Actually, I'm only 15, so it's going to take me a long while before I make enough money get some good gear (which is probably just fine, since 15 is probably way to young to find a band to gig with). I also live in a rural area, so I wonder if that will make finding a band somewhat more difficult.
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Why Some Musicians Don't Gig
- Thread starter bluewine
- Start date
Why would playing originals burn out an audience and drive down attendance numbers?
When you're starting out you don't have as many fans and depending on the type of originals you do it may take time to find your audience. Bookers want to see you bringing people in the door, no people, they don't ask you back. So you play less and get more people in the door per gig. Maybe in New York it might be different, but Seattle is actually a pretty small town and you can definitely overplay.
I think a covers band, if they're good, will have a much better chance of getting people in the door because they're more of a 'known' entity. But that's just my own perpective.
The OP said this thread pertains to rock players. However, if a rock player who used to gig has burned out, maybe it's worth considering other types of gigs/music? I've had a blast the last few years playing original instrumental music at local community events, wineries, etc. ... it's not loud and in your face like rock, the venues are higher class than a bar, people are nicer, there are no (or few) drunks, and the hours are great. I'm in my 50s. Suites me fine, the music is fun to play, and these gigs do not have the negatives often mentioned in these posts. Some "problems" quickly disappear when we just change our minds.
To be fair, you started in the late 60's when multitrack was really just getting going. When I started in the late 70's a reel to reel four track was the state of the art for home recording, synths were basic and expensive, and drum machines sounded like a cheap computer game..quite limiting.
Now the possibilities for home recording, video production and internet publication are so varied, there is much more scope to explore your creativity without going onstage. I have done projects that were never designed to play live and enjoyed them, and I can conceive doing so again.
In particular, because I am a mediocre singer, playing live means working with a singer. Since the singers I play with are usually writers as well, they are usually more interested in their material than mine. So home recording is my main vehicle for songwriting.
I did some rock and jazz gig during the first 4 years I learned to play ... after that I went to college in music and I played DB in the college classical orchestra for 2 years.
That was 5 years ago. Since then I don't gig. It just doesn't fit what I think music and being a musician or artist. Many time playing infront of people mean you have to give a show and act like your super cool and whatever while you only pluck your E strings.
I'm the kind of musician who what to be the best he can be, mastering that thing we call music. By doing so I know maybe too much stuff to enjoy simple stuff ... I need a challenge and this is why I like about solo stuff like Victor Wooten, Zander Zon, Micheal Manring and of course I like so much classical music and jazz.
That was 5 years ago. Since then I don't gig. It just doesn't fit what I think music and being a musician or artist. Many time playing infront of people mean you have to give a show and act like your super cool and whatever while you only pluck your E strings.
I'm the kind of musician who what to be the best he can be, mastering that thing we call music. By doing so I know maybe too much stuff to enjoy simple stuff ... I need a challenge and this is why I like about solo stuff like Victor Wooten, Zander Zon, Micheal Manring and of course I like so much classical music and jazz.
WOW, I would never swap out Rockin for a number, I'm 58 and I have no intention on stopping.
You will never hear anything like higher class, no drunks, nicer (did you mean better) people or any judgements from me.
I don't think it suites you fine,I think you got old and gave up.
Perhaps "unpretentious" is a better word. It was David Bowie who said "The cut of your trousers matters more than the cut of your record". Nothing wrong with acknowledging that aspects of rock and roll are pretentious BS, and nothing wrong with refusing to play.
Blue, you seem to want to attack people who are answering your question. Gets in the way of good discussion. Take a chill pill dude.
I have a home recording set up in my bedroom, Logic 9 and a decent interface.
I have never used it,I don't want to get to comfortable, plus I am not a writer. I am not even sure why I invested in recoring ear.
Oh yeah, if your in audition mode, a lot of bands want examples of your playing style and chops.I supose I would use it for that, but not diddly squat else.
Thanks for the compliment Blue.. and actually I think I know where you're coming from.. especially on Sly and the Family Stone tip.. just listened to a whole different version of Fresh that I never knew even existed.. as for the reasons you feel the need to attack those that answer the question you brought up truthfully, we all have a pretty good idea why based on your posting history here..
Would Peyton Manning be a great quarterback if he only threw a ball through a sheet of plywood with a hole in it in the back yard?
Maybe back in the 70s, I mean the pretentious BS stuff.I think rock and roll has evolved the newer stars are not like some of the rock stars of the 60s & 70s.
I really don't mean to attack anyone. I have been doing this for so long and seen a lot. I get cocky and I tend to be a "know it all".
I think you could have made your point with a better choice of words.i don't necessarily disagree with you.
Interesting comment, but I'll stay in the bars and clubs where the action is, the front lines. As I said, I don't want to get comfortable in a home studio.
Good God, AfroCuban you get double points from me tonight.
Fresh is one of the hippest recordings on this sweet swinging sphere.
I am glad you mentioned it, there may be some younger cats here that have not heard it.
Rusty Allen on bass, I mean the hooks ,the grooves and that dry mix is from another world.
Pray for Sly, he entered rehab last week
blue
BTW, I think you have that Japanese Version. I actually have a cd where all the tracks are separated and you can listed to just vocals, just bass, just drums ect..
Hey, your 15 you have your whole life in front of you. Hell, when I was your age I had crap gear, most of the time I had to borrow amps from friends to gig.
At 15 the last thing you need is high end gear.
Keep playing you might not always live in rural America.
BTW, you started playing at the right age.
Sure, strokes for folks and recording is not for everyone, just like live is not for everyone. But believe me, if you had started on a TEAC 3340S as I did, Logic, or even GarageBand, is an indescribable leap forward.
A relevant side track...my wife and I have some involvement with the local ukulele collective, and after the elitist bitching, backstabbing and bs of most music scenes, the inclusiveness of the uke guys comes as an unbelievable breath of fresh air.
Not going to change my mind about what I like artisically, but sure makes me question a lot of the nonsense that goes on in the music industry. The notion of everyone joining in, noone excluded, kind of appeals. A couple of sample clips:
Invalid Link Removed (a bunch of amateurs in bedrooms around the world made this. There is a whole community called the ukulele underground supporting this sort of stuff on the web.)
Invalid Link Removed (why should only the folks on the stage be playing? Before this concert they put sheet music and rehearsal recordings on the web so anyone could practice and join in.)
The point being that there are lots of ways to get involved in music other than playing Mustang Sally in the corner of a bar somewhere.
Lemme get this straight…
“Jamming”, as in being able to read other musicians and create music on the fly isn’t part of being a musician?
Writing original music isn’t a worthy part of being a musician? Is a musician just an instrumentalist, only copying what someone else wrote, or playing as instructed?
Is a musician someone who finds playing their instrument alone, boring? Someone who can’t enjoy it unless someone accepts him into their band and gives them a place on a stage?
Is being a musician about getting attention, money, chicks? What does that have to do with being a musician?
Is a true musician someone who can only enjoy playing one type of music? Really?
Forty years gigging, and can’t even imagine organizing a group themselves?
You speak down to people as though you’re advanced, when you appear to me to be quite stunted. I just don’t know where you get the nerve, but since you can dish it out, I’m gonna assume you can take it...
In MY opinion, you’re not quite a musician, you just play one on stage.
