I am only 16 but my dream is to be profesional musician. I play the accordion and love it but i don't know what to do to make myself well known further that in my local area. I would love to tour the world just playing music. So does anyone have any tips on how to make my dream come true?
Be a good person before you're a good musician. If people don't like you, then you're going to have to be a really really REALLY good player before they'll ask you to play with them. It's still true -- you catch more flies with honey.
Be the best musician you can be, at any given time. You'll note that most of the upper tier ITM groups out there have nothing but really excellent players in them, most of whom are multi-instrumentalists or who are masters of their one instrument. Remember, as you change and mature (along with your taste and preferences in music), so will your music -- strive to immerse yourself in music so you have the widest range of things to learn from that you can. Try to learn something new about the music or your instrument or whatever at least every week.
Professional musicians generally have to have more than just the music in mind when they play -- they must entertain as well, and have the commercial aspects of what they do firmly in mind at all times. Get in every possible opportunity to perform (not just play) that you can. If you're a good player and a good joe that people like to play with, eventually people will hear of you and want to hear you elsewhere.
Everything is a matter of priorities. If your music is more important to you than, say, owning a brand new Jeep Cherokee, then you will spend both your money and your time accordingly. If you want to be a professional touring musician, remember that it's an extremely rough life that isn't much fun after the newness and your youth have worn out (yes, I speak from experience) and it's very hard to have a very good personal relationship with your spouse and family if you're constantly on the road -- often, it's easier to be single than to have a relationship (even when it's a relationship with another musician, and in fact there's some times when there's little worse than touring in a band with a spouse), unfortunately, so make up your mind how much you really truly need to be a professional musician. Enough to give up luxuries and even some of the basics? (This is what Dave is talking about, really, when he says if you want it enough, it'll happen.) If your absolute top priority is being a touring musician, then be prepared to sacrifice everything for it. Know what you will and won't sacrifice and make your decisions awake, for good reasons, gladly and with a whole heart. (Remember that as you mature, your abilities to make good decisions will also mature -- oftentimes, from the pain of making decisions that you regret making later!)
George Keith and I were just discussing being a touring musician yesterday and George made a germane comment: "There's no room to be an a**hole on tour. You have to be nice or you're simply not asked back."
There are other ways of making money as a professional musician than just touring. Look into them, too -- but I don't know many sidemen who play accordion only, so you might want to look into picking up the guitar and perhaps the flute or fiddle as well, or even keyboards or something, and get facile in all kinds of music, not just Irish, if you want to go that route.
Have a backup, alternate plan ready in case you get into a car accident and trash your hands, or if you discover that, after all, being a touring musician is fine when you're 23 but a drag when you're 40 -- how will you make a living then? Get a good education or at least a good skill that you can always make a living with if the music side of things drys up. Besides, you don't won't to be one of those people who has only one facet to their personality.
Do try the whole thing out if you can while you're still young (in your early 20's, say). You will most likely regret NOT doing it, rather that regret that you did.
Amen. Go for it. Keep it light. Love the music and take the opportunities as they present.
Your life is in front of you and you can make it, whatever you desire your future to be. There are those you will sadly leave behind and new friends you will gain. Follow your dream as it dynamically unfolds - while you are young, independent and unbridled by committments. Negotiate each new cross-road. Take your own path, but be careful not to intentionally step on anyone else's feelings as you dance along the way. Be a star and shine. No regrets - love it and do it! Have fun.
cheers
I too am young and aspire to be a musician. I play flute, both silver and wooden, and whistle, but my local area is most definetely NOT into the whole Celtic thing. So, I really know what you're going thorugh. I hope the next few years bring both of us luck,
hi i'm box (just changed my name) thanks very much everyone but i've one last question:
Do you think I'll need to win the all ireland or something in order to be recognised because so far its only been by competing that i've been recognised and honestly i don't think i'll have the chance to win the all ireland for a few years yet? Thanks.....again!
hey Jo, well, i was thinking along them lines only last year but then i had a chat with a cousin of mine that plays with quite a big traditional band and well, he kinda put me off it ! because you have to be nice the whole time, you have to stick to the tunes that people want i.e. the ones you recorded, and you spend most of your time in a jet and if your on a contract you have to do a certain amount of albumbs. i'd still love to do that too but what im doing is trying to get a good education now so if nothing comes of it, at least i'll have something to fall back on, which is what 2 other members of the band were before they went big. thats the most sensible thing to do anyhow !
now to milltown, were you in joe burkes class last year by any chance ? and as regards the fleadh, no way ! most big players esspecially box players have never won an all ireland so dont worry about that ! and oh yeah, it would help if you could compose good tunes, be able to play in a few diff keys and to be able to be good at improvising.
bye for now and maybe we'll meet up for a tune in milltown !
No. It helps. But -- no. Irish musicians tend to talk about each other, you see. ("Hey, there's this great young box player in -----, really mighty player.") Can't count how many times I've been talking to someone halfway round the world and turn out to know someone they know quite well. So, network network network.
Of course, having an All Ireland under your belt helps a lot.
Remember that Irish Traditional Music was made by people who were not getting any money out of it (this situation lasted until, roughly, after Riverdance and Titanic). Sometimes having music as your moneymaker even gets in the way of enjoying it, because you have, well, to make money. The market is very tight, and "making it" as a musician requires equal large amounts of talent and luck.
Whether you become a full-time professional (one of the very few), or you keep your day job in the dairy farm or in the computer farm, be sure to really enjoy the music. Make yourself happy and make others happier too, with your music. And always do the best you can. Be generous with your music.
That is not really true - maybe where you are glauber - but musicians were being paid from where I'm from for a long time. But box, It really depends - there are session muso's who get paid and there are musicians in bands or solo muso's who travel and do gigs etc. I'd say it would be best to be a session muso you get paid to play in sessions which you would be doing anyway and you wouldnt have to travel all the time. The only thing is if it was a terrible session you couldnt pack up and go home -you'd have to keep going no matter what
Jo, there's no one way to become a touring musician. No one can wave a magic wand and turn you into a touring musician who makes a decent living at it. There's a great deal of luck involved, being in the right place at the right time, with the right people. There's more hard work than you can probably imagine at the moment involved. (And lots of hard work often makes 'good luck' for you.) All the good advice you've gotten here has to do with is giving you better odds of making it where you want to go.
It is really, really hard to make a *living* at being a musician -- although you can pick up a few gigs here and there that pay for themselves easily enough. Some of the best Irish traditional musicians alive (and dead) have made their livings doing things like plumbing and being janitors, playing on their off hours (and some during their working hours -- Buddy MacMasters is a fine example). Some have never recorded and never plan to. Others record and never plan to tour. Still others do the whole package, which is what it sounds like you'd like to do.
Everything said in previous posts distills more or less down to this: work as hard as you can at your music at all times, be a good person that other people like to be around, and constantly, always, and irrevocably make the choice that gets you closer to where you want to go. Cover your rear by having a good education or good skill in case the chips don't fall in your direction. While you're doing all of this, have fun.
This all falls into the category of Things That Are Easy To Say And Not So Easy To Do. My own piece of advice is to make your decisions by deciding what you want to remember you did with your life in the moments before you leave this earth. No one ever wished that they spent more time at the office on their deathbed, as they say. What will you wish that you had said, you had done, you had thought?
Finally (at last, she's done!), when all is said and done, IT'S ONLY MUSIC. From the vantage point of 41 odd years (some odder than others), I can advise you that your relationships with those you love is far more important than what you do with your art -- but that is my decision, and yours may be different.
Play with musicians that you respect, listen to more music, make a demo CD and send it off to everyone, especially people you know, in music, who can get gigs etc. Practice. Do other things as well as music. Try to have a portfolio of jobs, not just performing, eg teaching, presenting, anything, so you're not reliant on solely performing. Good luck.
Musicians
Musicians
I am only 16 but my dream is to be profesional musician. I play the accordion and love it but i don't know what to do to make myself well known further that in my local area. I would love to tour the world just playing music. So does anyone have any tips on how to make my dream come true?
# Posted on June 9th 2002 by Box
Re: Musicians
Box,
Just do it!
Dave.
# Posted on June 9th 2002 by Twiz
Re: Musicians
Also I wish you the best of luck...If you want it enough it will happen!
Dave.
# Posted on June 9th 2002 by Twiz
Re: Musicians
practice. lots.
sarah
# Posted on June 9th 2002 by eleyne
Re: Musicians
In no particular order:
Be a good person before you're a good musician. If people don't like you, then you're going to have to be a really really REALLY good player before they'll ask you to play with them. It's still true -- you catch more flies with honey.
Be the best musician you can be, at any given time. You'll note that most of the upper tier ITM groups out there have nothing but really excellent players in them, most of whom are multi-instrumentalists or who are masters of their one instrument. Remember, as you change and mature (along with your taste and preferences in music), so will your music -- strive to immerse yourself in music so you have the widest range of things to learn from that you can. Try to learn something new about the music or your instrument or whatever at least every week.
Professional musicians generally have to have more than just the music in mind when they play -- they must entertain as well, and have the commercial aspects of what they do firmly in mind at all times. Get in every possible opportunity to perform (not just play) that you can. If you're a good player and a good joe that people like to play with, eventually people will hear of you and want to hear you elsewhere.
Everything is a matter of priorities. If your music is more important to you than, say, owning a brand new Jeep Cherokee, then you will spend both your money and your time accordingly. If you want to be a professional touring musician, remember that it's an extremely rough life that isn't much fun after the newness and your youth have worn out (yes, I speak from experience) and it's very hard to have a very good personal relationship with your spouse and family if you're constantly on the road -- often, it's easier to be single than to have a relationship (even when it's a relationship with another musician, and in fact there's some times when there's little worse than touring in a band with a spouse), unfortunately, so make up your mind how much you really truly need to be a professional musician. Enough to give up luxuries and even some of the basics? (This is what Dave is talking about, really, when he says if you want it enough, it'll happen.) If your absolute top priority is being a touring musician, then be prepared to sacrifice everything for it. Know what you will and won't sacrifice and make your decisions awake, for good reasons, gladly and with a whole heart. (Remember that as you mature, your abilities to make good decisions will also mature -- oftentimes, from the pain of making decisions that you regret making later!)
George Keith and I were just discussing being a touring musician yesterday and George made a germane comment: "There's no room to be an a**hole on tour. You have to be nice or you're simply not asked back."
There are other ways of making money as a professional musician than just touring. Look into them, too -- but I don't know many sidemen who play accordion only, so you might want to look into picking up the guitar and perhaps the flute or fiddle as well, or even keyboards or something, and get facile in all kinds of music, not just Irish, if you want to go that route.
Have a backup, alternate plan ready in case you get into a car accident and trash your hands, or if you discover that, after all, being a touring musician is fine when you're 23 but a drag when you're 40 -- how will you make a living then? Get a good education or at least a good skill that you can always make a living with if the music side of things drys up. Besides, you don't won't to be one of those people who has only one facet to their personality.
Do try the whole thing out if you can while you're still young (in your early 20's, say). You will most likely regret NOT doing it, rather that regret that you did.
Zina
# Posted on June 9th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Musicians
Amen. Go for it. Keep it light. Love the music and take the opportunities as they present.
Your life is in front of you and you can make it, whatever you desire your future to be. There are those you will sadly leave behind and new friends you will gain. Follow your dream as it dynamically unfolds - while you are young, independent and unbridled by committments. Negotiate each new cross-road. Take your own path, but be careful not to intentionally step on anyone else's feelings as you dance along the way. Be a star and shine. No regrets - love it and do it! Have fun.
cheers
# Posted on June 9th 2002 by Jill
Re: Musicians
I too am young and aspire to be a musician. I play flute, both silver and wooden, and whistle, but my local area is most definetely NOT into the whole Celtic thing. So, I really know what you're going thorugh. I hope the next few years bring both of us luck,
From Katy
# Posted on June 9th 2002 by KDJ
Re: Musicians
hi i'm box (just changed my name) thanks very much everyone but i've one last question:
Do you think I'll need to win the all ireland or something in order to be recognised because so far its only been by competing that i've been recognised and honestly i don't think i'll have the chance to win the all ireland for a few years yet? Thanks.....again!
# Posted on June 10th 2002 by jo
Re: Musicians
hey Jo, well, i was thinking along them lines only last year but then i had a chat with a cousin of mine that plays with quite a big traditional band and well, he kinda put me off it ! because you have to be nice the whole time, you have to stick to the tunes that people want i.e. the ones you recorded, and you spend most of your time in a jet and if your on a contract you have to do a certain amount of albumbs. i'd still love to do that too but what im doing is trying to get a good education now so if nothing comes of it, at least i'll have something to fall back on, which is what 2 other members of the band were before they went big. thats the most sensible thing to do anyhow !
now to milltown, were you in joe burkes class last year by any chance ? and as regards the fleadh, no way ! most big players esspecially box players have never won an all ireland so dont worry about that ! and oh yeah, it would help if you could compose good tunes, be able to play in a few diff keys and to be able to be good at improvising.
bye for now and maybe we'll meet up for a tune in milltown !
Máirtín.
# Posted on June 10th 2002 by martin t
Re: Musicians
No. It helps. But -- no. Irish musicians tend to talk about each other, you see. ("Hey, there's this great young box player in -----, really mighty player.") Can't count how many times I've been talking to someone halfway round the world and turn out to know someone they know quite well. So, network network network.
Of course, having an All Ireland under your belt helps a lot.
Zina
# Posted on June 10th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Musicians
Remember that Irish Traditional Music was made by people who were not getting any money out of it (this situation lasted until, roughly, after Riverdance and Titanic). Sometimes having music as your moneymaker even gets in the way of enjoying it, because you have, well, to make money. The market is very tight, and "making it" as a musician requires equal large amounts of talent and luck.
Whether you become a full-time professional (one of the very few), or you keep your day job in the dairy farm or in the computer farm, be sure to really enjoy the music. Make yourself happy and make others happier too, with your music. And always do the best you can. Be generous with your music.
# Posted on June 11th 2002 by glauber
Re: Musicians
That is not really true - maybe where you are glauber - but musicians were being paid from where I'm from for a long time. But box, It really depends - there are session muso's who get paid and there are musicians in bands or solo muso's who travel and do gigs etc. I'd say it would be best to be a session muso you get paid to play in sessions which you would be doing anyway and you wouldnt have to travel all the time. The only thing is if it was a terrible session you couldnt pack up and go home -you'd have to keep going no matter what
# Posted on June 11th 2002 by shoddy fiddle player
Re: Musicians
Thanks everybody but i'm still as confused as ever!
# Posted on June 12th 2002 by jo
Re: Musicians
jo - why is it that you are still confused - elaborate and we'll try to be less confusing
# Posted on June 12th 2002 by shoddy fiddle player
Re: Musicians
Jo, there's no one way to become a touring musician. No one can wave a magic wand and turn you into a touring musician who makes a decent living at it. There's a great deal of luck involved, being in the right place at the right time, with the right people. There's more hard work than you can probably imagine at the moment involved. (And lots of hard work often makes 'good luck' for you.) All the good advice you've gotten here has to do with is giving you better odds of making it where you want to go.
It is really, really hard to make a *living* at being a musician -- although you can pick up a few gigs here and there that pay for themselves easily enough. Some of the best Irish traditional musicians alive (and dead) have made their livings doing things like plumbing and being janitors, playing on their off hours (and some during their working hours -- Buddy MacMasters is a fine example). Some have never recorded and never plan to. Others record and never plan to tour. Still others do the whole package, which is what it sounds like you'd like to do.
Everything said in previous posts distills more or less down to this: work as hard as you can at your music at all times, be a good person that other people like to be around, and constantly, always, and irrevocably make the choice that gets you closer to where you want to go. Cover your rear by having a good education or good skill in case the chips don't fall in your direction. While you're doing all of this, have fun.
This all falls into the category of Things That Are Easy To Say And Not So Easy To Do. My own piece of advice is to make your decisions by deciding what you want to remember you did with your life in the moments before you leave this earth. No one ever wished that they spent more time at the office on their deathbed, as they say. What will you wish that you had said, you had done, you had thought?
Finally (at last, she's done!), when all is said and done, IT'S ONLY MUSIC. From the vantage point of 41 odd years (some odder than others), I can advise you that your relationships with those you love is far more important than what you do with your art -- but that is my decision, and yours may be different.
Zina
# Posted on June 12th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Musicians
Just like Paul (who just got married in Ireland, BTW) said: in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
# Posted on June 12th 2002 by glauber
Re: Musicians
Play with musicians that you respect, listen to more music, make a demo CD and send it off to everyone, especially people you know, in music, who can get gigs etc. Practice. Do other things as well as music. Try to have a portfolio of jobs, not just performing, eg teaching, presenting, anything, so you're not reliant on solely performing. Good luck.
# Posted on June 23rd 2002 by simon
Re: Musicians
Hey jo- I'm min the same exact siuation as you are (same age and everything!)...i'm DYING to go on tour as well! Just wishing u the very best luck!!
# Posted on September 20th 2002 by Kallie