I don't like my day job. I'm getting older. I'm tired of practicing for untold hours every day for the last 13 years at the expense of my marriage and other personal relationships in order to better my so-called craft. I'm tired of hauling this ridiculously heavy instrument and all the heavy accessories that accompany it. And I'm especially tired of being involved in projects that go nowhere and pay nothing.

Does anyone know how long it takes to get some #@*! payback?

Doctors and lawyers and such put less time into their studies and efforts than I have put into this *$#@! and most of them have something to show for it. Have any of you gotten rich off of this beast and how much do you charge for the "secret"?

By the way, I don't want to hear about passion and love for the instrument. I also don't want to hear about playing being its own reward. All that does is sell the "self-help" books. I want money, lots of it, and I want it fast...

Alternatively, you can take your heavy-as-all-get-out D-10, put it in the car, drive to your local bank after hours, and THROW IT THROUGH THE DANG WINDOW. Then grab the money real quick-like and SCRAM.

Musicians in the trenches for the most part are laborers in a luxury/service field. Unless you write songs, are a *star sideman* very much in demand, or play in the band of a recording artist, you're not really in the *music* business per se, but rather in the bar business.

Laborers/employees don't generally make very much money at all. If you're expecting lots of money being a picker, I'm afraid you're on the way to a massive disappointment.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

He then went on to say, "anytime you find that you spend more time thinking about the money, rather than thinking about the art. You should take up banking or perhaps a hedge fund."

If you want to make money, you should do what most of us did: focus on your non-musical career and play music as a hobby.

I've known lots of famous but poor musicians. Lucinda Williams lived hand to mouth for YEARS before she got any recognition at all. Townes Van Zandt never had any money.

Piece together a classic country band and rehearse a solid setlist of danceable number 1's from 1960-75. Get a good frontman, but YOU manage the band and all its affairs. Now, the important part: do what you need to do to get on the CONVENTION curcuit. Find out from major hotels about the conventions coming to town, and tap the hospitality companies and caterers. Nail down contact numbers/addresses. Get packages off to the event organizers of these companies and businesses. (Every single one of these conventions has a band playing, either after the dinner or for the closing party, or whatever. And they have lots of MONEY.) Market your band (and its image) as a tribute to classic country. Get good photos done. People love a theme, whatever it is.....especially the business crowd. They eat it up. Wear the hats, boots, shirts, whatever. Demand a high dollar right away, and pay the boys whatever you/they think is fair. YOU take the rest. You're in Houston. There's got to be a ton of money to be made down there doing convention work. But you have to blow away the competition by being punctual, professional, courteous, and accomodating.

You can get rich playing steel. You just need to be the one IN CHARGE as well. (Getting rich is not unattainable if you have a plan.) You'd be amazed at how many musicians just want to show up, get paid, and go home. If you can be the one to provide that service, the rest is yours to pocket. This is what I'd do if I wanted to make some serious money and play steel guitar while I'm doing it. I just live in a small city, but Houston? Isn't that a major convention city? If I moved there, the first place I'd look for work was on the convention curcuit. We all get sick of the bars eventually - and the crap money they produce.

Our band plays conventions and such, but as a 6-way equal parternship. And we do well enough. But if I was solely concentrating on really pulling 'er in, I'd start an entertainment company in a large center and provide the exact service I described above. But I enjoy the scaled-down small-city life too much.

Let me know how it goes.....

[This message was edited by Chris LeDrew on 24 August 2006 at 01:50 PM.]

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How do I get rich playing steel guitar?

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Camaraderie? Like most gig money, it's fleeting and only comes in spurts.

Discovery and Learning? I'll admit that one was a strong attraction during my first 10 years of practicing. It still doesn't pay bills.

Women? Never helped me in that arena. Besides, I have a wife and don't plan on divorcing soon.

Enrichment? Yes. But I get less of that the longer and deeper I get into it.

Here's a half-serious idea: Install two turntables in your steel. You'll be the first kid on your block to have a D-T: that's a double-table steel guitar. You don't need two tunings becuase you'll have two tunes ready to go. Then you can get work as a DJ and you'll have more work than you can shake a MIDI cable at.

In a former life I worked for many years as a house assistant engineer for a pretty good studio in L.A. More than once I saw hot and sucessful engineers come in looking for work as assistant engineers because they couldn't find freelance work anymore.....they were no longer the flavor-of-the-month, and these guys were very good at what they did, and had had runs of hit records. they made it, but the ride was not very long. It's a hard and fickle business.

[This message was edited by Cliff Kane on 24 August 2006 at 03:22 PM.]

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I want money, lots of it, and I want it fast...

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(After all, think of what he'd been staring at all that time; bound to be able to think up a few icebreakers, there ).

[This message was edited by David Mason on 24 August 2006 at 04:33 PM.]

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Unless you write songs...

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Herb, you know as well as I do any clown can write a song!

Conversely, how many professional Nashville song-writers can play a pedal steel?

On to the other questions...

I don't like my day job.

That's why they call it a "job".

I'm getting older.

Beats the alternative, doesn't it?

I'm tired of practicing for untold hours every day for the last 13 years at the expense of my marriage and other personal relationships in order to better my so-called craft.

Pack it up and put it in the basement. (I hear Walmart's hiring bilingual greeters.)

I'm tired of hauling this ridiculously heavy instrument and all the heavy accessories that accompany it.

Oh sure, you coulda picked harmonica to play. But no, you wanted to sit down and play pretty stuff!

And I'm especially tired of being involved in projects that go nowhere and pay nothing.

Next time someone calls, tell 'em you're booked up solid for the next 6 months. (It worked for me.)

I just love it when I can help people.

Oh, and as far as the "getting rich" thing, forget it. You're far too hard-working and honest to ever be wealthy.

That's the breaks.

That is, of course, unless you want to teach in an official capacity.

I don't know if all the possibilities of the Internet, as far as steel playing goes, have been explored, yet. A lot of people are making a lot of money off of the Internet, but playing steel? It could happen.

Les

I should clarify that I mean “...90% of his life" thus far. I'm sure in the end the percentage will be higher.

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HagFan

PS: I'd like to make the big bucks-- or even a few-- playing steel or golf, so I can't stand Ricky Davis.

[This message was edited by Ron Page on 25 August 2006 at 11:34 AM.]

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72 Professional 8&5,73 PRO II 8&4, 79/80 PRO III 8&4,Fender Steelking, Hilton pedal, USA Tele, Fender Twin,Peterson tuner,Tut Taylor Reso's and Twang to the Bone!!

Personally I am in agreement with statements made by Lee Baucum and Chris LeDrew. I believe anyone serious about being a professional musician has to consider the importance of studying music at the college level and beyond, plus assume the responsibilities of an independent business man or delegate the responsibilities to someone who will work in your behalf. To believe you can have financial success without having a plan toward obtaining that goal is not realistic. There is a saying that goes to the effect of “Good fortunate is the result of when hard work and opportunity meet.” I have met some entertainers who were successful in the entertainment industry who never enjoyed the benefit of having a string of hits on a major label, but they were good business men. Some supplemented their playing schedule as disk jockeys, or other professions that complimented their musical endeavors.

The patriarch of the original Branson music show (Baldknobbers)during an intervew was asked if all of the new music show theaters being built in Branson had caused him to lose money.

I have earned a good living in medicine, but I am not rolling in dough. Sending kids to college sucks most of it away. I still pick most weekends and earn enough cash doing that to never have to hit the ATM machine, and wager a bit on the golf course.

If you want to come to Austin and spend a day with me while I doctor, come on. Most folks tire before the end and and I assure you it is not from boredom.

That was a really nice post. I respect you a lot for the way you value your relationship above everything else. It sounds like you've really worked for what you have. I attended university while playing the clubs (and touring), and I agree it ain't a joyride. But I managed to stay student loan-free.

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Or marry a good singer and be kind to her

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(Can I get an 'Amen' on that?)