do’s and don’ts of a professional musician

When it comes down to be a professional musician, a lot of things have to be considered in order to get hired and get more work/returning clients: believe it or not, this doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with your technical skill, but more with how we can make it so others would perceive us as professional. Before getting to that point, I feel compelled to share how I started and what changed my perception of the game.

THE BEGINNING

We all started from scratch, I remember I started playing bass in a punk band, we would play in social centers (most of the time abandoned houses in very poor hygienic conditions) in my hometown, where there was no backline, a tore up drum set and a microphone connected to a questionably working monitor. We sounded like trash, because of course, when you start it’s not about the music, more so about the endeavor: it’s your first show, all you want to do is rocking out, do a bunch of drugs, drink and possibly have a casual hook up with a random. The benchmark of rock n' roll, right? Sadly, some of us are still at this stage now.

THE STEP UP

It’s all about the respect for the craft. I remember I (with that sex drugs rock n’ roll mindset) had a conversation with a professional musician when I was about 20/21, and he said something to me that would forever change the way I saw music and composing: he said “there is no such thing as GOOD or BAD music: there’s WELL or BADLY executed/written music, because all music can be beautiful, from a 3 or 4 chord rock song to a progressive orchestral composition. I was mind blown. and soon I would start to appreciate things I despised up to that point. I then opened myself to play with as many musicians and as many different genres as I could: that’s when I started seeing growth.

In this line of work, and with the market being this saturated nowadays, it’s becoming increasingly harder to stand out, but here’s something to keep in mind: you, as a professional musician, are nothing short of a START UP. You are your own company, and as such, there are things you can do to back your credibility up, things like:

• music released under your name

• reliable/professional music gear (doesn’t need to be top of the line, but at least good enough to get the job done)

• website

• image curation (photos, videos of your work)

• social media presence

• engagement strategies

Now, I know it sounds expensive, and it definitely can be, but as much as I hate it, I do have to adopt the old saying “you need to spend money in order to make money”: investing in your career, focusing your finances on that. It means one less drink at the end of the night, probably one less vacation in the year, but in the long run, it’ll all be worth it.

Of course, once those things are up and running, there’s the ultimate thing that would “seal the deal”: the “in person” audition/rehearsal. None of the work we’ve done so far will mean anything if we don’t prove our seriousness when we are asked to show up, so, here’s some things (they should be “givens”, but you never know) you should do in such a scenario.

BEFORE AUDITION/REHEARSAL

• study the music: make sure you have notes, chords, metrics and structure down, ask for or write charts to help yourself out if necessary: ask them questions if you’re unsure about certain passages/chords/cues. IMPORTANT: do not assume the song is “easy”, treat every song, even a 2 chords one, with the same regard as everything else;

• ask for details: ask what songs they want you to perform (given that you’ve been provided the material to study), where and when the rehearsals are happening, if you need to bring amplification or just your instrument: some rehearsal spaces already have amps;

REHEARSAL/ AUDITION DAY

• show up on time: nothing gives a potential serious client the “ick” like being late. Unless something serious happens, do not make up excuses, if you foresee traffic happening, make sure you depart from your house at a time that would allow you to be at the rehearsal space when you’re supposed to, remember: it’s always better to be early than late, it speaks to your seriousness/character:

• don’t show up intoxicated: see it as “showing up to work”: you don’t want to be high or drunk when you do, do you? Mind you, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do those things on your free time, you can do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t affect others or the workplace’s operations: those can be grounds for instant dismissal in certain cases;

• if you play a stringed instrument, BRING A TUNER: tuning by ear works for amateurs, but at a professional level it’s totally unacceptable, even if you have perfect pitch. I remember walking out on somebody, because they tuned by ear and sounded horrible. Whether it’s a clip-on or pedal, always remember to bring a tuner:

• ask for feedback: after performing a song, ask if there’s anything that needs adjustment, even if you’re sure you played every detail of the song to a T: it shows that you care and are focused on delivering at the best of your capabilities;

AFTER REHEARSAL/AUDITION

At this stage, you followed the aforementioned guidelines , and usually you can tell if you made an impression or not: it still doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get the job, because the harsh truth is, being a super professional musician doesn’t necessarily mean being the right fit: there's a ton of elements at play, some of which are also beyond our control in some cases. What’s important is: knowing you did your best, so to not have anything to regret.

Another important thing to consider: it’s a two way street. You could show up prepared, ready to deliver, and the other musicians might be the “intoxicated” or “lacking” ones: that speaks to their seriousness, not yours. It’s ok to respectfully walk out in such a scenario, I did it before as I said. We’re trying to do this for a living, not just for fun, we owe it to ourself to say no and carry on.

The last, but not least important piece of advice:

• if you’re a session musician: charge for your service. All your life, you invested time, energy, skill and money to perfect your craft, you should get paid by your employer/head of project: it also speaks to your seriousness, it’s not a good look on any serious musician to be willing to play for free. Up to you to name your price (including transportation) and be a good judge of your own level and worth. At a higher level, start looking into invoicing, creating your own company (LLC or sole proprietor);

• if you have your own project: you should get paid by music venues as per agreed, but you should also pay your musicians/collaborators in a timely fashion (maximum standard is within two weeks from performance). If you value your music career, don’t even consider not paying or cutting short your collaborators, as this would backfire on you in horrible and really undermining ways: you’d be done before you know it.

I think I covered quite a lot with this entry, but please do let me know if you think I missed or should add something!

Keep on keeping on!

Simone