By Bob Barrick Anyone who’s ever managed to book gigs for themselves knows that it can often be insurmountably difficult. You spend hours sending emails to every venue in town only to receive automated responses. The problem isn’t that your music is bad. It’s that you’re going about it the wrong way. Like everything else […]
After a while on the road, pizza just ain’t gonna cut it. Stock up on these types of tour food and necessities to stay full, healthy & happy!
The above video and following tips are drawn from our brand-new, free course, The Definitive Guide to Building Your Audition Book, made in partnership with TheoryWorks. Check it out to see many more insights about what makes a great audition book! Getting Organized If you’re heading into an audition and your song book isn’t organized, your accompanist will notice, […]
Don’t hit the road without taking these tour tips to heart! Ensure you’re thinking the entire outing through before even booking your first gig.
By Jessica Kane Any vinyl enthusiast will tell you how crucial it is to maintain and protect your records. Although vinyl records are considered by many to produce the best quality sound, they certainly won’t do so forever unless you take care of them properly. Records are particularly susceptible to scratches, heat, and sunlight. To […]
Over my years in the music industry, I’ve seen many, many live shows, both from the stage and from the audience. This means I’ve seen bands make the same mistakes time and time again. And because I’m guilty of making these mistakes too, I created lists of some of the ways bands can avoid these pitfalls without too much effort. These […]
You just got hired to play a cover gig with a band. You’ve got about a week to prepare, and it pays pretty well. But you’re expected to play about 20 new tunes (give or take), and most likely, you won’t be rehearsing with the band, save for running a few things at soundcheck. What […]
When you’re composing music, you kind of have to split yourself into a bunch of different personas. There’s “you, the artist” who contributes all the emotive content; “you, the craftsperson,” who gets anally retentive over just how you’re going to translate the emotive content in such a way that another human being can interpret it with […]
Many techniques and resources help you deepen your rhythmic skill set, and there’s no better classroom in which to learn the art of groove than on stages in front of audiences (and beside experienced rhythm section masters). But the second-best classroom might be inside your own headphones! Take a listen to some of these classic […]
If you work in the arts, you work in one of the toughest professions in the world. I once heard someone describe it as “getting kicked in the nuts every day and having to say ‘thank you’.” Ouch. Artists are constantly putting themselves out there, baring their souls, and getting doors slammed in their faces […]
