[sudo-discuss] Music resources

[Karissa McKelvey]

I recommend hanging out with musicians! Making friends is key in this
industry. Networking allows you to sustain yourself by getting shows, building
fans, and showing record labels that you can sell. In the end, if the
Billboard Top 10 in pop is really what you want, you'll likely want some
monetary backing to get a professionally recorded album with high-profile
shows, riding the coat tails of more famous people as the opener, and
selling records that way. Most bands make their money by touring nowadays,
and even then it is difficult -- sometimes, bands will go on tour and end
up in the red. Although hard, I do think anyone can do it. You just gotta
have the stuff.

Whatever you do, don't forget to feel the emotions -- if you're not, it's
difficult for the audience to feel what you're feeling and relate to you.
And have fun. You are setting a lofty goal which is SO AWESOME but don't
get discouraged if you don't get there. Most don't, but that doesn't make
them bad musicians. Its a combination of luck, talent, money, and most
importantly, who you know.

Check out Balanced Breakfast, which is a music meetup with locations in SF
and Oakland. Also, go to lots of shows of musicians you enjoy and meet up
with them afterwards to ask them how they're doing it. Rock on!

On Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 12:16 PM, Phil Wolff <pwolff at gmail.com> wrote:

> Sounds like you have four challenges ahead of you.
>
> Mastering your instrument, so you can perform. Whether it's your voice or
> your hands, it is going to take thousands of hours of training and practice
> so your body creates what your imagination hears. Master the Hanon hour of
> exercises then the Jazz Hanon so you don't think about your fingers, just
> the music.
>
> Learning song writing, and the music theory that lets you document and
> improve upon it. The "Sodajerker on Songwriting" podcast is two
> professional songwriters from Liverpool interviewing songwriting luminaries
> about theIt craft; a remarkably good listen. I rely on the Hal Leonard
> Pocket Music Theory to fill in holes in my basic knowledge. Learn jazz
> theory because their whole academic universe is as practical and rigorous as
> for classical composition but made for songwriting.
>
> Learning production well enough that you can make demos sound great.
> Pretty sure there's a Music Production for Dummies book. Recording, editing
> are straightforward; improving your performance in post is an art.
>
> As Anca said, you also have to master the business. Licensing, IP
> protection, distribution, online merchandising, fan and community
> management, small business accounting, tour/gig booking, etc. San Francisco
> is not a music publishing capital like L.A. or Nashville; consider moving
> to where baristas have songwriters as heroes instead of tech entrepreneurs?
> Live among those who share your dream. Work among those from whom you'll
> learn the business.
>
> But the best advice I've received as a writer is to write. Write a whole
> song — lyrics and music — every day. For a year. Each month look back at
> what you wrote and critique yourself, get better.  Just write.
>
> Break a leg, Adam.
>
>
> --
>
> Phil Wolff
>
> pwolff at gmail.com
> phil at openoakland.org
> skype:evanwolf
>
> +1-510-343-5664
>
> http://about.me/evanwolf bio
> <http://letmydatago.org/>http://twitter.com/evanwolf @
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/philwolff cv
> http://LetMyDataGo.org blog
> http://www.facebook.com/philwolff face
>
>
>
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>


-- 
Karissa McKelvey
http://karissa.github.io/ <http://karissamck.com>
if not us, who?
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