Are There Too Many Musicians in Nashville? 

Tim, you are probably the most genuine, encouraging & nicest person on RU-vid. Im 60 & new to learning guitar and your my sons age. Keep on being you.

As an older amateur musician from Nashville I am so glad you are holding on to positive energy! I have seen really good people burn out from the issues you mentioned. I am really proud of your success! You are the example of live your dream!

This kid is right. Gotta truck and keep on trucking . Yes, stay positive , easy to deal with, stay sober, be ON TIME.... be prepared ! ! ! This goes for any state, any town. 🎸🎸🎸

I moved to Nashville 3 years ago and even in that time it's changed. But I work a 40 hour a week day job, work at a recording studio on the weekends and currently in 3 bands. Grind is an understatement. But really, networking is the biggest thing. Say yes to every opportunity and don't burn bridges.

hey thanks for sharing. i really enjoyed this video and found it helpful. i just moved here to Nashville 10 days ago and have been fortunate enough to land some work as i am a guitarist/producer/composer. just subscribed and am looking forward to keeping up with your journey

This is sage advice is all aspects of life. Just so happens you’re referring to musicianship in Nashville. Kudos Tim. You are on the way up for sure.

people always say these things, especially in cities, yes things change. it will be alright as long as you appreciate the memories.

“Stay positive” - Love it Tim! I’m guilty of being pessimistic. But I know that positivity and remembering the love for music are so important. Thank you for the reminder!

I prefer your shorter videos. I don’t have time to watch a one or two hour video. It’s good that you’re encouraging people to follow their dreams and come to Nashville.

There’s thirteen hundred and fifty two guitar pickers in Nashville and most have been playing since they’s babies.

I agree with you completely. There’s not too many people - most people just don’t bring their best every day. Or make excuses/place blame on others. For example I’m a Bassist and I was told on multiple occasions that I’m overplaying. I'm doing too much? Play louder and try to drown me out - I bet you can’t because I am bringing my all and it's as simple as that. I've been gigging in Nashville for 2 years now and have single-handedly made slap-bass a staple in the Nashville music community. I finally have rehearsal lined up for my 3rd gig here and can almost guarantee that I will blow everyone away. I have also invested my life savings into having a 5' wide by 3' tall stylophone designed just for me as it is another instrument I have mastered and firmly believe has its place in most music specifically in Nashville. If you disagree you have poor taste in music.

Hi Bro. Cool G&L...nice binding. FYI..They asked famous cellist Pablo Casals why in his 80's he continued practicing for hours a day. He answered " because I'm seeing some improvement". Peace & Love from Canada 💙

Tim, I love the way you shine your light! You are so authentic and real ...and one heck of a fine musician. Thanks for your upbeat perspective.

Love the G&L. I absolutely love mine. I have 3 very different ones and each sounds fantastic. Love to see others using them. I think sometimes they get overlooked. Thanks for another great video! You bring uniqueness to RU-vid. Great attitude and love the honesty and your positivity. I know you will go as far as you want to go. Other people want to be around positive people like yourself. I think too many younger people expect greatness immediately, if that makes sense? If it’s not hard, it probably isn’t worth anything. Keep these great videos coming!

Man thank u so much for these videos and ur humble, down to earth "real dude" approach, to hear u say u have been fired plenty of times and not called back but still go back up on the horse it truly inspiring, i need to at least visit asap, i think ill reach out to u for sure when i do...cheers and rock on

Great video. I've been watching for a while, never commented. I was just wondering if you guys have busking on the streets in Nashville? Or is it all just gigs. My hubby went to Nashville with a guitar on his back, but he is a professional pianist 😂 He knocked on doors back in the day when that was a real thing. He was told not there yet, etc...but oddly enough, he was offered a studio musician position. He never took it because that wasn't what he wanted to do. His father knew men in the music industry back then, and he was able to go watch the song "Lay Lady Lay" being mastered. He was just like 5 minutes behind Johnny Cash leaving a recording session, and he met some really famous people. Anyways, it is great to watch your vlogs. I don't think I'd ever want that lifestyle of buses, planes, and travel because i would think after a while, you'd get sick of it. I think it would be fun at first, though. 😊 I will live it through you 😂😂 If I ever got extra money you would make a great guitar teacher, your kindness shows through the screen. Keep up the great work Tim 😊

I've never been fired over a gig..I always give em a 2 hr notice that I've quit... However, my thoughts about over saturation of players is yes, to many same old same..but not enough unusual singers and players that have the mindset to be different enough to bring something to the table which sets them apart from the rest..

Hey man, great video! Love your work … it’s great fun watching your journey!!! Never quit, expect the best, fear of failure is worse than failing every now and then. Also, you’re probably the only one who heard your last mistake. The audience probably thought it was just a tasty note choice!

Tim, you’re a true inspiration. You’re right, the tremolo sounds good on your music intro. 👍🎸

Congrats on your success thus far Tim! As a hack guitar player I am always amazed at the ability of the averge player downtown. When I take people down there who have never been I tell them have a beer and go to the next one. Spend a day finding the bar and the players you like. It is very easy to end up sitting in one bar because the band is so good and never see that the next one is going to be as good or better. After you have seen the players downtown and are fortunate enough to meet the top tier session players it becomes pretty clear they are another level. I think Tim does a great job of talking about real life as a pro musician in a town where there is no shortage of talent. It is everywhere. The guy who installed my fence is as good a player as you will find. The guy cutting your grass may be. The amazing thing about brodway is these players typically aren't really a "band." They are players who get together for specific gigs and automatically sound as good as any band anywhere. 3 hours later you will see the guitar player with the bass player from another bar playing the next shift somewhere else. It's an amazing place.

I lived in Nashville from 2003-2005 and even back then I remember every barista, pizza delivery driver, and waitress was a musician trying to make it. It felt overwhelming for me, like I had no chance because I wasn't good enough, or outgoing enough to meet people and make connections. I think it takes a certain personality type like yours: optimism, outgoing, good with people and connecting. Hard work is a given for anything in life. But I think your personality is the most important thing and I just didn't have it.

"Tim Aven production quality" needs to be on a t-shirt😂 Seriously though I needed this video, good advice!

Is everyone in Nashville a musician? 😂 I’m 59 years old. I’m from New Zealand. I now live in Hobart, Tasmania (check a map 😂) and I STILL want to move to Nashville. I probably won’t but I still want to 😂 😂 It’s been my dream since I was a child to play in both Nashville and New Orleans. In my view, they are the homes of amazing music and culture.

There's not too many in Nashville there's not enough musicians everywhere else. Cheers Tim!

Ahhh...different guitar sound. Great advice, as always. Keep on trucking, Tim.

Way to stay positive! Keep on Rocking Tim. Hoping to see you around sometime. Did you go to CAAS (Chet Atkins Convention)? Some fantastic players were there. But enjoy your channel and just wanted to say hey!

I'm in LA, which is also saturated with guitarists. I'm making a living playing the guitar now and it's through sheer persistence for decades. There are thousands of people here more talented than I am, but I out worked most of them.

Talent is watered down. Too many multi stage bars and number of bars in general. Some dont take their craft seriously and it shows

Everything you said is correct. I toured a lot back in the 2010-2019 ish, actually was playing with an artist and Brandon, Trip and Jared were part of it at first. (right before Brandon got his thing going) Just getting back in to playing and for me, the gigs I've gotten have all been through friends/friends of friends. Still what you said applies, show up on time, know the material, and be cool/professional. It helps you stand out from the masses.

Love the shirt and the topic!

Nashville IS over saturated with musician in general. I Walked down Broadway on a Sunday a few years back about 1pm and all clubs had just smokin bands with fantastic players on different instruments. Reminds me of how Memphis where I am from used to be. I would say it is saturated but that is where it is happening now just like decades ago it was L.A. Good personal insight. And we enjoyed the bus vid. Keep it up. Tell everyone keep networking. It is key.

Enjoy your enthusiasm. Plus I love your playing. Thank you.

10'000 guitar pickers in Nashville. Something like that from John Sebastion of the Lovin Spoonfuls. As a so so guitar player I love Nashville. Every joint big or small is chocked full of great musicians. Like you say, if it is your thing give it a shot! Burlington Bill busking on the road and on you tube.

Years ago I went to Musician's Institute in Hollywood. There was a guy who did seminars and there was about 300 people in the room when he said... "only 1% of you guys will make your living in music". Straight talk... he was right... and a lot of depressed guys left that room that day. I am one of the 1% though. A music survivalist if you will. I've been in 3 different industries... have over 600 income generating titles in BMI & SESAC (some make more than others of course). About 400 of those are Music Library tracks. I've written over 500 songs here in Nashville now. It gets tougher the older you get. I had a good accountant for a while in LA who made sure I paid my taxes. That gets more important as you reach your later years to qualify for SS$. I think people who are thinking of moving here need to know the odds. Yes, you can beat them, but not most will. When you're young, it's worth a shot if you're one of the top players, writers, producers... or just someone who works harder than the rest. Keep it up! Make sure you eventually get some publishing titles. Write, write write! You can only stay on the road for so long unless you're a super star. I traveled the world for 15 years too... and still don't want to go anywhere now except my studio. haha!

Tim, love the vid, love the honesty!!

7:26 your cat looks traumatised 😂😂

According to John Sebastian, in 1966 there were 1,352 guitar pickers in Nashville. Now, 58 years later, there are probably more than that just on Lower Broad.

Need musicians in other towns across the USA. I think if there were promoters to organize music events would help.

The music industry in Nashville will teach you to get real thick skin and become very resilient if you stick around. Anyone who gets offended easy won’t last long. Looks like you’ve made it past that part. Good luck keep picking!

Hey Tim…I was watching your gig video (which was amazing!) and had a question…,do you have any issues jumping between the jumbo frets of the DGT and the smaller silver sky frets? I’ve always tried to stay consistent but am starting to think it’s good to have different things around.

“Well, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two Guitar pickers in Nashville And they can pick more notes than the number of ants On a Tennessee ant hill”

Love that G&L ASAT Classic!

That tone is fantastic.

It seems that most gigs in Nashville are just reduced to the musicians playing cover songs for a bunch of drunks. Very little new, good music being made.

At least you have a music 'scene' where you live - BE GRATEFUL FOR IT.

I once heard a guy say that the guy that gets the gig is the one he can live on a bus with for 6 months without wanting to strangle him. Like Tim said, EVERYONE is a bad ass musician, so be polite, respectful, clean, and sober. Don’t give up. Conduct yourself as a professional the same way a corporate person would.

Do you think there is a difference between being a songwriting musician and a players musician? I mean, to be in Nashville pitching songs?

It's not what you know, it's who you know. Also looks like it''s part playing and part collecting money. I've seen videos where the artist walks around with the tip bucket and chats up the audience for tips. Collecting money is an important skill in survival.

Y E S

I'm probably one of the only guitarists that moved to Nashville and didn't go out and try to play. In 99, I was down in the area of Goodlettsville, going to Nossi College of Art. 😂

Tim wanna collaborate with you on a project what's the best way to reach out !! ?

It’s no secret that Nashville has been oversaturated with guitar players since the 60s.

Just show up. That's pretty much it. Oh yeah, not drunk.

It’s hard to compete with tracking and A.I. IMY2 are one the best bands in Nashville, but they’re still not breaking through.

There is so many people everywhere and in everything. Surfing, music, traffic , New York, Nashville, Boston there is simply so many of us.. 😂 what can you do ? Better enjoy it

Most of the negative comments that I'm hearing about Nashville don't have anything to do with gigs or musicians or opportunities. They all have to do with the current economic model not making much sense anymore, or, like myself, they don't have much use for the Broadway type scene. I'm more of a "dive bar" type guy and the last thing I want to hear is someone playing Hank Williams tunes on a Tele plugged into a Fender Twin with loud drums or Joan Jett covers. I am not paying $50 to park my car either. BUT, if you're young and have heart and can really play, then Nashville is the best place to be right now.

I don’t think there’s enough musicians man. Nashville is the one exception. Every other tourist town is gonna have laptop on laptop on laptop

Are there too many software engineers in the San Francisco Bay Area? Are there too many actors in Los Angeles? Specialized skill sets tend to gravitate to where the industry work is and where the big players in the industry are.

You’ve been there several years now, my question is where do you see yourself in 5 years ?

Old joke: When you’re 20 miles out of Nashville, if you can play guitar better than the guy pumping your gas, you’re allowed to move to the next gas station.

Another tidbit….. Don’t mess around with your female band mates. lol.

G&Ls don’t get the love they deserve ❤

Tell me ONE thing that isn't changing. 😂

SATURATED!

Its a melting pot. Be prepared. Survival of the fitist. I got lucking always traveling across the country playing. The longest ive been is in venice fl. For5 yrs playing.

Fx being a musician..be an artiSt.

Being a musician (paid) is much like many other "Star" jobs.... there is way way way more supply (of talent) than demand.... you have 11 year old girls on RU-vid shredding guitar like John Sykes.... Girls like Taylor Swift making a billion dollars with a fraction of the talent of the girl on RU-vid ... the whole thing is broken.. My suggestion? Get a real job, and use your money to buy the gear and hobby with music... I own some guitars that most working musicians would never be able to afford and I buy then with my "day job" money.. But I wish you the best.. Being a straight white male in today's world of media isn't going to be easy.

Yeah bust your all for a decade for no money, no weed, no alcohol, no chicks?