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In this Discussion
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So how tough is it to make a career in the world of guitar?
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One of the best bits of advice I could offer involves Thelma and Louise, for example.
Tell you what, though, this occurred to me this morning: if you want to be a go-to, first call session guitarist and sideman, go and study the playing of Robbie McIntosh, and study it hard. Then work out WHY he gets hired again and again and again by the top names in the industry.
I'm saying this because I played with an artist for years who had Robbie McIntosh on guitars for his first album, and I had to learn his parts, and the guy is an absolute genius. What at first seems simple very rarely is, there's always a wee element that's not quite as straightforward as you think.
Now, I've sat and played with Robbie and I got to know him a bit - a few years back I had an operation scheduled for a few days before a gig and he very kindly stepped in to take my place, so I had to show him some of the later stuff. I can tell you right off the bat that the guy can play ANYTHING to virtuoso standard. He can outplay all your Satrianis and Vais and Gambales but has absolutely no interest in doing so. His acoustic playing is staggeringly, intimidatingly good. Sitting across from him was a humbling experience.
On the back of that, now go an listen to Hymn To Her. Or 2000 Miles. Or Middle Of The Road. These are exercises in taste, restraint, precision and perfection. Every single note is considered, every phrase beautifully placed within the context of the song and the overall track. He could absolutely have played anything he wanted in those songs, he could have played 160 notes every four bars and done so cleanly (the guy really has incredible precision - again, listen hard) and been all very impressive, but he has the taste not to. He knows it's not the Robbie Show and he knows it would be shit. His only focus is on enhancing the track and playing beautifully.
THAT'S what it takes to be a guitarist. That's what it takes to be a musician! I don't think I've ever heard him on record play to his full capabilities, and that's crucially important.
Whilst we're at it, see also Mike Campbell and George Harrison. Or Benmont Tench and Nicky Hopkins if we can veer away from guitar for a minute. There's a REASON why those guys got/get all the big work.
Genuinely interesting. I even had a colleague ping me last night on our internal messaging channel commenting on it...
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder
My trading feedback - I'm a good egg
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I have no experience in the originals game or touring (other than 4 or 5 gigs on the trot) but I did spend a couple of years full on gigging for a living in covers bands, mainly guitar but the odd bass gig and quite a few FOH gigs. I've got other revenue streams now so I don't need to gig as much but the work is there. I have loads of friends who only gig and teach for a living and make a couple of grand a month which is enough
I now do about 80 gigs a year, some teaching, design and make gadgets, cables, and carry out repairs to music equipment. Do some PA rental, some FOH \ monitor mixing work. What's nice is when one area gets quiet I can concentrate on another, I like not having to rely on one income stream only. I'm sat in Spain at the mo typing this by the pool ... I'm selling on reverb and ebay, emailing the post labels to a mate in the UK and he's posting kit out I've already built. So I'm not losing any money when on holiday.
Read Luke's book if you want a further insight.. the man was/is so successful in the game not because he can play a great solo (he can obviously) but he can write amazing songs, sing wonderfully, play to the music without any ego tripping and do it all at the drop of a hat, consistently. Oh and let's not forget he was also around in a time/place that not only allowed/supported this development but was a hotbed of music creation/industry. Timing was critical here but only of advantage if you can deliver the goods..
Si
It was tough at the beginning, still in the middle of studying at ACM and only starting it up to earn a bit of pocket money on the side. Once I graduated in 2011 I thought to myself "shit, I'm out in the real world now, how am I going to earn a living?" Many early clients told me I am a good tutor and I should really pursue it but originally I didn't think I'd be able to make it a business
The early struggles involved many people messing me about, cancelling pre-booked lessons at short notice/not showing up and not sticking to it long enough to see any real benefits. I didn't keep many learners for long, and many would quit within 3-4 lessons. The problem as well being inexperienced back then I was only charging £15-20 per hour which although generated many enquiries, most were timewasters or only people curious what its like to play the guitar, and expecting to become Jimi Hendrix within 24 hours.
Slowly as I became more experienced and improved my tuition skills, the following year I became a registered RGT tutor offering graded exams and joined the Musician's Union. The rates creeped up to £25-£30 per hour and the nature of learners/enquiries changed. People were a bit more serious and stuck at it for longer. Was still being messed about alot though.
Only in the past 2-3 years when the rate has gone over £30 per hour people are sticking to it longer and the enquiries are a lot more interested. Also due to only charging lesson by lesson in the past I would lose money say if someone could do 3 weeks of the month, or fortnightly, meaning the vacant week wasn't able to be filled. I changed all that only do lessons in monthly blocks of 4 with one payment for the month so now my cash flow is a lot more steady, and I'm paid an actual monthly salary. All learners are made to sign a written agreement and all lessons must be paid for in advance upfront no exceptions. This has covered my overheads and if people choose to mess me about I don't give them their money back. Safe to say only a small handful of messers are still around.
But its still hard with YouTube videos and all these DIY methods out there to try and teach yourself. Also with other younger inexperienced tutors undercutting the market by offering £10 per hour lessons they're nicking all my custom. With so many other people who can do a similar role (albeit less quality) competition is rife.
Many of my learners that came to me did start off trying to teach themselves but eventually they seek tuition and it saves years of frustration.
The other problem is the lack of rock bands on the scene to inspire the next generation to pick up guitars is a bit shitty. We still have Ed Sheeran and similar artists which do bring in a few but I feel its dying out with more people turning to piano or using a computer to make music. So I've suffered a bit there too.
I'm hoping once my new teaching room is open I can make the money back and really push the business to the next level but its hard. Fucking hard. To keep a business going for over 5 years is a success however, so I just gotta keep going. I could dabble in session/function stuff too but I'm still playing in an originals band at the moment, I feel I got a few more years doing that.
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I have no plans to ever try and makes single penny in the music industry but as a snapper there are some big similarities. Some mountain sized differences too!
The one thing that just lept off the page at me and really needs attention drawing to it again is
THE EXIT STRATEGY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT
If you get to become a super successful freelancer, doing what you love. It can’t last forever and somewhere it needs to transfer in to a very large nest egg or sustainable business that doesn’t need your constant input to make you a living.
I was educated up to College (UK college - 18 when I left) in Music and Music Tech and just moved to London to see what I could do after that. I was in a band at the time and we had a music journalist friend who offered to manage us.
Long story short, that lead to a publishing deal offer from EMI, 10 grand for 8 songs, which probably would have resulted in us making an album and "being signed" had our manager not been mates with another manager whose band had also had an offer from EMI but for more cash. Our guy asked for more money too but a second offer never came.
I'm not particularly bothered about that. It felt nice to have the recognition but that 10 grand wouldn't have lasted long. I'd probably have still had to work in a shop or bar to be able to keep up the music.
Following that, jobs in a bank and a school (albeit a Music department) while doing 4 or 5 different original bands over the years and always writing and producing my own music.
18 months ago a friend put me in touch with someone who was looking for a function singer. Their original singer had dropped out of 6 months worth of Summer gigs so I got to step in to a load of well paid weekend work alongside my 9-5. 4 piece band, vocals, guitar, drums and bass and I sometimes doubled up guitars if I felt like it.
The drummer/manager of that function band built a new 3 piece band around me and him (guitar/vocalist means one less guy is needed) which made us better value than a 4 piece and has got us loads of work. But working 6 days a week and being knackered on the 7th because you worked fucking hard on a gig and drove home 4 hours and didn't get in until 5am... I made a change.
I knew the function work would carry on but it wouldn't be enough on its own. A friend of mine, who probably wouldn't mind me saying is not even a quarter of the guitarist or musician I am, had been making a decent living from teaching and gigging. She can sing, which helps, but her guitar is rudimentary at best, yet she teaches guitar, does solo and band gigs and earns from it!
So, I figured what the hey, I'll give it a go.
I teach on Monday evenings, gig on Fridays and Saturdays and sometimes Sundays. In the Summer there might be a few midweek functions too.
A great meme I saw said something like:
Booking a weekend gig -
Booking a weekday gig -
If I could do a wedding every Wednesday and Thursday.... £££££!!!
I'd like a bit more teaching maybe but I'm happy and surviving. I've done some writing, a little bit of production... I've been offered some tribute shows and tours but I've not been available to do them which is a shame as I think it'd be fun and I'd like to get into that more.
I was speaking to the drummer in the function band the other day and while some people are cynical and only do it for the money I genuinely enjoy functions. I might be saying something different in 5 years time when I've played Mr Brightside more times than the Killers have but as it stands I get to play songs I like to people who enjoy me doing it. I look forward to going to work, I see a lot of the country, I get to hang out with a couple of guys I really like and I go to a big party at least once a week! I'm playing guitar more than ever, I'm noticing my playing getting better again and I get to buy guitars without wife guilt as it's my job, now!
Some people say selling out, some people get all spirtual about it and, you know "I really need to have that creative outlet... My lyrics are so precious to me and have such a profound meaning and cleanse me spiritually and the music is such a true reflection of who I am..."
You know, it's great to be true to what you want to do and good on you if you are. But I feel you can be too pretentious and self absorbed sometimes. I've always felt a need to write music that other people will want to listen to. Ideally I'll like it too, that's an added bonus!
But at the same time if I never got to write or record an original piece of music again and just did covers, well, great. It wouldn't be the end of the world for me. I like playing covers. Particularly ones I like, and I'm lucky I do (our function band is a touch niche in that we generally avoid the soul and pop and play a lot of the indie and rock that I like).
I'm quietly aware that I'll need to diversify at some point but I've already got 15 years pension behind me which is 15 years more than many of my friends my age.
The only thing about this is how I feel like a bit of a fraud.
The other guitarist in the 4 piece function band is far better than me. He's more technically able, he studied guitar at uni, he's played with big names, he's done a lot more than I have in his musical career so far.
I rock up 10 years+ late to the game, mainly self taught, but earning the same money. Admittedly I sing as well and I'm by no means an awful guitarist. I've got my thing and I do it well... I guess it's driving me to improve and diversify. Improving my technique and aspiring to be as able as I can be in as many styles as possible.
And I'd love to be able to say one day that "I was on tour with so-and-so that you've heard of" or that I "played guitar on such-and-such album". Again, the recognition thing. The validation of being a part of a released record on concert that people have liked enough yo have paid to hear. Might be a pipe dream, we'll see. I still feel like I'm scratching the surface of the whole thing. I've been told to make sure I keep learning. You're never too good to have a lesson from someone. Not just someone who is the best in your field but someone who does something different to you or specilises in a different area. Learn from everyone and anyone you can.
Interestingly I know guys who work really hard on tours as "hired guns" for big name acts. REALLY great players. Yet they earn less doing a big name gig than I get for a function. Sometimes £100+ less. That was quite eye opening. Though obviously the up side is that if you're on a tour you have 2-4 weeks of work almost daily, which is nice and adds up.
Sorry to go on, that's just a bit of chatter about where I am and how it's been. I've loved this thread though, thanks to all who've shard their stories. Feel like we need a few name drops to go along with them now, though!
There are plenty of opportunities still in tecching, building side of the guitar industry whether guitars, amps, pedals etc if you know what you are doing and get a good plan.
From my perspective, too many UK based business think too small man in a shed and never get beyond that and fair play if that is your thing then please do not see this as a criticism just an observation of UK small businesses.
Starting as a man in a shed is fine, low overheads, etc etc. Issue comes when you are sick or your family are sick or you want a holiday or you chop a finger off. Life has a way of throwing you curve balls and having some sort of resilience and working towards having a reliable team in your first few years to me is paramount.
Yes you can only do that if you are selling enough product and every small business sweats over the cost of the first employee. In my mind, you have to get to that point and the sooner the better because then you are off to the races you have a little more time to grow your business develop the new ideas and generally become better at what you do as you have passed some of the day to day off to employee no1. Most importantly if you are sick or break a leg the backlog and the customer dissatisfaction can be managed. Money still flows you are way less stressed and you have a much greater chance of not losing what you spent the last few years sweating and creating.
I went looking for a set of pickups last year and two UK builders were not actually taking orders due to the massive demand and the need to clear the backlog, another was quoting extending delivery times due to demand and the other said about 3-4 weeks.
I asked a guitar builder about a Tele type guitar nothing special but I was too busy to throw one together from parts due to starting my latest venture. I get quoted 6-8 months if I had wanted a Les Paul type guitar 12-18 months but I can slip you in a Tele.
Yes building stock takes money and you don't want to be crippled with too much but if you know you are going to sell 10 of your Super Gut Buster fuzz boxes every month surely you build 12 and start a production schedule.
Also in most things these days you need to think international the UK is a small market but the world is a way smaller place than it used to be so you can pretty much sell anywhere these days online and you just need to be geared up for it.
Pricing if you are selling too cheap as in your shed you are the manufacturer/ distributor and retailer it will be hard to expand if you can only sell your stuff because you are the cheapest that is another recipe for stagnation and an inability to expand so when the Big Cheese french distributor comes asking for 100 of your Gut Buster fuzz and says whats your distribution price you will either have to eat margin or put your prices up or simply say No, none of which is good for business.
None of this is rocket science its small business 101 but something that seems to be lost on a lot of small companies in the UK.
I know starting a small business is hard last year I kicked off my forth at 59 years old the long days and nights it takes are never easy and take their toll but you have to look for growth or year 1-5 just blur till the point where you are burnt out and wondered how or why you ever started it.
So if you are going to do something non-playing get some good advice get a plan for year 1-5 and work to achieve that and from day one realise that growth is not a dirty word I speak to too many people in small business who say oh I never want to be that big. You may not want to but you need to, if you are going to thrive.