Personally I don't feel I'm good enough to play for money so I don't play on stage. I do play with professionals though but for the enjoyment of it. Just wondered if I'm in the minority here as it seems many of you seem to be regularly gigging out.
Do you play guitar Professionally or for Pleasure
- Thread starter Rockmark
- Start date
BrianC
more toys than talent
You need to change your mindset. I was the same a few years ago and have since found my place in a band and on stage. I'm livin the dream and you can too!
My band plays out about once a month. I play lead about half of the time. I sing lead on a few songs and back the rest. If you added up all of the hours of practice and set up/ tear down then hours played - we make way less than minimum wage. Of course its well worth it.
The funny part is I literally bring well over $10, 000 worth of gear to play a gig to make pennies...
My band plays out about once a month. I play lead about half of the time. I sing lead on a few songs and back the rest. If you added up all of the hours of practice and set up/ tear down then hours played - we make way less than minimum wage. Of course its well worth it.
The funny part is I literally bring well over $10, 000 worth of gear to play a gig to make pennies...
Tone-y
New Member
Just for pleasure for me, and although I've played on and off for 34 years I've never really studied at it seriously. I used to take part in some local Jam nights, but these have folded and now being married with a young family I wouldn't really have time for them anyway.
D
Deleted member 5962
Guest
Professionally, no. On stage, yes. And remember, most PRS players are doctors and lawyers, with the odd dentist thrown in (not to imply oddness of our resident dentist 
)
)
Bowtiefanatc
Confirmed Bird Snob
Not professionally, but I've been playing in churches for many years now. It's something I really enjoy doing. A friend of mine really wants me to play out with him, but with all of the travel I do for work I'd rather not take time away from the family in the younger years of the kiddos.
sergiodeblanc
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I like to think I’ve retired. This gig pays better, there’s less crying, and I only have to smell the farts of three people.
dmatthews
Dave's not here
I play rhythm in my band along with lead vocals, and we mostly do it just for fun, but with the occasional gig. Playing live is a real treat for me, and I'll do it until the opportunity no longer presents itself.
Personal, I have only been practicing/playing for just over a year.
At 50 I don't see myself making any money with it, and I could care less. Playing is my happy place. Hands down...my guitar journey is the best thing I've ever done for myself!
I'm retired due to an injury but the up-side to that is...it's given me all the time I need to practice and hopefully one day at least be a decent player. If that's all that becomes of my playing, so be it. I truly love everything about it and the joy it brings me and the friendships I've been lucky enough to make along the way are truly priceless!
At 50 I don't see myself making any money with it, and I could care less. Playing is my happy place. Hands down...my guitar journey is the best thing I've ever done for myself!
I'm retired due to an injury but the up-side to that is...it's given me all the time I need to practice and hopefully one day at least be a decent player. If that's all that becomes of my playing, so be it. I truly love everything about it and the joy it brings me and the friendships I've been lucky enough to make along the way are truly priceless!
garrett
...
I guess I could call myself a professional. I do play for money, but maybe only a dozen times a year.
I play with some part-time pros with day jobs as well as some full time pros. I started on guitar as a teen and learned early on that the full-time pro musician life wasn't for me.
I play a lot for my own enjoyment, though. The best thing is when that comes together with others regardless of any pay.
I play with some part-time pros with day jobs as well as some full time pros. I started on guitar as a teen and learned early on that the full-time pro musician life wasn't for me.
I play a lot for my own enjoyment, though. The best thing is when that comes together with others regardless of any pay.
That's what I call a win bro...
Glide-bpm
We were small but we were slow...
Electrical Engineer by trade... retiring from that Jan 4, 2019.
I've been playing in bands for years on and off. I am usually the lead guitarist or one of two lead guitarists in the groups I've played with.
I really enjoy having a dual lead capable guitar setup in a band as it opens up so many possibilities musically. The only time I had a tougher
time with it was with this one guy that is several years older than me. As soon as they invited me into the band, he decided to make this
statement later when we were alone "... I'm the lead guitarist in this band, but I'll throw you a bone here and there....." Needless to say, every
time I got thrown a bone, I made sure to put everything I had into it for the d@ck move statement... LoL!
Due to that, I make it a point to try to make every new 2nd guitarist (or any other instrumentalist) feel at home and welcome to express themselves
musically. I try to make sure they know that we feel like everyone should have a chance to shine and express themselves. I know how I felt, so I
don't want someone else to feel like that. As long as you know how to play the dang thing, let 'er rip!
I get paid the typical bar band cash other than a few special gigs and parties. That's why I chose the engineering profession with good retirement... LoL!
I have been fortunate enough to have recently been invited to possibly join a 2nd project with a local young female singer that has done the Nashville thing
a few times and recorded some albums, etc... I feel very fortunate to have been asked to get together and see where it goes. She typically has
done the acoustic guitarist thing locally before, but now wants the power of a full band. Who knows, with retirement the next couple months, I might
finally get to do some longer distance music travelling if it works out.
Play in church some on the weekends as well.
I've been playing in bands for years on and off. I am usually the lead guitarist or one of two lead guitarists in the groups I've played with.
I really enjoy having a dual lead capable guitar setup in a band as it opens up so many possibilities musically. The only time I had a tougher
time with it was with this one guy that is several years older than me. As soon as they invited me into the band, he decided to make this
statement later when we were alone "... I'm the lead guitarist in this band, but I'll throw you a bone here and there....." Needless to say, every
time I got thrown a bone, I made sure to put everything I had into it for the d@ck move statement... LoL!
Due to that, I make it a point to try to make every new 2nd guitarist (or any other instrumentalist) feel at home and welcome to express themselves
musically. I try to make sure they know that we feel like everyone should have a chance to shine and express themselves. I know how I felt, so I
don't want someone else to feel like that. As long as you know how to play the dang thing, let 'er rip!
I get paid the typical bar band cash other than a few special gigs and parties. That's why I chose the engineering profession with good retirement... LoL!
I have been fortunate enough to have recently been invited to possibly join a 2nd project with a local young female singer that has done the Nashville thing
a few times and recorded some albums, etc... I feel very fortunate to have been asked to get together and see where it goes. She typically has
done the acoustic guitarist thing locally before, but now wants the power of a full band. Who knows, with retirement the next couple months, I might
finally get to do some longer distance music travelling if it works out.
Play in church some on the weekends as well.
dmatthews
Dave's not here
I suppose I should clarify.
We used to gig and get paid the usual paltry going rates.
Being our own roadies etc made for some very long days/nights and ended up as if you were making less that $5/hr by the time you schlepped the gear and set it back up again for practice.
So instead we created a practice space where we can gig with up to 100 people in attendance.
When we feel the need, we charge a nominal fee, or pass the hat for donations to a worthy cause. We never keep any of the funds, and have raised thousands for various charities/causes. Other gigs there we do for free/fun.
Are we pros? Certainly not, but the fun factor outweighs that word. And people seem to like it.
We used to gig and get paid the usual paltry going rates.
Being our own roadies etc made for some very long days/nights and ended up as if you were making less that $5/hr by the time you schlepped the gear and set it back up again for practice.
So instead we created a practice space where we can gig with up to 100 people in attendance.
When we feel the need, we charge a nominal fee, or pass the hat for donations to a worthy cause. We never keep any of the funds, and have raised thousands for various charities/causes. Other gigs there we do for free/fun.
Are we pros? Certainly not, but the fun factor outweighs that word. And people seem to like it.
tyfu20
Fast Man....let me tell you my story
Regular job in finance, but play out 4-6 times a month in band and duo situations. Sing, play rhythm, and some lead
D
Deleted member 5962
Guest
veinbuster
Zombie Three, DFZ
I've been a fan of your model for years.
I did play full time (5 nights a week 4-5 hours a night) for a while, mostly a rock-country-pop trio and for a change of pace a couple of swing bands and show bands. I decided I didn't want to live on the road so got an engineering degree and a real job - which turns out to have had me travel further, but stay in much nicer hotels and eat better food. I quit that 3 times and the last one seems to have stuck. I think of playing from time to time, but most of what I like to play these days isn't what people are likely to want to pay for.
DickBanks
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Both, but on the professional side, it's a zero-sum-gain.
dmatthews
Dave's not here
Thanks for that Pete.
And playing what you want/like to play sounds good to me. You also might be surprised how well that might be appreciated/received.
garrett
...
I can relate to a lot of that! With the group I've played with the the last seven or so years, we did a great dual lead thing. The other guitarist and I play together so well. No egos, tight harmony playing, trading solos, playing different chord shapes. Just a ton of fun.
I say "did" because the other group members are full time pros and the gigging market is just crap. Nobody wants to pay much money, so I generally don't get the call unless the other guitarist is away for another gig and they need a sub. These people are feeding their kids and paying bills with their share, while I'm blowing mine on guitar gear I really don't need.
The struggle is real if you're a full-timer. I'm glad to avoid the pressure and just play for enjoyment and the occasional fun money. White collar life has other pressures, of course, but hustling a gig to pay bills isn't one of them.
Guitpicky
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2017
- Messages
- 617
Play is particularly apropos for me. I only got into guitars to make learning how music works more fun. All I really do is noodle around on them. I'm learning, but in no hurry to become a rock star. My real interest is in learning more about the structure of reality. I own guitars to make that a little more like fun and less like memorizing a dictionary.
It all started one day on a walk with my dog. Something got me thinking about time and what it actually is. The common claim is that we don't really know what time is or understand it. That's complete bull****, somebody understands it because "our time" has been heavily manipulated against us.
Coltrane was trying to tell us this with his tone wheel. Time IS music, and our time, our space, our economic system, our standards of measure and even our conscious state are ALL based on the western chromatic scale and equal temperament. The manipulation comes thru the use of the circle of fifths, which as far as I can tell is only possible with the scale we're using. His tone wheel is the "clock" of human consciousness.
The gist of it is, that everything we see, hear, taste, smell, or feel can be reduced to a pattern and that pattern is what we call a musical scale. Our subconscious doesn't see details like our conscious mind does, it sees everything as scales in a musical composition. The details are superimposed by our objective consciousness, like a skin over a skeleton.
Here's why any of it even matters...
Time is music and history is a record. We keep playing the same broken record over and over, ad nauseum. We are essentially frozen in time, more accurately stuck in an eternal fall (entropy). This puts us under the effects of gravity, compressing, depressing, suppressing, and oppressing us. Gravity is a function of the disharmony created by our manipulation of time and is what's "keeping us down" in this world.
My point is that it's all changeable, once we've figured out how it works and more importantly why we did it to ourselves in the first place. I believe we've arrived at that point, I'm just trying to understand it better.
That being said, I find a certain amount of joy in just possessing a fine instrument, whether I'm playing it or not I always know that I CAN play it whenever I want. I've noticed a certain amount of guilt associated with owning a nice instrument, like you have to play it to death everyday to justify ownership. Anything I HAVE to do is work, so I only play when I want to for fun. Call me selfish, but I prefer to remain the master and not let my possessions call the shots
It all started one day on a walk with my dog. Something got me thinking about time and what it actually is. The common claim is that we don't really know what time is or understand it. That's complete bull****, somebody understands it because "our time" has been heavily manipulated against us.
Coltrane was trying to tell us this with his tone wheel. Time IS music, and our time, our space, our economic system, our standards of measure and even our conscious state are ALL based on the western chromatic scale and equal temperament. The manipulation comes thru the use of the circle of fifths, which as far as I can tell is only possible with the scale we're using. His tone wheel is the "clock" of human consciousness.
The gist of it is, that everything we see, hear, taste, smell, or feel can be reduced to a pattern and that pattern is what we call a musical scale. Our subconscious doesn't see details like our conscious mind does, it sees everything as scales in a musical composition. The details are superimposed by our objective consciousness, like a skin over a skeleton.
Here's why any of it even matters...
Time is music and history is a record. We keep playing the same broken record over and over, ad nauseum. We are essentially frozen in time, more accurately stuck in an eternal fall (entropy). This puts us under the effects of gravity, compressing, depressing, suppressing, and oppressing us. Gravity is a function of the disharmony created by our manipulation of time and is what's "keeping us down" in this world.
My point is that it's all changeable, once we've figured out how it works and more importantly why we did it to ourselves in the first place. I believe we've arrived at that point, I'm just trying to understand it better.
That being said, I find a certain amount of joy in just possessing a fine instrument, whether I'm playing it or not I always know that I CAN play it whenever I want. I've noticed a certain amount of guilt associated with owning a nice instrument, like you have to play it to death everyday to justify ownership. Anything I HAVE to do is work, so I only play when I want to for fun. Call me selfish, but I prefer to remain the master and not let my possessions call the shots
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