Klarinet Archive - Posting 000111.txt from 1996/02

From: Hill Peter S <pshill@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Seeking input - those "other" skills
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 17:33:27 -0500

Dan,
Excellent idea; this is the kind of information that the young
players (and maybe the not so young players) need when they are starting
to get their careers going. It is also the information that is usually
overlooked in the normal academic course of study. For what its worth,
here is my list:

RULES FOR THE GIG

1. Make it your business, if at all possible, to know the music to be
performed so well that you could take over for the conductor if he
dropped dead.(There will be many players who will be wishing that he
would.)

2. Leave for the work early enough to allow time to:
a. Change a flat tire
b. Sit out the wreck on the highway
c. Catch the next bus or train
d. ___________________

3. Make sure all of your equipment is in top working order.

4. Bring a tuner; *not* to prove you're right but to help arbitrate a
"situation" should one occur.

5. Be professional and courtious to everyone.

6. Listen rather than talk.

7. Always try to make the other player sound good too.

RULES FOR THE MUSIC BUSINESS

1. When you accept a job, don't send in a sub for *any* service unless
you have permission from the contractor and the conductor. People in
these positions have very long memories and the network of contractors and
conductors is surpriseingly active.

2. Don't cancell for a better job (SEE "long memories" above)

3. If you have a genuine emergency that will make you miss a service,
don't just not show up; call the contractor and/or the conductor. DON'T
SEND THE MESSAGE WITH ANOTHER PLAYER! Genuine emergency should be on the
order of serious injury or death to you, physical restraint by terrorists,
or being trapped in your wrecked automobile. (SEE "long memories" above)

4. When you accept a job you will, of course, write it in your book but it
is just as important to make sure the contractor sends you something *in
writing* that spells out what you are to bring to the gig, the part you
are to play, the instruments that you will need, concert dress, the hours
of the services and the compensation you are to receive and when you will
get this compensation. This is very important as contractors tend to have
very short memories at times when it comes to these matters.

5.You will be to asked to play for no compensation from time to time and
this is a hard decision to make in certain instances. If this is a true
charity job, by all means give it some serious thought if the musical
experience is worthwhile and you have a chance to make some good contacts.
But remember, you don't want to get the reputation as "the musician who
will play for nothing". Many young players use the arguement that they
need the experience and the exposure that the free gig will give. This
may be true to a certain degree but you're letting certain elements of the
musical community know what your services are worth. Students should, in
my opinion, be particularly thoughtfull about this practice of free
playing for experience. In a few years when you need the money, not the
experience, there may be another group of students willing to take that
gig away from you by playing for nothing.

6. Always carry business cards and hand them out liberally. They don't
have to be fancy, just neat and professional looking. Don't try to be
cute or humorous.

7. Don't forget to get the other person's card; write some key words
about him/her on the back and transfer it to your computer and/or
rolodex. These new electronic date books are great (I use one too)
but you *must* back them up or make a hard copy. There is no better way
to sabotage a budding career in this business than losing all your
contact information and your playing schedule for the next six months.

8. Get an answering machine and put on a simple, professional sounding
message. Again, don't try to be cute and for heaven's sake, don't use
background music or sound effects. If a person is calling you about
work, he/she doesn't want to be entertained befor they can leave a
massage. This is particularly true of a contractor trying to put together
a full orchestra.

9. Return calls promptly. Return calls promptly. RETURN CALLS PROMPTLY!

10. Don't offer to play for less to get someome else's job. What goes
around really comes around on this one.

11. Be honest and above board with your dealings with people; sounds
corny in this day and age perhaps, but you'll be surprised at how well it
works in your favor.

12. You will find out that contractors will often take the second or even
third best player if they know the number one is a jerk, causes problems
on the job and is not always reliable. Once they find musicians WHO CAN
DO THE JOB and makes their life easier, they tend to stick with them.

I realize that a lot of the above is good old common sense, but after 40
plus years in this business it still surprises me at the number of
working musicians who don't seem to understand the need to practice some
of these rules.

Peter Hill
University of Delaware