I'm talking about the material, not the instrument.

Frankly, I'm luke-warm, at best about the material I have to play to work regularly.

First, I'm not an entertainer, so I get my satisfaction from the playing part of the effort, not the entertaining.

Second, there is literally no way to play my preference; hard-line jazz, around here, and work regularly.

Third, the work is playing quietly, taking a back seat to an over-priced ham sandwich.

And finally, the only thing that doesn't drive me up the wall is playing "Cool Jazz", which, is often re-processed rock tunes, played with a slightly different attitude and approach. Think Masquerade, I Love You More Today Than Yesterday, Let's Stay Together, Here, There and Everywhere, Lady Blue and similar material. That's acceptible to me, but not ideal.

Don't get me wrong-I'm happy to be involved in the business. The reason this has come up is, I have a chance to demo for a manufacturer of a new amplifier and one of my favorite guitar manufacturers. Work would be at music store-sponsored work-shops and trade shows. Money is good, but the travel schedule would mean that my normal playing schedule would have to change dramatically.

After working for 50 plus years in the "trenches", this would be a major change.

Question: do you like what and where you play? Other than achieving instant star/millionaire status, what would you alter to make your involvement in muasic more fulfilling?

R.

I like MOST of my gigs, but for me, the ones where I can inter-act with the audience are the BEST ... in the CC gigs where I'm 'wallpaper' (playing second fiddle not to a 'ham sandwich', but more likely a filet mignon... ), I try to develop a rapport with the staff, and inter-act with them as the night goes on ...
but even at the CC gigs, invariably SOME people will say "thanks, the music was great, thanks for playing ______(fill in the blank with whatever song they particularly liked) ", even though I've wondered if anyone was listening ...

If I could change anything, it would be that I would take the time to really STUDY music, and learn to play JAZZ, even if just for myself ...

t.

The music itself... not a thing. Whether it is rock, reggae or country, as a performing musician, the enjoyment for me comes from the best execution I can bring to the material, regardless of what it is.

The venue, or management, or other musicians in the band, etc.... well that's another story! But I have always felt that, with 24 hours in a day, if what I play for the 4-8 hours I am onstage doesn't satisfy (even when the paycheck DOES ), that still leaves 16-20 hours a day for me to play what I want at home...

But as a keyboard player in a live band (or anyone that erases enough SMF tracks to present a challenge, or uses the minimal amount of arranger they can), you are expected to cover absolutely EVERYTHING that the bass/drums/guitar can't cover. That's a LOT of stuff at one time. If doing this live isn't enough of a challenge, I don't know what is!

Maybe I'm not the biggest Shania Twain fan in the world. But I really don't have much time to worry about this as I try to cover a fiddle part, a pedal steel part, a piano part and an organ part ALL AT THE SAME TIME...

And then, night off, I can always take my horn and go jam some jazz or whatever I feel like to get my other jollies.

I've played almost everything there is, and the only thing that bores me is working with other bored musicians...

Can't STAND that!

Russ,
I sure do like what I play, Body And Soul-All The Things You Are-Desifinado-Darn That Dream etc., etc. but no one else does. So, I don't make much money and I don't get many gigs.
Anyway there are so many guitar players around that can sing and strum ten tunes and are willing to play for free, that the folks expect very cheap or free music.
If it were not for the "Rocky Mountains", I'd probably move back to New Orleans.

[This message has been edited by brickboo (edited 03-24-2009).]

Boo....my situatuion exactly. We like the same material. Around here, if Jimmy Buffet didn't record it...forget it!

I think it's not the meek that are going to inherit the earth, it's the rednecks!

All the things you are....FABULOUS tune!

Russ

Pop , Rock & Blues !!

Plus whatever else happens to be in my head at the time.

But NO country / big band / swing or disco !

Later

Gary  

NO! To this day I just want to play on a live stage with someone like Felix Cavalieri, James Taylor or anybody really good.

The frustration actually comes from not playing at all right now.

[This message has been edited by cassp (edited 03-25-2009).]

Yes, I still enjoy making music. It really doesn't matter what kind, when I do it, it sounds pretty much like country anyway.
It's not always fun and games, but probably my worst night playing music would be better than 90% of the jobs in the world.
I've been off since last Tuesday and I still don't feel good, but I WILL be working tonight.
DonM

"Do you LIKE what you play?"

NO!!.......I "LOVE" IT ALL!
40 years gigging professionally & much more to come baby!I wouldn't change a thing.
I am truly blessed my friends.
We all choose our destiny in life ....if you don't like playing music dump it quick & move on to something you do enjoy simple.!
Hope to see all of you real music lovers at the Shreveport Jam January 23-27th 2010



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 03-24-2009).]

boo and Russ ... I am fortunate that my CC gigs allow me to play "the Great American Songbook" - "All The Things You Are" - my ALL TIME favorite ... and tunes out of the "Real Book" ... the other gigs are varied enough so I can mix in some RnR, Pop, country, whatever ... and a little bit of Buffet won't kill me ... ...
t.

I love what I do...

Plenty of variety and repertoire that I never get bored.



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Bill in Dayton

Around here in NJ live music is definatly waning. Parties are all DJ's and even if I do bring my keyboard I just do some dinner music and throw in some oldies between the CD's. Most times its not worth lugging the extra equipment. A very good friend doesn't even bring his keyboard anymore to his restaurant gigs. He sings to backing tracks on his IPOD then DJ's the rest of the night. This seems to be the trend. DJ's singing to backing tracks and people like and accept it. As far as the CC's they don't appreciate "the Great American Songbook" anymore. Again I play some wallpaper and Smooth Jazz style stuff to start and then DJ the rest.
I love playing my Hammond XK3 and piano on some Blues gigs. At least its real down to the basics music. No money to speak of but fun.
My real dream is to play a gig where there is NO TV!!!!

Bill

The rule here in Nashville is, try to get 2 out of 3 of these per gig. Good music, good pay, good hang..

The gypsy jazz trio I'm in is lousy pay, but it's good music and cool guys to hang with.

The country singer I'm touring with, is good pay, good hang, but the music is just OK.

A session I did a couple months back, good pay, good music, but the guys weren't that cool. Stuff like that.

There are the boring jobs where nobody seems to care that you're playing, but that's pretty rare in Nashville. It's really crazy the people you'll meet at a gig here; and there's usually enough musicians around that there's someone there to appreciate what you're doing.

But it's far from boring, at least in my case. I know guys who are just slogging through, playing the lower broadway clubs for tips and playing the same sets over and over and over. I can't do that. I've got some pretty good variety going on. It's so fun to do a country show one night, a jazz gig the next afternoon, absolutely nothing the next day, and Celtic accordion for a session the day after.

Have you ever happened to run across my niece, Megan Shehan, in Nashville?
She recently signed a recording deal with James Stroud. She's a real talent.
Also got a couple of friends doing well there, Kenny Beard and Joe Spivey.
Just curious,
DonM

Bill Lewis ... you gotta keep bringing the kb, Bill ... we HAVE to keep promoting LIVE music to whatever degree possible ...

DonM ... talent just gallops in your family, doesn't it ? ...

t.

Because I do all instrumental music, I'm kept busy (and content) coming up with new arrangements and trying to put my own stamp on tunes.

I can't say there is a genre I don't enjoy playing...each type of music tells a story to me, and I love the varying disciplines involved with each musical style whether it be pop, country, Latin, swing or Celtic to name just a few.

If playing "bored" me, I'd be doing something else...life's too short to be in a rut or doing something you don't like.

Ian

OK! I give up! What is CC?

Country Club.

Don,
No, I haven't met your niece. I just looked up her myspace though, definitely talented.
Joe Spivey, as in the fiddle player with the Time Jumpers? I don't really know him, but I've heard the time jumpers a few times and have worked with a few of their members occasionally on separate gigs. Never played with Joe though.

Tony

Believe me I push the "live" stuff as much as I can but unfortunatley the publics taste determines the business. Think about it, how many bands do you see at weddings anymore. Its just predetermined that when you get married you get a DJ. Funny, but when I do bring the keyboard and people don't expect it they usually like it.
Keep on playing!!

Bill NJ

hated having to play that "stuff", left it and am finally happy

my heart goes out to all you jazz lovers

You might have noticed that most marriages are young people getting married. At least the one's were they do more than go down to the Court House...

Young people listen to hiphop. rap and contemporary pop. But how many of us even ATTEMPT to play that stuff? If bands or even OMB's are getting rarer at weddings, they only have themselves to blame...

Hi Guys,
I'm lucky, I don't have an audience to play to at the moment, (except "The Gardener"),
so I only play what I like all the time, and I love it. Beats working anytime.
Ray

------------------
Ray The Saint

I've got two different audiences... four hours or so a day, I have people that pay me to play what THEY want to hear. Then the rest of the day, I have just me, and play what I want to play.

And, if I'm lucky, quite often the two audiences like the same music!

Life is good!

How ironically strange! I'd just written a few days ago that I've heard Joe Spivey play fiddle, but I've never really met him or played with him.
Then, yesterday, I was asked to fill in on accordion for a western swing band because their normal keyboard player couldn't be there. So, I show up, and discover that Jerry Krahn, their usual guitarist, couldn't make the gig either and guess who was filling in for him? Yep, Joe Spivey was the sub guitarist. What a nice guy. Met him and his wife. For a guy mostly known around here as a fiddle player, he's a heck of a good guitarist as well.

I HAVE to tell this story. Back in about 1979, shortly after I moved to Shreveport, I had a job for which I needed a bass player.
I didn't want to haul my organ so I was playing guitar. Also had a rhythm guitar/singer and a drummer.
Anyway, I didn't know many people around here at the time, but I did know an aspiring song writer/singer by the name of Kenny Beard. He as still in the Air Force, and since has moved to Nashville also and is very succesfull. Anyway, Kenny gave me a number and said call Joe. So I called "Joe" and he asked how much, when and were, and said he'd be there.
Everything was going pretty well, when about halfway through the job, somebody asked for a song I couldn't play on the guitar. I'm REALLY not a guitar player. I asked the singer if he knew the song and he said yes. I asked Joe, and he said yes. Then something made me ask him if he could play guitar, and he said yes.
Well, we switched between bass and guitar, and all of a sudden notes and chords and sounds started coming from that guitar like never before. Needless to say, I was very content to play bass the rest of the night.
That was my introduction to Joe Spivey. He can play most any instrument and all of them very well.
I asked him years later if he remembered that night, and he did. I asked him why he didn't tell me to put that guitar down a couple hours earlier, and he said he didn't want to hurt my feelings!!!
DonM