The Practical Pro Musician

After having a major touring gig as a musician, you'd think I would've figured out how to take the shortcut to more gigs at the same level. But what I discovered, even after succeeding once already, was that it was much harder than I expected.So what about you? How can you anticipate what it will take to "make it" as a pro musician? And what can you do when things don't quite turn out as planned? Let's talk about it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a quick-hit of an episode about counting the true cost of becoming a pro musician- and then moving forward anyway! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I got fired from my dream gig when I was 23. It completely ruined my life for a while, but looking back on it, I learned some HUGE lessons about becoming (and staying) a pro musician. The cliffs notes version of the lessons are:Never stop auditioningLook for the “gaps” in your situationPerception is realityYou Can’t Control EverythingAlso- I'm pumped to announce that ProMusician.org is finally live! Check it out and let me know what you think! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As a musician, you've probably heard it countless times: "If you want to get gigs and become a professional musician, you HAVE to network with other musicians."But I've always hated the idea of networking because I can't stand the idea of going into a room of strangers and trying to convince them that they should hire me... AND I'm not very good at it.So today I want to talk about the kind of networking that I DO enjoy, and I bet it's something you'll enjoy too- and you're probably really good at it! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Almost every musician that I know has at some point expressed to me that they are anxious about money. Specifically- making the leap from their day job to trying to make a full-time living from music. How do you make that leap? And can you make that leap in a way that doesn't feel like a leap? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The hardest part about making real headway in your music career is often just figuring out what to do next- and even how to get started. In today's episode we'll talk about some practical steps you can take right now to figure out what your next steps are- and how to achieve balance in the process... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you following advice from people who don't know what they're talking about? Today's episode is all about making sure to listen to the RIGHT people when looking for music career advice. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey this show looks different! And it sounds different! What's up with that? Listen to find out! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is kind of the end of Drummer Daily- but don't worry... I'm not going anywhere- and neither is this podcast. Confused? Listen to find out what I mean. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I had a conversation with a friend recently who feels that he's ready to start getting paid for his drumming. I had a few questions for him that I thought he needed to consider before making that move- and I thought you might benefit from considering these same questions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we'll talk about something I've never covered on the podcast: anxiety. Now I've honestly never felt anxiety directly regarding playing the drums, but I have dealt with anxiety around many other aspects of being a professional musician. So today, I'll share some practical steps I've learned to take to help me deal with anxious feelings. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Benjamin writes in: What do I do if I'm stuck in a small town next to a city where all the major studio producers are in bed with the drummers that are just mediocre, so I can't get the sessions to get into these big studios ( bureaucracy and politics)? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nathan writes: What insight do you have to offer on balancing the time you spend on tour away from home with spending time with your family? How have you dealt with this aspect of a musical career? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we hear from Bradley who asks: What is the main key to becoming a pro drummer? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today Bryan writes: I play for 2 different bands...one is a genre that I know fairly well. The other is a genre I really don't know well. How do I play in a band to a genre I don't know well, professionally? Should I leave that band until I'm a lot more familiar with the genre?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today's question comes from Chris: Something I’m struggling with right now is working with self taught musicians. I recently got roped into a hardcore band and these guys have no idea how to communicate musically. I finally got a demo and that cleared some things up, but how do break the language barrier? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You may have noticed I've been MIA for a little while. On today's episode I'll explain where I've been, and how I've used my time away to regain my energy and inspiration for my drumming! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's time for another rant... But this time I make sure to circle back and give you some actionable advice on how you can stand out in your music scene and make a name for yourself. And the best part is: it really isn't that hard! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Does each groove in your arsenal only have one volume level? If so, this episode is for you. I'm going to share a concept that I picked up a few years back that has made my drumming much more versatile. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Is the extent of your practice plan "Find some great drummers and try to play what they play"? Well, let's talk about how we can keep doing that but add a few other elements into our drum practice plan to accelerate our drumming development. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.