Practice techniques?

Thanks to The bulletproof musician for their insightful post. I'm often asked how much you should practice, and this is in line with what I would suggest.

The only thing I would add is to space your practicing out. Some days you might want to practice more than 3 or 4 hours a day. Some days less. And you don't have to do it all in a row either; I tell my students that if they practice 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the evening that counts*.

How much do you practice? And how do you divide the time?

*I would encourage anyone who practices, to practice more than 30 minutes and not in this fashion. This is really to encourage students to develop a routine.

A post about asking your worth

Thanks to Creative Mornings for this insightful post.

I know this isn't exactly related to making a living in music, but as the creative arts all have in common- it must be treated like a business. That means contracted work, delivered correctly, leads to more productive and lucrative business. Don't do work without a contract, and don't be afraid to ask for what you're worth.

Heck, it's a lot better than this guy. Whining will get you nowhere.

Another blog about asking for what you're worth in Music.

Shout out to Jamie O'Reilly for her insightful post.

Just wanted to add a couple of things here. I've been debating if I want to write another post about music and the business of selling it, but this blog made me painfully aware of two things.

1)Playing for free, at a city festival can be beneficial: I say this with a large caveat. You want to play Jazz fest, or Blue Fest, or whatever flavor your bubblicious might be. You want to get your name out there, for no other reason than that it looks impressive on a resume or a website that you did that. You do NOT however, want to be the perennial performer at Jazz Fest, Blues Fest or whatever unless you're getting paid. Jamie makes a very good point: do you want to be known as the person who'll play for free? And if you are the person who will play for free, please stop and play for your friends and neighbors at barbecues and picnics. We do not need you messing up the market so you can feel like a rockstar.

2)If you do ask for money, please be professional and polite: I've been a professional musician for a good 16 or so years, and I have to say- it's hard out there. But there's the professional who shows up on time, plays the proscribed amount of time, doesn't imbibe too much, doesn't push the boundaries of courtesy, and generally acts like this is his or her job. Then there's the other people who play sloppily, doesn't know when to quit, plays too loud, drinks too much- you get the picture. If you're asking for money, remember- this is a job. Act appropriately, and professionally.

Osama Bin Laden dead

So, the man is dead. Nearly ten years later, the most hated man in America (outside of political party politics) is dead. I'm sitting here, watching on the newscasters and talking heads talk very excitedly about what this means for President Obama's reelection; I'm seeing posts on Facebook that range from "The SOB is dead!" to "Hooray, Osama's dead!" and everything in between. I'm hearing the chants of the crowds outside of the White House in Washington, singing "Sha na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye."

Am I the only one that finds this horribly disrespectful?

I was a young man, 21, when the towers fell. I remember watching on infinite loops on CNN for two days of all the coverage in Manhattan. I remember the sick rage when a lady said she was on the phone with someone who was trapped in the rubble (It turned out to be a hoax.). I remember watching clips of people jumping from burning buildings to their deaths. I remember the towers finally falling dooming everyone in them, and around them. I was a young impressionable man stuck in essentially downtown Chicago, wondering if the next attack would be us. I still recall the first plane that flew a few days later, watching with other people in mute fascination at something we at one point took for granted in our days.

Later, I saw ground zero with my own eyes. It was 2 years later, but much had remained unchanged: the couple of surviving buildings deserted in the middle of the bustling metropolis; the scrapes on the walls where metal had clashed against concrete, and most horrifying of all- the memory wall where people desperately posted pictures of loved ones lost. Have you seen my husband? Michael, loving father of two, missing since... My daughter Shelly. Endless pictures and poems and prose describing the individual, unique lives of those who didn't return home for dinner, didn't kiss their spouses hello in the evening time, didn't hug their children after school ever again.

Am I glad Osama's dead? I'm relieved for this break through, but not glad. 2996 people died for nothing. They awoke that day, went to work, did their best in this life to live and died because some people decided that they needed to make a point. And a decade later, one person has been brought to justice.

Is this victory? No. Michael will never seen his children again. Shelly will never tell her parents she loves them. They will be missed and loved and remembered where ever their lives touched another. At our memorials, we will remember them and their lives, thrown away on the maniacal bent of a dedicated group of extremists, and their now dead king.

It is an insult to our military, our armed forces both en masse and individually to belittle their sacrifices with celebration. It is an insult to the survivors of our national misfortune to reduce their pain, and their courage with profanity, obscenity, and crudeness. Sending an enemy off into the shuffle coiled with a song, embarrasses our national dignity.

This is an hour of reflection, tempered with resolve that only through our collected efforts as human beings can we avoid any such tragedy in the future. Reflect on those 2996 dead. Take a moment to honor their memory; one second a person, would take almost an hour. Honor the memories of our fallen soldiers who fought so hard and sacrificed everything so we can live in this post Osama world renewed with hope and spirit. Respect the moment. This is our national closure; an end to a chapter borne in American blood, forged in our determination for Justice, and ended with only the promise of a better tomorrow.

Remember the sacrifice. And use it to build a better future.

An adventure in music

I was going to write this as a facebook post (http://facebook.com/jamesrobinsonparran) but I remembered I had a blog that I never use- so here I am in the blogosphere. For any musician, this is not a new story but I write this as a cautionary tale about asking for what you're worth and being clear about things.

My first mistake was going on craigslist to see if there were any gigs I could take for some quick cash. It's been in my experience that people who post for musicians on craigslist are doing it for one of two reasons: A)They don't want to pay, or B)They're certifiable. Of the myriad of opportunities I've had, not one of them has been particularly good from that site. But that's another day's story.

My tale begins here:

This is the ad on craigslist:

looking for talented piano player no drama (north side chicago )
Date: 2011-03-31, 5:05PM CDT


looking for a talented piano play must be 21 please be available to perform on friday saturday and sunday please call 8**-***-****
pop music, r/b, motown , country and rock please call soo we might put you on this friday if talented call now 8**-***-****

* Location: north side
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: $75

Last minute sort of thing, not horribly bad but I can empathize with needing a musician quick. Let me just say this, first: I never call unless there's a damn good reason to. Strangers with my number calling whenever they feel like it? Fuck that noise. I have a google number for a reason. So, I ignore the request for a phone call (as well as the bad grammar and spelling) and send an email.

Below, is the text of the email in all its glory:

James
to gigs-******

I'm interested in the gig. What are you looking for exactly?

http://jamesparran.com



http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/****

polite, to the point and some information on me. About 10 percent of the time, I just get an informal "You look like you know what you're doing- here's the skinny." This is what I get back:


Steve to James
CAN YOU MEET ME AT THE CLUB FRIDAY AT 5PM FRIDAY

Now, "Steve" is not this guy's real name. I changed it to protect his show. But I've seen him post repeatedly for a keyboardist in the past and my heart kinda sinks. I know that this will probably be an uphill battle because if he's had such a hard time keeping a pianist as his posts suggest he's not only poor, he's nuts too. Still, I soldier on. You never know a book by its cover, so to speak:


James to Steve
Two things. A) where is the club? and B) What are you looking for exactly? I'm not sure if I'd be a good fit, and certainly don't want to waste your time.

regards,

James


You'll see a couple of things here. A) in his first post, he asked me to meet him at a place that he hadn't given me the address to. And B)he didn't answer my original question of "What's the gig?" I was respectful, professional, and I think- patient. Maybe he's on a smart phone and hasn't gotten a chance to sit at a computer lately. Benefit of the doubt, people. That's my game. Here's his response:


Steve to James

3160 north ****

and check us out on youtube

"The Steve show"

http://www.youtube.com/user/

Again, not his real name or show. So I check it out. Looks like the guy does pop music with a live band. It sounds like he does it poorly. But, it seems to be popular, so whatever. I can do that, and with the time crunch of him wanting someone Tomorrow I figure time is of the essence and email him some final questions back. This is important:


James to Steve
Checked out the clips. You do pop songs, then? Just a couple more questions:

A)Are there music charts for these songs?

B)Is there a keyboard at the club? What kind is it?

C)Is 75 dollars a night, or for the whole thing?

Look forward to hearing from you.

James


I have to know if I need to start listening to these songs now, or if I can read the charts and not have to worry about it. I need to know if I need to bring my keyboard, or will they provide one at the venue. And, I definitely need to know how much this show is paying because no way in HELL am I lugging around my keyboard, or playing hour to two hour (or more, because we hadn't gotten that far yet) shows for 25 dollars a call. I could make more begging on the streets. This is his response:


Steve to James
your right maybe your not a good match thanks for inquireing


And that, folks is the end of that. I think when I asked him if it would pay 75 dollars a show, he freaked and thought I was too expensive. And so I am. But there are many, MANY lessons to take away from this:

1)Don't go on Craigslist looking for gigs: I think I might have had one good gig from craigslist in a decade. I said before, people go on for two reasons A)They're nuts or B) They're cheap. Either way, not a good deal.

2)If you think it's gonna stink, you're right: As soon as I saw this guy's name, I knew I was in for a bumpy ride and I was right. Should have walked away then, but c'est la vie.

3)Do not be afraid to ask for what you want (or need) in payment. Even if you don't get it, you save in aggravation: I have too many stories about how I took lesser pay to put food on the table or rent money in my pocket. Most of the time, I appreciated the money but hated the gig. I'm thinking recently of when I agreed to accompany a high school's competition. Never again.

As it was, I had enough stuff this weekend that this would have just been butter on the bread. But the nerve of some people. I suspect he wanted me to play three days in a row, for several hours, with my own equipment for 25 dollars a call. For those of you who think that's fair imagine this: would you work for 25 dollars a day? Wouldn't even cover your gas!

My mother likes my music!

I'm not one to rest on my laurels or toot my own horn; I figure if I'm any good, people will seek me out and such. But today something happened that made me reconsider my whole outlook on music.

My mother, likes my tunes.

Let me give you some background. My immediate family (my mother and I) are immensely practical people. It's all about the ends. While I enjoy writing tunes, and performing- I'm looking to make it my career, not a hobby. When I first talked about being a musician, my mother and my uncle both tried to steer me into more "profitable" fields of study. "Why don't you minor in music and major in something else?" was something that I heard a lot when I considered getting a degree in music. And while my mother has been a good supporter (as well as the rest of the family) of my craft, let's just say I wouldn't say she enjoyed the music I did.

I gave her a CD to listen to. Rough cuts, I did on a digital recorder and badly miked. I wanted her to listen to it. I gave it to her about a month ago. I fully expected she'd listen, and say "that's nice" and that'd be the end of it.

I get a call from her this morning. We're talking about the usual; getting a watch fixed, the place I'm playing on August 22nd. (read more about it here: http://www.facebook.com/jamesrobinsonparran#/event.php?eid=233624725216), other stuff. Then she tells me she'd listened to my CD. Oh boy, I think, here it comes.

She genuinely liked the music. One of the songs she'd listened to was "Mistake" which she enjoyed a lot, and every song she had something positive to say.

Color me flabbergasted. I'd been back and forth about what to do with music since it's not really panning out so well for me as of late, but that was a shot in the arm for me. Suddenly, I had validation. I've had people tell me before that they like my songs, or that I was talented- I take all of that with a grain of salt. People will say things like that, to avoid saying things that might be hurtful or harmful. My mother doesn't really lie to me. Nor will she spare my feelings about things. If it were bad, she'd tell me. I appreciate it, because it's nice to have one honest opinion in this world.

So that was it. There's no great coda for this entry. No lesson learned, or thoughts deeper than maybe, just maybe- I might have something good going on here.

And if you want to listen, you can at http://facebook.com/jamesrobinsonparran

This business of Music

So today, I began not by making a game plan but by jumping in head first. Before I can come up with a plan to sell my music to interested buyers, I needed to take care of some pressing business first. I needed to get my band a gig.

Incidently, interested parties can check us out here:

http://myspace.com/justprevailsband

So I hole myself up at the local library and get my handy dandy computer out and get to work. Thus far I've contacted only 7 places in the city, and they're heavy hitters:

Elbo Room (http://www.elboroomchicago.com/): This one I have good feelings about. My drummer, Mike Amandes, says he knows the guy who books there and could probably get us in.

Andy's(http://www.andysjazzclub.com):This one was recommended to me by Chris Edwards of "5 after five". Seems to be our kind of spot

Green Dolphin(http://www.jazzitup.com/): Heavy, Heavy hitters. Beaucoup dollars spent there for private parties.

Jazz Showcase(http://www.jazzshowcase.com/): A little higher up than our band is right now. But, a man can dream, right?

Ironically enough, it was the last two I've contacted that almost broke my spirit.

The Joynt(http://www.thejoyntchicago.com): The guy there, one Paul Babcock, answered directly. Nice enough guy, asked me what kind of music I played.

Mostly Jazz/Funk/Blues, I said

He said didn't really like Jazz Bands playing, really looking for like Motownish/Funkier stuff.

I pressed on. Just listen, I said. If you don't like it, it is what it is. He'll listen, I think, but will probably pass.

The next guy, I think his name was Bill was at this little place in Evanston called Bill's Blues (http://www.billsbluesbar.com/). He was willing to book, willing to take a chance. He cautioned, however, that it was hard getting people to come from one side of town to another. I asked what kind of draw would keep him happy?

50-60. That's about half of my draw right now.

We chatted a little more, and I thanked him for his time. It's a sobering reality that draws make the world go around. I was looking to get into playing with my band again, so that the fellas wouldn't get discouraged. But at every turn, it looks like without a draw my music is dead in the water.

The interesting thing is, I know if people heard- they'd really get into it. Just keep pressing on, I guess.

I was at Molly Malones (http://www.themollymalones.com/) in Forest Park last night. They have open mic every Sunday, hosted by members of The Get (http://www.myspace.com/thegetjamz, http://thegetmusic.com) and Reed Rische. I was there to play some new tunes I had written. The crowd got thinner and thinner as the night progressed, but more importantly, the people who were left where very, VERY appreciative of my work. If I could get a core crowd like that- I would take over the world.

Tomorrow's another day. Better times.