Technologically impaired vocalist

[knightfly]

Ice, you're right. You DO have to be an actress, and a politician of sorts, and if you do build up enough of a following to get the attention of the music biz guys and become the next Janis Ian or Alannis, you WILL get tired of playing the same song and looking like you mean it. How do you think Eric Clapton feels every time he's asked to play "Cocaine" or "Layla" ? Ditto for every musician that's ever played on a stage, whether they wrote the song or not.

The attitude that works for some people is this: What's the alternative? If I wasn't singing this song (yet again) would I be flipping burgers at MacDonalds? Recalculating the same spreadsheet again for a boss that doesn't want to hear the answers? Driving the same forklift picking up the same pallet of stuff for the same company for 8 hours a day?

What I'm getting at is this: Music for your own enjoyment is just that, as long as you ignore requests to do something else instead of what YOU want to do. Music for pay implies that you do what your EMPLOYER wants you to do. (Your employer, in one sense, is your audience.) There are compromises any time you do something you like, but to someone else's specifications - Still, it usually beats the crap out of doing something you DON'T like, and STILL having to do it to someone else's specs.

I've worked in engineering jobs for about 38 years, some in music/video and some in industrial environments. I don't really get into country music that much, but if I were offered a job playing piano for Garth Brooks or Trisha Yearwood at anywhere near the pay I make in engineering, it would take me about 5 milliseconds to be packed and out the door. It's kind of like sailing - the wind isn't blowing quite the direction you want to go, but if you use your ingenuity you can make it take you closer - then you come about and use it backwards to get even closer. Bad description, but similar result - always take the road that gets you closer, even if it's not direct.

If you love your music, even a bad day playing it beats the crap out of a good day doing something else. When it comes down to it, it's YOUR life - don't waste it doing what someone ELSE thinks is good for you. I made that mistake and it took me 30 years to get anywhere CLOSE to where I should have been. If anything I say can help you avoid that kind of mistake, it's been a good day... Steve

 

[Richard Monroe]

Ice, it doesn't matter which, but you have to do one of 2 things. Either put on a show (Michael Jackson/Madonna) or *be* a show
(The Who/Billy Joel) I prefer the latter; it costs less money and is more fun. Performing at its best isn't something you do for an audience, it's something you do *with* an audience. When the groove is right, you get the energy from the audience to do what you do, and you give it back to them in a different form, you're just a transformer. The hard part is to remember that even though they think ypu're singing to them, you're really singing to *the microphone*. That is your real audience, and if you lose track of it, the energy you've transformed will be lost. If the audience doesn't care, the mark of a great performer is to make them care. Some of the greatest performers aren't great musicians (Bruce Springsteen/Mick Jagger), but that doesn't really matter. Some few are great performers and great musicians as well, then you get the whole package. Garth Brooks was mentioned above, and I think he's one of those. How abot B.B. King, Ray Charles, Pete Towndsend, Aretha Franklin? In the end, if you weren't born a great performer, you can become better at it, but it's one of those things like your voice. God gave you one, and now you have to learn to use it the best you can. Keep pluggin', and keep current with your private messages. We're going to get you an amp.-Richie

 

[IceFairy]

Hmm. Just finished reading the last two posts.. enough to exhaust me just reading . My conclusion is that momentarily I'm not really ready for anything too big. Which is good, because it gives me some times to relax and focus on improving my music, so that when I AM ready I'll be great. I guess what's been pushing me is those around me trying to convince me that I'm good and that I need to do something and if I really want success I need to get out a demo blah blah etc.. but for heaven's sake. I definitely need to do so, when I'm READY. What do you all think? It would seem to me that first priority for my own health would be finish up school keeping up my good grades.. try and get together with as many music lovers around as I can find, and start doing some things smalltime. Sure, you can't make a living doing that, but I'm not desperate for that right now and I want to make sure that I retain good psychological health.

How do you strike the balance there? I can FEEL that I'm ready for something, or thought so anyhow, am I maybe heading the wrong way? Any input at ALL would help right about now... Write back.

 

[knightfly]

Ice, you never cease to amaze me. If just 5% of the kids in this country had their head on as straight as you do, most of our social workers would be collecting un-employment and re-training for a different job.

You hit the nail on the head with the word BALANCE. You already have a leg up on commanding the respect of everyone you meet - whether it seems "cool" or not, people always tend to respect literacy and manners. And, when people respect you, they tend to listen and not tune you out like the rest of the "noise" in life. This makes for a lot less frustration in whatever you do, guaranteed.

You have a talent that apparently also give you joy. I would recommend you do just what you said - continue the great job you've been doing with your education (respect, remember?) and find (make) some time at least 5 days a week to practice your guitar/vocals/writing. Record everything into whatever you have/can afford, so you can check progress and not lose anything you come up with that's original - then, when YOU feel it's time, you can review all your tapes/CD-r's and pick the best ideas to expand on/re-record, etc - In the meantime, by keeping this balance in your life, you'll not be nearly as likely to stress out on any one thing. If at times the rest of your life is temporarily un-satisfactory, you'll have your "music time" (scheduled, so you don't put it off) to look forward to. Variety breaks are a big factor in emotional health, and there would be less violence/suffering in the world if more people realized that.

If what you're asking for is confirmation, you've got it. I would just thank the people who keep pushing you (for their compliments), but explain to them that you need to do it on your own terms and timetable, not someone else's. If you're half as respectful in person as you are in print, no one will take offence. Even if they do, it only means that they were more concerned with their own agenda than yours, and no big loss...

Besides, cutting yourself some slack time-wise will allow you to save more of that precious green stuff so when you finally are ready you'll have more knowledge and more money to avoid buying crap instead of quality.

If your parents don't already know how lucky they are, feel free to show them this, and don't change ANYTHING about yourself. Only remember that a goal is only important if it's YOUR goal, and that goals need to be reviewed (and probably updated) from time to time to see if they're still valid.

I'd wish you luck but I know you'll make your own, so I'll just say congratulations... Steve

 

[Richard Monroe]

Ice, what you said... Don't worry about the career, worry about the music! Make the very best music you have inside you, it's vastly more important than money. You can waste your time trying to "be discovered", and you might become a flash in the pan pop sensation- when I win the lottery. Or you can be- a singer/songwriter/producer/engineer, and God knows what else.
just keep on doing what you're doing. Well, I'm back from vacation, and there should be a PA head on its way to you tomorrow.-Richie

 

[Richard Monroe]

Well, guys, we've all noticed that Ice has brains (that she actually uses) and a voice. I dug around through some old (I mean really old) gear and shipped her my old DiMarzio magnetic
pickup, the head of an old Shure vocal master, the original speaker cables, and an AT Lo-Z to Hi-Z transformer (which I believe she will need with this antique amp). Anybody got an 8-ohm cab that's not blown that can handle 100 watts, or better, 2 50 watt cabs? If you got it collecting dust, I'll pay the ground freight charges. What the hell, you can get in on the ground floor, and help build the first PA of the next superstar. Send me and Ice a private message for shipping info. Now, I demand my backstage pass!-Richie

 

[darrin_h2000]

While you are feeling generous Richie, Im also an aspireing musician of sorts and I need.... oh well I guess It was worth a try.

 

[Belome]

I'm slightly late, but I still want to chime in.

My band, of about 2 years, broke up very recently, and slightly violently. And over that short period of time I learned more than all of my previous years in school about people, behavior, and life. I know this may sound off-base, but I do have a point, I promise. I started playing just for fun with my friends and we turned out to be pretty good at making people dance and have a good time, which needless to say, is what it was all about to me. Most recently we had a small music venue we ran in our hometown ( of about 10000 people, mostly democrats who oppose anything not directly affiliated with the baptist church [ pardon me!] ). I would say that nearly 30 shows were held over the past year, and I heard plenty of wonderful music. My band and I played in quite a few of those shows and I must say, Live Performace is the most addictive and exciting part of music for me.

I am in a similar situation as the original poster, IceFairy, not nearly as fledgling, but almost as monetarily powerless. I have decided not to pursue live music, at least for now, not because of talent or out of fear, but for a love of songwriting and a desire to move forward with my hobby. You see, prior to my band falling apart, we were offered a trip to Dallas, TX to record a full length album, all expenses paid, and a potential spot on a new semi-major record lable. All we had to do was show that we could work together and get the job done. We failed our simple duty, and lost what may have been my only chance at a real future in music. My current project is a pure homerecording effort. I hope that the powers that be will give me a second shot at my dream, because I feel that the songs are there, and I have the work ethic, much like you do... Sad? or rediculous. I say both, but the point is not to feel sorry for me or my situation but to teach that finding a band that is hard working is not the same as finding talent.

You sound serious and industrious enough to get the job done, but this in mind if you decide to form a band that you wish to take "to the top", Find members that work hard and are mature enough to take simple constructive critisism. This is no simple feat. It may be impossible in fact. But even if it is impossible, you can sing. You can write, and those are all you need to get you close.

I'm 19, a sophomore in college, and with my former singer, write and record music at home.

I hope you learned something from that rant, I know I feel better .

 

[IceFairy]

Hey.. thanks to all the above for sticking with me here.. I was disappearing finally for a bit on the chance that I was starting to get on everyone's nerves, but what the heck. I'm a little late at diving back in but I just started school so it's kinda crazy. I did go and talk to the choir teacher lady person at my school and she made me sing a few notes in front of some peoples, heh, and I got in.. so, maybe that will help.

Rich- thanks a million for the gear. I'll sit and stare at the box for a while and when I finally get brave I'll check things out and maybe start to figure out how it all works, heh.

Belome - Yeah, the band thing, heh. Right now if I have to go solo I'll do it. My attitude towards that is if you have something to contribute, great, but #1 I can't stand bad attitudes or bananaheads.. I had a guitarist lined up for a while but they ended up trying to sway me towards the religious side of the music scene, soo. Even though I'm friends with them and they're EXTREMELY talented, that's completely not where I was headed so I gave that up pretty fast. I guess I'm kinda picky when it comes to my friends, not based on looks or race or anything, but I like people who have some direction, and I take that attitude towards band members. Most music people I've met either talk more than they play or have purely illusive dreams of becoming the next rock star, they miss the point.. anyhow, not to go off on my own tangent here. I can just understand the people thing and sometimes it's hard to let go of someone who's talented but has other ideas.

That's it for now, I'm off to enjoy what little is left of my day at home. Write back.. whoever, about whatever.. whenever

 

[singergrl]

I just love it when kids your age are so enthusiastic about music!
I do'nt have much advise for you, as I am learning myself. But keep up the good work!!!!

 

[Roker1]

how old is the singergirl???...if I may ask...??

 

[IceFairy]

Are you referring to the vocalist in the song or singergrl?

 

[Roker1]

singergrl..that is...sorry...