The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

View Poll Results: Do you play as a job or as a hobby?

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  • Career

    61 14.56%
  • Hobby

    215 51.31%
  • I get paid occasionally/not full time musician

    143 34.13%
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Posts 101 to 125 of 245
  1. #101

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    I'm proud to be a hobbyist, I just enjoy playing.

    I'm under no illusions about my level of ability "mediocre on a good day" and I've had plenty of humbling experiences when taking lessons with real pro players.

    Just enjoy it.
    Guy
    Last edited by GuyBoden; 11-17-2012 at 09:24 AM. Reason: Just enjoy it.

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  3. #102

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    Quote Originally Posted by GuyBoden
    I'm proud to be a hobbyist, I just enjoy playing.

    Just enjoy it.
    Guy
    +1 It's great to have a hobby that you have a passion for. For me when I join in with a group that wants to hustle for gigs, it seems to take away some of the joy and make it feel a bit like a job.

  4. #103

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    +1 It's great to have a hobby that you have a passion for. For me when I join in with a group that wants to hustle for gigs, it seems to take away some of the joy and make it feel a bit like a job.
    Frank, if you're a hobbyist, then I'm one, too. I just think there should be a term for "guitar as zen" people, as this use of guitar, it seems to me, goes beyond "a hobby." I think there are at least THREE categories, but if we insist on just two, with "guitar as zen people" being hobbyists, then that's me. Hobby boy am I.

    N.B. It doesn't have to be all jazz -- guitars are good for other musics just as well.

  5. #104

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    Interesting results. I started teaching whilst doing a music degree and haven't looked back since, its developed from a small time local teaching gig, to an online site with worldwide students. So much fun

  6. #105

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    I guess I'm a full time pro, meaning all my current income comes from playing guitar. But it's not 5 or 6 nights a week like it was when I started in the early 70s. Lots of demand for live music back then, not so much now. There's been some years when I had to supplement my income with other music related jobs like audio engineering.

    I would never recommend music performance as a career now. The only people who should even consider it are the few that love it so much that they can't imagine doing anything else. Because, unless they're both lucky and very talented, it's going to be a hard life. Especially as you get older.

    (I don't know how talented I am, but I have been fortunate to work steadily....still, if my wife didn't have a job that provides health insurance.....)

    As much as I love jazz, I've never played a straight ahead jazz job. But I've learned a bunch of chord-melody stuff over the years, and one of these days I'll get up the nerve to try a solo gig!

  7. #106

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    It's a shame the public appreciation for instrumental music has waned to near extinction! It don't mean-a-thing if you cant sing!....

  8. #107

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    Quote Originally Posted by larry graves
    It's a shame the public appreciation for instrumental music has waned to near extinction! It don't mean-a-thing if you cant sing!....
    That's why I'd like a female jazz vocalist as a duo partner for my 7-string playing.

  9. #108

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    That sounds like a winning combination!.......

  10. #109

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    im a professional hobbyist

  11. #110
    Whatever reason you justify guitar is okay with me if you get paid or if you memorize a bit of music who is going to deliver a verdict.

  12. #111

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    I cant understand why your stumped because younger cats aren't playing old fashioned music, Be- Bop went out of fashion in the early fifties. What audience are you referring to anyway the residents of rest homes. You expect the younger generation to go out and play older music but not you.. if every jazz guitarist decided to become a hobbyist there would be no jazz out there...Actually jazz is holding it's own, just look at the attendances jazz festivals......

  13. #112

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    Quote Originally Posted by larry graves
    I cant understand why your stumped because younger cats aren't playing old fashioned music, Be- Bop went out of fashion in the early fifties. What audience are you referring to anyway the residents of rest homes. You expect the younger generation to go out and play older music but not you.. if every jazz guitarist decided to become a hobbyist there would be no jazz out there...Actually jazz is holding it's own, just look at the attendances jazz festivals......
    Me? I don't expect them to do anything. When I was trying to learn Charlie Christian style swing in the 70's information was hard to come by. I didn't know about comping, archtop guitars, didn't have an ear for good vocals. I didn't know about a lot of things. There will always be a market for older songs like from the swing era- it's just a matter of tapping into it.
    I decided not to persue swing or jazz early on but my point is, it's easier to do now than it used to be.
    Django style swing seems to be fairly popular and I believe a lot of it has to do with the easy access of info on the internet on how to approach the music. I can't say the same for older American swing.

  14. #113

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    right now i am a hobbiest but would like to do some gigs one day

  15. #114
    Finding jazz gigs is a art who wants to hear a jazz group who is willing to pay money to listen and look.Where in Society does it fit.One answer is that other musicians would want to hear and look but that is about it.The amount of plastic CDs at the local dump is gathering.

  16. #115
    I met this person from long beach California he said the bars were the best place to catch musicians playing every night.

  17. #116

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    Quote Originally Posted by 604bourne123
    Finding jazz gigs is a art who wants to hear a jazz group who is willing to pay money to listen and look.Where in Society does it fit.One answer is that other musicians would want to hear and look but that is about it.The amount of plastic CDs at the local dump is gathering.
    Hard to say if things will ever turn around in favor of live music. It's been my experience that if you find a singer who can work a room, everything else falls into place. Instrumental music by itself is a tough sell. I got more into bop more over the years but I miss the dancable music, working with singers, hustling for gigs, etc...

  18. #117
    Getting back to the thread the hobby thing starts to eat at me but your right the singer puts it all together and makes it cool to listen to.If you play jazz guitar there has to be at least 10 tunes you can do by rote.do all the chords-drop 2 and 3 memorize the lyrics,memorize some improvisations for the chords and change the lead lines from the head to your signature,introductions and close.If you can do that with a singer and at least 10 tunes the paper money is in your hand.

  19. #118

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    At this point I'm strictly a learnist. I'll be 67 this year. All my dearest musician friends that I played with over all the past years have passed on in one way or the other. Starting playing when I was ten yrs old and mainly played juke joints and honky tonk's all thru my region until I was about 60 till I was the only one left. I live in a small little town in the Mississippi delta so it's pretty much only me and my guitar. I still work full time and practice probably 20-30 hrs a week but I've come a long way in my learning in the past 5-6 years.

    So I'll just keep hobbying/learning away, it does a mind, body and soul good.
    Last edited by BFrench; 02-27-2018 at 06:39 PM.

  20. #119

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    Quote Originally Posted by BFrench
    At this point I'm strictly a learnist. I'll be 67 this year. All my dearest musician friends that I played with over all the past years have passed on in one way or the other. Starting playing when I was ten yrs old and mainly played juke joints and honky tonk's all thru my region until I was about 60 till I was the only one left. I live in a small little town in the Mississippi delta so it's pretty much only me and my guitar. I still work full time and practice probably 20-30 hrs a week but I've come a long way in my learning in the past 5-6 years.

    So I'll just keep hobbying/learning away, it does a mind, body and soul good.
    Inspirational.

    D.

  21. #120

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    Full-time pro for 55 years, some teaching through that, but mostly playing and writing arrangements.

  22. #121

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    Same a Bfrench here...just turned 67 and started playing guitar at 12 when the Beatles came to America.First paying gig was the 9th grade graduation. I still play everyday (added violin years ago) and do occasional paying gigs as a guitarist/singer. The whole getting paid for playing thing has changed profoundly. With so much music so ubiquitous and free, no one wants to pay for it anymore. At this point I play out of pure love of doing so. I'm still working up new material and get the deepest satisfaction from playing and singing. Trying hard to instill a love of live playing in the grandchildren.

  23. #122

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    I always say that I play professionally. Music isn't, and has never been, my primary source of income, but I've worked professionally as a musician since I was a teenager, and I definitely play at a professional level, I do the same gigs as other musicians who are full time pros, and therefore, I just say I play professionally.

    I personally dislike the term hobby as I feel it doesn't properly describe the amount of time, effort and dedication I have towards learning this music.

  24. #123

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    I think "amateur" (referring to meanings related to this book) is a term to be preferred to "hobbyst".
    But that's what I do, I'm definitely not somebody who makes his living out of music.

  25. #124

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    full time here too, i try to do as many jazz gigs as possible ive turned down good paying gigs to do a $50-75-100 jazz gig just cause i knew the other players were great and i was gonna get my ass kicked..lol. I do have a $50 steady big band gig though, that has been great but i dont get to solo much, which is fine but good for sight reading. i have to play all styles rock, country, pop, track gigs what ever. Hell i play Mandolin as well in a country band, which is actually really fun... wish i could just play jazz at all times cause that's all i practice the most.

  26. #125

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    Quote Originally Posted by larry graves
    I cant understand why your stumped because younger cats aren't playing old fashioned music, Be- Bop went out of fashion in the early fifties. What audience are you referring to anyway the residents of rest homes. You expect the younger generation to go out and play older music but not you.. if every jazz guitarist decided to become a hobbyist there would be no jazz out there...Actually jazz is holding it's own, just look at the attendances jazz festivals......
    not so sure about that. I recent trip to NYC revealed that many of the greatest players are not working regularly and the ones that are are playing to empty houses. Twice in the last 12 months I have visited NYC in may (in 2017 and 2018) and both times, I reached out to Kreisberg, Rogers, Bernstein, Juris and a bunch of others. Both times, I came up empty handed although Kreisberg ended up filling in for someone on the last trip at the last minute and I got to hear him that way.


    I went to hear one of the best jazz musicians in NYC a couple weeks ago at a well known jazz club and he was playing to a total house of 7 people, 3 of which were listening (my table) and the other 4 were talking. He stopped playing several times to glare at the talkers. After the set, he came over and sat at our table and mentioned that he was so tired of the NYC club scene and didn't know if he wanted to continue doing it. Many of the great players have moved out of the city back to their home towns and are mostly doing road gigs and/or festivals.

    And while Manhattan has more real jazz clubs than anywhere else in the world, Vanguard, Blue Note, Mezzrow, smalls, 55 bar, bar next door, many of these clubs are struggling and featuring indie, blues or pop music on some nights. And while there are tons of restaurants and lounges with jazz bands, many of them are not conducive to anything other than background music. I've heard Pasquale Grasso a bunch of times in NYC. Once was in a lounge, and another time was in a restaurant. My table was the only table paying attention in both cases. So much so that he came over to our table and thanked us on both occasions.

    So yeah, festivals will always do well and that's where the better money is for a jazz musician but you can't do festivals 200 nights a year. Even Pat Metheny is no longer doing that quantity and for years he was the model of 200 nights a year on the road.