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Getting the Right Volume for Practicing and Gigging
How do you determine the right volume for practice and gigging?
This can be a difficult, and sometimes contentious, problem. Different band members may have different opinions (desires, requests, demands), and audience members are no different.
Some solutions that can be attempted are:
- talking to the other band members (Hey! it could work … or not)
- individual monitors and monitor mixes
- in-ear monitors or headphones
- ear-plugs
Some of these solutions will work for problems with the audience as well. However, in any audience you are always going to have some who want it louder and some who think you’re already too loud!Read more: Getting the Right Volume for Practicing and Gigging
Questions and Answers for Independent Musicians
When you are starting out as a musician, or even when you’ve been at it for a long time, there are questions that are specific to independent musicians.
Some of these questions may be related to making a living as a musician, or they may be about how to become a better or more successful musician.
You may be wondering how much money you might eventually make, or what your lifestyle will be like. Do you need a back-up plan? How do you make the connections to get the gigs you want?
If you already an established musician, whether locally, regionally, or nationally, you may find yourself being interviewed and asked questions about what it’s like to be a musician.Read more: Questions and Answers for Independent Musicians
Artist Burnout
Is the new model for success in the music business leading to artist burnout?
At least in for some artists, this may be the case. The money isn’t in the albums anymore, it’s in the performances and merchandise. Instead of going out on tour in support of a new album, artists are finding it necessary to always be in the public eye.
The strenuous nature of this type of exposure can lead to physical problems such as vocal nodes, hip surgeries, and cancelled tours due to exhaustion. In other words – artist burnout.
CD sales no longer are not what they used to be and many live shows are physically exhausting dance extravaganzas.
If artists burn out at an early stage in their careers, how will they continue to perform (and make a lucrative income) in their later years?Read more: Artist Burnout
Stage Fright and Musicians
A large percentage of musicians experience stage fright, before or during almost every performance. Is this necessarily a bad thing?
If you can use the nervous energy to get that extra “edge” to your performance, it can be a good thing.
In fact, a certain amount of anxiety may be necessary for you to get into “the zone” where everything just clicks for you and your performance. Without that extra kick, your performance may just be flat and uninspired.
If, on the other hand, stage fright overwhelms you and causes you to freeze up, it can be devastating for your performance.Read more: Stage Fright and Musicians