Please don't tell me to turn it down because you want to talk. You insult me and really piss me of dumbass. Go talk in the crapper stupid.

The issue of playing for free-----I generally agree with the sentiment of not being used, or taken advantage of. However, in a fairly small town, where I reside (20,000), I’ve found over the years that playing some “charity” gigs, church functions, fund raisers, and such, often lead to good paying jobs-----such as class reunions, anniversaries, wedding receptions, and the like. It can be good exposure to those who might see/hear you----who otherwise might not know what you have to offer. That’s happened on many occasions.

A musician = someone that makes music happen...

Nowhere it is stated that every musician is a professional musician..


I am a teacher, engineer and manager during daytime, and a musician in my free time. But if i would play somewhere for free, i do realise that i am killing the market for some professional musicians that need to feed their kids and have an expensive wife. So should a non professional musicians stay away from performing?

not at all Bachus !!! I too play for free. I don't usually play for profit although I have nothing against that and am regularly paid for my music when that's what I have asked for . Other times I provide my music for free.

But you and I have chosen other routes to our chosen profession which we rely upon to provide us a regular income. Music for us is just a gloriously fulfilling (but expensive) hobby.

For some people , music is what they have to do to make a living and for others like me ,making music is how I enjoy living.

What I hate is a "blindside". That's an invitation to a social event, which, when you get there, you are told, "here's our BEAUTIFUL new piano for you to play".


UGH!


Russ

That would never happen with me as I always call my clients before the gig to touch base and make sure we're all on the same track as far as performance criteria. I also do a dry walk-in when I get there with no gear to see where I'm setting up,....power plugs locations, and generally access the room especially if I never been there before.

Donny ... Russ was talking about being INVITED to a gathering as a guest and then being asked to entertain ... I'm sure a lot of us have faced that ...

In that case I just say I'm NOT a Piano player,..but I will sing a song or two with someone who is,..

Been blindsided many times. It happens a lot, but like Donny, I tell them I cannot play the piano, even though I could get through in a pinch if I had to. Some folks are balsy enough to ask if I brought my gear with me. Now that takes balls!

Gary

Several years ago I was working at an Italian restaurant owned by a 'well seasoned' woman in her early 60s ... there were two dining rooms where the music could just about be heard, and a bar area with a small dance floor ... She liked it when people were dancing a good bit, so I was not playing the usual 'conversation' music ... In one of the dining rooms were two couples and one guy talked really loud, and even at that was making comments that the music was too loud ... Now I saw the owner sitting in the bar area and I could tell she was getting a little PO at this guy ... I finished a song and was going to take a break and the guy makes a comment about how nice the quiet was ... well, she got up and went over to the table and said something to the affect that this was HER restaurant, and I worked for HER and she liked the music at the volume I was playing, and if he didn't like it, too bad ... well, the guy quieted down, I continued to play at the volume the owner wanted, and as they left after dinner they just nodded to me ...

Ya gotta love it when the restaurant owner is in your corner. More often than not, when they have a bad night, maybe because there's a damned blizzard raging outside, it's the musician's fault.

All the best,

Gary

I will never forget one night at a 5 star restaurant where I played a year at in 1972. The house had a B3, and I brought in my new Rhythm Ace for the first time. For the most part, everyone seemed to enjoy what was a novelty at the time, except one drunk,

The restaurant was owned by the Tabano family, and had heavy ties with the "Family". Anyway, this drunk kept coming up to the stage telling me to turn that thing off. Since I had the box at a dinner club level, I ignored him.

The third time, Frank T, who was 6'4", and 300 lbs, came up behind him and asked me if this lout was bothering me. I replied that he didn't like my Rhythm Ace. Frank said everyone else did and ordered him out of the restaurant. The drunk said he wasn't finished yet and, with that, Frank said yes you have and took him by his coat collar and unceremoniously to the front door.