I'm a teenager and still have a 2 years left of school but I really want to become a musician. I can't really show you my skill, all I'll tell you is I'm a decent bass player with lots of ambition. My real question here is, is there any one on here with experience with this sort of stuff. Tips on getting a band a place to practice , gigs, and eventually a record deal. I know there's lots of chance in it and it takes some connections but for anything that doesen't involve those things just pass on some advice. Some things you must follow for it to work out. My dream is to be in a band with a recording deal in the east cost of Canada. It's were I live and I love the music from around here. So any advice is welcomed!
-Will P

since your in school, get good grades and good things will follow. If you do well in school try to go to a college like Berklee. lots of great musicians have been found at schools like that. when i graduate high school in 3 years if i dont go to Florida, auburn or lsu (lets face it my 3.8 gpa and classes that are grades ahead of me are going to get me there) i plan on going to berklee.

Tanner

http://www.berklee.edu/

You might want to learn something about business organization and contract law as well, the music is the easy part.

Read this book, it will answer a lot of questions.

http://www.amazon.com/Running-Your-Rock ... 045&sr=8-1

I have two years of school left too. I'm not sure what's in store for me after that. I have several friends in Austin, and I'm trying to get myself into a position to move there. I'll probably go to college there too, if my grades hold up. And hopefully I'll also be able to meet other musicians who want to play the style I do and get something going.

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Website: http://www.rebeccalaird.com
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It depends on what you want. Do you want to ONLY play music, which can be rough, great, outstanding, terrible, bill collectors and bmw's all mixed together - or do you want to play music, make good money, and have a great day job that lets you do both?

If you only want to do music, you have to be crazy good, completely open to ALL music, know the business side cold in every aspect, know how to manage, and have a ton of patience and stamina.

I've been playing professionally for about 20yrs. I've done small tours, recorded on soundtracks, various CD's, about a thousand gigs, taught, and have made good money doing that. But I also have a good day job where I code flash game, code some of the coolest most cutting edge stuff on the internet, learn a ton all the time, and love doing it - all of which helps me buy equipment and progress in my lifelong musical journey. For me, that's the perfect balance for me. I know a lot of people in both the music and IT fields. I found a way to do two things I love and am able to do both. You're a young man, you have the world at your feet. In America, you have chances and opportunities that 99.99% of the world doesn't have. Make the best of it. You'll find the way to have your perfect life if you look inside and see what you really want, and then just do it. But whatever you do, whether it's music, IT, or even washing cars - just be the very best at it. You'll do well.

If you're only average at playing I recommend finding a band to play in for recreation rather than profit. Get a day job and a real life. If you're a real whiz kid with major chops you might make it to the bigs and then it will all be worth it but you should know that playing professionally in an average bar band is not the kind of life you want to have for more than about a year or so. You get really depressed being on the road every day, riding in that same smelly tour bus, arguing with the same 3 or 4 guys, always hungover and burned out from partying every night of the week, going to the doctor once a month for STD checkups, sleeping in dive hotels and motels, eating greasy spoon restaurant meals 3 times a day and never knowing what day of the week it is or what town you're in and also never getting ahead financially. There's always a new speaker and grille to buy because the singer kicked your amp in a drunken rage. The bus always needs more diesel, new tires, a brake job and new shocks. Your face and body will age 7 years in 10 months. Do I really have to continue? There are at least a hundred more crappy things about being on the road.

One thing you can never say is that nobody told you. Nuf Sed.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Is America the only country you've ever been in or something?!?!?! I think that percentage is slightly #$@*&!% high!

Europe, Canada and Australia do exist you know!



CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

BMW-KTM said:

Damn... for a guy who's been semi-retired for 9 months, only 51 years old and just kinda hanging out, that sounds like a hell of a lot of fun! Where do I sign up?

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Old age and treachery will win every time over youth and enthusiasm.

"You can never have too many Tele's." A quote from my Sweetwater Sales Engineer

Semi retired? LOL! Who you tryna kid?

Because I spent so many years goofing off in bands not doing anything worthwhile that's why I'll hafta work 'til I'm 65, or more.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Retired from the Air Force after 23 years. Now I work about 10-20 hours a week with a large animal veterinarian. The rest of the time I goof off, play my Tele, take naps and hang out with my dogs and horses.

But for 23 years I flew as a navigator on the KC-135 with a 4 man crew. The jet stunk, we argued after being together constantly living in tents in the desert of Kuwait and Qatar, we were hung over and burnt out a lot of the time, yup, we went to the doc more than once for a STD check, slept in dive hotels from Japan to Saudi Arabia and ate crappy food from flight kitchens and greasy spoons the world wide. Never knew where we were or where we were going until the day before we left. The jet broke all the time and left us stranded in foreign countries waiting for parts and a crew chief to fix it. It aged us and got old real fast.

God I miss it!!!

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Old age and treachery will win every time over youth and enthusiasm.

"You can never have too many Tele's." A quote from my Sweetwater Sales Engineer

i am currently on a junior in high school and i have thought about career in music.

I think the best thing you could be is a music teacher at a school.
you get great benefits and a lot of job security. plus your chance aren't one in a million like trying to make it big as a band.

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Paddle faster! I hear banjo music!

You are on the east coast eh!. Check this guy out if you have a chance live and contact him via web. http://www.chriskirbyonline.com/

He has been pretty good with the response when not on a road. He is up and comming and strugling musician that might give you better insight about your interests.

Well that means your sure to get work since bassists are a rare kind.

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"Oh, it's a windy and sunny day
And I can hear the faint sound of distant waves
The past weeks have been going by so fast
It's all the same, the bright sky and shining sun
I have a feeling it's gonna be a fun day"

What state are those in?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

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Calling an illegal alien an undocumented immigrant is like calling a drug dealer an undocumented pharmicist.

Sorry, I meant to dig at all to the other counties. But I live here and I see how many of my fellow Americans whine about things, and many don't realize how much they have access to. It was more of a dig on the other Americans that sit on their $@! and do nothing but expect things to come to them. I have many friends from all over, and I can't even count how many from Mexico, India, Africa and part of Asia that all say the same thing - that we have so much here and they can't understand how so many Americans whine about things that many people are so thankful for.