Attitude

During my travels I at times come across musicians who tend to have a negative attitude towards themselves, their music, and their audience. It seems to be that if they've been in the business a long time they tend to grow tired of what they're doing and can start to feel a little stale. Hey, I understand that if you're playing the same songs to the same audiences time and again then you're going to find it increasingly difficult to maintain freshness and enthusiasm for what you're doing.

It doesn't have to be that way, and neither it should. Let's not forget that as professional musicians we have the best job in the world and that's reason enough to turn up for work with a smile on our faces. If you're not enjoying your music then you shouldn't be doing it for a living, simple as that. The bottom line is that if you're not enjoying yourself and you're disrespectful of your audience then that energy is certainly going to come across in your performance and ultimately you're going to find it a lot tougher to get gigs in the future.

So what do you do? Well, firstly you need to take responsibility for your attitude and decide that if you really want to continue in a professional music career that you're prepared to make some changes. It's a competitive industry and there are plenty of other hungry musicians eager to pick up your gigs.

Put things into perpective. We all have those nights when you're playing to an empty room wondering what on earth we're doing there. If you're not playing music for a living, what are the alternatives? Would you rather be slinging burgers at Macca's or stuck behind a desk in an office all day? See, it's not so bad. That's a good start, isn't it?

Take a look at your song list. When was the last time you learnt a new song? Maybe it's time to add some new material. Learning new songs not only keeps you fresh as a musician, it also adds to your versatility and appeal to booking agents, venues, and audiences.

Find some other musicians to either jam with or form a group with. You learn so much from interacting with other musicians and you have the opportunity to share stories and swap ideas as well.

Look for another creative outlet for your music. Perhaps you're a frustrated songwriter and you're sick of playing cover songs in order to make a living. Record your songs, release a CD, hang out at songwriter nights. You don't have to stop doing what you're doing but finding a creative outlet may be the breath of fresh air you need to keep you focused on your music business.

Seek out new venues to perform in or consider leaving town for a while and doing a mini-tour. I'm sure you've heard the saying, a change is as good as a holiday.

These are just a few suggestions but above all, remember that it's a privilege to play music for a living. Keep smiling.

Songwriting: What's Your Angle?

The great mystery of songwriting. How often have you heard a song and thought, "I wish I'd written that"? So is it magic or a logical and mechanical process that produces a song that connects and moves the listener? From my experience I'd say that it's different strokes for different folks. Every individual has their own unique take on how a song is formed and I'm intertested to find out yours.

Certainly, there are numerous books on the mechanics of songwriting detailing the varied structures that have proved successful in formulating countless hit tunes. Not everyone writes a song with the intention of having a hit and not all hits adhere to the exact scientific principles as explained in the books, (Bohemian Rhapsody comes to mind). Do songs really just fall onto the page like gifts from God rewarding good karma? Perhaps some do.

I watched an interview with Sarah McLachlan recently where she described her own approach to songwriting. She doesn't churn out hit songs like a machine, instead preferring to tinker with the guitar or piano when she feels the urge in the hope that a melody might present itself and a lyric might form around it. The lyric is usually just a few words grabbed from whatever's on her mind. If it fits then that's the basis for the song and it builds from there. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the song comes quickly and appears to almost write itself, other times a song can take months or even years to complete.

I find that I adopt a similar approach to songwriting, always beginning with a melody based around a chord-based feel on the piano or guitar and building a lyric around it. Those ten-minute gems always leave me scratching my head wondering where on earth the inspiration came from. I've also laboured over songs that have taken years to write.

There are, of course, writers who start with a lyric, or even a complete set of lyrics and set about composing music to them. Musicians and lyricists often collaborate to write that "killer" song. Some people wake up after dreaming a song and go about committing it to paper. The famous story of Paul McCartney singing "Scrambled Eggs" as he ate his breakfast and later penning the classic, "Yesterday" is folklore.

And what about the professional songwriters who clock-on every morning at nine and sit in a room until five with other writers producing hit songs for top-selling artists? They work to a formula. They have a strict format. They have deadlines to meet. Wow! Talk about discipline. I don't think I could do it but there's another angle to consider.

So, once you've created the song what do you want from it? Do you have a message in it that you want the world to hear? Are you looking to tap into the listener's consciousness or just get them moving to the groove? As I see it, songwriting is different for everybody. We challenge ourselves with our songs and the more we write the better we get at it. It's a mysterious art form with many different angles. What's your angle?

Musician vs. Entertainer: Is It Live Music?

Musician or entertainer? Or both? Or does it even matter? As a professional musician/entertainer I've often pondered this question and discussed it with my peers. Once upon a time, live music was exactly that...live music! If you went and saw a band play at your local club or pub it would consist of real musicians playing real instruments. These acts were appreciated not only for their entertainment value but for their talents and abilities as musicians.

Since my humble beginnings as a working musician some thirty or so years ago I've witnessed a lot of changes in the live music scene. Yes, there are still "real" bands out there but the gradual acceptance of trios, duos, and now soloists using backing tracks has gotten to the stage where someone need only turn up with a microphone and a portable CD player to be considered "live" music.

So is this wrong? Many musicians who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their skills on a given instrument would argue that this certainly is the case and that these "karaoke" singers should stay at home. Hey, they're competing in our territory. But do the audience care? It's still entertainment, after all. Now please note that I'm not casting an opinion here but merely putting forward a question. When I work as a soloist I use backing tracks. I play along with either guitar or piano. The fact that I actually play an instrument, I guess constitutes me as a musician as opposed to being purely a singer. The reason I use backing tracks is because a large number of venues are booking soloists and duos instead of bands in order to keep costs to a minimum. They still expect a "full" sound so that people will feel inclined to dance. Bottom line: venues are booking entertainment. If you have the right mix of songs, a good sound and can win over an audience, you're there!

I know there are many very talented musicians out there who refuse to compromise their "art" and I respect them for that. There are some wonderful venues that encourage acoustic music, live bands and original content. My point is that "live" music today has a much broader definition. Is it right to call it live music? I welcome your thoughts.

Living The Dream

Yep, that's me. Living the dream. I certainly look happy enough...and I am! Why wouldn't I be? I get to do what I love for a living....play music.

I have a lot of people approach me and tell me how lucky I am or that they wish they could do something they love as their primary source of income. They can. Especially if they sing and play an instrument.

Now let me make something perfectly clear right now. I don't have a hit record, not even a record deal. I've never been discovered through a talent show like "Idol" and I'm certainly not rich and famous. A lot of people are under the illusion that you have to have a song on the radio, a video clip on MTV, and a major record label backing you in order to make a career out of music. Yes, that would be very nice and those fortunate enough to have achieved that level of success are doing very well but if that's your definition of success then good luck.

The reality is that most of us musically-inclined people are never likely to be rich, famous pop stars. So what do we do? Give up? Resign ourselves to the fact that it's just never going to happen for us and go back to our menial day jobs, swearing to never pick up a guitar again? Ok, we can always count music as a hobby but it can also be a good living, or at the very least a good source of additional income depending on what you want and what you're prepared to sacrifice.

For many years I dragged myself out of bed to the shrill of an alarm clock to go to a job that I hated every day, my saving grace being the fact that I could look forward to playing a gig on the weekend. Now I know we all have different situations, circumstances, and responsibilities but if quality of life is more important to you than a big house, a flash car, an escalating mortage and increasing stress levels then you might want to consider making music your living too.

There are many ways you can derive income from music. Playing gigs is an obvious one but take a look around your area. What kind of gigs are they? Pubs, clubs, coffee shops, restaurants? What kind of music is most popular in these venues? Do they book soloists, duos, trios or bands? It's important to research your market in order to tailor the music you provide to your intended audience. Forget about being an "artist" for a moment and think like a business person. Be prepared to give the people what they want. That usually means playing cover songs and quite possibly some songs that you don't really like. So what? Beats a nine-to-five job hands down in my book!

If you're a versatile singer or particularly good on your chosen musical instrument you may also find additional work doing sessions for other recording artists. Check out recording studios and feel them out if this is something you feel you could do.

Can you teach? There are always opportunites to teach music either through established music schools or setting up your own private tuition from home.

Are you creative? Can you write catchy songs? Perhaps you could pen jingles for radio and television advertisements.

No, you don't have to completely kill off the artist inside you. If you're a songwriter then recording your own CD and marketing it independently is easier than you think. You can sell them at your gigs or through various sites on the internet. Check out my MySpace page and also my CD Baby page for some ideas on promoting your own music. Another good promotional tool is a site called Sonicbids where you can set up your own online electronic press kit.

I know a number of musicians who record CD's featuring cover songs that they perform at their gigs. These are also a handy little earner as people who've enjoyed your show often like to take home a CD of the songs they liked you playing.

So what's your dream? Sometimes we need to re-evaluate and ask ourselves what we really want from life. As I said, I'm not rich or famous but I look forward to going to work. I feel great after a gig knowing that I was responsible for them having a good time. I love not having to get up to an alarm clock every morning and having the freedom to go and soak up some rays at the beach if I feel so inclined.

If you can live without the security of a fixed wage coming in every week and you're prepared to put the work in to get established then you too can be living the dream as I am.