Did you ever play (or wanna play) professionally?

Nailpicker · #1 01-14-2014, 09:32 AM

When I was a young man and my father asked me if I had considered what I wanted to do for a living, I told him I wanted to be a guitar player. With a look of worry and frustration on his face he said, "But son, you can't make a living playing guitar. And besides you'd likely have to play in smoke filled bars with a lot of loose women floating around." Trying to comprehend what he was telling me, I thought about it for a moment, smiled and replied, "What's your point?"

ecguitar44 · #2 01-14-2014, 09:37 AM

Never wanted to play professionally...at least insofar as it being my main source of income.

Music is a great "hobby". I play anywhere between 1 and 4 hours a day. I'm rather proficient. I get gigs. I compose music. I record music. I collaborate on music.

But I also have a day job. That pays reasonably well. And allows me to be able to enjoy this hobby without much concern to HAVE to play music to get by.

I prefer it that way.

Glennwillow · #3 01-14-2014, 09:40 AM

My father in frustration once told me when I was about 16, "You'll never make much money playing guitar!"

In a way, he was right. I have made quite a bit of money playing professionally in the past, but if I compare my guitar-playing hourly rate with how I'm paid to do my engineering job, there is no contest. For a while I did both and was really tired all the time. When I finally stopped playing professionally and really started concentrating on my engineering job, I realized that my body breathed a huge sigh of relief. Moving away from professional playing was also a big, positive turning point in my engineering career, as well.

I diid want to play professionally very much. And so I did for about 7 years. After that time I realized that my engineering job was not only a much more lucrative way of making a living, it was also considerably more rewarding.

- Glenn

rmyAddison · #4 01-14-2014, 09:41 AM

What the difference between a rock musician and a pizza?

A pizza can feed a family of four...........

It ain't easy making a "reasonable" living playing music, we have a few here (Toby, Eric Skye, Larry Pattis, Howard Emerson, and others....), but mostly folks get a day job and make music a lifetime hobby.

PorkPieGuy · #5 01-14-2014, 09:44 AM

Here's part of my story:

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=106695

The hammered dulcimer that I had built in the thread, well, I actually earned more money doing that for 5 years than I ever did for the previous 15 year doing anything else. I've sort of hung that up too a year or so ago. I can always do music, but I only get one shot at raising my kids. I'm choosing the latter.

Glennwillow · #6 01-14-2014, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

... It ain't easy making a "reasonable" living playing music, we have a few here (Toby, Eric Skye, Larry Pattis, Howard Emerson, and others....), but mostly folks get a day job and make music a lifetime hobby.

Hi Rich,

Yes, 100% agreed. And it's the people with day jobs that have the resources to buy the really nice guitars.

- Glenn

jazzbone · #7 01-14-2014, 09:49 AM

played professionally for 40+ years...after marrige and family it always required a day job to make things work. Now I'm a happy couch player

But it is a life-long obsession...

rmyAddison · #8 01-14-2014, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Hi Rich,

Yes, 100% agreed. And it's the people with day jobs that have the resources to buy the really nice guitars.

- Glenn

Sad but true. I used to pull up to venues with DSA (Dallas Songwriters Association) when I was performing more, folks would see me taking a guitar out of the trunk and say "you can't be one of the musicians, you're driving a new Jaguar!"

I would say when I was a full time musician I would more likely be the valet parking the car........

kydave · #9 01-14-2014, 10:01 AM

From shortly after graduating high school in 1969, playing music was my primary means of support for the next 15 years - much of that, my only job. For the next 13 years it was a constant supplemental source of income. Now it is purely fun to get out and gig semi-regularly, but not worry about the monetary aspect.

lodi_55 · #10 01-14-2014, 10:05 AM

I respect the heck out of true pros who find a way (not always) to carve a living and still keep the passion alive. I'm incredibly fortunate and very happy having a decent day job and gigging 2-3 times a month. I played 40 weddings and 50 private gigs one year and I gotta say that at the end of the season, I really disliked playing. Never again will I let that happen.

highplains · #11 01-14-2014, 10:12 AM

I was a relatively successful gigging musician (tuba!) for several years after I dropped out of my undergrad. Thanks to the middle of sex, drugs, and rock-'n-roll, I burned out.

Music is a hobby for me now, the creative outlet that was missing from my life for many years. Do I enjoy playing in front of people? Yup. Would I ever try to make it a career? Unless I got extremely lucky, no.

Mooh · #12 01-14-2014, 10:12 AM

My first job out of high school, in 1977, was playing in an Elvis/country band. The money was very good for the times, and it was hard work. Smokey dance halls and bars, too much booze and loose women. I learned very early that I didn't like sleeping elsewhere but my own bed, so I got a day job with the county, and eased out of that band and into another more local one. That lasted a while, and the money was great. On and off for the next 20 years I had irregular bands and gigs, greatly affected by disco, sports bars, smoking and drinking laws, and small markets, then settled in to a life of teaching private music lessons. 15 years later I'm still doing that. I still gig, just not full-time, and I like it that way.

mr. beaumont · #13 01-14-2014, 10:16 AM

Gigging supplies a part of my income I could live without, but it's a very nice supplement. I like it that way.

If there is no dough, there is no show

MaurysMusic · #14 01-14-2014, 10:17 AM

I worked 4 nights a week as a solo acoustic act for a few years. Before that, and since then, I've been doing lots of semi-pro gigs but I'm happy to say I tried it and wouldn't object to revisiting it later in life. I was very creative back then, compared to now when the opposite side of the brain gets all the exercise (running a business)

#15 01-14-2014, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecguitar44

Never wanted to play professionally...at least insofar as it being my main source of income.

Music is a great "hobby". I play anywhere between 1 and 4 hours a day. I'm rather proficient. I get gigs. I compose music. I record music. I collaborate on music.

But I also have a day job. That pays reasonably well. And allows me to be able to enjoy this hobby without much concern to HAVE to play music to get by.

I prefer it that way.

What he said. Every word.