While I try to behave and play "professionally" in my local music scene, I am by no means a "professional".
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
What Constitutes a Professional Musician?
- Thread starter CoffeeLove
- Start date
When people make small talk with me and ask the usual boring questions like “What do you do?” I tell them I’m a professional musician. I love how much that impresses and intrigues folks at parties. I tell them that I play several instruments and sing and perform (when there isn’t a pandemic) and that I write songs. The conversation gets so much more interesting at that point.
When I tell people that I'm a professional musician.
They turn to my wife, apologize and ask her what can they do to help
What Constitutes a Professional Musician?
Gets paid to play/write/teach music.
Beyond that;
Doesn't noodle
Comes prepared
Shows up on time
Shows up with equipment that works.
Gets paid to play/write/teach music.
Beyond that;
Doesn't noodle
Comes prepared
Shows up on time
Shows up with equipment that works.
Well most of us are not earning ANY money playing music in 2020, so I guess none of us are pros anymore!
Well most of us are not earning ANY money playing music in 2020, so I guess none of us are pros anymore!
"Now is the winter of our discount tent..."
Did we change from carrots to cheesecake? Why didn't someone tell me? Does that mean I'm not a professional anymore?
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Are/were you on unemployment, and claiming primarily for loss from music? Then you are an unemployed professional musician.
Well most of us are not earning ANY money playing music in 2020, so I guess none of us are pros anymore!
To me, a pro makes a living off music. A semi pro makes money but not enough to live on. A weekend warrior does it for the love of playing. Money is a bonus.
I’ve played paid gigs for a bit over 50 years. Apart from maybe 12 months of that I’ve had a full time day job as well.
In all that time I’ve only ever considered myself a semi pro or amateur musician.
The real answer? Whatever I say it is. There is no universally accepted definition.
I also there there is professional musician and professional behavior. My experience is that they are both pretty rare. I've been lucky enough to be the former in my misspent youth and to primarily play with the latter my entire life, not that there haven't been some notable exceptions.
I also there there is professional musician and professional behavior. My experience is that they are both pretty rare. I've been lucky enough to be the former in my misspent youth and to primarily play with the latter my entire life, not that there haven't been some notable exceptions.
And you could put "pirate" and they wouldn't care as long as you paid your taxes.
"Professional" means earning a SUBSTANTIAL portion of your income, not 20-30%. That's SEMI-professional.
I remember Ed Barker, Principal Bassist of the Boston Symphony, saying that if someone makes money playing the bass then they are a professional.
There's a shade of truth to that. Even before Covid, many people I consider 'pro's' had salaried day jobs. These were musicians who wrote music, released albums, warmed up national acts at music fests, things like that.Well most of us are not earning ANY money playing music in 2020, so I guess none of us are pros anymore!
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Based on some of the other quotes, there are inflated opinion here among some.
1. As a child, my father paid me to mow the lawn and do other yard work (earn an allowance). I was a professional lawn care specialist. 2. I enjoy woodworking and have been commissioned to make items for people on occasion (cost of materials and a case of beer). I am a professional carpenter. 3. I own a pickup truck and trailer. I've been paid to haul items from point A to point B (gas money and/or lunch). I'm a professional mover. 4. I get paid to play music (enough to buy new gear/maintain current gear). I am a professional musician. 5. I served 24 years in the military before retiring. I was a professional warrior (profession of arms). 6. I pay my mortgage as a security management specialist. I am a professional security manager.
All of these statements are true to a degree, but which of these statements ring most true when I declare what type of professional I am? Let's drop a bit of the ego. Being paid in and of itself does not make one a professional musician regardless of skill level. Making a living as a musician, regardless of skill level, makes you a professional musician. Your level of professionalism is a separate thing from your profession.
All of these statements are true to a degree, but which of these statements ring most true when I declare what type of professional I am? Let's drop a bit of the ego. Being paid in and of itself does not make one a professional musician regardless of skill level. Making a living as a musician, regardless of skill level, makes you a professional musician. Your level of professionalism is a separate thing from your profession.
