“Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.”
Posts Tagged Guitar
Favorite Music Quote #10
Jun 28
Last month I put out a blog about analyzing heavy metal.
Here’s the real-life application!
Music Lessons Payoff in The Real World
(Keep an ear open for Guitarist Alex Edwards in the upcoming year!)
Check out my new blog about analyzing metal and classical music. Short but possibly informative!
http://aboutmusiclessons.blogspot.com/2010/04/metal-analysis.html
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!
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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The Basics of Jamming
Sep 4
The Musicians' How-To Series
THIS ARTICLE WAS PROMPTED by the many questions I’ve been asked by students wanting to play with friends but not really knowing what to do. Not everyone is a natural jammer. Even if you are, it can be easy to run out of things to do. Even if you know some chords, licks and songs, putting it all together with someone else’s chords, licks and songs can be a mystery. And can you still jam if you don’t know any songs or licks but only a few chords? You sure can—as long as everyone’s reasons for jamming are at least similar.
As rehearsing and professional playing entail group attitudes so does jamming at beginning and intermediate levels. More than one person playing at the same time is a group and needs to be treated as such. For example, selfish jammers aren’t always fun to play with and someone too shy to play a note might have a hard time at first. The less experienced a person is, the more boldness could be needed, while a more advanced person might need to have patience with those who don’t know as much or aren’t as nimble on their instrument.
Jamming is a mutual creation. We jam to have fun, to work out ideas, experiment with equipment, and many things. If someone solely wants to see how his rock licks sound through the new amp while the others want to play music focused on personal interaction that jam is not going to work. Goals must be aligned.
I have logged hundreds of hours coaching beginning and intermediate musicians how to jam. The bottom line is having compatible goals and comparable playing levels. Match up these two elements, add on something to play, and you’ve got yourself a jam. Some fundamentals are contained the article, “Musicians’ Roles.”
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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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ALTHOUGH THE MUSIC EACH PLAYER PLAYS contributes to creating the full communication of the tunes, the sound coming from the entire band is more important than what each individual is playing. Because of the composite factor of more than one person contributing to the creation of a whole, a group can only be as strong as its weakest or least aware member. A group of musicians playing together is a creation unto itself.
If you analyze any good performance you’ll see that everything falls into three categories: support, color and main focus. Although any instrument can provide any function at any given time, as well as flow in, around, and out of that function, each instrument has specific functions that need to be present for a good performance. The music supporting the vocals, the music supporting a soloist, or the rhythm section’s tight grooves establishing the mood as a type of solo are some examples. A horn section playing fancy lines in between lyrics is an example of color, which periodically could weave into being the main focus if it becomes predominant. A fancy bass part on a funky tune is an example of a supportive role being a secondary focus while holding down the bottom.
The creation of these elements, in addition to good material and good musicians, are what largely contribute to great music. Part of a musician’s craft is functioning within these parameters.
Being a professional greatly entails knowing how to play in order to make the group sound good. If a player’s concern is to constantly sound flashy with little regard for the rest of the players, he could make the group sound bad, he could frustrate the other musicians by being self-centered, and will likely get fired or just not called again. It’s a group creation, a group sound and knowing this is one of the differences between an amateur and a professional. Professional players have all encountered the musician who overplays, the drummer who fills at the wrong spot because he is staring at his hi-hat and not paying attention and the musician who doesn’t groove. None of these things work; neither do the people who commit these sins on the stage.
Whether dance music, jazz, classical or folk songs, music is a language that involves communication. As people speak together, musicians need to play together. Music at its best is an art form. Just as a group of people speaking all at once is unintelligible without some kind of order so is a group of musicians playing all at once without some kind of order.
Situations vary between styles of music, what kind of gig it is, and what the purpose of the playing situation is. When you understand the big picture and put aside any personal ego games, you can determine how you should play. If you acquire good musicianship and pay attention to what’s going on it’s very easy, completely obvious and totally fun.
This is a brief write-up of what is expected of everyone to do a good job, not get fired, and make the group sound good. When every-one plays according to the basic roles that are inherent in their instruments, a creative and enjoyable environment is created for all—musicians and audience both.
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