first music related job

[maestromatt]

Howdy guys,

I'm a 16 year old guy, and have been playing guitar for 8ish years. I've got a hold of a PRS SE Singlecut about 4-5 years ago and it's my pride and joy.

So now that I'm 16 I'm looking for jobs, but what would really be sweet is to find one doing something musical in my "first job". Am I just dreaming or is there somewhere that might take me on or somethinggg?

And also, what was your first job in music? Share them stories!

Thanks guys. Cheers!

 

[DHW]

Howdy guys,

I'm a 16 year old guy, and have been playing guitar for 8ish years. I've got a hold of a PRS SE Singlecut about 4-5 years ago and it's my pride and joy.

So now that I'm 16 I'm looking for jobs, but what would really be sweet is to find one doing something musical in my "first job". Am I just dreaming or is there somewhere that might take me on or somethinggg?

And also, what was your first job in music? Share them stories!

Thanks guys. Cheers!

What sort of musical job do you have in mind? Are you interested in repairs? Playing? Selling?

A good luthier tends to be a very busy person and the right one may be willing to take on an apprentice. A busy shop may be willing to hire a younger person to wipe things down, pick up cables, sell accessories, ect. My old teacher has a standing Saturday gig playing accoustic country, jazz, and classical in the waiting area of a very busy car dealership. It keeps the customers occupied and there while the finance folks wade through the sea of paperwork.

 

[solacematt]

my first music related job was right out of high school as an A&R agent for a small PR firm. It's all in who you know

 

[László]

I was just a little younger than you when I started playing professionally in bands. We'd play school parties, private parties, bar mitzvahs, frat parties, you name it. We made some decent money and had a great time!

 

[John Beef]

I was just a little younger than you when I started playing professionally in bands. We'd play school parties, private parties, bar mitzvahs, frat parties, you name it. We made some decent money and had a great time!

Yeah, but that was before there was recorded music! They needed musicians, otherwise there was no music.

 

[László]

Yeah, but that was before there was recorded music! They needed musicians, otherwise there was no music.

They banged rocks against each other. Hence, rock music.

 

[garrettb]

I started playing out when I was 16. I know (or know of) a lot of guys who did as well.

If you want into retail or luthier work, now is a great time. You're young enough that your labor will be cheap and you won't need a full 40 hour schedule. It's the time in life where you can build a foundation for the future, but you don't rely on a job to put food on your plate.

Maybe a studio would take you on to schlep things or clean up or whatever, but give you the exposure to that side of things.

 

[John Beef]

I never had a job in music. I have been an actor in a haunted house, a warehouse worker, a construction worker, a factory worker, a data entry person, a high rise window washer, a line cook, a convenience store clerk, a truck driver, an airport heavy equipment operator for FedEx, and an IT guy.

All the while I played in bands - you could call it semi-professionally, given the amount of time and energy I have put into it - but there has almost never been any money in it. that said, I have also mostly played original music. I would rather do my own thing and love it, than do something I don't like but rely on it for relatively little money.

My father in law is a drummer and has always had a reasonably healthy second income from playing in cover bands. If that's your thing, then do it! There's a lot of competition out there for that sort of thing and you would be competing with guys who have been doing it longer than you've been alive.

IMHO, if you want to do something in music, go to school for it, make connections, know as many people as you can, because it's 100% about who you know. When I was 16 I thought I would be "discovered" but that basically never happens.

 

[vchizzle]

Go after it, find what you like. It's a regret that I have that I didn't go after a job working on guitars(or building them at PRS). The only job I've ever had in music is playing in bands since I've been in high school. Call it semi pro, never been my source of income. I have played some really cool shows with a lot of cool bands. In the process, met a few of my favorite bands.

 

[gush]

I have been playing in bands since the early 80s and I still enjoy it. I played full time for a couple of years a long time ago. Playing in a full time band means you have to count on others to tow the line. You have to be able to trust your guys to save money and not be a broke burden to the group, trust they can be atthe show on time ready to play every time.

There are so many things that are easy to over look but if you know your guys and make your intentions clear from day one that makes it a little easier.

Nothing will knot your guts more than having your band blow up 1000 miles from home and not sure how you and your gear will get home.

Good luck!

 

[Pinch]

I worked part-time in a music instrument store when I was a student to fund my degree. I did everything from tuning guitars, ordering stock, working with customers and doing repairs. I learned about guitars, drums, keyboards, effect pedals, PA systems. Everything I have learned has made me a better musician and person. Just start with something, anything. Help out in a store, help a luthier build guitars. Just start with the first opportunity you find and it will definitely open doors for the next one. We loose out on most of our dreams because we simply do not start...

 

[maestromatt]

These stories are great guys! It has been long on my mind to go to school for music, and as I think about college I've got several schools in mind (Berklee and McNally).

It seems that I can't work in any music stores around because they all seem to require that I be 18...but the suggestion of working in a studio doing something might work. I also know a fantastic luthier (Larry Brooks) who has already offered to take me on as an apprentice, but I'm not sure if that would work for me as I'm not totally into the building process of it all..

Has anyone here done studio grunt work before? Or maybe you know someone that owns a studio (or you do) and you would consider hiring a young guy to do some work?

 

[veinbuster]

I was in high school in a fairly small town, that was the biggest town for quite a long way. It turned out there weren't many bass players and I was the only one who wasn't stuck in one genre so I filled in when bands had a sick, or otherwise unavailable bass player. In the first month I played with the Goldenaires, Norm Moreau Orchestra and Light and Easy. One gave me charts, one handed me sheet music and the other just let me play - I watched the guitar player for the chords.

 

[CVS]

I was in my 1st band in the mid 70's! Playing in a band will teach you a lot both about music and about how to get along and work with others. I highly recommend the experience. You will improve faster as a guitar player and you will learn what the word "teamwork" really means!
Good bands really are synergistic! Enjoy the journey.

 

[Huggy Love]

Most recording or rehearsal studios won't hire minors, guitar shops too. At 16 you have 2 years to do NOTHING BUT MUSIC, I bet a great amount of guitar men here on this site have day jobs and wish they could do just that. Enjoy it before you have to start paying bills. Just play, write music, develop your own voice on the guitar, etc. and if you need cash, start busking. (playing for donations with a battery powered amp somewhere downtown)

 

[maestromatt]

Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[garrettb]

Most recording or rehearsal studios won't hire minors, guitar shops too. At 16 you have 2 years to do NOTHING BUT MUSIC, I bet a great amount of guitar men here on this site have day jobs and wish they could do just that. Enjoy it before you have to start paying bills. Just play, write music, develop your own voice on the guitar, etc. and if you need cash, start busking. (playing for donations with a battery powered amp somewhere downtown)

So, so true. I would play for hours every day when I was 15. I started working at 16, which cut into my guitar time, but I'd usually squeeze some playing in between school and work and stay up late playing on weekends. It's a trade-off I don't regret, because I used job money to buy some nice gear I still use today.

 

[henryjurstin13]

Playing music, in a band - that was my first paying gig as a musician. Great tips here about offering small, part-time help to local stores/studios. Learning a Luthier trade would be INSANELY VALUABLE. I would think that after some practice & education (or experience in the saddle), someone who can PROPERLY & RELIABLY fix guitars, amps, and pedals could potentially have a very, VERY busy work bench.

 

[jcha008]

Playing music, in a band - that was my first paying gig as a musician. Great tips here about offering small, part-time help to local stores/studios. Learning a Luthier trade would be INSANELY VALUABLE. I would think that after some practice & education (or experience in the saddle), someone who can PROPERLY & RELIABLY fix guitars, amps, and pedals could potentially have a very, VERY busy work bench.

I don't know how lucrative the guitar tech market it is, but man, my local tech Gun D at the WWG is always swamped with work. Does some of the best setups in the biz no doubt, but he's very in demand.

 

[henryjurstin13]

I don't know how lucrative the guitar tech market it is, but man, my local tech Gun D at the WWG is always swamped with work. Does some of the best setups in the biz no doubt, but he's very in demand.

That's the key. I live in a town with a GC & at least 4 other mom/pop stores, and I'm not aware of one single "good/reliable" tech for guitars or amps. I believe a good mechanic of any trade will always be able to find plenty of work.