that fit in our environment, make them feel welcome and valued. It is my job to identify where we need to adjust or convince them to change their perspective and adapt to the team. All too often I see managers that have no understanding of that concept but rather complain about their employees or younger generations. That's usually the ones that end up with high turnover. We don't have that, and I'm very proud of that.

 

[jjcarswell]

Do both so that you have balance in your life. The music “business” could cause you to not enjoy music. Anyway, that’s what I did until I retired from my day gig.

 

[Geepers]

Study carefully everything Sean Hurley says and does.

 

[RattleSnack]

Very few people anywhere, outside of teachers, are paying rent and feeding themselves solely from music. It gets worse every year.

Lots of people are working regular jobs and playing music to supplement their income, in the hopes of catching their big break. Lots of people have been doing this for decades.

You have a job consistent with your education. You don't seem to have the training to be a music teacher.

Work your day job. As soon as you get home, start playing. Look for opportunities to play with others. Get out anywhere there are other musicians playing for money and make contacts. You say you don't have time to practice - make the time.

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but if it were easy, you wouldn't be asking.

+1 on this.

OP, I split musicians in three categories: amateurs, pros with career in another industry, and pros whose first career is music.
Those third have it hardest. I know lots of that kind of musicians and have played with them. Very small number of them are comfortable with their earnings and happy how they live. Most had to make lots of compromises that made playing music less fun and enjoyable, simply to earn enough money. Myself, I never had to do that. In a sense, that makes someone like me more accomplished as a musician.
My advice, as mid aged guy that is playing music for about 25 years, is to stay in pro category (as, pro that has career in another industry). If you are good, you will easily fit with lots of bands and projects. Top tier may be out of your reach, but that's small price to pay. One day when you have family relying on you, you will be glad you went that way.