Monday, July 28, 2008

Music as a Business

As you develop your career in music, remember it is a business! No, business is not a dirty word nor will it ruin your creativity. It will allow you to make your living in music, Not a day job with some music on the side but a real job with real income. You should be able to buy a house, a car, have a family. etc Your parents may even stop asking you "when are you going to get a real job"? Some parents never stop asking but you won't mind anymore because you're a music professional.

There has always been resistance from musicians to promote, to advertise, to seek new opportunities, to market their services. Yes, music is a service business. Can you imagine any business not promoting their services?

Do you have to be the best? Well, you certainly want to work hard to develop your potential but all you really need to do is develop a market. Did you ever hear someone who is not particularly good? Yet, they are still making a living in the music business - sometimes a huge living!

In the business world, this concept is called niche marketing. It simply means - get enough people to like what you do and are willing to support you in your chosen profession. It could be performing, teaching, writing, selling CDs and books etc

Begin to think like a professional in any other successful field. It will pay huge dividends!!!

www.ChuckAndersonGuitar.com

Monday, July 21, 2008

Careers in Music

A common question asked is "how can I make a living in the music business"?

Well. the first thing you have to do is to define "a living" and "the music business".

Your financial needs are critical to define. Of course, everyone would like to maximize their income but what do you actually need to live? If you have a day job and you have been meeting your bills and obligations, then to switch to music full time, all you have to do is equal your day job income. If it's $500.00 a week for example, then that's what you have to make from your music business. If your music provides a second income, that's fine as long as you're willing to keep 2 jobs.

Next - The Music Business

Well, there's more variety possible than most people think. Being a "star" is an option. Though the odds are longer than normal for the "star" approach, many people do become stars. Some become major stars and some become minor stars. Remember, we're talking about making a living not appearing on The Lives of the Rich and Famous.

Teaching holds great opportunity for those who are inclined and prepared. In my book The Private Music Teacher's Guide, I outline a very serious approach to making a serious living in private teaching. Some teach in the public or private school system. You can teach for a music store or school or open your own facility.

Beyond teaching, playing offers many opportunities for income. The club level, the wedding and party bands, the hotel circuit or country club circuit, the retirement communities all offer opportunity. As usual, you can work for someone or start your own thing.

Beyond these suggestions, there are opportunities to write, Songs, jingles, soundtracks, TV themes ,video game music or the next great symphony. This blog could fill several books, so to keep it short and to the point, all these opportunities have one thing in common. They all take training, preparation, hard work, persistence and a little luck.

If you need help with any of these issues, E mail me at ChuckAnderson202@comcast.net

Check out my website at www.ChuckAndersonGuitar.com. There could some books in the online store that may help you in your pursuits. Keep checking back, because I'm always working on new material to add to the site.

Chuck Anderson

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Chuck Anderson Performs - Pirouette

Here I am ( Chuck Anderson ) performing my original composition "Pirouette" on Miles of Music (www.worldofguitar.com) hosted by Bob Miles. www.ChuckAndersonGuitar.com, www.worldofguitar.com


My Short Jazz Guitar Bio

As a Jazz guitarist, Chuck broke into the Philly Jazz Scene with the Chuck Anderson Trio in 1973. The group featured Al Stauffer on bass and rotated Tim Paxon, Ray Deely and Darryl Brown on drums. The trio played concerts throughout the east coast and recorded its first album in 1975. the album, originally titled Mirror Within a Mirror is included in a compilation CD titled Teh Vintage Tracks. This CD, released in 2005, contains all of the trio recordings from the 70's.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Guitar Players' Issues


It's unbelievable to me how weak guitar players are on knowing the notes on their own instrument!

No other instrument suffers from this same fate. Imagine a piano player not knowing the note names of the keys...or a trumpet player not knowing what notes come out if they push specific valve combinations. An amazingly high percentage of guitar players don't know the notes on the neck. Is it more difficult than other instruments? No doubt. But that's the price you pay for playing the guitar.

This problem has certainly been created by the guitar world's penchant for tablature and chord picture diagrams. Despite this, there is no excuse for the failure on the part of guitar players to learn what is absolutely rudimentary on any other instrument.

If you need help overcoming this particular problem, check out my handbook Unlocking the Guitar - Notes on the Neck. It gives different approaches to learning the notes as well as several drills to master the topic. It's available at www.ChuckAndersonGuitar.com