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paleto3 -> RE: Is is worth it to become a guitarist? (Jul. 4 2024 23:27:30)
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This a great topic to explore here.
The answers are pretty much specific to the person asking the question and where they live.
Let me acknowledge that all the responses so far have been very good.
Metalhead, where do you live, in which city?
You need to to be within, or have a large city, around or near to you. The only way to do it from a small town is to have something like a YouTube channel where you post lessons and have followers who subscribe or where you collect advertising dollars.
I live this question every day and I am constantly asking myself if it is worth it. I should also say that it's a bit of a way to escape doing something that feels like drudgery.
My wife earns more than I do, and resents that I don't make more by other means, since she knows the limits to what I will earn in a given year based on history. She doesn't mind my playing, just that I haven't found another way to earn decently that is compatible. I want to avoid hard physical labor because it screws up my hands. I also need a lot of time to practice since I play challenging music.
I focus on playing for corporate and private events and weddings. One advantage I have where I live is that it is a destination for corporate and private events and there are many resorts/hotels that cater to the larger groups that come.
The restaurant circuit is limited since most restaurants want what is popular because that is what their guests usually want. I have zero interest in playing pop tunes. But my main issue is the low pay relative to what I can earn from the events I mentioned above. So, while do an occasional restaurant gig, I don't do many. I've often felt that all the effort I put into it goes unappreciated or under appreciated for the sacrifice it takes to play my repertoire (think Rafael Riqueni, Vicente Amigo, Gerardo NĂșñez, Chicuelo, Manolo Franco, JosĂ© Antonio RodrĂguez, Alfredo Lagos). Some is from cante accompaniment, but most was solo to begin with.
You also need to consider the housing market where you live. San Diego, where I live, is SUPER expensive, and I could not make it on my own with what I make by performing. Hell, I couldn't afford health insurance. There are pressures in many cities that continue to drive housing costs upward. Southern California has comfortable weather all year-round and attracts a lot of investment as it is a secure investment in the long term. I know Vancouver, in Canada is horrible in this regard due to outside investment and limited buildable land. I would imagine India is similar, especially in the bigger cities.
I really don't do concerts. I tried, but people find all kinds of reasons not to show up. I lost a little money back around 2017 having put together a dinner show and decided to focus on private events where I could depend on a company paying the bill.
There are other guitarists who are good in this region, so there's quite a bit of competition. Many of them play Gipsy Kings, which I won't do. Although, I do play several rumbas, which is the palo with the largest number of songs in my repertoire because that is what most non-flamenco people like. If I played the Gipsy Kings, I'd guess that I'd have 2x as many gigs.
While you may not have competition where you live, I'd bet it won't be easy to build a following, although I am sure you can, but you'll have to figure out how to attract followers.
I teach a very small number of students, 4 at the moment. 2 are away for several weeks, so very little income from that.
I also interpret for Spanish speakers seeking medical treatment, which helps, but does not pay well either. This will probably end within 10 years would be my guess. AI powered interpreters will most likely replace most interpreters. While it is still far from perfect, improvements are being made on a monthly basis, so I don't see much reason to put much time into improving my interpreting skills.
I have explored translating some guitar books, but I haven't found much interest from guitarists wanting to buy translated books.
I have also paid to have several flamenco guitar music books entered into Guitar Pro as a possible way of making a little extra money, but no one seems interested in those except myself and my students.
Back around 2005 I decided to leave academic and private brain and spinal cord research because I wanted to be a full-time flamenco guitarist. It took a long time for me to arrive at the views I'm sharing with you.
Most people have no idea of the time commitment it takes to learn to be not just proficient, but good at flamenco. A guitarist wanting to call him/herself flamenco needs to spend enough time grasping vocal and dance accompaniment before they try to be a soloist. A person MUST understand the foundation, which I am still learning, LOL.
I don't do much accompaniment because I must do a lot of it to be any good at it, and there just simply aren't enough well-paid gigs for the few who want to do it.
I also am tired of sitting in dance studios having to play for beginner and intermediate dancers who really don't even understand what's happening. I wish dance teachers would teach the musical notation rhythmic values to dancers so they had a foundation for their footwork.
I had a burning desire to do it, and it's harder than I imagined, but I have grown to see that it's a sacrifice I have mostly been willing to make. I have not been able to travel internationally, which I dearly miss. I simply can't create enough gigs/income to afford it.
Much of your answer will depend on how you feel about sacrificing and living simply to do something you really love.
The advice about having some kind of other income is VERY WISE.
I can imagine that India has plenty of population, but only a small percentage have the money to hire you for private events. I would imagine even fewer will actually attend a concert or show.
The 99.999% will not care how seguiriya and soleĂĄ differ and will not be able to appreciate your efforts to make it interesting.
You may have to play some Bollywood music, but you can choose which tunes and how many you decide to learn.
Like others have said, go for it, but don't expect to earn enough to live from only performing. Find some kind of work you can do, and that helps people who are willing to pay you fairly, but where you don't feel it is total drudgery.
Be willing to think and work hard, and be willing to learn and grow and see things from a progressively less subjective point of view.
Remember that it matters more to you than it possibly could to anyone else. Your audience will only respond to music they are able to comprehend, and sometimes that means it has to be pretty simple.
There's something else I've come to understand that is tangential, but important, at least to me, and probably to most people on this website. Making the sacrifice of living with less becomes a problem as you begin to date women. People think that playing guitar attracts women. It might seem to be attractive to them at first, at least superficially, but it puts you at a huge disadvantage because generally speaking - no money, no honey. Most women consider whether a man can support her and any kids, and the more you appear to be able to earn, the more you are respected by others, the better your chances are. Not 100% are necessarily conscious of it, but it's an underlying strategy described in biological literature, and if you simply observe people, you'll start to see it.
Also, if you want to play at a high level, you will have to practice and grow as a guitarist ALL THE TIME. The great guitarists play A TON to keep their technique and repertoire in shape.
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