Notes_Norton

I like all kinds of music. If I wanted to be an "artist" I would probably go to jazz. I did that for a couple of years. The leader of the band taught jazz guitar at the University of Miami and also played for Ira Sullivan for a couple of years. Big stars came to sit in with us, people with chops so great they alternately either inspired me or made me want to give up ;) But we worked on Sunday afternoons while I had that 'day gig' as a CATV field engineer. You can't live on Sunday afternoons. You can live playing what the people want. Is it more of a sell-out to work a day job and play art music once a week, or to not have a day job and gig all week? I could play Mustang Sally another million times. It gets the dance floor full and ton of love from the audience rushing over me. I consider the simplest pop tunes to be like junk food. A lot of fun but without a lot of nutritional content. It's like donuts for the soul ;) We mix in some material for us in the sets, originals, jazz, whatever seems appropriate at the time. I have fun at what I do. I get up in the morning, I go to bed at night, and in between I do what I want to do. I'm free. And that's also a definition of successful. 1. Play what the audience wants to hear That depends on where you are. My current market is predominantly retirement communities, yacht clubs, country clubs, and so on. Florida is a big retirement state and I've played that market since the 1980s. At that time Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra songs ruled. Now it's Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton era. Every year we learn a dozen new songs and find another dozen that don't work anymore. But we are chameleons and can do Caribbean music (Afro and Latin), The American Songbook jazz tunes, and quite a few other genres. It's fun putting different musical hats on. It depends on our audience. We play what we think they want to hear. It could be original material if you are in the right place. It could be the Country market which is also big in our area. It could be Musica Latina if there is a Hispanic community where you are. It could be ballroom dance music. If there is an audience, you can work it. But you must choose something that there is a demand for, and then play what the people in your audience respond to. It's not a monologue, but a dialog. Give and take. Pay attention to what works and what doesn't work. As an artist and/or entertainer you have to fill a demand. Supply and demand. Give them what they want. If you want them to listen, you need to give them what they want to listen to. It all boils down to this, and it's the best advice I got a long, long time ago: You can play for yourself, you can play for other musicians, or you can play for the general public -- if you are good enough at it you will get the audience you asked for. (1. Play what the audience wants to hear) Insights and incites by Notes

"Everybody's Everything" - Santana

Ken Peplowski

If you are good enough, and follow the rules, you won't need a day job. I've had two real jobs in my life to see what normal was all about and found normal to be soooooo overrated. Phone man for a while (back when phones had wires) and Cable TV Field Engineer. During these gigs, I still played music on the weekend. I could have made more money if I stayed in the electronics industry, but I'm living a very happy life, and that's worth more than the money. I have enough to live on, the mortgage is paid, I take mostly foreign vacations every year, and other than car payments I'm debt free. I am not a corporate wage slave doing the weekly grind. I get up in the morning, go to bed at night, and in between, do what I want to do. In other words, I'm successful and I'm free. There is more than one definition of success. Notes

Carole King

How to make a living playing music: 1. Play what the people want to hear 2. Pace the audience. Play the right songs at the right time so the audience has the best possible time 3. Play at the volume that is appropriate for the gig 4. Never-ever, cancel, call in sick, show up late, or take long breaks - the show must go on 5. If the place is jumping play a little extra, skip a break, and even play a little late if it's OK with the owner 6. Play for the house or the entertainment purchaser. Put yourself in his/her shoes and do what you would want the band to do if you hired the band 7. Dress appropriately and be friendly and easy to work with 8. Do your best whether there is 1 customer or 10,000, and always strive to be better than your competition This has worked s for me since 1964. I've never been out of work unless I was between bands or turning down gigs for my annual vacation. Insights and incites by Notes

"Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" - introduced by Carol Channing but made most famous by Marilyn Monroe Notes

Gregg Allman

Ronnie Laws

"Baba O'Riley" - The Who Association: often erroneously called "Teenage Wasteland" due to that hook

Inez Foxx

My ES-330 is fully hollow like my Casino but with higher fret access. Acoustically the 330 sounds fuller, but that's probably because it has nitro lacquer while the Casino has a poly finish. Amped, the Casino sounds brighter. It could be because the pickup poles are closer to the strings or the difference between 1969 P90s and 2002 P90s. I read somewhere that back then they underwound the P90s for the 330 to minimize feedback - but I don't know if that is true or not as it was on a forum with no documentation to back it up. The ES-330 has higher fret access, but I doubt that has anything to do with tone. The ES-335 has a center block of wood and humbucker pickups - an entirely different sounding guitar. Insights and incites by Notes

Randy Bachman

"Jump, Jive And Wail" - Louis Prima

"Squeeze Box" - The Who