Pat, RSM

Hi, my name is Kevin Brown. In this article I would like to address the subject of practice, and how to get paid for it. Sounds funny?…well, when I finish, you will have a different view about this idea.

We have all heard the statement, “Practice Makes Perfect”,…and it is a proven fact that this is so very true. There are many different ways, and technical aspects of just how one should practice. I am going to talk about the solo single line musician, and what you can do to get all the practice you need, and how to get paid for your efforts. When I say single line solo musician, I mean those musician who play woodwinds, brass, violins, cello, any instrument that does not have the advantage of making chords.

In this article, I will use my real life experiences to demonstrate the fact that this does work. To what degree depends upon the individuals efforts, and desire to succeed.

First,…The one thing that we all need, and want, is a joyous life, and abundant living. One of the main questions that we ask ourselves when taking this journey through life is,…Just how can I make a living, and enjoy what I do? One answer I know is true, is to find that talent that one has been blessed with, nurture it, pursue it, build on it, and it will take care of you, and the question of a joyous life, and abundant living will be answered.

To begin, I will use my life, and experiences as a basis, and outline for this article and show just how to, “Get Paid For Practicing”.

For starters,…I am a blind individual,… I play saxophone,…and that is what I know how to do well. I have been playing the saxophone for 40 years, 36 of those professionally. As I dont consider myself an awesome musician, I absolutely love to play! I love to hear other musicians,whom I consider awesome, play. I can tell, as well as any music lover can tell, when some one has spent the time, and effort, and many, many hours in the practice shed.

Practice is an absolute must, if you want to be a successful musician. There is no way around it. I cant tell you just how many thousands of hours I put into practicing, not because I was made to,…but, because I loved it.

I went through high school, and attended Berklee College of Music, in Boston,…in the pursuit of a career in music. It was while I attended Berklee that I discovered the princible of getting payed for practice.

I remember being dirt poor, as most musicians were at that time, having no food, no job, not knowing what to do. So…I called my cousin, who lived about 40 minutes outside Boston at that time, and asking her if she could bring me some food, and money. She said,…”you had better take your horn, and go out on the street and play somewhere”! I was completely shocked!…I could not believe she said that to me!…How could she? I said,…”Are you Kidding”? You cant be serious? She said,…Yes, I am,…I hear musicians playing every day, and I know that you can do just as well, if not better than a lot of them. That moment right there, was a turning point in my life.

So, I did what she suggested,…I found a spot that I thought was acceptable, took my sax, and set out to make some money. I realized very quickly that there was more to this street playing than just dropping on a spot, and just making some noise. First: I didn’t have a clue on what to play,…What did people actually like to hear? So, the first time I did this, I just played scales. Can you believe that?…I played scales! I made about $20, just playing scales! I couldn’t believe it!…I just could not believe it. Out of all the songs that I knew, the only thing I could think of to play were scales.

One thing lead to another, and I learned to pick, and choose the songs that people liked to hear. I also learned that being a single line instrument took a lot of work. It is very hard to play by yourself, without chords, and have people understand what song you are playing. So, I started to invest in play-a-longs to help me build a song list by which to continue this new found source of income. I would get a new play-a-long as my finances permitted, and build my song list, which in turn put more money in my pocket.

It wasn’t until later that I got an idea from this guy that used to play his guitar while roller skating up and down Boylston street with a battery powered amplifier strapped to his back. I thought,…Boy, it would be great if I could get a battery powered amp like that,… and play all of those play-a-longs, That I have acumulated, through it while I am out playing. So, that’s what I did. As soon as money permitted,…I bought a battery powered amp,…a Peavey KB15, got a cassette player,…and proceeded to play with my new play-a-long band. You know what!…It worked!…It really worked!

Not only was it better playing,…people really liked it! I could last longer,…and I made more money!…A Lot More Money. There were many benefits that I had not considered. 1. I made money 2. I got more gigs 3. I made a name for myself 4. It made my chopps a lot stronger 5. I met other musicians to play with 6. It was steady work, at my own hours 7. It has lasted a lifetime, even to today

I was literally getting paid for practicing! So,…if you are a solo musician, and you live in a major city, or even a small town,…consider this example. Take advantage of every opportunity to further your musical career. there are many ways to make a living as a musician if you look for it. Check around in your area,…look for places were you can play,…you will be surprised at the response you get when you do things right.

This followed me through my whole career. I have played all over the world,…in all kinds of venues,…in all styles of music,…in all kinds of bands, and orchestras. I have not regretted that very first time I set out to play on the street in that place called, “The Bean Town”, Boston”.

Note: 1. A great source for jazz play-a-longs is : http://www.jajazz.com

2. Listen to my music: http://www.cursebustersound.com

3. Promote your music on line: http://cursebuster.linkscout.com

Copyright 2006 Curse Buster Sound

About The Author
Kevin Brown is a blind, jazz saxophonist. His intense, improvive style of playing is both soothing, and captivating to the listener. You can hear, and contact Kevin at: http://www.cursebustersound.com

ArticleCity.com – your one-stop source for free articles. | Copyright © 2001-Present ArticleCity.com

Music performance anxiety develops from the thoughts, feelings and habits of a musician. The level of anxiety that one has will affect a musician’s desire to perform, as well as their ability. In order to deliver a high-quality performance, a musician must overcome the mental obstacles that create a barrier between wanting to perform and actually completing the act. When you feel anxious, pressure begins to build up that makes it impossible to pick up an instrument or sing a song.

Main Types of Performance Anxiety

There are three main kinds of performance anxiety that musicians encounter. The first occurs before a performance date is even mentioned. Fear of rejection or self-doubt regarding their abilities may hinder a musicians attempt to arrange a showing of their talents. The anxiety sometimes mounts to the point where a musician never feels they are truly ready to perform in front of others.

The second type of anxiety occurs during an actual performance. Gripped by fear of what the audience thinks of them, a musician’s body might tremble. Sweat may form on their forehead, nose, neck or hands. These bodily reactions may also impact the way an instrument is played. Voices become tight or locked, emitting cracked, flat or quivering notes. The anxiety of a musician might be so high that they may actually self-sabotage their performance without even knowing it.

Anxious musicians often become quite distracted by the slightest movement or noise during a performance. They might take this opportunity to blame their inability to complete their set because of outside interruptions. This is just an excuse. Within themselves, they do not feel completely adequate to continue their performance. Musicians with performance anxiety often exhibit poor concentration, as well as loss of focus.

After a performance, the anxiety madness continues, which is seen through a harsh, unforgiving critique of their presentation. The musician will nit-pick every aspect of their set and despite positive encouragement and comments, they will continue to downplay and dismantle their ability.

Tips On Managing Performance Anxiety

When it comes to getting over the hump of performance anxiety, there are numerous ways to combat the fears and doubt that come with presentation. Below are five aspects of performing that a musician suffering from anxiety should take into consideration:

1) Self-Assessment

When you get to know the ins and outs of yourself as an individual, as well as a musician, you are inching your way towards overcoming performance anxiety. Knowing what makes you tick both inside and outside musical circles will help you to better deal with the problems you face before, during and after a performance. A musician should analyze their performance goals, personal capabilities and limitations.

Musicians should also know that everyone has to start somewhere with infinite room for improvement. It is quite important for a musician to perform to the best of their abilities, as well as learn from mistakes and peer criticism.

2) Exposure: Baby Steps

Musicians should take the opportunity to gradually expose themselves to varying levels of performing. One moment a full-length mirror becomes a suitable audience, while the next could be a crowd of five friends. Testing low, medium and high levels of stressful performance situations will help musicians slowly overcome the issues faced in regards to performing. Additional suggestions include practice performances in an empty theater, dress rehearsals with friends and taping acts, then viewing them with family and friends.

3) Preparation

In anything that we do, preparation is an important component for achieving success. A good performance is one that has been thought out, thoroughly visualized and played over and over again in the mind. Once the mental preparation is complete, the physical part of the process involves sufficient practice and specific rehearsing for the particular venue you may perform at. Before a performance, a musician should enter this moment with a clear head. Meditation, yoga and other muscle relaxation techniques can create the right state of mind.

4) During a Performance

Every musician at some point in their lives will feel the flutter of butterflies before, during or after a performance. This is a normal occurrence that just takes some longer to get over. When it comes to the audience, you shouldn’t focus on blocking them out, but instead embrace them as support. If you go into a performance thinking that no one likes you or during a presentation focus on scowling faces, you will surely surrender to your flight or fight performance anxiety tactics.

Try to put anxiety in the backseat and attempt to stay calm. If you make a mistake, such as tickle the wrong piano keys, simply move on and do not dwell on small imperfections that pale in comparison to the overall scheme of things. Sometimes, if you don’t wear your disappointment or errors on your face, the audience is less apt to remember or care about mistakes. Breathing techniques will also come in handy once you get into the thick of performing and feel a touch of anxiety.

5) After the Performance

After each performance, take the time to assess yourself before relying on the approval or criticism of others. No one but you truly knows all of the hard work and preparation that went into your performance. Take the time to give yourself a mental pat on the back. Next, combine outside comments with your gut feeling to decide on what you can do next time. Regardless if you had the performance of your life or tanked on your first break, there are always aspects of your musical craft that you can still shape and mold for the future.

About The Author

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of http://musicianhome.com. Visit here for more tips on learning to sing.

ArticleCity.com – your one-stop source for free articles. | Copyright © 2001-Present ArticleCity.com

Hey man,

love the blog, read it everyday (thanks to my RSS feed). I was hoping you can address the topic of a Rider, and when to use one.

Thanks and keep up the great work!!

Best,

Dan
Havoc Effect [dead link removed]

Good question, Dan. It all really depends on the situation.

Before we get into when you can use a rider, we should mention exactly what a rider is for anyone who may be new to the business. A rider is the part of a performance contract that states what the venue or promoter must provide for the performer for the show. This can range from food and beverage provisions to dressing room accommodations.

Typically the requirements are fairly simple, like bottled water, soft drinks, deli trays, various alcoholic beverages and other basic needs that no musician can live without. Over the years, there’s been coverage in the press of some of the more outrageous requirements made in certain high profile performers’ contracts; most notably the demand of Van Halen to have several bowls of M&Ms candy with all of the brown pieces removed in their dressing room before every show.

Failure to provide the agreed upon items could result in the band refusing to go on, so most venues will take them seriously, which is why these huge acts tend to have a little fun with them.

As for when a band is ready for a rider, it isn’t an exact science.

The first consideration is the venue; larger venues that feature bands with significant drawing power will have the staff and budget to fulfill reasonable rider requests while smaller venues (like most smaller clubs) won’t. Small venues will typically offer drink tickets and guest list spots to bands that play there since these things don’t really take much effort on their part and can be provided by the promoter or booker in a few minutes.

The next thing to consider is your band’s drawing power. If you can fill a venue, you have much more leverage in getting a rider attached to your finalized performance contract. While any band can make a rider request, a good rule of thumb would be to reserve your requests for performance situations in which you have the ability to negotiate better monetary terms, as the rider is considered part of the payment. An established headliner is in a much better position to negotiate with a venue than an opener, however a headliner could help their opening band get better rider accommodations if the situation allows.

The last thing is what you ask for. Your rider can ask for anything from a few bottles of water to multiple dressing rooms, as stated before. If the venue can accommodate your requests and they are within reason, then you’ll have a much easier time getting what you want. If you’re selling out a large venue, you can pretty much ask for anything you want; if you’re in this situation, go nuts – you’ve earned it.

At the end, it comes down to negotiation. Your ability to secure a rider is in proportion to the amount of leverage you have. The more the venue wants you, the more likely it will be that they’ll agree to provide for you.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Pat S., RSM

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Heather McDonald over at About.com has an article about booking gigs. It’s a pretty good primer for musicians that have never booked a show before. Heather reminds us near the end, and it’s worth repeating, that you shouldn’t get too hung up on the deal if you’re just starting out. If you focus on building an audience you’ll get better deals later on when you can draw a crowd.

A high energy show requires high energy.

The fact is, these singers, and most musicians really, need to hit a gym on a regular basis and improve their diets. While not out of shape, per say, they are lacking the stamina to perform at that level without getting winded. The rock n’ roll lifestyle may not be conducive to the health and fitness lifestyle, but it can help on two fronts:

• Improved stamina on stage
• Offsetting the unhealthy habits that often come with the musician’s lifestyle.

The other part of the stamina equation is pacing. If you can improve your stamina, you can give more to your performance, but if you give 100% right off the bat you’ll burn out just as fast. While it’s admirable to give your all to a performance, you only have a limited amount of steam before you run out. The rule of thumb is to “end big” or save your best for last. That’s the formula for success in this business and the reason why you need to save something for the end.

Putting these two factors together should net excellent results. Improving your physical condition can reduce the impact of what might have been your best, allowing you to perform and maintain at that level and still have something left for the end; in other words, what might have been you at 100% might now be you at 60%.

Performers of all stripes make their health and fitness a high priority for just this reason. Henry Rollins is known for recounting how hard he trains for tours and important shows, and as a result he has been able perform shows with very high energy levels while most of the musicians that were his hardcore peers have gotten out of the business for milder lives.

In short, keep in shape to keep from burning out. It’ll improve your stage presence more than you’d expect.

The ability to perform is a more a skill than an art; much like the skill of playing an instrument. If you’re a musician you should know the difference between how you play and what you play. See Jimi Hendrix if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

When you perform, you are the show. Everything that you do while on stage is part of the show. Your songs are really the content of a show. If you played only covers, you would still be performing, not creating.

Performances are typically rehearsed, staged and executed. This is an important distinction because there is a different mindset that needs to be adopted when preparing your performance. Playing a song in a studio and playing on a stage are two different monsters entirely.

Rehearsal is, in a sense, training for what you’ll encounter on a stage. Out there you’ll have to play your song perfectly with people watching you, screaming at you, heckling you and, in many ways, distracting you. You’ll have to deal with adrenaline, anxiety and any physical issues that may arise. There’s also technical issues that can range from breaking a string to total equipment failure that could come up.

If that wasn’t enough, in a band situation, you’ll need to worry about all of the above happening to each member of the band, which multiplies the number of things that can go wrong.

Learning to deal with these difficulties in a performance situation without steering the show off course is a skill. Handling problems on the fly or having a plan in place to deal with them when they come up (and they always come up) will help make you a better performer and thus make for better performances.

Beyond problems, you also have to make your performances good. You need to play your songs well and be entertaining. Good songs won’t make for good performances if you don’t develop a strong stage presence, and a good stage presence needs to be developed through experience.

Just remember that after the song is written, you need to switch to performer mode to make it work live.

The best part about growing a following is that it helps to prepare you as a performer. Starting small is like an education, in that you can improve in tiers as your fan base expands.

Few people have the ability to get up in front of people with no fear from the start. The vast majority of people would have a very hard time playing a show in front of a stadium crowd without having played in front of smaller crowds first and working their way up. Thankfully, most musicians don’t start out playing Giant’s Stadium.

In the beginning, you play small clubs to a few people – which is good, because you probably aren’t nearly as good with a crowd as you should be. The smaller the crowd, the fewer the people who will see you while you’re still trying to get comfortable as a performer.

As you progress, if you’re promoting yourself effectively, your crowds will get bigger and your confidence as a performer will increase. You’ll have tons of experience on a stage and it will start to become easier to work a crowd. The more you play, the more you’ll be able to see what moves a crowd and what doesn’t and you can work on developing the things that work while shedding the things that don’t.

If you’re conscious of this then, when you’re ready to move up to bigger venues, you’ll be able to adapt to the larger audiences.

If your career gets to the point that you can draw enough to fill a larger club, you will be able ease your way into being comfortable playing larger venues. While you might not have enough drawing power to fill an arena or stadium, you can still play them on a lesser scale by playing festivals. Most festival shows are comprised of musical acts that have a decent following. Promoters will put these shows together by packaging several bands into one large venue. Since these bands fill clubs, they can collectively fill stadiums, arenas and fairgrounds.

Festival sets are typically shorter than club sets (for headlining acts), so there isn’t as much pressure. Besides being easier, you’ll have a chance to gain experience playing to a huge crowd. Should you ever get the chance to get to the big show by yourself, you won’t go in green.

The other path to growth as a performer is as an opening act for larger bands. This is more difficult as many of the people in the crowd are there to see the headliner and may not be open to the rest of the bill. The benefit of playing these shows is that you’re playing a larger show than you’d be able to play by yourself. You’ll get exposure, of course, but to get the best out of these shows you’ll need to try to win over the crowd. If you can turn a crowd from disinterested to captivated, you’ll have grown exponentially as a performer.

The idea here is not to become impatient trying to play bigger and better shows as soon as possible. A gradual progression, if approached as a path of growth, can be an invaluable education. As a result, your career may even move along more quickly because you’re concentrating on improving yourself as a performer. A better performer will attract more of a fan base than a poor performer ever could.

It gets easier because your early efforts build velocity.

Let’s start at the beginning. You form a band, write some songs and play shows locally. At first, you’re playing to empty clubs and get friends to come to your shows. You keep at it and eventually, you notice the crowds getting bigger and bigger; and instead of friends, the crowd is full of strangers. If this is the case, you’ve built a local following and can move to the next level.

It’s time to begin to gradually move your shows out of your immediate area and on to outlying areas. Depending on the geography of where you live, this could mean the surrounding cities, counties or even states – the idea is to move out just enough that some of the fans will make the trip to see you and new people can get exposed to you at the same time. Remember, the psychological effect of seeing that someone else likes a band, is that a person will be more open minded to that band’s music.

This radial approach will ensure that there is always a fan presence at your shows and will start a chain reaction on many fronts. Besides making it easier to get new fans, your reputation will begin to grow among the local media outlets, which will eventually lead to a reputation that precedes you among club owners and promoters. It will also strengthen your following locally.

If you continue on this course, you’ll go from having a local following to a regional following, a regional following to a coastal following which will quickly turn into a national following.

Enough attention at any level will breed new attention at the next level. Start small, stick with the fundamentals and build your successes and you will get to where you want to go.

Playing a lot of shows is great, but if you want to build a following you need to work on the show that you put on.  Good music alone just isn’t enough sometimes, especially when your audience has never heard it.

So what makes a performance memorable?  What separates successful bands from the rest?

It’s called stage presence, and the best performers have it in abundance.  When you’re on a stage, you become a performer and as a performer it’s your job to put on a good show. You need to get the crowd pumped; you need to make them excited to be there.

People can buy a CD or download a mp3 and listen to it anywhere.  If this is the case, what would make a sane person want to go to a specific place at a specific time, pay their hard earned cash and negotiate a crowd of people to listen to music?  The answer is that they aren’t coming out just to listen, they’re there for a good show.  A performer has to work ten times harder to build a following if they have as much charisma as a potted plant.

Here are some suggestions of how you can work a crowd and improve your stage presence.

Find the publications that cover the local entertainment scene and see which venues advertise in them. Chances are, many of the venues will have ads that list who’s playing there for that week or month. These are the clubs that you want to focus on booking. Regular gigs at these places will get your name in the paper often and in the minds of the people who check these ads for their weekend plans. Seeing your name over and over again makes it recognizable. After seeing your name in one or two ads week after week, people will begin to take notice and may check you out (live or online) just to see what you’re about. If you’re lucky, you may even get in the sightline of a local music journalist and get an article done about you.

For this to work you must play on a regular and frequent basis. Do that and you’ll have a much better chance of building a local following and from there you can build outward.