 The Ethnic Clarinet
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-03-29 01:40
My wedding and bar mitzvah gigs have dried up over the last few years. After a very slow 2008, the end of 2009 promises to be not completely dismal, but it is well shy of my goal. A weekend warrior, good thing my day job is hanging in there.
Has anybody else seen this? How are you coping? Are you marketing yourselves differently? Taking more day jobs? Teaching more lessons?
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2009-03-31 15:33
Welcome to the recession. All gigs have slowed. Lessons are also down. We're just grabbing whatever gigs we can, since we've got a major personnel change.
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-04-02 21:03
Personnel changes don't help.
One bandleader I have worked with for 15 years has just gone through a divorce and remarriage. That and the recession has been a pretty good double-whammy.
There is a small pool of ethnic musicians here. It may not matter who you call - you will get pretty much the same people.
We seem to be booking more individually. Our clients are trying to entertain economically, and I can sympathize. Instead of getting a name band with 4 players and a dance leader, they call one of us and book two or three musicians.
Only a very small number of people know how desperate I was 2 years ago, when things were so slow that I joined a community orchestra. The intent was to produce a collection of audition material that would hopefully lead to something else. So far, so good.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2009-04-03 14:20
Even the community orchestras here are full! No clarinet openings that I've found.
And your point on smaller ensembles is really what will "get us through" this stuff. We've been booking a trio and that seems to work a little better, but our personnel change is losing one guy. We decided to replace him and to expand to six, so we'll see how that works!
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-04-04 03:38
Two of us, clarinet and piano, have been booking things for later this year, for events which would normally go to larger groups. The downside, though, is that we each have to work harder.
I have been playing with a "contra" band , normally 8-10 people, for similar reasons to the community orchestra. The leader got us a gig playing a party - some contra, some international, some klez. I didn't want to take it, until I found out that only the best 4 people were available (fiddle, clarinet, trombone, piano). This could be some real fun, and I will get paid extra to bring my sound system.
Another thing I have been doing, is that I have been playing a benefit concert for my Brotherhood group the last few years. I view this repertoire-building exercise as yet another thing to keep my music in the public eye. Last year we did Brahms 2, Shepherd on the Rock, and some other stuff. This year (I hope) Brahms 1 and the Nielsen wind quintet.
As an added benefit, it appears that the community orchestra and benefits have generated enough material for an audition CD.
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Author: ginny
Date: 2009-04-11 16:23
I haven't played professionally for years, I actually prefer it as a hobby. I have a relatively entertaining job, and don't think of it as a "day job" even.
That said our Balkan band has more gigs than ever, but we don't usually take money to play, instead we donate any we get (or ask the person paying to donate) to charity. Tips are very good, but we let people know the "green applause" is headed to those in real need. This year it's been to a local food bank. We've been playing about one gig per month, so even if we did take the money it wouldn't matter to our pocket books. In addition my husband and I play at friends parties occasionally.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2009-04-11 19:08
Ginny, your Balkan band is probably getting more gigs due to not charging. Event organizers are strapped for cash and are trying to book musicians as cheaply as possible...
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Author: ginny
Date: 2009-04-12 17:20
Some of the birthday parties are that way to be sure! We also have people pay us anyway and then we give the money away. I sure hope things start turning around soon. I have bad memories of students quitting during another down turn, maybe in the eighties when I was still in music. I sure learned to save after that, but it did turn around.
I'm pretty close to some people booking dances here and we've not changed anything due to hard times, at least in the SF Bay Area the number of folk dance gigs seems more or less the same. Recently a few bands, mostly brass, silk road sorts, have been able to book into popular but small night clubs. Nice, expanding to a new audience hopefully. I think long term things will be ok maybe even better, so hang in there.
Post Edited (2009-04-12 17:26)
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-04-16 21:36
I have made choices to play gigs for less money than before. On the other hand, I have also turned down ones that I might have taken before, which are no longer worth the hassle.
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