Playing music is a very rewarding experience. It allows you to express your emotions in a way that few people get to do. While many people play music in their spare time as a way to have fun and blow off some steam, it is the goal of many people to become a professional musician. Making a living playing music is not easy. You truly need to be at the top of your game in order to convince people to pay to hear you play. However, there are some things you can do to increase your odds of being able to succeed at this career choice. Here is some advice for musicians who want to make a living playing professionally.
1. Choose your instrument wisely
Some people are better suited to play certain instruments. It is important that you determine what your best interest to determine what your best instrument is early on in your musical career. If you enjoy several instruments playing each one and figure out which one comes the easiest to you. This is the instrument you should devote all of your time and energy into practicing. If you find yourself really struggling to learn a specific instrument, give a different instrument a try and see if you have better luck. Boyd Tinsley took some time to decide his instrument. However, Tinsley made the right decision.
2. Play in a band
Once you feel that you play your instrument well enough to perform in front of other people, you should try to join a band. You can either form your own band or audition for a band that already exists. In either case, performing with other musicians will only make you play better. Spend as much time as you can jamming with your band and working on your timing. The more you play with each other, the more you will learn the musical cues of the other band members. This will allow you to perform better in live settings.
3. Play live
Try to book as many gigs as you can. It doesn't matter if you are playing at a high school dance of a child's birthday party. The most important thing is that you are playing in front of people and working on your craft. Even the biggest bands in the world started small. Keep that in mind as you are toiling away during the early stages of your career. It is a long way to the top, so be patient.