Playing music for cash...

Recently I have been catching up with an old friend from high school. Today he said something that I have found really interesting. "I always wondered if playing in a band...for gigs/money/etc. would tend to get to a person after a while. Meaning that in the beginning it was fun and playing the music was great, but then it would turn into more of a job and not be so much fun." I have been thinking about this and I feel that it is a very important observation.

I have been playing trumpet for 15 years now, the past 7 being the most serious. I have played trumpet as my sole source of income at times, other times I have gone for two months without playing in front of anyone. I can safely say that it has not gotten to me yet. Here is why...

When it stops being fun, stop! (....and look for the fun!)

Yeah, thats pretty much it.

At more than one point in college I swore I would quit. I missed out on camping trips, frisbee games and some of the other fun things my friends were up to. Sometimes I would quit for a few days. I would lock my horn up and go away. I would start to feel drowsy, irritable and lost. I would go back. All of the problems had not gone away, but it was more fun than not playing.

When I started playing gigs they had to be fun because I certainly was not getting paid much. I had a weekly gig once that was 3 hours long and the band made a total of $200 bucks. At the time I thought that was pretty good, I would get $40 and beers cost $1. Since gig money was not accounted for in my personal budget, that meant that I could have 40 beers per week and not stray from my fiscal plan. On top of that I got to play with 4 other musicians who became good friends of mine. It was like getting paid to play catch!

After college I moved to the "big city" and decided to take some serious time off. I was feeling burned out and maybe this was not what I wanted to do. A week later I found myself carting my horn down to the bar where I would sit in with some local players who have backed up just about every major act to come through town. I had no business there, but again it was fun and I made some new friends.

Then there was the one night that I went out with my best friend to see a show. (In case you aren't getting the theme here, we were having FUN!) After the show I met a tall redheaded guy who ran a band. They were not really in need of a trumpet player but gave me his card and told me to come out. 6 months later I was playing in the Winnipeg Jazz Festival with the Jack Brass Band. About 3 years later we would get booked to play a corporate event in Vegas. I would meet a tall brown haired girl and marry her. This was also fun...

Now I am getting ready to travel to England and get to play in front of an international audience. My passport was a total headache and I was about ready to tear off the band leaders head if I had answer, "Did it come yet?" one more time. We will be given the the opportunity to work with music students and teach them about what we do. How do you teach someone to have fun?

I guess my point here is, yes I get paid to play my horn. Yes, the money and logistics always get in the way of the fun. Yes, practicing 2 hours a day can be a drag. Getting to travel, enjoy life, meet people and do something that makes others enjoy life a little more is something you can't put a value on.