This video was so representative of your channel, to shed light on what it’s like to be a professional musician. Great job. THIS is the power of RU-vid…takes you places where few go and see. Thanks!
I hope you make more vids like this. It'll help up and comers see the true reality of a working musician is. This will help make someone make the decision to seek this kind of work. But above all, you see each individual their love of music and the impact it has on their lives.
Worst: those gigs where you are treated like an appliance (no food, no drink, no timeliness) and have to play soulless music because that's what the audience wants Best: rehearsals
I played bass professionally for years - Worst part for me was travel, parking - finding the gig, Pack up and pack Down… Best part? the musician community and continually learning :)
I love this video, very honest and insightful. I would be hard-pressed to answer the "worst part" question. I´ve been a professional musician here in Germany for 35 years, and have loved it (for the most part!). Travelling to and from the gig can be a drag. The pros definitely outweigh the cons, as long as you´re honest with yourself and can realistically analyze your strengths and weaknesses. Situations change as you move through the phases of life and you have to adapt to stay afloat. The unpredictability of this business is often the "spice of life" that keeps you on your toes!
Thanks for making this. I am a senior in high school and unsure of what career path i want to take but i love music. Money is a big concern of mine and time as well, I don't know how I'll be able to balance it in the future, but i think my biggest goal is to become completely fluent in music and learn as many instruments as i possibly can
I'm glad the weddings (?) you're filming at are actually feeding you. I've done so many where they're literally throwing away food and they have ham sandwiches and water for the band, I mean, food is food, but sometimes you just shake your firsts at the sky.
Ahh yeah luckily the band I play with a lot has a stipulation in the contract stating that the musicians are required to get a hot meal!! I've had my fair share of gas station sandwhich wraps with other bands though lol
Worst part for me is being away from my kids. I've been playing in bands since I was 13, I'm 34 now. And in the last 11 years, having kids made something so simple, incredibly hard. Cause like the one guy said, you do miss a lot of things. And deep down you know in the future you will hear about it. 😢 But music is an addiction and being on stage is an addiction and when I stand there and see into the people enjoying what I'm playing, it feels so rewarding.
Imagine yourself having excepted any other annoying job, comming home tired and frustratred EVERY night - that would be worse for you, your spouse and your kids! :-) It´s like Billy Joel once said: Being musician is NO CHOICE. It´s like being gay.
I would've loved to have also put my two cents worth in😁. But these guys are all giving great answers, many of which would be the same i would have given!
Being a multi instrumentalist was the only thing that kept food on my table. And I should have been a drummer instead. The musicians reading this know why I say that. But I digress…… Back when I started in the early 80’s the pay scale had so much more purchasing power than it does today as scale has stayed stagnant for years. That’s because our profession (at my level at least) is treated without regard to our level of education and investment in time, money (for gear, transportation). We also get undercut by non-pro bands who are willing to play for well below scale or for beer. People don’t understand that you get what you pay for. Anyway…I loved entertaining people and seeing them get excited when they heard their favorite song being performed at a professional level.
Really cool and interesting video! And honestly had to choose between music or another different career when going to school. Started playing sax since middle school and stuck with it until I graduated high school. I still like music to this day, and been wanting to get back into it for a while, but had to look at my own situation take the "safe" option. About to graduate with my IT degree.
Would be interesting to have a video about the lifestyle of those playing in international cover bands in the 5* hotels like Grand Hyatt, Shangri-La etc. Quite a lot of Americans, and it is a common set up in Asia and the Middle East. I don't think it's that healthy being in smoky bars and having people buy you drinks every night for 20 years.
I knew I didn’t have the natural talent to be a professional musician so I chose a career in investment management (bonds and currencies). I retired at 55 and my life is now focused on playing guitar in bands. Clearly still have no natural talent but after 40 years of playing I’m much better at pretending I do. I don’t have to play weddings, just pubs, bars and social clubs or just for fun and always for peanuts. My wife is an actress, if we had to survive on her wages we’d be living in a cardboard box. I would suggest only become a pro musician if you are very very naturally talented….. if not make it your hobby and get a job that pays well. Also, I live in the UK, there are very few full time musicians, I think that is because it’s just so hard to make a stable comfortable living doing it.
I'd knew that being a musician and by looking at the financial aspects is really hard to earn money(except became a private music tutor)...But that's doesn't make me stop wanting to buy and learn the saxophone in the future...It's true that time and career are almost against my wish but my desire for music still play in my heart...Because I've experienced play the music instrument myself in the church...My music skill is still rusty but the feeling of love of music still remains in me...
One thing I wished is other instruments like the kinds you find in high schools were just as popularized as guitars, pianos, and drums, it seems like with every new generation, aprecxiantion for instrumental music is becoming less common
I'm not gigging professionally, but I have played concerts once in a while on a somewhat regular basis, and this video really highlights some weighty topics, so relatable. Just to add to the list; spending insane amounts of time and energy preparing for a concert, trying to get everything right and to maximize the odds of making it a great experience for both the audience and the band - and then realizing the hard way, that a lot of thing, like, A LOT, are still basically up to chance, and impossible to account for within a realistic and feasible amount of effort. The weather, schedule of the venue, one of the musicians having a bad day/gig or the band just not getting into the groove that night, illness, equipment suddenly acting up, whatever. Probably that evens out, if gigging more often though, incl. being able to "reuse" some of that effort for the next gig. Maybe also getting to the understanding, that it is not all about the concert, but enjoying the entire journey, and not getting too caught up in things outside of your control. Also, the sort of empty feeling after a gig, even if it went fantastic. I've seen that discussed in various other videos too, sometimes described as the post-concert blues. In some cases even starting to ruminate about what didn't go right, even if it was objectively tiny compared to the rest of the show, and self doubt kicks in. Best part though: When it all really takes off, the synergy hits just right, the band is grooving and inspiring each other, and the crowd goes nuts. And something unexpected just kicks it up a notch 😁 Including rehearsals. Thanks for the video, really great 👍
This was an interesting watch for me. I went to music school and tried to be a pro musician for about 3 years but became overwhelmed by the lifestyle and changed course. I experienced many of the things that were mentioned in this video but I think the hardest part for me and what ultimately led for me to get out of the business was the idea that I could work super hard for years on end and not make any meaningful progress in improving my life and financial standing. I've seen countless examples of that both back then (it was about 20 years ago that I was gigging regularly) and now (friends of mine and great musicians that stuck with it and are still struggling). Society does not always reward things that have value the way those things need to be rewarded. I have a lot of empathy for what working musicians are going through these days and I hope you are finding what you need. I'm rooting for all of you. The best thing... aka the thing I miss most now that I don't do music for a living anymore would be that bond and connection you develop with your community of collaborators. When you've been working with a group and that group has evolved into something that is really high level and tight it creates a connection that I have seldom seen in the other industries I have worked in since being a musician. Being able to wordlessly communicate complicated ideas with your fellow musicians during a performance and move through a show like a well oiled machine is something I don't really get to experience anymore and I miss that alot.
You definitely have to weigh the pros and cons, it’s not easy. So true about the bond, that’s one of my favorite parts. Maybe you could get out to jam sessions and fill that desire, even if it’s only partway. Much love 🙏🏻
Very cool, thoughtful and relatable topic! I wonder how this may differ on whether it changes from a musician to a composer for example (does it change?). After putting thought into everything your video brought up, and my mind has cleared off the topic, I had this totally random question drop into my head out of literally nowhere. Would I rather have someone love me, or would I rather have someone love my music? I’m truthfully torn on this.
Worst part: how hyper critical I am of myself and how I play my instrument. I want perfection but it’s not garunteed. best: the friends and amount of impact we have on the audience when we perform. I absolutely love being a bass trombonist and the impact it puts on people when a young person like me (18 years old) when I have a solo or something. nobody expects a bass trombonist to have a solo but I have and the amount of elderly people who just come to me after the performance has ended and say “good job” or “i really enjoyed hearing you and the ensemble play” I once had a elderly woman tell me that my solo inspired her to resume playing piano. That made my night. 2nd best of being a musician: practicing something for an audition or a upcoming concert like a solo etc. and the performance or audition comes around and you just play very well and the feeling of “holy shit i played that well” Love from Sweden
Is there anything you'd want to say about people who want to pursue teaching music at schools? I'm currently trying to declare a degree in music education from being undeclared. I don't think I could handle any sort of stem degree and I enjoyed band in high school and my experience in drum corps last summer, for those who know what that is.
this was my favorite one of your videos. i am an adult who does another craft that i found fun and just happened to pay my bills. it definitely became work. i also play music for fun and i have grown to really enjoy performing. i found this video an interesting contrast to your other ones, which i have also enjoyed, like when you play songs by ear on omegle and come up with guitar chords and beats to back you, and the gig vlogs. i really enjoyed hearing all the different perspectives. thanks.
This comment means more than you know!! There’s definitely not one path and even the things you love the most can feel like work eventually. I really appreciate the kind words and generosity🙏🏻
Do you know anyone who has a day job they love and also gigs? As someone who hasn't played a gig in decades, loves my day job and for reasons* has thought about gigging again, I wonder if anyone else is doing it. * TBH the reason is your gig vlogs. It looks like fun.
