What can you expect moving to Nashville as a guitar player 

I’m 40, based in Austin TX. Worked a lot in Nashville as well. Been doing this for 20 years. I hit it hard with high expectations for 10 years, constantly worried about how well I could play as compared with others, super competitive, said yes to everything…and I was absolutely miserable even when things were “going well”- salary, bus gig, tons of sessions when I was at home. The whole time it felt like a grind, playing music I didn’t love. The moment I stopped caring, got off the road, started teaching primarily, and saying no to things that didn’t sound like fun or didn’t fit my style/skillset, that’s when my phone started ringing all the time. Go figure! Life is short, and if it doesn’t feel like a blast something needs to change. Plenty of great work to go around for everyone.

If you’re not around people better than you then it’s so hard to keep growing.

An old buddy of mine went to Chicago to check out some blues. When he came back he said "Don't ever go to Chicago to check out some blues. " He said everyone there was SO GOOD. He's a monster himself so, I hear you. I got to play a show in Nashville a few years ago. That was incredible. Awesome place.

Not crapping on anybody's dreams. The old joke in Nashville is- How do you get the musician off your porch in Nashville? You pay them for the pizza. You seem like a nice dude, Tim. Your expectation is real. Keep doing what you love.

Refreshing to see someone with a good work ethic, Following your dreams with realistic expectations. Wish you the best young man.

Never let anyone destroy your dream, but keep in mind that you are one in thousands and thousands, so have a backup plan. Harold Willams (a great saxophonist) once told me, "it's okay to make money with your music, but whatever you do, don't make your music for money".

Glad live music seems to be doing well in Nashville. Enjoyed your video, I wish you all the best man.

Great video. I love just hearing peoples stories! And great playing. Cheers

You read my comment ! How fun:) so glad to hear Nashville needs piano players:)! Congratulations on 1000subs!:)

This is great advice regardless of the industry. I moved overseas to work in film and everything applies. Good luck on your journey, man. Humility goes a long way.

You make some good points. I did the Nashville thing for about six months, which isn’t very long, but I wasn’t prepared in some ways. Playing wasn’t the problem-I was about average for a Nashville picker-but I had come to town off the road, and I didn’t have a car, so no way to get around town except to either ask a friend for a ride, or take a cab (this was 1978, so no Ubers yet!) or take the bus, which didn’t run later at night, and I couldn’t carry my gear on thr bus anyway. Also, I’m disabled; I’m a polio survivor. In those days I could walk, but with a limp-but that wasn’t an option for going any distance. I really needed a car, and my plan was to make enough money to be able to get one. Not very realistic, but I’d been earning a living on the road, and I thought I could continue that in Nashville. Which brings me to another point-I expected to get paid a reasonable wage, and I found out that wasn’t an option as a new guy in town, especially a guitar player. As often as I could, I’d go down to Lower Broadway and sit in with whoever. I met a lot of players, actually had a small bunch of friends looking out for me (shoutout to Jimmy Johnson!), but what I was being offered were non-paying gigs and occasionally an unpaid demo recording session. I turned all the unpaid stuff down before I found out that was how you broke in, and I got the kind of reputation of “This guy plays OK, and he seems like a nice guy, but he wants to get paid? Hahahaha!” I actually got a gig with the house band at George Jones’ Possum Holler club, but about a month after I started, the IRS closed the place down. We had to go to the IRS with receipts to prove we owned our equipment before they’d let us take it out of there. So there I was, no gig-I actually saved a little money from the Possum Holler gig, and the drummer and I moved into an apartment. (I’d been couch-surfing before then.) The drummer got a gig before I did; he joined Little Jimmy Dickens’ band, and he got me in backstage at the Opry one night. I met all kinds of people there, including one of my guitar heroes, Leon Rhodes. Leon invited me to come jam in one of the dressing rooms with him, Jimmy Capps, and a bunch of other players. I sat there and listened in awe-they were just blowin’ and goin’-and I said to myself, “I’m not stepping into that blast furnace!” Looking back on that night, I should have sat in anyway-there was no way I could have kept up, but, hopefully I might have played something somebody liked. At least I’d have made some good contacts! BIG mistake I made in not sitting in. A few months later, a fifth-rate road band that I’d worked with (and left) came through town and offered me my old gig back. The steady money started looking pretty good, so I took the gig and left town, figuring I’d come back when I had more resources. But I never did. It’s too late now-I’m 73 and in a wheelchair, and they don’t hire guitar players in wheelchairs! I knew a guy in Nashville, great guitar player and electronics tech, he’d been in a wheelchair all his life (shoutout to Wayne Beckner!) and he couldn’t get a playing gig-he was the repair guy at Wes Holland Music, where I did some part-time sales. A great place to hang out, and Wes really helped me out with some cash whenever I’d help with a sale. Thanks, Wes!

I like your honesty and your humble nature. That’ll carry you far. When I watch your channel I always think of the ‘Lovin’ Spoonful song, Nashville Cats. Give it a listen if you’ve never heard it. When I hear you play I just wanna take my custom shop Jackson and lay it at your feet.. but I’m only 71 and still have my dream of being a session musician. My problem is , I don’t practice, never have . So it’s no surprise that I suck. Practice guys . The story is told of a young Eric Clapton being called slowhand by someone, so he locked himself away for about a year and just practiced 24/7. Landco played out here in SoCal and now I wish I’d gone to the concert. Y’all are really good. Keep up the good work on the vlogs!

You got more new subscribers! Immediately got my attention with your cool attitude and sweet warm playing. Great stuff!

Im glad I found you man.

Hey Tim, I’ve been playing guitar for almost 50 years. I still play every weekend. I never wanted to move to Nashville or try anything like that not to say I don’t have the chops for it. I was content where I am and playing the way I wanted to play, but I admire you for following your dream and taking a shot at it I’m sure you will do very well. You have a good attitude. Congratulations.

Congrats on chasing your dream. Discipline and hard work are the key to achieving anything in life, regardless of your chosen path profession. If you want to have something that others don’t have or be something that others aren’t, then you have to do what others aren’t willing to do. No one picks up a guitar, fishing rod, a football or a golf club and is instantly the best at what they do. Your dream has to be your passion to the exclusion of everything else. No one can put that fire in your belly, your motivation to improve and be among the best has to come from within. If you’re one who watches the clock and considers what you do as a job, then you’ll never make it. You’ll never put the time necessary to reach the one percent. It has to be your passion.

I'm 62 years young and still a bedroom guitarist in the UK. Your video came up in my feed and I loved it. I came for the guitar but I stayed for your personal philosophy which is faultless. God bless. If I ever find myself in Nashville I'll look you up. In the meantime I'll subscribe... and regret the day that I sold my 2002 Fullerton built ASAT thinline.

Interesting watch! Thanks Tim

Enjoyed the video. Authentic. All the best.

Good advice, Tim. Maybe I'll make the move. Good luck!!

Great advice young man. Hope the best for you.

Live your dream man! Stay positive....nothing in life is easy....new subscriber, looking forward to watching your channel grow

Love the tone my friend

Love that Asat! I have one from around the same year as yours and it's always such a great guitar to play, never seems to go out of tune or need any adjustments. I'm enjoying your channel man, would love to hear more of your playing.

This is great!! I went to LA in the 80’s….. exact experience.

If you carry a humble approach and stay in the pursuit of being helpful, others will be glad to help with your shortcomings. Excellent playing, good video Tim. Best wishes

I have SUBBED, OUTSTANDING Topics. That G&L Is GORGEOUS.

You’ve got to get your foot in the door, but the hardest thing to do can be to humble ourselves and realize that when it comes to our musicianship, we can’t be everything to everyone. We’re always going to sound best playing music that we love. It’s OK to let someone know that you’re not the right player for a particular session or gig. Sometimes, if it doesn’t work out that we can make a living as a musician, we can still enjoy a lifetime of musicianship and playing. You’re a great player. That’s the win.

Excellent video brother, thanks for sharing, great tones and playing by the way, keep it up and let music feed your soul 🤘🤘

just came across your channel and really dig the videos and the daily life of a musician! love the inside talks etc etc. keep it up I'm a fan!

Great playing...great video, thanks

When i saw this video suggested to me i thought it was Daniel Donato in the thumbnail, but i'm glad i landed on this solic video / piece of advice!

great to hear the inside info!

Congratulations on this video blowing up! The mysterious algorithm is smiling on you. Just followed your channel.

Great video, the best, Paul.

Best of success to you and your cool G&L Tim

Important Video ! With so much BS on the Internet ... This Guy is for real and from the Heart ! More people need to see this !

Great content. Even as an ex-rock musician having migrated to LA in 89’ I can definitely relate. 🤘

This was a great vid. As a guitar player that recently visited Nashville it was cool to get this inside type of info I was wondering about. I thought about this stuff when seeing guys walking to and from Broadway with guitar cases.

The truth is, it takes much more than being a great talent. There is ALWAYS somebody better, and you probably won't have to look far to find them. It takes that magical ingredient. That something that makes you memorable and unique. How to find it? Conjure it? Dream it? Pixie dust? Dumb luck? Maybe a little bit of all that.

I live in New Zealand where there is very little opportunity. i would love to live and work out of nashvill one day, but such a big move takes it out of the realm of possibility for me right now. o love that tele and its great to sub early as I can tell you have a future in youtube.

I got a prs hdx20 late last year and I love. Sounds great in this video

When I heard you are a software Dev playing guitar I subscribed. I am a prof software Dev and hobby guitarist with no plans to make it more than that but you know us guys like everything guitar.

I moved to Nashville for guitar in 2021 and moved back to Atlanta at the end of 2022. I did the exact opposite as you're saying and I always kick myself for it. I'd go to work, go back home, and just would never go out. I didn't put any effort into guitar just cause I was tired or whatever. At that time I was pretty burnt out on guitar, so maybe it wasn't the best time to move up there, but due to my family's situation it was the best time logistically. I almost wish we could move back now as I've been practicing a ton and really feel like I could make it up there this time. So that'll be a regret I have. But thankfully I have kind of found my groove in Atlanta. I've gotten tons of opportunity and made a lot of new friends that I never had pre-2020, so it's still been good. But I do miss Nashville some days. Though I do prefer living down here, just as a location anyway haha. It's prettier where I'm at lol.

Thanks for sharing.

"If you are the best person in the room, you are in the wrong room." - Great quote!

Thanks man! Hope you blow up. I’m a songwriter and guitarist from the UK trying to get up the confidence to move to London. Just turned 30 and feeling like it’s a little late but I’ve spent that time getting experience and it’s expensive in the capital 😅 You echoed similar things I’ve heard from those guys but hearing there’s community of nice musicians in Nashville gives me hope that London may also be as cool Keep it up!

Hey I just subbed the reason I like honest people not fake people. Breath of fresh air!!

You have a great playing technique and I love your sound. You’re right, you’ve got to try, or you’d spend your whole life wondering.

You really can’t go wrong with a G&L. Leo Fender claimed they were the best guitars he ever made. Another great video; fine advice.

Hello Tim , nice vid , wise words , have subscribed , i'm from the south of Holland ( only 5 minute walk to the Belgian border ) and sometimes wish i was born in the states so i could have become a pro player , but allas my music talent has never been that amazing , i have had a regular job my whole live ( i am 60 years old now ) and played guitar as a hobby in classic rock coverbands doing pubgigs , good luck with you're career overthere in nashville , the combi of the tele and prs amp sounds great btw , take good care for the cat , there amazing animals .

Nice video man

Here's what ALL musicians need to know starting out. A musician without a girlfriend or wife who earns a good living is called HOMELESS.

Would love to hear more about where you are from and your career journey….maybe that’s already in a video I didn’t come across yet 🎸

I am 70 and play, but wasn't comfortable with my skill and natural talent. Some of my friends just played and bounced learning riffs, techniques and songs of each other and were really good. but not motivated enough to really breakout. I still love playing and now, not bad. my advice to follow your dream and your style and seek support to be successful.

The musicians and singer competition in a town like Nashville is like the competition in UFCs Octagon. It's f killer.

I just stumbled upon your video and I like your attitude. I'm guessing that your a fellow Home Schooler as well. I have always loved music as a kid ( I played trumpet in school) and then when I picked up a guitar at the old age of 18 it became a Zen thing for me. I never thought about doing it for a living but, I do like to be around musicians so moving to Nashville or Austin as been something I've always wanted to do maybe go to work for Glaser( I know wishful thinking.lol) or Guitar Tech for someone. Anyway keep up the good work ethic as they say and I hit the button and the Bell just cause you said nobody does!

I made a couple videos on Nashville. I live there for five years, but I moved there at 40 for the songwriting. I didn’t do the Broadway thing, but I did end up in a road band my last year. They are just because we were so broke, and my kids were little, I don’t recommend moving there late the earlier the better if you’re going to do it. It’s a good experience no matter what.

The thing that impressed me most about the studio guys in Nashville is how they can usually nail a part on a song on the first take just with a chart - for a song they've not even heard more than a few seconds of a rough scratch recording.

I played professionally in California for 10 years in a successful cover band. Made just enough to pay all the bills and buy more music gear. I’m older now and concentrating on songwriting after spending a couple years in England… I liked your video and I think that you made some good suggestions

Im a bit old to trip to Nashville now but I am proud that Mike Hayes the house guitarist at BB Kings there in Nashville plays a Highway Key resonator that I built him.

People with a ‘no plan B’ attitude forget that life has a plan B to Z for you baked into it already. I think the reason I’ve managed to maintain my passion for guitar for decades now is that it was never my plan A. It’s been my best buddy through the years, ups and downs, but it was never the driving force. Keep up the good content!

The guy taking your order in nashville is a better guitar player than I will ever be, probably has the voice of an angel, and writes songs the world needs to hear.

To be the best you need to train with the best.

Great info! Very informative.

I like to play country blues ! Never tried to make a full go of it just for fun ! I’m more of a street performer !👍🎤🎸

new to your channel . Nice playing , cool vid

Love the Drop D. Sounded great. Hope you make it kid. Question, what is the single most important guitar skill you need if you're new and trying to get into gigs?

I enjoyed your video Tim. I think your idea of making your first video's with content rather than playing....is good idea for now anyway. The trick will be how do you keep the viewers attention moving forward and that is not going to be easy. I am an old dude now. I have been playing guitar for over 50 years. I have thought about moving to Nashville, however at my age it would be just for my love of music. As far as skill level on the guitar, this is my two cents... ( and I have thought about this a lot in my long life). If your looking to "make it" really big in the music industry - then you must be able to not only play really great but you need to be able to write great songs as well. There are only a few people who fit into that category. However if you write great songs then you do not really need to be an accomplished player....although it seems like those people eventually become accomplished players as well. I wish you well. :-)

Sweet video and congrats on your growth. My channel is smaller and growing too. I had a video pop-off and do well and have no idea why. ha. Just keep going and sharing the gift of music. Perhaps, we could do sweet little collaboration with our channels. Could be a blast. I'm always looking for new ways to create music. Keep rocking brother.

New sub for you brother best o’ luck to you!

Tim, appreciate your talent and honesty. My question is how much theory do you know? Do you mostly do scales and do you practice a lot? I really like your music vibe and playing. Best to you. Thanks

Wish I saw this video before I moved to town last year. Subscribed for the Nashville wisdom. Didn’t hit the bell either though, lol (never do). My question is: Where in town can someone go to just jam cover tunes for fun to meet people to play with? Seems like most of the open mics in town are geared more toward songwriters, and that’s cool, but I haven’t found much for open jams (cover-friendly) other than the bluegrass jam at the Station Inn on Sunday nights. Anything else like that around town for country music? (I played gigs for a living for 15 years back home, so I know the grind well, but so far most of my time in Nashville has been spent writing songs. I gotta get out and meet some players/make some friends. Hard to play band gigs without a band. Lol) Thanks for sharing your experience. Hope to see ya ‘round town!

Tim how old are you? I always tell people if they really want to do it. They should move the Nashville at like 18 and start absorbing the energy and the talent because it will lift them up and motivate them. You look young as hell!!

A friend of mine who is a drummer moved there in January. He checks all the boxes. His name is Rob Lee and played with Mike Zito.

Hi Tim, Can you make a video about how you guys make sure the guitar will be in tune from the first strum of a live-set? It never really sounds off with professional musicians so you guys must know something :) I basically think I tune more than I play and it still sounds off at times which sucks. Thanks! KR, Simon

Can you talk about being an artist in Nashville. Original.cool vid

Great playing. Did you happen to snag that G&L on reverb a few weeks ago? Almost got one just like it lol

I know a guy that went to Nashville and came back two weeks later. He said everybody there was so good he knew he’d never get anywhere there. I thought ya especially since you didn’t try to get anywhere. Unless you were trying to get back home and you were successful there. Theres that.

Nice guitar

Thanks Tim, for confirming what I thought about NV. You have sort of a Ry Cooder feel to your playing. I'm retiring down between NV & Memphis. I've played and did the bar scene for many years. I write original music in many genres. Looking at preserving my Legacy at this point in my life. It's tough finding "like-minded" Pro-musicians to play my stuff. The people I found are either weekend plucker's, or Pro's who need to get paid. My question(s): I'm scoring a lot of my music w/ Scorecloud and thinking of hitting a studio with sheet music and my guitar(s). Would NV or Memphis have the musicianship & studios I'm looking for? I'm not looking for well known, high budget places. There's plenty up here in the Northeast. Just searching for very good, but reasonable studios to deal with. Also, is there "music scene", down there besides the bars and night clubs? If not, do you think there would there be an interest in it? I like "rambling" videos! They are honest & spontaneous! SUBSCRIBED!!

One of The Beach Boys told me to move to Nashville and said it would take me 4 years to “make it”. I had finally started making money as a musician where I was and thought to myself it wouldn’t be good to go where everyone is amazing. I “settled” for making the money I was finally making instead of going back to being a starving musician, as I previously was. I have zero regrets but I know I would have learned a lot and met a lot of people who are so cool.

Hey man, I'm a young musician and I am currently writing an album with my band, and I was wondering if you had any advice for songwriting, or just would like to chat with each other about that! I love music, and I am just trying to write everything that comes to my mind and tell a really cool story with my music.

I hear it took Keith Urban 10 years to get discovered there. Surrounding yourself with people better than you is always the right move if you have a growth mindset. Good luck !

I hit the bell😂

What brand and gauge strings are your go to?

Well, having lived in the Nashville area all my life, and having relatives who were professional musicians, all I can say is "good luck". I've seen first hand how the music industry chews people up and spits them out. I wouldn't personally advise anyone to move here with expectations of "making it". ... mostly because only about one out of every one or two million do. Yes, you will find a lot of famous musicians here... but they got where they are by many years on the road, not bouncing around Broadway and Printer's Alley. Also, folks considering music as a career should probably take a look at this video by Brian Kelly here on RU-vid: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mwrHhCxVTTQ.html&ab_channel=BrianKelly He's a helluva guitar player and played in a band for 15 years or so. Go check him out.

Hey Man. I live in Nashville too. I'm an acoustic player. Where can I go to meet other players and make some new musical friends?

tim have you ever jammed in springwater with rusty?

What pedals and amps do you use? Do you mess with cab sims/IR’s? Thanks !

tons of venues to book, tons of great bands and players booking them . . if you can find a draw, and improve every weekend they'll look at you, must be original tho.. all the way, a few overs is OK specially tributes for fallen musicians so forth or milestone stuff . . GOOD LUCK MAN!

Hey if you were at 89 when you posted it's 295 now - nice! I'm new! So a question: How do you play with confidence and how do you mentally prepare for a gig? I've reached a point where when I'm in the right frame of mind I do fantastic... but if I'm not, I completely go off the rails. If I'm playing and I think about making a mistake, I make one.

Just curious how much you practice in a typical day?

What can you expect moving to Nashville as a guitarist? Competition. And lots of it

Manage your exceptions. It’s probably the same for guitar players as it is for songwriters, network, network network. It’s a tough town to break into. Best of luck to all.

Being able to play will get you a gig. Being cool, dependable, and sober will get you a career.

Is there a place for a psychedelic jazz-rock fusion player that plays 5 minute Dorian/Mixolydian Zappa-style solo's in every song and just wants to play around town?

Can you elaborate more on being prepared? What does being well prepared mean in this context?

Stop apologizing for unscripted videos. We are watching because of that. Polished video content is already available elsewhere where. Where did you get first apt. What section of town? Roommates?? When you get called with 2 hrs notice for a gig what do you put in the car? If you are going to writing session what guitar do you play and why? Just random ideas about what I (we) would like to hear about…………. Enjoy the ride

Please make a video explaining the reason Nashville can't seem to steer away from pop country.