[Dustinfurlow]

I played two yesterday, one at a retirement home for their Father's Day Brunch and the second a regular 2-hr gig at a campground. Maybe 1 in 5 of my gigs are strictly instrumental these days. They're definitely my favorite!

You may have to drive as much as an hour at times because they can be a little spread out, but they are there, depending where you reside.

I have two other friends in my city that are solo-guitarists and one has trouble getting consistent work to truly thrive off of, while the other is an established jazz/classical guy who has contacts all over.

The fact is: If you send out enough emails and NEVER OFFER TO PLAY FOR FREE there is a good chance you can make a good buck off of it. (Absolutely no offense to anyone who does this or recommends you do so) but I emphasize the part about not playing for free because it makes you appear very unprofessional. Professionals know their worth and that their time and talent have value.

My approach has always been to introduce via email, include a link to your website and press/high-quality promo, a setlist (probably the most important part) and why you think you'd be a good fit (I always say "I thoroughly enjoy playing at ______ (the type of venue) because I think this style of music enhances the energy of the room potentially more than a singer or band - which could be distracting."

I saw someone mentioned art gallery gigs and those are wonderful! Cafes, weddings, farmer's markets, breweries, wine-tasting rooms and retirement homes, even jewelry stores have been fruitful solo-guitar gigs for me personally. It would be worth your time to also look into who is booking solo-acoustic guys in your area and grab their email and introduce yourself stating you'd be available for any potential gigs for a solo-guitarist (I live in a pretty populated area and you'd be surprised how few there are for my agent to choose from).

I should lastly mention that it is worth it to have a loop pedal (I use the Pigtronix Infinity) where you can occasionally sneak in a song where you just play a nice chord progression and solo over it. This will help expand your material from say, 1 1/2 hours instrumental guitar, to as much as 3-4. This will allow you to accept gigs where they want a solid 3 hrs but you only have say, 2 hours of solo-fingerstyle. Many won't notice and you will have fun with it. Thats just what I do. Learning good, solid fingerstyle tunes takes time and patience, and also a lot of left-hand endurance. The looper helps take some of the load off.

Happy-gigging!