Archive for category Playing Gigs

Marty Buttwinick – Concert Invitation

 

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Hello!

I invite you to my first original-music concert! Much of the music I wrote for this day, while some of it was revitalized from material written years ago. The material covers a wide array of styles from Latin, jazz, swing, rock and various fusion-esque material.

I’ve performed thousands of gigs with other people and other artists — now it’s time to share some of MY material with you! It’s a special day for me, so please make it by if you can.

 

Date: Sunday, November 1, 2009

Time: 3:00 to 6:00 pm

Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

For prepaid tickets you can call (818) 428-1377 and pay on the phone with a check or credit card, or click here to go to “More Art, Inc.” and click on “donate.”

A Special Discount price of $10 for members of:

  • More Art
  • Chamber of Commerce
  • Women’s Club
  • College Students with I.D
  • Seniors
  • Marty Buttwinick’s current students

Snacks and such are available on site for purchase.

LOCATION

Valley Life Improvement Center

10667 White Oak

Granada Hills, CA 91344

(818) 428-1377

Click here for a map from Google maps

 


 

  • Marty Buttwinick on bass & compositions
  • Ben Beckley-drums
  • Jeff Snow-woodwinds
  • Matt Lamy-keyboard
  • Larry Williams-guitar
  • plus guest artists such as the glamorous Cathy Segal-Garcia on vocals!

With many years of professional playing under his belt, Marty Buttwinick has put together an ensemble called “Sundance” to perform his music for you. Influenced by such greats as J.S. Bach, Steely Dan, Paco Sanchez, Monk, Cream and Chick Corea, his diverse background is apparent in his works: Latin, jazz, rock, R&B, fusion-esque, classical and blends of all of the above. “Sundance.” Come and hear the music!

 


 

This is part of a performance series of “MORE ART Presents!” It is a monthly Music Series in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles featuring the best in Jazz, Rock, Classical and Pop.

This series is called “The Four Seasons of Music,” and is presented the 1st Sunday of each month from 3:00 to 6:00

 

 

 

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Pro Musicians’ Tips #1 of 4: About Instruments & Equipment

 

As a supplement to the large bodies of valuable information available, these lists of “Pro Musicians’ Tip” has been compiled from years of personal experience, observing others and by personal survey of about a dozen working professionals spanning all echelons of the business from local clubs to major-venue players and stage hands. In my book, How To Make A Living as a Musician, these were listed as appendix material, called “Miscellaneous Tips & Advices.” These tips represent dues well paid over many, many years. Though this is a hefty list, there are hundreds of other tips around to be discovered. Use them to enhance your prosperity as a musician!

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The Musicians’ Basic Gig Checklist

 

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The Musicians’ Gig Checklist lays out all the things you could need at a gig: a fuse can blow, a string can break, a strong wind can blow your music off the stand, your guitar battery could go dead or you could be swarmed with bugs on a hot day. It’s a drag to be at a gig and not have something that you need, and knowing the possibilities prevents potential disasters.

 

 


    BASIC SET-UP

  1. Instrument(s), cables, wiping cloth and any needed accessories your instrument needs. E.g., extra reeds for sax players, valve oil for brass players, rosin for string players, etc.
  2. Amp, if not acoustic
  3. At least one extra instrument cable if playing an electric instrument
  4. An extension cord, three prong adapter, junction box and a small flashlight
  5. Any tools you use (screwdrivers, pliers, keyboard stand tighteners, drum key, etc.)
  6. Instrument tuner
  7. Extra fuses for your amp
  8. Extra batteries if you use them
  9. Extra strings if a string player with a wire cutter and extra picks if a guitarist or bassist
  10. Effects units with all the cables if you’re using these
  11. Anything else you might need, i.e., a towel if you sweat a lot, a hygiene bag, umbrella, rain boots, musicians’ earplugs for extremely loud music, etc.
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How To Make A Living as a Guitarist

 

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This is the original, unedited version of my GUITAR PLAYER magazine article called “FREELANCING — How To Get Hometown Gigs Now!” (Nov 95) It is a summation of what it takes to be a successful freelance guitarist. GUITAR PLAYER magazine loved my main book and wanted a condensed version for the guitar players of the world… so I gave them one!

 

 

 

Many guitarists want to make a living in the music business. You get an instrument and learn to play because it looks fun, exciting or cool—and off you go. After awhile you’re jamming, and making a career with music sounds like a good move. At some point this “good move” can become a fruitful career… or a disaster.
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Slang Terms Every Musician Should Know

 

The Musicians' How-To Series "How to Run a Band"

 

Professional musicians have developed certain slang terms and “sign language” gestures to communicate various instructions to the other musicians on the stage. Knowing these is an important part of being a functional, gigging musician.

 

These are a few “must know” terms for any working musician or singer.

 

  1. Bows, walk-ons, intros and play-ons — Specialized music used to introduce people when they are to “take a bow.” This music usually consists of short, well known melodies from popular songs or orchestral works. Bows are used for exiting as well as for making an entrance. Here they are called bows, walk-offs, outros and play-offs.
  2. Calling tunes — Deciding what the next tune to play will be, and telling the rest of the band about it.
  3. Count off — Counting aloud before the tune starts to establish the tempo and meter (how many beats in a bar).
  4. Cue — A physical gesture, audio signal (specific melody, rhythm, lyric, etc.) or lighting effect, signaling that some change is going to happen.
  5. Fingers in the air — either designate what chord you are on, or what key you are in. A “I chord” would have one finger in the air, a “IV chord” would have four. For showing what key you are in; fingers going up represent sharps, while fingers going down represent flats. Since the “Key of G” has one sharp, one finger going up is the “Key of G.” Since the “Key of F” has one flat, one finger going down would be the “Key of F.” (Definition: Roman numerals have been used as chord symbols for hundreds of years. A chord built from the first note in a scale is called the “I” chord, a chord built from the fourth note in a scale is called a “IV” chords, etc.)
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Musicians: How to Deal with Bad Attitudes

 

Human beings can be pretty complex life units. Some people are easy to work with while others seem impossible.

In the professional work-a-day world of a freelance musician there are fewer attitude difficulties than when guys are just starting out. Why? Well, when you have attitude problems that make getting the show on the road difficult you get fired. Period. When rehearsals and gigs need to occur, there’s no room for wasting time on people with attitude problems or lack of commitment when commitment is needed. One of the hallmarks of a professional is not letting his emotions, personal feelings or hobbies get in the way of productivity. The only people who get away with problem-attitudes are guys that are so great at what they do that they are in great demand. (This is NOT the way to go!) Even so, they don’t last long!
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Queen of ‘Jazzipino’ Charmaine Clamor Breaks Ground in America

 

My music copyist client is continuing to achieve international success!

 

OAKLAND, Calif. — Many jazz artists and aficionados consider jazz as the immigrant’s music — embracing and absorbing into a big pot, the many styles, elements and talents coming from musicians from all over the globe.

Charmaine Clamor, recently hailed as America’s leading Filipina jazz and world music vocalist, believes the “Filipino spice” may have found its renaissance in this pot in recent years, through the hybrid genre she created, “Jazzipino”. It’s a blend of the soul and swing of American jazz with Filipino music, languages and instruments. It’s the perfect pairing of her two great loves, Clamor says – of jazz and her Filipino soul, and it has catapulted her into the American jazz stratosphere.
Clamor’s Success an Embodiment of Jazz as the Immigrant’s Music.

 

Way to go Charmaine!!!

 

Read more about this success story here. It’s very motivating!

 

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What Kind of Gigs Do Musicians Play for Money?

 

Making it as an original artist or session player are goals of many musicians and singers. Until a person achieves these ranks in the music business – how does a musician make a living? My students asked me this question for years and here’s the info. This article covers traditional instruments, as computer driven music is a topic for another article.

Since different instruments provide different functions in the music biz, e.g., soloing, playing accompaniment, etc., the gigs they get follow accordingly. Though I primarily cover the more popular instruments, many classical instruments will be mentioned. If you don’t know what these instruments are, or what they sound like, I suggest going to a library and checking out CD’s that describe and demonstrate them. There are also a number of excellent computer programs that do this if you’re set up for it.

The purpose of this article is to expose you to the types of gigs different instruments are used for. I mention how gigs are gotten, though complete information is covered in my “MUSICIANS’ HOW-TO SERIES.” Here are the usual calls:
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