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Issue #6___\__\__\__\__\__________/__/__/__/__/ June 97
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is in this issue?
Contents:
1. Feature Article: Getting That First Gig
2. Bar Joke of the Month
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*** FEATURE ARTICLE ***
For June 97
How to Snag That First Gig
Let's assume that you have been playing drums for
some time now. You have a decent drumset and are at the
point where playing along with nearly any recording on
your sound system is easy. You are a drummer and you can
feel and love it!
What is next? Where do we go from here?
This is a very critical point in your development and it
is time to make a bold move. We need to get you into a band
and . . . not just any band. It must be exactly the right
band.
Maybe you are the shy type. I know I was. Too shy to
play for even a small group of friends. I remember those days.
It took me four years to move from the back room of our house out
into the public eye. I had been ready for nearly three years but
didn't have the courage to consider it. I had even begun to lose
interest in drumming because I didn't think I would ever be brave
enough to get on stage and play with a live band.
Finally, one day when I was about fourteen, my mom set me
up. She knew about my shyness so she planned the whole thing and
set it up for me (What a mom!). She made me put the drums in the
car, then drove me over to the home of two kids (brothers) my own
age. I had previously fought with these two guys in school a year
or so earlier and for all I knew, we were mortal enemies. If they
had mentioned their interest in music, we would have been friends
all along. As it turned out, we hit it off and began practicing
regularly. The first few times we played in public were very anxious
moments for me. However, I soon noticed that as the music began,
all the nervousness and stage fright disappeared. Once my hands
stopped trembling, I had a ball. Before long I discovered that I
was eager to play the live gigs in public. Playing before an
audience actually turned out to be much more fun than banging away
in my back bedroom. So, if you are worried about all that stage
fright stuff, don't. You will probably experience it about the same
way I did. Once you are over the initial fear, it's an indescribable
blast.
The point of this story is that you must start somewhere,
make your own breaks (or get your mom to make them for you) and
put that first band together on your own. Otherwise, the interest
will die and the drums will go into the closet, only to be sold
at a garage sale sometime later.
THE TRICK:
The trick is finding the right people. Starting with
people who are on your same level is important. Look for people
who are just starting and with whom you will be comfortable.
This is important! It is important because rejection at this
point can be devastating. You don't need rejection. What you
need is a big score.
START NOW:
So . . . start racking your brain, right this minute!
Think of all your friends (and enemies) who can play an instrument.
Piano? Guitar? Bass? Brass? Think until you can write down a
name or two. Don't even worry so much about whether you like these
people or not. You will learn to like them if the music clicks.
When you come up with a name or two, get on the phone and give them
a call. Invite them over for tacos and a good old fashion Jam session.
Just do it!
OK! After racking your brain for twenty minutes, if you
cannot think of even one person who fits the criteria then you
must search them out. Go to plan B and try this!
PLAN B:
Get out the local phone book and turn to the ‘Yellow Pages'.
Call the local guitar instruction studios. Talking with the actual
teachers if possible is best. The receptionist at the store or shop
may not respond like a teacher will. Most teachers will not only
have a student or two that will meet the criteria but the teacher
has a professional interest in seeing the students succeed. They
want to help their own students get into the business. They will
usually take the time to find the names and phone numbers you need.
My bet is you will have a list of several names by the time you get
off the phone. If this has failed to produce prospects for your band,
call all the local piano teachers, voice teachers and any other music
teachers who may advertise in the phone book. You will eventually
succeed if you are persistent.
MAKE AN INFORMAL CALL:
OK! So, now you have a couple of names with phone numbers.
What is next?
Hold that thought for a minute . . .
Don't you wish someone would go to all this trouble just to give
you a starting place in the music business? So do they! They have
probably been waiting for this phone call for months. We are all
alike! We wait for someone else to make the first move. We want
success to bang on the front door and drag us out of the house and
into the ‘big time'. These people are probably no different.
So . . . you make that first move . . . and make it as often as
necessary until you get the right people together. The odds are
very high that this ‘name on a list' will probably try to climb
through the phone line getting to your house. So don't be afraid
to make the call. Simply entice them in a very informal way. Ask
them over to visit and jam. No big deal. Don't say anything about
forming a band or any of that stuff. Invite them over to jam for
fun and say no more. If they want to do it, they will find a way.
Then, If the jam comes off ok, you might make a few plans. For the
moment, leave yourself a back door, and a way out . . . just in case.
The truth is, you may be musically above them or they may turn out to
be jerks or something. Who knows, they may have one big green eye in
the middle of their forehead. This way, it won't be a devastating
experience for either of you if the music just doesn't click. Getting
a good band together can be difficult but persistence and determination
will eventually pay off.
Try to assemble at least a three-piece group. You will need
at least one lead instrument (guitar, keyboard, etc.), one bass
guitarist and of course you will be the drummer. Bass guitarists
are often hard to find so remember also that any guitarist is
potentially a bass guitarist. Both instruments are nearly the same.
You may be forced into calling two guitarists then talk them into
taking turns on the bass.
From this point on, the rest is up to you and the new band.
Practice in the garage until the music starts sounding ok then
begin volunteering to play anywhere you will be appreciated. Enter the
band in local talent shows, play for family picnics, pool parties
and so on. You will find plenty of places to play if you will use
your collective imaginations.
After you have a few free appearances under your belt and
enough material to fill a four or five-hour gig without repeating
any songs, put a price tag on your services. Before you know it,
you will be playing every weekend for major money. Ninety percent
of the professional musicians I know will tell you they started
this way.
Go for it and good luck!
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BAR JOKE OF THE MONTH
Hot Duck
A circus owner walks into a bar to see everyone crowded
about a table watching a little show. On the table was an
upside down pot and a duck tap-dancing on it. The circus
owner was so impressed that he offered to buy the duck
from its owner. After some wheelin' and dealin' they
settled for $10000 for the duck and the pot.
Three days later the circus owner runs back to the bar
in anger, "Your duck is a ripoff! I put him on the pot before
a whole audience and he didn't dance a single step!"
"So?" . . . asked the ducks former owner, "did you
remember to light the candle under the pot?"
******************************
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This topic could save you YEARS and give you renewed ambition.
END OF TEMPO DISPATCH #6 June, 97
Copyright Bill Powelson 1994 all rights reserved.
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