Fully Pro or Weekend Warrior. What is best in the long term?

[Barry Blackwood]

Cal, if yours was the first post in this thread, we wouldn't have needed any other....

[Cal Sharp]

Well, the older, experienced players in this Forum have their own pearls of wisdom to contribute to the topic at hand, depending on what kind of a career they've had, and where they had it, and it's interesting reading. My pearls come from 30 years in Nashville.

[Roger Rettig]

Thanks, Barry - I knew I should have been practicing instead of typing.

RR

[Barry Blackwood]

Roger, you're a funny guy.

Cal, your 'pearls' should be required reading for all those considering a career as a steel guitarist - IMO, of course ...

[Walter Killam]

My Dad told me a long time ago that music "either had to be fun, or it had to make money, if you can do both, then you may want to think about a career."

Maybe I just wasn't hanging around in the right circles, but I always found I could make more money by staying local. I never went on the road (I did get a few offers), the road guys that I knew only seemed happy on stage, & didn't know what to do with themselves in between gigs! Staying local to DFW I played a lot of low paying gigs, but I was spending my time on stage, & not in transit. I played Bass exclusively for 4 years, enough to get a feel for what it takes to make a living (barely) & ultimately decided to persue a different career path. I wouldn't trade the experience of those 4 years for anything, but I also would not go back & re-live them!

I've always told my friends that I get payed to move the equipment, my time on stage is gratis. At this point in my life, I just play for myself, if my current band stays together long enough to start gigging, my plan is put any money I make into hiring someone else to move stuff & set it up!

So, I'm definately a part timer & having more fun than I have in quite a while.

[Steve Stallings]

I have been extremely fortunate and blessed in my life. I spent 24 years in the US Army as a medical officer and retired in 1992. During my army career, I was able to play hundreds of gigs all over the US and played extensively in Germany with "Southern Crossroads". Since I really didn't start playing steel seriously until around 1990, most of those jobs were as a lead guitarist. I actually never had any desire to play music full time as I love medicine almost as much as playing steel.

For the last 14 years I've had the opportunity to play with many Texas bands, playing with Jeff Coffells "Plumb Country" for a couple years. I've held the steel seat in the central texas band "Nightshift" for the last ten years, playing hundreds of dance halls, county fairs, street dances, festivals, weddings, parties, etc. I recently began playing with another band "South 6" on a part time basis and am enjoying that as well.

I don't play music for the money but I am fortunate in that the bands I do play with seem to earn on the high scale in relation to what I see here.

I enjoy what I do. Family medicine is a very rewarding career both in terms of self fullfillment as well as financially. And no, we are not rolling in money, but we are comfortable. Music is my other half. I enjoy playing steel but really, I like writing music and recording just as much. My medicine gig is really a semi-retired job. I don't take call or do hospital work any more... pretty much M-F and taking a day if I need it. My wife keeps after me to retire, but I enjoy it and would really miss my patients.

Regrets? None. God has been so very good to me and my family. I have the best of both worlds.

[Greg Simmons]

This resonates for me now because I have become the father, and my son has just entered college as a music major (saxophone performance), and my wife and I have insisted that he do a dual degree (one in music and one in something else, yet to be determined). It's a 5-year program instead of 4, but you end up with 2 bachelor's degrees: Music and Plan B. But I can't help wondering whether, by dividing his time and concentration, he might just be shooting himself in the foot and actually reducing his chances for success in music, thereby creating the self-fulfilling prophecy that he will need his Plan B. It's a dilemma right now in our household. Interested in others' views on this.

Jim, I was quite the trombone prodigy in my teens (visions of playing in Maynard Ferguson's band, Woody Herman's Thundering Herd, you get the idea)...but then in grade 12 I somehow got the idea that it was a geeky instrument, quit playing and sold my horn - yeah, I guess I was gonna be a rock star instead - and besides Emmy didn't have a trombone player in the Hot Band

To this day I somewhat regret not "going for it", which at that time would likely have meant going to a place like North Texas State, the Big Apple, etc. - and I am left with niggling, perpetual thoughts of "what if..." besides, If I'd have crashed and burned in NYC and phoned Mommy and Daddy for airfare home, at 21 or so, there's usually lots of time for plan B

What's the worst that could have happened? I would've washed out of the music bidness and probaby be doing what I am now - techno-peasant

[Walter Killam]

My Mom was a professor of Music Theory at UNT for ~20 years, as a consequence, I've spent a lot of time in Denton Texas, & seen a lot of young musicians crash & burn, some in a very unhealthy way.

My advice to any young musician would be to absolutely have a plan B in place since talent, perseverence, charisma, & technique CANNOT guarantee a living. I spend the occasional minute or 2 wondering how I will advise my son (who is not old enought to worry about it yet), I think my advice to him would be to learn a trade that can't be outsourced, & get credentials that prove your ability. I would strongly recommend trade school, as the University system seems to have gotten out of the business of teaching useful knowledge & skills.

Live music seems to be taking a smaller & smaller slice of the entertainment budget as time goes by. I sincerely hope that this will change, & think that all things are cyclic.

Time for the Zen Laxative "All things shall pass!"

[Barry Blackwood]

"I would strongly recommend trade school, as the University system seems to have gotten out of the business of teaching useful knowledge & skills."

Very insightful, Walter. This is the complaint I hear from my son almost daily as he trudges through the University system here in California ......

[Ken Thompson]

This is such a great thread! I have played music as a weekend warrior for thirty years. I was one of the lucky ones (I think) that found a career in law enforcement that I loved almost as much as playing music. So there were no hard decisions for me. I simply played the weekend gigs and occassionally did some sit down work for shorter periods of time.

I will, however, always envy those of you that travelled the hiways in the Silver Eagles playing to hundreds of adoring fans every night. Not to mention all the stories that come with the "after hour" gigs.

Our band opened for a 17 year old teenage country throb this past week. It is easy to see how playing to the screaming, adoring fans could be addictive. When they screem because a 55 year old fart is tuning his steel, you know you are going to have fun. I had the opportunity to talk to her guitar player who looked to be barely out of high school. What a nice young man. I wished him well and told him to enjoy the ride.

I guess my point is; even though I made the right choice for me, I will always envy what many of you had, or still have.

A side note, they thought my old bus was awesome and it is rewarding to know that out of all of those riding on busses that night, I was the only one that owned one. hahahaha

[Bob I. Williams]

I did the road thing and enjoyed it, But I said when I reach 40 ( in 1978), thats it for the road. I came back to Phoenix and went to Real Estate school and worked hard, investing in Real Estate. since 1992 I went to europe and middle east 5 times with 2 different groups. At 69 I'm still doing the weekend thing. Got vacant land thats going up in value,me and Linda are both retired and enjoying it. BOB

[David Kurrasch]

It seems that every time this subject comes up, most of the comments portray the life of a full time musician as depressing, and a sure path to poverty and addiction. I guess I'm in the minority, as a full time player who is happy and healthy and doing well. I've been playing full time since around 1990, and have no plans of slowing down any time soon.

Instead of advising young people to get other jobs that provide pensions, insurance, etc., why not explain to them that being a full time musician requires a whole lot more dicipline than other careers. If you want to last in this business, you have to set up your own retirement account, and put away some savings to cover your taxes, and the inevitable dry spells. You also have to be strong enough to say no to the alcohol, and all the other temptations of the road life. You have to want it bad enough that you are willing to pack up and move to another city or state, or commute long distances when great gigs come up. Sometimes you'll have to take a gig playing music that you don't like, but you'll have to be able to smile while doing it.

If you're looking to settle down in one spot, get married and have a couple of kids, and a "normal" life, then this might not be the best way to go. If however, you have the desire to play more than anything else, and you are willing to work very hard at it, then it is certainly possible to have a successful career as a player.

[John Macy]

Herb,

I had a business card for a while that said "we don't have a plan B"...

Cal was so right on in his thread. I have been fortunate to make a full time living in the music business since I was 19. Could not have done it just as a steel player, especially wanting to live here in Colorado. I started engineering before I got a steel, and still make a big part of my living doing that. Have been a studio owner since '79 (just opened a 3 studio complex a few months ago--my 6th in this area), worked for a record label for a few years, managed a publishing company, understand the technical side and have designed and installed several studios for others, etc etc...

Played 120+ live steel dates last year (cutting back this year with the larger studio) and a lot of sessions.

Not always the most glamorous work, but it keeps us doing OK. My wife is a stay at home mom and we just had our 28th anniversary. And while I work a lot of crazy hours, it works for us... I feel very lucky

I think in the future is is going to become harder and harder to do this, especially for newcomers into the business. For me, it is all about adapting to the changes in the marketplace to stay fresh and employed...

[Barry Blackwood]

Hey David, good luck to you, but get back to me in about 20 years.