Anyhow, I'd like to dabble with a topic I've been thinking about a lot lately, which is improving your presence as a musician, without spending a dime (or very few). Since the baby boom of the Guitar Hero generation, it's difficult to discern the wanking turds from the young musicians who are actually pleasant to work with. Unless you aspire be a Prattler, sitting alone in your dark bedroom playing with yourself (music, you perv), you're going to have to go outside and meet a few people. This means networking. Here are a few tips on how to make yourself less of a schmuck:
Make Yourself Searchable
Raise your hand if you've ever been perusing the local Craigslist and ran across an ad that read: "I'm looking for X person to play on my record/in my band! If you know how to get in touch with X, please email me!". I've never had to post that, so I don't know what the success rate is. But as a musician you should never make people do that, or you're probably going to miss out on a gig aka extra cash. Even something as simple as having some form of social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace (is that still alive?), etc.) will allow someone to search for and find you. Make it simple too. What if I wanted to hire Nels Cline or Eric Heywood? Glory Be! Their websites are (their name).com! See what I'm sayin'?
If you've got a few extra bucks, make a web page. The nice thing about the modern world, is you don't have to know squat about web programming to create a page anymore. Personally, I recommend Squarespace.com. They have great layouts, and most everything is just drag and drop. It's $8/month and you can have it charge you monthly or annually, and you can also use your own custom domain name. Skip eating out twice a month and it's already paid for itself. Make it look good too. There's nothing more frustrating than having a bad site that lacks photos and audio. For all of you groaning right now about how bad you are at designs, shoot me a comment or email mscaseyadams@gmail.com for free graphic design. (It's not me, sorry). She does excellent work and right now she's free, (simply because she's new). So you have no excuses. Last thing for all you old school dudes out there, if you don't want to deal with the internet, you better damn well get a business card and at least an email. Preferably with your name on it, phone number, email, and not some silly made up business ("Pickin' Pete's Professional Audio".)
And put some sounds on your site! People need to hear you in order to like you!
Communication
Learn to be a good communicator. I hate, Hate, HATE, it when I send an email to a musician/venue and I get a reply weeks or even months later. The ship will most likely have left by that point. If you're inquiring about joining a band, follow up. If you're leaving a project, give them a good notice, fulfill all final commitments, and always leave on a good note. Those people are your references when you try to join something new.
Remember, the people you work with are your reputation in town. Leave them with good things to say.
Communicate with fans or people who even remotely care about your band. Even if it's your family. If someone sends you a message, reply. It's so simple, but it's unbelievable how many people neglect this. Be courteous too, these people are your audience and payroll.
Getting Other Musicians Into the Sack
Hey, we all wouldn't be musicians if we weren't a little socially awkward. So how do you find other people to play with? I guarantee if you do some looking, you can find at least a couple free shows with no cover. You should go out even if you think the band sucks (play some pool or something). I've met dozens of new people by enjoying a cheap beer (always Molson's for me) and making fun of the band. Don't be straightforward about getting them in your band within the first 10 minutes, cause you'll be wearing awkward pants before you know it. It's never worked for getting ladies, and it won't work on musicians either, sorry. If you're serious about it, share a pitcher. The time it takes this person to drink approx. 2.5 beers will be more than enough to get into a conversation. Ask them what kind of music they play, bands they've played in, etc. If they sound cool, just ask to jam. No commitments. Don't spew your life story over the first pitcher either. There have been more than a few times I was interested in playing with someone, and then I was just creeped out by family issues and weird fetishes. Keep the music in music.
Most music stores have listings on a message board to meet people. So check those once a month. Craigslist is very hit or miss, but it's been known to work. I actually met my current bassist of 5 years via Craigslist. However, we have met half a dozen jabronis that route as well. Use your discretion.
Practice
Be smart about your extra time if you're not doing anything. You want to be prepared when opportunities come up. Don't play what you already know, actually learn something new. I watched an interview with Captain Kirk of the Roots and one thing that pierced my brain was: "If you're practicing and you sound good, you're not practicing correctly." I'm not going to get too into detailed about this, because there are countless resources and tips for this. If you don't know how to practice, go here: http://musicdiscipline.com/
Finally,
For Gosh Sake, Stop Whining
This makes me want to pull my hair out. Don't whine. Don't make excuses. I don't do it so much anymore, but we all do it from time to time. However, I have two guitar friends in particular that are quick to sully me if I begin to whine.
Common examples:
Excuse: I don't have good enough gear to (make a recording/play in this project/play a show/etc.).
Answer: Gear doesn't dictate anything, and don't let the smug players tell you that it does. No one is expecting you to roll in with a Private Reserve PRS and a Dumble for an audition. If you do, you darn well better have some chops.
Excuse: I don't know how to (sing/play this solo/write a song/etc.)
Answer: Then learn. All it's gonna do is broaden your musicianship. Yeah, you're going to suck at first. But if you refer to the bold face "practice" heading above, you can find the answers to the test. Comment if you want recommendations. I won't leave you high and dry.
Excuse: I don't have a band, so there's nothing I can do.
Answer: Nope. You can learn how to write a song. If you're not the songwriting type, get better at your instrument. If you're satisfied (which you should never be), learn a new instrument. You need to learn sooner than later how to work with and without people.
Hopefully you can pull a grain of advice from some of this this.
Cheers!
- Stonewall
