Hmmmm ... I wonder if society will be better when NO ONE talks to each other ...

Seems like this has already happened, Tony.

Well, in our house there are two rules: men (any age) do not wear hats indoors; and there are no electronics at the table ...

Same here, Tony - guess we have a lot more in common then we thought.

Gary

This is where some of us disagree. I believe that my JOB is to interact with the audience, and not the band. (live, OR memorex) Sure, it's fun when the band members gel, and camaraderie is great when egos don't get in the way, but my job as a musician is to please my audience. It's that simple. Sometimes it's with creative ideas, sometimes by pushing my chops to the max, and sometimes it's as simple as remembering a couple's favorite song, and playing it as they walk into the room. Other times, it's playing softly so that the audience can enjoy each other without having me distract them from their conversations. I'm there when they need me ... ready with a story, or a song, and I'm always ready for plan B ... or C ... or D, if none of my ideas go over.

Playing with a drum, or backing track is not an interaction. The machine is a tool, and it's here to serve ME. I'm the master. I'm in control, and I decide how much, how loud, and how long to use it. There's no interaction, it's an ACTION ... it's a command from me, and an action from "it" ... and that's how they were intended to be used.

Do I miss playing in a band? Sometimes, but not often. I get immense satisfaction from honing my craft, and sharing my gifts with my crowds, night, after night.
I have total freedom to change things up, experiment with new sounds, keys, or rhythms without having to rehearse them, or discuss with my mates ahead of time. I've evolved into a new musical entity as a solo performer, but the end game has always, ALWAYS been the audience, & their communication with me, as we interact with each song. If that's not your bag, Chas ... I understand. It's not for everyone. It's also, probably why many of my band-dependant friends are always looking for more work. Technology didn't put any musicians out of work. Musicians did it to themselves, by not staying current, playing too loud, taking long breaks, drinking on the job, shmoozing their love interests on breaks (instead of clients), using faulty gear, noodling on stage, smoking on stage, using phones on stage ... the list goes on.

I'm a career musician, and I'm more than a little embarrassed by some of my peers that paved the way for DJs, and KJs to take some of the work load from us. I feel that as long as I continue to put out a solid, marketable product ... I have nothing to worry about. 2019 marks my 50th year on stage, and I do not plan on changing direction now. Bring on the technology, the new gear, the new styles, and I'll do my best to navigate the musical waters. I'll take a page from Paul Anka's book and do it MY WAY ... and hope that someone still wants to listen. That's really why we do it ... for the applause.

The money's nice, but there's lots of ways to earn money. I sing for the joy, and the tools I use on the job, just make it easier to sell my product.
Clients pay me to learn my craft, travel, set up and show up ... then, I sing for free.

I'm with you on that one, but that rule won't fly in Texas!

Gee guys, I must apologise sincerely to you all. I thought we (Downunder),had inherited that annoying behaviour of wearing hats indoors,from The States.
I am pleased to see that manners do still count.
Sorry for OT.

Ray

Dave
One helluva post.

Well first I need a little time to get past all the negatives. I started do gigs when I was in my mid 20s, till I was in my 85 years -- and never had a backup, and never had a problem. Fran, your posts says it all, again. It is all about how I am enjoying what I am doing. If I had not enjoy playing music, I would have made dollars doing something else.

Fran’s post:
I don.t see failures with most top equipment, so no need to worry about back up... Worst scenario... I go home

This idea of carry light or sparse equipment, and little effort...is just for the money.... and that is not me.
____

I believe we are gifted differently with our music talent. So, if I use a phone or laptop, or some type of keyboard, or my guitar, and enjoy what I am doing, it’s all OK! If they stop paying me for how I perform, so be it. I then go home and play because I love to play music.

SynthZone is not filled with the world’s greatest musicians; it is filled with good people doing and enjoying playing music. Complementing the other guy when he is doing his best, is a good idea.

Let no man put down what I am doing, or the way I am doing it because it is all I have to give, and I am having one hell-of-a-good time.
John C.

Yes, beautifully written (I really enjoy reading intelligently-written and grammatically correct posts - non-first language users excepted). However, it is highly personalized and by no means reflects the attitudes and opinions of all here. It is a position I can respect but for me, the true artist/musician may care to some degree about his/her audience but is mainly concerned with the art, in this case, making music....music that is, first of all, satisfying to his or her self. I believe that if you put the art first, the audience will take care of itself. I think an audience would prefer the best musical offering you can provide as opposed to being pandered to with half-hearted crowd-pleasers. I also think that going in with the notion (as expressed by some) that the audience doesn't care where the music is coming from or how it's produced, is counter-productive to producing a good product. If they act like they don't care, it's probably because you're giving them musical crap. If you think that an Iphone is a suitable backup for a gig, that says a lot about what you think of that gig.

Of course we're quick to throw out that old chesnut, "It's all about the VOCALS!" (the universal excuse for deficient musicianship). Well maybe, but this board or this post isn't about vocals, it's about (electronic) musical instruments and what you can/should do in case of an on-job failure. So although a well-written post on your philosophy of life in the music biz makes for some mighty fine reading, it doesn't quite address the problem of whether an iphone or laptop is a suitable backup. BTW, in your particular case Dave, we know that you could finish the gig with acoustic piano or guitar, but that's not true for most folks here, certainly not for me. But, as Fran states, luckily today's gear is so reliable that it may only happen to you once in a decade, maybe never....but you never know .

chas