What would your ideal music life look like?

All I ever wanted to do was to be able to play music that I love, and eventually, make music of my own to love.

I have been playing since I was a teenager and started giging as soon as I could play 3 chords. Written songs, been in bands, played tons of gigs, recorded music etc, all of which was brilliant and fun. But, I would have to say that teaching the guitar (full time job now) is probably THE most fulfilling thing I've ever done in music.

I had an email just the other afternoon from a guy in Malaysia who needed a backing track to help him with his RGT grade 1 exam. I spent a couple of hours putting it together, put it on youtube, and he was happy. In turn, I felt as if I been able to contribute to someone else's musical journey.

Don't know if it's an ideal musical life, but I'm enjoying it :D

Wow!!! That's a tough one!!!! Well I'm a late starter, so dreams of superstardom are not REALY going to happan. A short term goal is to get my skills up enough to maybe do a few openmics or a coffee house type gig. Or in a band doing festavels of something. At this stage of age (46) and skills. ( just starting to get some songs down, and getting my fingers to work. As far as making a living? Well I LOVE working on them!!!! I would love to be able to make a living building, or repairing guitars. Not Likely but we are talking dreams here

OK, after sitting on this a few days, It seems I realy need to add a little to this.. So the reason I picked it up in the first place... It was never to just sit in my room, and play the guitar, and have myself hear it. Yes, I do enjoy playing... and I get a lot out of it, but just making music for my self is not what its about to me. To me its the opening up, and expressing whats inside. Im what you would call a quite guy. Not realy that outgoing. Also growing up in a world where personal expression was not realy welcomed, so to me the playing, and the writing is my way to get myself out and open up to people. I dont need to get paid, im not looking for fame, but part of my goal is to play for others. Have others hear what i have to play/say. Agean... not looking for superstardom...or packed houses... but just being able to get out and play for a handfull of people is fine. As for how far along I am? Well I have a ways to go! I picked up this guitar back in '07. A few starts, stops, good runs, and long brakes puts be firmly in the just starting out camp. So I have quite a way to go. I do belive I have advanced a lot in the last few months sence I started lessons, I can hear it, and I notice those days when things just click, and I can realy start to... like PLAY, so thats good.. Im not at a loint where Im going out playing for others yet though, but I can at least see that day coming. I have sent a few recordings to my sister so that was a big step.[amazing how you can play the song 100 times good... then his the REC button and it all falls apart. :D ] My famley hears me... but they are not realy into it... As for short time goals... well other then what I wrote in the first post, I have another in mind... Every summer we have a good size Bq at the house, with lots of friends and famley over... I think it would be kinda cool to put on a little show for them.. so we will see....but I have the whole winter to get in there, and hammer out those skills... and I have advanced a lot the last few months.... maybe the next six or so will advance as quickly!! Wish me luck!

<...>He had the ability to either not play, play softly in the background, or punch it out full throttle when appropriate. They blended beautifully. I noticed that the sax player was paying close attention to the singer/guitarist and would sometimes raise the reed to his lips and then lower it again without playing. Occasionally, he would turn his back and appear to quietly blow a note or two.

In the break I complemented the sax guy on his skill and discovered that not only was he not familiar with all the songs (he was basically a jazz player) but they had never played together before!. I mentioned that to my friend and he laughed and said "Yeah, I was supposed to call out the key to him at the start of each song, but sometimes I forgot. So he'd turn round, blow a couple of quick test notes to check, and jump in"! <....>
Been there, done that!

It comes with experience. Of course, knowing basic music theory is also essential. Learning all your scales, arpeggios and the more common modes helps you get the music 'vocabulary' under your fingers (on sax or guitar). Once the fingers work, all you have to do is use your ears to fill in the rest. Of course this doesn't happen right away, it takes experience. Jump in with easy music jams and progress to the more difficult stuff. Also, turn on the radio and try to play along with the tunes on the radio. This will develop your ears in the privacy of your own home.

And guitarists have a distinct advantage here. I play both so I can say this with certainty. To play the same thing on a guitar in a different key, all you have to do is use the same fingering on a different fret position. Up a half step? Up a fret. No problem.

On the sax, the fingering for the same thing in a different key means learning an entirely different fingering. Up a half step? It's like a new song. So sax players have to learn all the scales, arpeggios, and common modes 12 different times, each of which have 12 completely different fingerings.

But on the other hand, it's more difficult to read music on the guitar -- each instrument has it's pros and cons.
<...>Thanks for a great all round post Notes. What a wonderful description at the end. :D How many people can say that about their job? I wouldn't want to swap the life I've had, but I may have to start believing in reincarnation - because yours sounds wonderful.

Cheers,

Chris

Thanks Chris.

A wise man once said, "If you make a living doing what you would do for free, you will never work a day in your life." And other than those few 'real' jobs I've had, I've never worked a day in my life.

It's the best life for me, but I suppose it wouldn't be for all other people. My second favorite thing to do in life is to stand on stage and play music to an appreciative audience. Some people get tired of playing music for a living. I've know people who quit the business because they couldn't stand it anymore. For some reason, I never get tired of it. It's as much fun today as it was back in the 1960s.

I never plan on retiring. Why would I want to quit having this much fun?

For those of you teaching music -- bless you!!!

After 40 years I tracked down my old Band Director from Junior and Senior high school and thanked him for the inspiration and knowledge he shared with me.

To my surprise he actually remembered me, and some of the little quirks I used to do with my sax, like wrapping a bit of paper under the mouthpiece because the sax I had played sharp and this helped me play in tune.

Thanks to the teachers, we wouldn't be able to have as much fun without them.

Notes

Some of the stories here are great, in fact they all are. What a great thread Chris!

My ideal musical life would be to make a living teaching the guitar and still gigging twice a week.

That wouldn't be work, I would be feel like everyday was a playday!

Unfortunately two kids and two mortgages mean I will struggle to make that a reality, so in the real world, I plan to go part time in my day job (going to 3 days a week), and try to teach guitar for the rest of the week by the time I am forty. It might not happen, but it is my current goal :)

My ideal musical life would be to make a living teaching the guitar and still gigging twice a week.

That sounds like an excellent aim, and achievable too. :) A friend of mine owns the local music shop and the lesson side of the business keeps him afloat, not to mention giving an income to the people who teach there. Not all the teachers there are also working musicians, but almost all the working musicians that I know do also teach. Only a small percentage of musicians seem to be able to survive on gigs alone. There's always room for more enthusiastic teachers.

From quite a young age, musicians and music teachers always had a special aura for me. They seemed almost like priests - apparently in touch with some unseen mysteries that I would never be able to fully grasp for myself. The interesting thing is that as I get more and more familiar with music theory, and am now able to write my own songs and have learned a few playing skills, the sense of respect, mystery and wonder at music and those who make has not diminished one bit. In fact it's increased. What a joy. :D

So it's hats off to all of you, whether you're seasoned professionals or rank beginners, you are part of one of the most magical and intriguing things there is - music.

Cheers,

Chris

I just want to post a lesson on this forum that someone actually appreciates. A guy can dream can't he?

I'm not living most people's version of an ideal music life, but the role music is playing in my life is without question, ideal. Perhaps a bit ironic in a way, but it's kept me sane. I am sooooo glad I picked up guitar at least a little bit before 2007 rolled around. I'd have surely gone nuts without it by now and lost the really important things.

So while it's not an ideal music life, the music in my life has become ideal at an ideal time. It even aids me in keeping some of the pain down at times. Gentle guitar music turned out to be theeraputic for Migraineurs.

Understatement alert: I don't think music owes me anything.

All I ever wanted to do was to be able to play music that I love, and eventually, make music of my own to love.

Yep, me too. A HUGE +1 to that!
I don't think music owes me anything.

Agree with that 100%, too.....but I owe music a HELLUVA lot! It's kept me sane in times of trouble, it's been the love of my life since I was about 6 years old (John, Paul, George, Ringo) and it's been my raison d'etre for the last few years. Got the blues? PLAY the blues - you'll soon cheer up. Feelin' good? Well, hell, pick the guitar up and play something loud and cheerful and singalongable..... average day? Pick the guitar up and play, it'll soon be a better day.

My ideal music life? Simple - being able to play what I can hear in my head! When I write a song, I know how many guitar parts are going to go into it, I know exactly what I want keyboard-wise, and I know what I want from the bass and drums. Hopefully, soon, I'll be able to post a few new songs....just a question of getting to grips with some new technology (Thanks, Chris C!) and being able to afford a few bits and pieces (a mic, some headphones, a decent computer, et-bloody-cetera....) a decent electric guitar (I couldn't get my Tele out of the pawn shop when money was REALLY tight last year... :( :( :( ) and oh yeah, a bit more skill.....

And if I do regret one thing....why the hell didn't I work as hard at age 17 as i have done since age 47!

Ah well, no point crying over spilt milk - be positive, and think, "the cream is yet to come!"

:D :D :D

Vic

Yeah, great thread, Chris. Been rather introspective of late and really cognizant of the fact that I am fortunate enough to have had my guitar feed me and open many doors for over forty years.

I took lots of hits from other musos that I was "selling out" because I was in the commercial music bizz doing jingles and elevator music. But it was okay for THEM to work in a music store "to stay next to their music" at chump-wages. What was the difference?

I dunno: a yacht, a summer home, an Arrow 4, Boxster, university for everyone, law school for my wife (which came back to bite me on the arse)...

Ugh!

Cat

Y<...>
I took lots of hits from other musos that I was "selling out" because I was in the commercial music bizz doing jingles and elevator music. But it was okay for THEM to work in a music store "to stay next to their music" at chump-wages. What was the difference?<...>

I do commercial music and I've often had this conversation with jazzers who had to take day jobs to support their jazz habit. Not that there is anything wrong with either approach but to me taking a day job is more of a sell-out than playing "Old Time Rock And Roll" for the zillionth time.

I haven't made as much money as I would have if I went into Electronics Engineering, but so far I've had a much more enjoyable life. Other than a couple of day jobs that I took to test out 'the other side', I haven't worked a day in my life. That's why they call it playing music.

And I don't plan on retiring either. I love performing too much to stop doing it.

Notes

In my experince, the people who complain about musicians "selling out" have no idea who's actually buying music. Because if they did know, they'd be among the first in line.

Almost all the musicians I play with are full-time musicians. Sure, we end up playing stuff we might not choose to... but that's a small price to be able to play all the time.

"Selling" out? Selling is the operative word. If you are doing music for a living you need to give the customer what they are paying for weather it is what you like or not. How would you feel if you ordered a new car and showed up to pick it up and the salesman had a completely different model explaining he doesn't really like the model you ordered so he was uncomfortable selling it to you? If you don't want to "sell out", play for free. If you are a professional, you need to give the people what they want. That is what they are paying you for. Especially if you play covers. None of it is yours anyways. How could you be selling out? You folks that are making a living and giving the people what they want? You have my respect, you are professionals!

In my experince, the people who complain about musicians "selling out" have no idea who's actually buying music. Because if they did know, they'd be among the first in line.

Almost all the musicians I play with are full-time musicians. Sure, we end up playing stuff we might not choose to... but that's a small price to be able to play all the time.
And you know...whos to say what the band/musician realy enjoys doing best anyway? Maybe the stuff people like is them seling out, and they mostly enjoy writing jingles???