One of the first things I wrote about when I started posting these brief thoughts about music was "The Gig Trifecta", a magical triangle of items to help you choose whether or not a gig was worthwhile. I talked about how any gig could be seen as positive if you look at it the right way. Now, however, I want to take the opposite approach without being overly negative.
In an improv class I took at NEC with George Garzone, at one point I wrote down the note: "Sh***y music makes you play sh**y." I believe it was an exact quote but I can't be sure. He also said: "Yes is positive. No is also positive. Good and bad are also positive." I think by this he meant, in his zen way, that turning down something isn't always a negative thing. But there's lots more to read into that. You learn from every situation and every choice you make.
What I have taken from both of these things, and why they have been rolling around in my head these last few days, is that the dominantly important thing in the Gig Trifecta is the music you are playing. Do you want to play it? If it really is just great people and good money, why not get a job in another field? I also want to say that every time I have a thought of getting a 'real' job (as it is often put to me...), I only get more focused on doing what I love, playing music and finding a way to live while doing so.
In an improv class I took at NEC with George Garzone, at one point I wrote down the note: "Sh***y music makes you play sh**y." I believe it was an exact quote but I can't be sure. He also said: "Yes is positive. No is also positive. Good and bad are also positive." I think by this he meant, in his zen way, that turning down something isn't always a negative thing. But there's lots more to read into that. You learn from every situation and every choice you make.
What I have taken from both of these things, and why they have been rolling around in my head these last few days, is that the dominantly important thing in the Gig Trifecta is the music you are playing. Do you want to play it? If it really is just great people and good money, why not get a job in another field? I also want to say that every time I have a thought of getting a 'real' job (as it is often put to me...), I only get more focused on doing what I love, playing music and finding a way to live while doing so.