Concert for a Cause

Last night was a first. My friend, Lori Guy, and I performed an online streaming show with Tom Olsen (piano) and Lauran Hunt (bass) through StageIt. Originally, Lori and I were going to experiment with this format by putting on a low key Christmas show for friends and family – sort of a holiday greeting. Then, a few weeks ago, a young woman at our church lost her battle with cancer. Summer Dale was only 16 years old. Before Summer died, she created Team Summer, a foundation that helps other kids with cancer deal with their illness and their treatments.

Lori suggested that we donate our online show money to Team Summer. I thought it was a great idea. What was a low key Christmas show turned into a major affair! We created a Facebook event on our Godfrey and Guy Facebook page, and I hyped it mercilessly. It would have been nice if I could have just advertised the show one time and then had the world beating down our virtual door for a ticket, but unfortunately it doesn't work like that. Each new Facebook post or email about the the show generated 1-2 ticket sales. Even if I made just one ticket sale through a new post, it was worth annoying my friends!

In the meantime, we needed to find a place to hold our concert. We had recruited Tom Olsen and Lauran Hunt to make it a quartet, so we needed space. My little apartment certainly wouldn't do, and Lori was in the middle of moving. I told Terry Davis, the minister at my church, that we were looking for someone at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation to host our show. It turned out that Terry and her partner Gail were holding a minister's open house on December 9, so why not have the show be part of the open house? Perfect! Now we had both an online and a live audience!

StageIt allowed us to create a special "soundcheck show." We could invite five people to watch and give us feedback through StageIt's chat feature. Four friends helped us out, and their input was invaluable. We worked on some technical problems through that soundcheck, and we enjoyed the interaction. Out of sheer paranoia, Lori and I ran another quick soundcheck the night before. It wasn't much of a show. We just wanted to make sure we still had audio and video up and running.

Our technical difficulties didn't end with the soundcheck shows. Using StageIt was a brand new experience for us. Through the first couple numbers, the viewers in the chat room were letting us know that the sound levels were too high. The levels in the room for the live audience were perfect, and it took us a while to realize that we could set the input levels directly on the StageIt site. Once we figured that out, the volume for our online viewers was fine. Halfway through the show, the computer crashed. We had no idea why at the time, but later Lori figured out that the computer was overheating. After a few tense minutes, we were up and running again. After that, we were fine. Fortunately, StageIt allows for a 10-15 minute "encore." Our online viewers stuck it out during the blackout, and we thanked them by using all of our encore time to play three extra numbers. The computer crashed again, but at least it waited until after the show was over!

Aside from the technical problems, the show was a musical success. We had a blast! Tom Olsen and Lauran Hunt were a welcome addition to our usual Godfrey and Guy duo format. Lori sounded wonderful, and I was happy with my own playing. We received good feedback from our online viewers, and the music was a big hit at the open house.

Most importantly, the fundraiser was a huge success. Between our online and in person viewers, we raised $960 for Team Summer! This went way beyond my expectations! I thought maybe we would be able to raise $200. I would have been ecstatic with $500. I had no idea that we would end up raising nearly $1,000! Even better, Summer's mom was there, so we were able to turn over the cash and checks from our open house donors right away. Some people wrote checks to the church, so those will go first to NWUUC to be processed and donated to Team Summer. It takes a couple days to process the online funds. Viewers get 48 hours to ask for a refund, so I need to wait a few days for those funds to go through. Once that happens, I'll write a check to Team Summer for the balance of the online ticket sales.

Overall, this was a tremendous experience for us. The fundraiser went even better than expected. The musical experience was a blast, and we enjoyed using StageIt.com. We liked the interactive, informal aspect of StageIt, the service was easy to use, and tech support was quick and helpful. We definitely want to do this again!

(If you would like to learn more about Team Summer or make a donation, please visit www.teamsummer.org.)

Children and Church Music

Last Sunday, I was at the mercy of a 9 year old drummer, but it was by choice. Because my music director job at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation is only quarter time, I have had to focus mainly on the adults: choir, hymns, and service music, but I feel that it's crucial to get the kids more involved in making music. I asked Emma and Claire (fictitious names) to help me with the first three pieces of music for a Sunday service, and I was also joined by another adult musician, Bruce, on bass.

Claire is a 9 year old drummer, and Emma is a beginning guitar player. I'm guessing she is probably around 12. We rehearsed the week before the service, and then again the day before the service. Both girls impressed me, and they were tons of fun to work with. I went into the first rehearsal with absolutely no idea of what they were able to play. Claire was able to play a few different drum beats, and when I had her focus, she was able to keep a steady beat without rushing – or at least without rushing too much! Emma has been playing a year and a half. She hung with me on the guitar chords. I showed her how to play a B minor chord. Since it was a new chord for her, she had trouble with it the first rehearsal, but she nailed it a week later and during the service.

During our first rehearsal, I commented that the music was coming together even faster than I expected. Claire said "That's because we're fabulous!"

Sunday morning was go time, and they did great! Claire held down the beat, Emma nailed her chords, and the congregation ate it up! I had a big grin on my face the whole time, because I had so much fun playing with them! After they played the third song, they left the service to rejoin their friends, who had already left for children's activities. I saw the girls briefly afterward, and I only had time to thank them and tell them they did a great job. I was told, though, that they had a great time playing, that they were proud of themselves, and that they'd love to do it again. It makes me feel good to know that I helped created a fun, positive musical experience for Emma and Claire.

As I mentioned before, my job is only quarter time, but I hope that I'll be given more hours in the future. That's something the congregation will have to vote on. As it stands now, I only have enough hours to work with the kids occasionally. In the future, I hope that I will have enough hours to start a children's choir and work with these girls and any other kids who also play instruments.

Our music program at NWUUC is gaining strength, and if I have the time to start working with the children on a regular basis, we'll establish an even firmer foundation.

Getting Gigs

I started playing guitar in 2003…really more like 2004, since I received my first guitar for Christmas in 2003. Even when I was learning my first chords, the fire to become a performing musician once again was rekindled. By 2007, I had enough of a repertoire that I could start playing in places and looking for groups to play in. For the most part, I played in retirement homes and coffee shops for free. Since then, my total number of gigs each year has grown gradually but steadily. This year, for the first time, every single Friday and Saturday in December is booked, and I have a few weekday gigs lined up, too. All of these except one are paid gigs. The way things are going, I'm confident that in another few years, I'll continue to be booked, and that the quality of my gigs (in other words, pay) will increase.

So how do you get gigs? For me, it's a little tricky, because my style of playing is especially well suited for background music. When you're playing background music, you don't necessarily want to wow the crowd, because that's not your job. On the other hand, you do want to be remembered by the client or someone else from the event so that they will hire or recommend you in the future.

So here are my suggestions for getting gigs. This is what's been working for me. There's nothing here that I haven't read or heard somewhere else. This kind of advice is all over the place, but I'm surprised at the number of musicians who don't do many of these things.

1. Have something to offer. You need to have a repertoire, and you need to be playing something that people want to hear. You don't need to be a virtuoso. I'm certainly not, and I'm not the kind of guitar slinger to can play all styles convincingly. I have a repertoire of solo guitar arrangements of classic jazz songs, mostly from the '30s and '40s. I have a pleasant voice and a guitar style that's easy on the ears. This combination lends itself well to background music.
2. Be clear what you offer. On my website and on my Gig Salad profile, I make it pretty clear that I'm a good background musician.
3. And did I just mention my website? Yes, I did. You must have a web presence. You can start your own page on Facebook and tweet on Twitter to your heart's content, but you really need to have your own website, where you control the content and the look. When someone emails you for more information about your music, it looks very professional when you can send them a link to your site. Also, you will eventually start getting gigs because people come across your website. Most of my upcoming gigs have come as a result of someone finding me through an online search. I also landed a spot in a quartet through my website. They were in need of a new guitar player. The drummer found my site, heard my music, and contacted me. Next thing you know, I'm playing with a group that gigs on a regular basis. This has not happened overnight. I've had my website up for a few years now, but it's only been recently that new clients have been finding me through my site. Just stick with it and maintain an online presence.
4. Stay busy. One of the best ways to get gigs is to have gigs. This is a conundrum when you're just starting, because you don't have any gigs yet! So, you need to find opportunities to play in public and be seen. I did this mostly through playing at retirement homes, coffee shops, and open mics. Even if you're just playing for tips at first, it's good to have some performance dates on your calendar that you can point to. It's also a good way to practice performing in public. And you just never know who's listening. Someone picked up my business card at a coffee shop a few years ago and waited until a couple months ago to contact me about playing a wedding. So, if you don't have any paid gigs, or you don't have many, it doesn't hurt to play somewhere for tips. I look at "for tips" gigs as advertising.
5. Have a business card. This is crucial for any musician, but I think it goes double for background musicians. Wherever I play, I bring a stack of cards. If it's okay with the client, I'll distribute a few cards to each table, in hopes that a few people will take my card home with them. At the very least, I'll keep a small stack of cards near me so that anyone who wanders my way can pick one up. I always make sure to give a card to my client at the end of the gig, even if they already have my contact information. The next time they're looking to book music for a party, seeing my card in their card collection could make the difference between being hired or being forgotten.
6. Act like a pro. Be courteous and professional in your emails or phone conversations. Dress appropriately for the gig. Show up early. Stick to non-alcholic beverages on your break. I've often had clients tell me that I'm very easy to deal with. I may not be a virtuoso, but courtesy and professionalism can take you a long way.

No doubt there are other good ideas for getting gigs, but these basics have worked for me: have something to offer, make it clear to your potential clients what it is that you offer, maintain a website, stay active publicly, have a business card, and behave like a pro.

If anyone else has their own suggestions for getting gigs, please add them to the comments section. I'm always ready to pick up another hot tip!

Perception

Every so often, you play a gig where everything seems to flow. The notes fly effortlessly from your fingers, and all your improvised solos are inspired. You look at the clock and can't believe the evening is over, because it feels like you just started.

Tonight was not one of those nights. I played solo guitar for a realty company's 40th anniversary party in downtown Atlanta. Despite playing guitar all day, my fingers felt cold and stiff. It felt like I fumbled my way through most of my solo arrangements, and I couldn't quite find the flow in my improvisation. It was an off night, and I was disappointed in my performance.

Imagine my surprise at the end of the night when my client praised me effusively, asked for business cards, told me that the partygoers were complimenting my music, and added a generous tip.

There's usually a big difference between how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you. I tend to judge myself harshly. In the hours I spend practicing, I work relentlessly to become a better player through perfecting new solo arrangements, learning licks, or improving my speed and accuracy. While I've come a long way in a short time, there is always something new to learn. A short search on YouTube will reveal a host of amazing guitar players to inspire me. Sometimes my diligent practice results in a magical gig where everything clicks. Sometimes I fall short, and I disappoint myself.

In public, I don't let my disappointment show. The only way most clients can tell you've made a mistake is if you make a face. Tonight, my client didn't know or care about my self doubts and musical ambitions. She just cared that the partygoers were happy, that the music sounded nice, and that I acted like a pro.

Even on a bad night, I still enjoy the fact that I'm being paid to play the guitar for a few hours. It's not a bad way to earn a few bucks.

Jamming with Students

This Sunday, one of my students, Grace, will be attending her first jam session. Aside from playing with me, she hasn't had any experience playing with other people. This is going to be a great learning experience for her. She'll be exposed to different genres of music, and she'll hear different styles of guitar players. She hasn't heard me play a lot of jazz, so that'll be a new thing for her. She'll also get to hear other good soloists and plenty of fingerpickers. Nearly half the musicians at this jam session are women, so I think Grace will also be inspired by hearing so many other strong female musicians.

Because this is Grace's first jam session, we've been working pretty intensely on handful of songs for her to play. Each song has a little challenge for her: a new fingerpicking pattern, a challenging intro, a new chord, and a new strumming pattern. She's met the challenge in each song, and she's ready for the jam session.

Grace is playing Summertime especially well. As a matter of fact, for the past couple weeks, she's been playing it so smoothly that I lose myself in the music and forget that she's a student. It's a real pleasure to work with a student who practices everything I assign, even the repetitive scale exercises, and it's paying off. She's only been playing a couple years, but she is beginning to develop a fretboard knowledge that is deeper than that of many older guitarists. This familiarity with the fretboard will pay off big time as her knowledge grows. It's one thing to mimic licks or use TAB to "paint by numbers." It's another thing to know exactly what you're playing and why it works.

I wish I could peek 10 or 20 years into the future and hear Grace play. I think she's going to be amazing. For now, I'm happy to jam with her in lessons and help her along in her journey.

Stone Mountain Pics

Until my recent move, walking was my main form of exercise. My new neighborhood isn't as friendly for walking as Winnona Park near downtown Decatur, GA, so most of my workouts are spent planted on a stationary bike while watching NetFlix. I much prefer getting outside to exercise, so it's a treat when I have a free day and can head over to my favorite hiking spot, Stone Mountain. The most popular trail is the Walkup Trail, which as you might guess, takes you straight up the mountain. The Walkup Trail is just over a mile. It starts out pretty easy at first, but the higher you go, the steeper it gets.

As popular as the Walkup Trail is, I'm surprised more people don't walk the other trails surrounding Stone Mountain. According to the brochure, there are about 15 miles of trails in the park, and while they don't all present the physical challenge of a steep, uphill mile, there are enough ups and downs to get your heart pumping and muscles working.

My favorite route is a 5 mile loop around Stone Mountain. I hiked 15 miles today and took pictures from my favorite parts of my favorite trails.

The start of the trail doesn't
look like much of a trail.

So you have to follow the
orange hash marks.

Into the woods after a quarter
mile of following the dotted line.

On an earlier walk, this deer tolerated me
long enough to pose for a photo.

My favorite water crossing. I find this
spot very peaceful.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.
I took the white one.

I saw several ducks today.
Here are four of them.

Ah, water. I could be happy with just a
cabin and a canoe. Oh, and a paddle.

Covered bridge.

Some useful information about covered
bridges. Watch out for robbers!

No robbers here.

The water wheel. Another of my
favorite spots.

Close up of the water wheel.

Near the Labyrinth.

On a hot summer day, this shallow spot
is usually filled with splashing children.

This section always reminds me of the
hobbits walking out of The Shire.
I am a nerd.

Met a box turtle today.

I never thought of climbing the mountain
in this area until I saw this sign.

Fire and dry leaves. What could go wrong?
Actually, there was a minor fire today!

Not something you see every day
on the trail.

A most glorious sight after a long hike:
the public restrooms!

Upward Trajectory

I just realized that compared to last year at this time, my gig calendar looks pretty full, and most of those gigs are (gasp!) for pay. I'm so pleased that I continue to land more and better gigs. It seems that my fledgling jazz guitarist/singer career has been on a slow but consistent upward trajectory.

Taped to my computer so that I can see it every day is the phrase "I make a quiet, comfortable living playing the music I love." It used to read "I will make…," but I scratched out the word "will," because I prefer to think in the present, to act as if this is something that I'm already doing rather than constantly think of it as a future occurrence. To be more specific, this is what it will mean to make a quiet, comfortable living making the music I love:

• Grow my music director job at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation from quarter time to half time. Currently, my church job includes leading the choir two Sundays per month, providing the music for one service per month, and scheduling another musician to play one Sunday per month when I have the day off. Once we have the funds and a larger congregation, I would love to begin a children's choir, start a regular church band, and lead other educational activities such as a "how to read music" class and a "sing through the hymnal" series.
• Maintain a roster of 15-20 guitar students. I only teach a handful of students now, but I'm working to connect with a teaching studio to help grow my roster.
• Regularly play corporate and private jazz gigs as a soloist, with a band, or as an accompanist. Recently, I've been fortunate enough to have joined a jazz quartet that plays regularly at The French Market on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday every other week, and I suspect the group will be landing private and corporate jobs soon. My own group, Tea for Two, is beginning to book party gigs and wedding jobs, and we're even playing for a swing dance in February. I rehearse with Lori Guy, an excellent jazz singer, and lately, we've started to land a few voice/guitar duo gigs. I feel that all three of these projects (the quartet, Tea for Two, and the duo with Lori) all have great potential for success, and as a bonus, they're all super fun to play with.

So, I'm growing in three areas overall: the church job, teaching, and performing. I am slowly making progress in each area. I would love to snap my fingers and make all this happen at once, but if that actually happened, I would be overwhelmed. I think it's actually a good thing that my success is gradual, because this gives me time to make adjustments and grow.