27 tips from a professional musician

Comments · 432

• DA

  @DavidBennettPiano · 2 years ago · pinned

  Learn piano or guitar for FREE with Timbro: <a href="https://timbroguitar.com/davidbennett">https://timbroguitar.com/davidbennett</a> &nbsp;🎹🎸

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• JO

  @jonathanwingmusic · 2 years ago

  #4 - Be a Multi-Instrumentalist – as one myself (piano, guitar, cello, bass, drums, singing) people tend to throw around the old &quot;jack of all trades, master of none&quot; thing. But the reality is, every instrument has informed the other, and thereby enriched and improved my playing of each all around. From rhythm to ear training, I find that when I practice one instrument for awhile, and pick up another, it&apos;s weirdly as if I had practiced that one too – because in so many ways, when you understand the theory and have developed your ear, there&apos;s truly so much overlap. Added bonus is you think about your primary instrument a little differently – which will make you more creative and come up with ideas for licks you never normally would have (approaching piano with ideas earned from guitar playing or vice-versa).

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• PH

  @PhattSpicer · 2 years ago

  Another tip whilst tuning an instrument is use the mute button if you can. Tuning instruments audibly can irritate audiences. Great tips and can relate to all of these!

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• AL

  @alfiemckeough3762 · 2 years ago

  The transpose button problem is all too familiar to me. The first gig I ever did we performed “Hit the Road Jack”. We decided to play it in A minor instead of the original Ab minor to better fit the singers range. <br>However, somehow this info never got to the keys player (I believe she didn’t even know what the transpose button was) and she just played it in Ab on the gig. <br>Idk how we never noticed in the rehearsal room but it was definitely a mistake we never made again.

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• JA

  @jakestewartmusic · 2 years ago

  Great tips! Some additional ones I learned from years of gigging &amp; touring=<br><br>-simplify your gear as much as possible. less failure points, less complicated, more portable, and easier to have the necessary backups with you. <br><br>-learn how to communicate what you need to sound engineers. understanding the basics of sound/production will only help you in your music career, and being able to clearly communicate about sound is essential for a smooth sound check.<br><br>-for anyone relying on tube amps, get some kind of amp emulation pedal with which you can play direct as a backup. Sansamp, Iridium, HX Stomp, etc are worth their weight in gold to guitarists and bassists. i&apos;ve had amps stop working on stage numerous times - it happens, so be prepared.

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• TE

  @teye-master-guitars · 2 years ago

  I&apos;ve made my living off of playing the guitar for 30 years of my life. These 27 tips are either things I did or things I wish I&apos;d done. Hats off to David B for putting them all in one very watchable video!

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• SH

  @Shroomdiffnuclear · 2 years ago

  I remember holding my friends kickdrum in place because it was sliding away from him thru the whole gig. I could&apos;t hear anything for days

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• DO

  @doctormojo · 2 years ago

  I would add...<br>Take a small set of tools (screwdrivers, pliers, scissors, electrical/duct tape) to every gig<br>Don&apos;t drink much, if at all, while you&apos;re working<br>Two things that make bands look good: interesting/different song endings, and quick transitions between songs<br>Even from behind the drums I can tell if we&apos;re too loud: see how close audience members have to be to each other when they&apos;re talking. If the talker has yell right in the ear of their interlocutor, you&apos;re too loud. Bartenders also hate it when they can&apos;t hear customers&apos; orders.<br>When booking gigs - be persistent, and never expect a booker who doesn&apos;t know you to return a call. They won&apos;t. Work out how best to contact them, which the venue staff can often help you with. I knew one bar owner who only booked by text between 1pm and 3pm on Wednesdays.

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• DR

  @DrProgNerd · 2 years ago

  &quot;Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can&apos;t get it wrong.&quot; Loved this one. <br>My last band practiced together 3-5 hours - 3 days per week - on top of our personal at-home practice. It made an enormous difference. <br>Other musicians would see us and say we were &apos;naturals&apos; but - truthfully, we weren&apos;t - we were just prepared.

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• LE

  @ledbeatle · 2 years ago

  Solid advice. As a musician myself literally everything you said I’ve had experience with and is incredibly valuable

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• GR

  @gregguarino563 · 2 years ago

  My very best tip: Never take <b>anything</b> out of your &quot;accessories&quot; bag. I keep a completely separate set of accessories like cables and pedals for home use, because I know if I were to &quot;borrow&quot; something from my band bag, I&apos;d inevitably forget to put it back in. &nbsp;For instance, I keep two sustain pedals in my bag, and I have a third for use at home. Arriving at a showcase without a pedal (30 years ago) was what made me adopt this rule, and I NEVER break it. Same for audio cables, extension cords, tools, flashlight, etc.

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• CH

  @chonkycat123 · 2 years ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbmh3srDZlo&amp;t=850">14:10</a> taxman lmfao

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