I don’t gig anymore. At 50, I just play in my home studio spending most of my time writing & recording my own stuff. And I love it!! I don’t care if nobody ever hears my music, it’s pure for the love of it. No more pressure, no more dealing with bullshit. But I do miss being young , playing tons of gigs-great memories.
You do you. For me, playing live is the main reason, the main driver of playing and trying to become better. I've often found myself practicing the least or at all whenever I wasn't involved in a band.
I own a warehouse where I have a drum kit, a Ampeg SVT rig and a 100 watt Marshall Plexi half stack with a Rockcrusher. In the after hours or on the weekend whoever wants to make noise or watch the noise be made can come. Bring whatever food and drink you want. We can get as loud and rowdy as we want because there are no neighbors who care. So we kind of have a pot luck club going and we have fun.
Dave Friedman said 95% of his customer base are hobbiest. People who made their money in some occupation besides music and can afford $3,000 guitars and $3,500 amps. 5% are professional musicians. I would say this is most the industry. It’s why Gibson is selling replica guitars and pickups for crazy money. Musicians aren’t who buy the gear. It’s hobbiest and collectors.
You hit the nail on the head "Muscle Memory" as an original artist with a 75 minute set, for four weeks I would only practice my songs and no other scales, exercises or warm up, just the songs. It was the only way I could remember 75 minutes. I met Eric Johnson in the early 80s and he said you have to play beyond when it's not fun anymore, it's a job.
I'm a 77 year old road dog that has been checking out your channel for nearly a year; and I can totally identify and agree with everything you say bro. One of my pet peeves is working for a band leader who is a drummer. They simply do not understand key transpositions on a short notice. For them it's about beats and rhythm but it's a little different for a guitarist. Love your channel. Keep up the good work!
Happy New Year Brad. I hope your channel continues to grow. It will with content like this I’m sure. I really appreciate when you share details of your career and are honest about the risks and rewards and commitment it takes.
I'm a first call fill in bassist here in Knoxville. I got that by always being prepared. I take it as a challenge. Thanks for the video Brad. Have a great day
It does happen often. I was plying with multiple bands at once and at one point, was up to over 1k songs in my bag. 250 gigs a year. Made good money but gigging ALL the time, even just around your region, can feel like a world tour. I had Sunday morning off. During the day I learned songs and at night I hosted open mics Monday, Tuesday, weds and gigged Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday nights
Man, you are dropping so much truth in these videos. I hope anyone who is interested in being a professional musician listens carefully to your words. As the world changes, it’s more crucial than ever for younger cats to understand what it was like when things were really cooking.
Avoiding expensive gear is a good point. A few years ago during an outdoor gig, a gust of wind blew my heavy music stand on my acoustic guitar and gashed it. I'm glad the guitar isn't an expensive Taylor or Martin.
Hey Brad, I just want to say your channel is so helpful to all of us "Mere Mortals". I found your channel, at a time when disillusion, disappointment & despair started hitting my guitar hobby/passion. At 55 years old, and having 37 years of playing behind me, I know there isn't much time left to indulge, because of the physicality side of things. There will be unfinished lessons, unfinished originals, unused equipment and forgotten dreams. But with the advice and perspectives you have given in recent weeks, it puts me in a healthier mindset to face the day when my fingers will only to be able to achieve a speed of 60 bpm 1/4 notes. Maybe someday you can do a video of "The Aging Guitarist". Thanks for your channel! Rock on & keep up the good work!
practice until you can't mess up! some of those solos you just have to have, Still Got The Blues, Black Magic Woman, Hotel California, Sweet Child O' Mine and so many others, you can't fake 'em! I can so relate to gig plans changing over night, those are the worst! A lot of people don't realize that those "working man" gigs and time consuming beyond the actual gig. I had to tell my band this past weekend that a rehearsal with them for me is an all day affair, travel, NYC traffic, stop for gas, etc, etc, they think I beamed in from a space ship, LOL. I had bad tennis elbow for a while but it's been under control now. A lot of NYC musicians I played with back in the 70s and 80s were cab drivers, always struggling to make ends meet, one was a drummer and he wore a practice pad on his leg and would practice during the rare idle times. Anyway, Merry Christmas, Brad and family.
i almost have zero desire to play gigs, I get much more fulfilment playing in church about stuff I care for - and now I started to write my own music -> just took my guitar out for a walk by the vienna river and trying out some chords
Lead singers were the bain of my band experiences. I went the guitar route model of Jagger/Richards and Perry/Tyler where I did the playing and composing while the lead singer took center stage. Them being in that position gave them all the power in the eyes of promoters, execs and fans. That left me, the person who created the music and the bands, being dragged along at their mercy. One became a drug addict that ruined the project, the other a tyrant who made a lot of bad decisions that cost the band major support and success After years of being under their control, I finally decided to be my own lead singer that played like SRV. It gave me full control and it was liberating. Looking back on my long career, I realized I should have done that from the start. The best thing about playing your own songs is theres no judgment about whether Im playing like the record. Its your song so its alwzys correct
Great information about the reality about being a professional guitarist. Decided to make playing guitar a hobby log ago which I still immensely enjoy instead of making a professional living of it. A few things to note. 1. I'm a CPA and I don't even spend thousands of dollars on music equipment. Been playing low end Epiphone Les Paul's for the last 25 years. Started out on a Yamaha RGX-312 with floyd rose back in the late 80s. Nowadays, 90% of the time I am using a THR-10 practice amp or a Fender Mustang Micro w/ headphones (so I won't drive my spouse crazy-lol) 2. Lot of times, even if you do find a group of people who want to get together to form a band, you find out you all like to play rock, but you may like pop metal from the mid to late 80's, another person wants to play classic 60's stuff while another wants to go grunge. So there can be conflict right there. 3. Moving heavy equipment from one gig to another can wear down your back 4. You may not have all the room in your house for your musical equipment and encounter conflicts with roommates/ family members. 5. As I have gotten older other interests outside work such as travelling abroad, spending time with friends/ family, my health, and dancing (west coast swing/ salsa) has reduced the amount of time I'm able to practice. Even after playing for over 20 years.
Brad, I’d like to see a video on “how good do you have to be to be a pro guitarist (or musician)” what’s the technical playing level (and work attitude/ethic)
My best paying gig was my first one. 7 years old and sang acapella a couple songs in front of the second grade class. I got a toy helicopter for my effort and didn't spend a nickel on the gig. I became hooked on performing, but music has been a black hole for my money and time. But no regrets. Small price to pay for the journey.
Brad, EVERYTHING you said was spot on! I'm 65 and have been gigging since 1975. A lot less now. I play mostly Squiers now because I don't want some drunk person knocking over my gear. Plus, the back pain issues of hauling gear. Don't laugh, but I had to go to 8 gauge strings because of thumb pain. You learn to adapt. Others make fun of the spider webs I use for strings, but at least I'm still gigging. Take care Brad. You speak the truth that people outside the circle would never understand.
Sobering reality of the live music scene. The $175 gig when considering practice time to learn 40 songs, replacing strings, gas money, setting up, warming up, tearing down.. That gig was paying less than minimum wage. Grateful to have the opportunity to play a few gigs back in the 80s and so glad I moved on got a career and now play music for pure enjoyment in my own home studio. Thanks for sharing your story when I had children it quickly became obvious there was not enough hours in the day and not enough of me to go around . There were a few times in life where I wondered what it would’ve been like to stick with music and not have a family but at this stage in life, I’m grateful I moved on. Best of luck ..
It helps to have a happy birthday tune ready too lol I played a college lingerie gig at zappatos across from the college stadium in Bryant Texas and they cared more about the happy birthday tune for their friend than they did for the whole set
@badbrad the lead singer got smacked in the teeth with her microphone that night cause some one a little to bent fell into the mic stand trying to help sing the song lmaof she bled for a while lol that's the kinda stuff no one thinks about playing live music and she carried on the singing like it didn't happen
I had a gifted music teacher guitarist (blues) and one time I sat there while he started learning a new set he had to do the next night. He said "the Internet has made a big difference because you can instantly get the chord chart". Anyhow he would spend some time on the first 3-4 bars and then zip forward into the song maybe once or twice and stop. I would say "Is that it?" His reply was a classic Mozart "and the rest is just the same" 😄 I would be trying to figure out a song for days and at the next weekly lesson, he would just listen (no guitar in his hands) to the song and say "well the bottom E is tuned down to D and the A is tuned down to a G" and playing it after that would just fall out. I don't have his musical ears that's for sure.
How can someone learn 40 songs in a couple days? This is so hard, memorizing songs. I have been working on learning Little Wing for a year! This is not the only song I am working on, though. I have been working on the same 25 hard song list for a year and I have learned maybe 6 of them. memorized. I practice all day long, and I am wondering, how does one memorize songs faster? HOW?
Break the song down to the basics, just the chords. IF you're trying to nail every lick Hendrix or SRV played you will never get there. Play it your own way, those guys did. Be able to improvise with those chord shapes.
See Gilby Clarke circa Nov of '91 when he stepped in for the departed Izzy Stradlin in Guns N' Roses. Let's see, Mr. Clarke had to get familiar with the entirety of Appetite, Lies and BOTH Use Your Illusion records AND some covers. I think he had to learn the Guns catalog in a week or two and he did a fantastic job. Matt Sorum basically the same thing in the fall of '90 when he was hired to not only do the drum work on both Illusion records but also prep for a two+ year tour. He too did a very fine job. Good video, Brad, glad you explained this to the adults that don't know and the kids on their way up who might be curious. Ain't a damn thing wrong w/Partscaster guitars, lol. I love them. I'll get a decent body and put in better pickups and do it my way.
High price gear high end gear does not equal high end tone if one can't utilize their tools properly. I don't have a ton of money in my basssa guitars and amps and pedals. But they can do anything a the cork sniffer stuff can. With ease. It blows people's minds. I've got 5 guitars rn that have to hit the bench. One of them is a pos but it's special to me. It wasy brothers last guitar purchased. It's been in a.skeleton for 20 years and the last physical thing left of him. I honor of him that 1986 red bc rich platinum series guitar will live again. Now that I have the knowledge and skills to bring it back better than it was when new. Kind of excited about it. I'd like my mom to see it done before she passes she's getting old. 82 now
I don't consider myself a very good guitar player at all but have turned down two opportunities to be in a band because of family health issues. I can't even comprehend having to learn 2 or 3 new songs that quick.
@badbrad well when I say I'm not that good it's not an exaggeration. But I'm just a mediocre rythem player but one of the guys said it's really hard to find and keep someone who loves just playing rythem guitar.
I often think of the “minor leaguers” when comparing your sound wisdom with other things I’ve heard from other musicians. I used to listen to a lot of singer songwriters who I thought were amazing when I was 16-30 ish. Now I listen to the albums and I wonder who I was then. I was a huge Greg brown fan. I remember him making fun of musicians who complained about life in the road. He said they were whiners and basically“I’ve had real jobs man, it’s not that hard to drive around singing a few songs every couple nights “. I thought his level musician was perfect. You could still walk down the street without anyone knowing you, but could sell out 500 seats in medium sized towns all year long. Drive around in your van with a dog and stay with friends along the way. But what you’re describing is a lot of work that doesn’t pay, and isn’t just creative fun art making. That’s real work and real pressure and there’s no faking the results, or second chances.
When I was young enough to pull the college birds I could of gave a damn about how much money I was making. I thought $75 and a good time was the top of the world.... maybe it was too 🤔
Thats crazy brad. The cover and original band i was in shit we'd get couple grand just for Friday and Saturday . Plus you have to pay for sound guy. PA. Hotel. Travel expenses.
I've told Pastor at work I need 2 weeks at least to learn the 5 songs we play on Sunday. These arent Alice Cooper or Queen etc songs that I've had in my head for 50 years they are all unheard. Fortunately there is the Tube here and I can study past performances and the original Elevation versions to learn stuff. And I have to find my part, which is atmospherics, triads, cool chord inversions while staying outta the way of the keyboard player the primary melody voice. All for free, they dont pay me to be a musician! I can keep about 90 minutes of music under my fingers at all times, a lot of stuff "goes up to the attic". Simple stuff may take 5 minutes to recover, more complicated an hour or two. 40 songs in 24 to 48 hours is light years beyond me, which is why I'm an amateur.
Up here in Owosso Michigan it's not worth practicing and rehearsing 40 hours for a gig that wants to pay "$100.00 a man a piece" . I wind up doing very few gigs these days. At 72 I won't go four sets, play after one a.m., or play requests all night. I force feed 'em Hank Williams, Mr. Sandman, Just a Gigalo, Bye Bye Love, Ghost Riders, Tutti Frutti, It Had to Be You. I pride myself on being one of the most hated guitar / vocalists in Shiawassee county! Get off my lawn!
Bro , doooood, the shit you've been through. Speaks volumes to your fortitude and resilience. Be proud of all you've accomplished and endured and learned in your life Already. I've drove the uber hahaha, in between being a consultant on cannabis and cbd farms. Yah I wear many hats and good enough at all of it that I get paid well for my time. Too many hobbies/passions? ahahaha perception is everything.
I was to learn 40 once in a week , Shit it took me 5 days Hahahahaha. And the genre it was. Everything ended up sounding the same to me. And I'd get confused what song we were playing hahahaha. The band ends up splitting 2 weeks later anyway. All good friends still to this day. And I still work with the drummer a lot doing sound for bands. Setup teardown and a damn good ear. What Brad Gillis had to learn as fast as he did when randy died was insane... Randy and sabbath tunes. Nutz Talk about a monster.
Hallelujah Bro, I’m 61 and I wish I had my 14 year old wood-shedding bedroom and mommy lookin after me (you have to eat 😂🤘🏻 Edit: $175 should be net you put in your pocket MINIMUM after taxes and expenses and they better be compin’ amenities. Ya I’m dreaming. I’m playing for gas money now 😂🙏
Man I've listened to a bunch of your videos recently. You convincingly tap into a lot of styles. Great, mature playing. Back in the earlier days in LA, did you ever catch some of the more fusion guys? Like Scott Henderson or Frank Gambale? Maybe Carl Verheyen?
I never liked playing cover tunes. I have a very good ear and I have transcribed a lot of tunes but I never enjoyed the cover band gig. I even turned down a sideman gig for somebody a long time ago because I just don't like playing somebody else's shit all the time or long term. Some people thought I was silly, but I can't force myself to enjoy something I don't enjoy, even for money. There's not a chance in hell I'd learn 40 songs for a $175 bar gig much less 80 songs.That's the point where I think some dudes will reevaluate what they want to do in the music business and their income options.
@@badbrad Speaking for myself I wouldn't. I never did stuff just for money. It made things more difficult financially at times but something else always came along. With that said I have played covers with bands but I'm talking more along the lines of just doing covers for years and making a lifelong career out of playing only other people's material 100% of the time, ah no thanks.
Done them all, except no one ever dropped 40 songs on me night before a gig. F… that and right move. They crossed the line of reasonable accommodation.
TBH ... guys like me... got you by 5 years, played 5 nights a week, raised kids, and held a day job, all while learning 50 songs in a two week period... I'm glad you got to play rock star for awhile... things have changed... don't like the "new" thing? Do your own thing, it's liberating not to cow to someone else's agenda... and... PLAY EVERY DAY.
Man your story about getting hit with an additional 40 songs the night before the gig is really upsetting. I can only imagine your frustration. You've put in so much work and then it's all for nothing to avoid the (probable/inevitable) train wreck.
No matter what type of music or instrument you want to play for $$$, the "barriers to entry" are HIGH. Some people just will not have the natural ear to learn an extreme(?) number of songs quickly. Classical musicians have to learn how to deal with pages of sheet music that are often times more black than white. Singers have to have not only a good voice box, but set of lungs, and a good ear. And sadly, looks too. To me it is amazing when anyone can get paid to play music these days.
I used to get kicked out of every band i was in i hate singers who they think are the band i made every mistake possible 😂i don't even care im impressed with the bands these days I don't even care anymore and dress the same as the crowd sometimes flip flops and jeans in winter that annoys singers i get physically attacked by them sometimes well i used to im chill now and sober and somehow the normal one today
I always quit when it wasn't fun anymore. I would do construction or something to make a paycheck. For whatever reason I grew expecting to enjoy it so thats what ive tried to do. I couldn't possibly learn 40 in a week let alone a day anyway.
I have had music directors send me a 40 plus song list of obscure ass music to learn for 1 show, and my response is send me the charts....if they can't f"em..
Depending on the material maybe one person in the band can be sometimes"hope for the best" and try follow others. But if everybody is as clueless about the songs... hmm what part, bridge, verse, solo, what ever. And then singer is like, "Id like to try different key..." 😂
I remember the 80s where the singer would say hey why don't we play "ladies night in Buffalo ' by DLR ....next week .....they had no idea how hard that stuff was
Singers. Man, what they dont know would fill a house LOL. That is one of the hardest songs I learned back in the day. Not easy at all. Relearning it now.
40 tunes ? Nashville bassist Amos Heller had. A podcast on learning tunes (not 40 either or regular tunes ) usually does 2 new tunes per day to break down learn sections & any signature lines up to where he’s memorized both at the end of the day. I read that the brain after a song learning session continues to process this information while you sleep. Next day the song seems to effortless to play. Yep learned new stuff Teddy Swims, Harry Styles Post Malone , Coldplay Miley etc a lot of it has a distinctive old school R&B low fi feel to so it can be cool to play
Hey Brad, I'm the keyboard player that called you as I was sweating my balls off waiting on the Bus that never showed up! You kno the saying in Nashville,' the business is made out of singers and songwriters and musicians are a dime a dozen'
HS! That was crazy sending you more songs the night before the show. I hope you sent him the bill for having to learn the first 40 songs and wasting your time. $175? How about $125 and a meal and hopefully some tip 💵 split 5 ways.
Nashville was interesting. I was hitting 50 and younger players would still shoot the sh@@ with soembody like me that was twice their age. Steve Wariner's son worked qt a coffee house down by Vanderbilt and Inwould catch up with what he was working on and he was like 20. That was kind of unheard of when I was back in LA in the day.
I missed this due to waking up late and having to go to my soul-crusher job so I can feed the family and keep us out of a damn tent in the woods. Living the dream...problem is it's somebody else's dream.
There's nothing cool about being a rock star today. People are all just zombies on their phone. No such thing as selling your albums. You'll end up in debt.
What Brad is talking about here is a Freelance professional guitar player that make up less than 1% of professional guitar players. These guitar players normally play guitar full time, they are usually guitar teachers and studio musicians. I have never been to Nashville so I don't know what it is like there. It would take a low intelligence type of person to go around securing gigs without having a working band together and scrabble around making phone calls at the last minute looking for musicians to come and play. Even bands that play maybe one gig a month have permanent members of the band. And then surprise someone with a new song list. Who would sign up for that? I have seen many famous bands ask the audience for a song request and not do it, they wrote the song, recorded it and have played it the past. There is a word out there when musicians fail, its called butchering the song. Now there is a need for Freelance professional musicians, when Randy Rhoades died Brad Gillis came in so Ozzy could finish the tour. When James Hetfield's arms were severely burned in a pyro accident they hired a guitar player to finish the tour. On why musicians don't play expensive guitars, it is well known that guitars get "stolen". I would say everybody in the music business can tell you how and when all their stuff got stolen. It can get stolen off the stage during a break, off a truck or while in storage.
Uh in Nashville it is quite common to have to scrabble around for players. What happens when somebody gets sick? Bands are often put together merely by who is available that day. As a band leader I would often be given a lineup that I had no choice in picking. It's just what you have to do. In Nashville where there are so many stages and so many gigs it can happen often that a player screws up and double booked themselves and they call you and say hey can you come down now and play. In smaller markets yeah you usually play with the same guys. In Nashville you rarely have the same guys from gig to gig, unless it is a road gig but even those can be somewhat unstable and have subs.
Subbing as a singer is what is really hard. Playing many rock songs on guitar is a walk in the park compared to singing them. You have to remember lyrics, that’s the hard part. It takes weeks to learn a new batch of songs. A complete new setlist may take a month or more to memorize all the lyrics.
Learning all the parts and solo's to 40 rock songs is a walk in the park all while tap dancing on your pedal board to capture the right sounds? That's easy? Remembering lyrics is harder? Not even close. Besides half the singers these days use an iPhone on the mic stand for lyrics. But before all that, you have a cheat sheet down by the floor and you can glance at it before each verse. It's not even close bro.
In teaching credentialing programs, vocal-only candidates are snickered at😂 Spent enough time searching/waiting for “lead singers” in my youth to just ball up and sing, put them charlatan wanabees out.
Learning 40 songs in 2 days ? Lead parts too ? I’m lucky to learn that many in a month. That doesn’t sound like fun at all. I had the chance to join a band and I was given about that many songs to learn in 2 weeks. I was just playing for fun too. No money involved. I thought , this isn’t fun. Nope. Pass.
Good morning Brad and Everybody.i loved thst interview the other day.very cool.i dig Sixx a.m's 1rst album.but not so mich any others from them. I think nikki is a greedy tool like ozzy anymore ,after the Mick Mars fiasco.however..great interview.and the guy was super cool.
$175.00 a day means $21.87 an hour (5 days a week). If you multiply 21.87 x 2080 hours a year ( most State’s labor dept base hours for compensation calcs); that’s $45,500.00 a year before taxes. Who the f*ck lives on that nowadays? I was a FT musician two decades ago, but when I sat and made the math; I quit the idea of making it “big”.
I don’t gig anymore. At 50, I just play in my home studio spending most of my time writing & recording my own stuff. And I love it!! I don’t care if nobody ever hears my music, it’s pure for the love of it. No more pressure, no more dealing with bullshit. But I do miss being young , playing tons of gigs-great memories.
I hear you!
You do you. For me, playing live is the main reason, the main driver of playing and trying to become better. I've often found myself practicing the least or at all whenever I wasn't involved in a band.
I own a warehouse where I have a drum kit, a Ampeg SVT rig and a 100 watt Marshall Plexi half stack with a Rockcrusher. In the after hours or on the weekend whoever wants to make noise or watch the noise be made can come. Bring whatever food and drink you want. We can get as loud and rowdy as we want because there are no neighbors who care. So we kind of have a pot luck club going and we have fun.
Dave Friedman said 95% of his customer base are hobbiest. People who made their money in some occupation besides music and can afford $3,000 guitars and $3,500 amps. 5% are professional musicians. I would say this is most the industry. It’s why Gibson is selling replica guitars and pickups for crazy money. Musicians aren’t who buy the gear. It’s hobbiest and collectors.
You hit the nail on the head "Muscle Memory" as an original artist with a 75 minute set, for four weeks I would only practice my songs and no other scales, exercises or warm up, just the songs. It was the only way I could remember 75 minutes. I met Eric Johnson in the early 80s and he said you have to play beyond when it's not fun anymore, it's a job.
So very true!
I'm a 77 year old road dog that has been checking out your channel for nearly a year; and I can totally identify and agree with everything you say bro. One of my pet peeves is working for a band leader who is a drummer. They simply do not understand key transpositions on a short notice. For them it's about beats and rhythm but it's a little different for a guitarist.
Love your channel. Keep up the good work!
So true! Thanks so much for tuning in!
Happy New Year Brad. I hope your channel continues to grow. It will with content like this I’m sure. I really appreciate when you share details of your career and are honest about the risks and rewards and commitment it takes.
Thanks for the kind words and support! Much appreciated
I'm a first call fill in bassist here in Knoxville. I got that by always being prepared. I take it as a challenge. Thanks for the video Brad. Have a great day
Have a great day Fred!
Learning 40 songs in 2 days is super human
It happens alot.
Brad Gillis esqu hahaha
That is tremendous
It does happen often. I was plying with multiple bands at once and at one point, was up to over 1k songs in my bag. 250 gigs a year. Made good money but gigging ALL the time, even just around your region, can feel like a world tour. I had Sunday morning off. During the day I learned songs and at night I hosted open mics Monday, Tuesday, weds and gigged Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday nights
Depends on what songs your learning I’ve learned 30 songs in 2 days on bass but there’s some songs I’ve been learning for a month
Man, you are dropping so much truth in these videos.
I hope anyone who is interested in being a professional musician listens carefully to your words.
As the world changes, it’s more crucial than ever for younger cats to understand what it was like when things were really cooking.
I hope so to!!!
Avoiding expensive gear is a good point. A few years ago during an outdoor gig, a gust of wind blew my heavy music stand on my acoustic guitar and gashed it. I'm glad the guitar isn't an expensive Taylor or Martin.
That's a nightmare for sure!
Hey Brad, I just want to say your channel is so helpful to all of us "Mere Mortals". I found your channel, at a time when disillusion, disappointment & despair started hitting my guitar hobby/passion. At 55 years old, and having 37 years of playing behind me, I know there isn't much time left to indulge, because of the physicality side of things. There will be unfinished lessons, unfinished originals, unused equipment and forgotten dreams. But with the advice and perspectives you have given in recent weeks, it puts me in a healthier mindset to face the day when my fingers will only to be able to achieve a speed of 60 bpm 1/4 notes. Maybe someday you can do a video of "The Aging Guitarist". Thanks for your channel! Rock on & keep up the good work!
Thanks so much. I have done some videos on aging guitar legends but undoubtedly will do more.
practice until you can't mess up! some of those solos you just have to have, Still Got The Blues, Black Magic Woman, Hotel California, Sweet Child O' Mine and so many others, you can't fake 'em! I can so relate to gig plans changing over night, those are the worst! A lot of people don't realize that those "working man" gigs and time consuming beyond the actual gig. I had to tell my band this past weekend that a rehearsal with them for me is an all day affair, travel, NYC traffic, stop for gas, etc, etc, they think I beamed in from a space ship, LOL. I had bad tennis elbow for a while but it's been under control now. A lot of NYC musicians I played with back in the 70s and 80s were cab drivers, always struggling to make ends meet, one was a drummer and he wore a practice pad on his leg and would practice during the rare idle times. Anyway, Merry Christmas, Brad and family.
Merry Christmas!!!
i almost have zero desire to play gigs, I get much more fulfilment playing in church about stuff I care for - and now I started to write my own music -> just took my guitar out for a walk by the vienna river and trying out some chords
👍 great
100 percent. The early years are critical. My early years were influenced by jazz players and it still carries over to this day
That will carry you far.
Lead singers were the bain of my band experiences. I went the guitar route model of Jagger/Richards and Perry/Tyler where I did the playing and composing while the lead singer took center stage. Them being in that position gave them all the power in the eyes of promoters, execs and fans. That left me, the person who created the music and the bands, being dragged along at their mercy. One became a drug addict that ruined the project, the other a tyrant who made a lot of bad decisions that cost the band major support and success
After years of being under their control, I finally decided to be my own lead singer that played like SRV. It gave me full control and it was liberating. Looking back on my long career, I realized I should have done that from the start.
The best thing about playing your own songs is theres no judgment about whether Im playing like the record. Its your song so its alwzys correct
My experience to a tee.
Great information about the reality about being a professional guitarist. Decided to make playing guitar a hobby log ago which I still immensely enjoy instead of making a professional living of it. A few things to note.
1. I'm a CPA and I don't even spend thousands of dollars on music equipment. Been playing low end Epiphone Les Paul's for the last 25 years. Started out on a Yamaha RGX-312 with floyd rose back in the late 80s. Nowadays, 90% of the time I am using a THR-10 practice amp or a Fender Mustang Micro w/ headphones (so I won't drive my spouse crazy-lol)
2. Lot of times, even if you do find a group of people who want to get together to form a band, you find out you all like to play rock, but you may like pop metal from the mid to late 80's, another person wants to play classic 60's stuff while another wants to go grunge. So there can be conflict right there.
3. Moving heavy equipment from one gig to another can wear down your back
4. You may not have all the room in your house for your musical equipment and encounter conflicts with roommates/ family members.
5. As I have gotten older other interests outside work such as travelling abroad, spending time with friends/ family, my health, and dancing (west coast swing/ salsa) has reduced the amount of time I'm able to practice. Even after playing for over 20 years.
Great points!
Brad, I’d like to see a video on “how good do you have to be to be a pro guitarist (or musician)” what’s the technical playing level (and work attitude/ethic)
Good Idea!
Great video! This speaks volumes to me. I'm 61.dream is over. Glad I have other hobbies. Build engines. Muscle car shows etc. 👍
Right on!
Wow! A lot of great info in this post. I learned some things I didn't know or realize.👍
Thanks Kevin!
My best paying gig was my first one. 7 years old and sang acapella a couple songs in front of the second grade class. I got a toy helicopter for my effort and didn't spend a nickel on the gig. I became hooked on performing, but music has been a black hole for my money and time. But no regrets. Small price to pay for the journey.
Man I hear you!!
I love music with great guitarists. I’m not a musician myself. But I found your video insightful and very interesting. Much respect my man. 👊🏻
I appreciate that man!
Brad, EVERYTHING you said was spot on! I'm 65 and have been gigging since 1975. A lot less now. I play mostly Squiers now because I don't want some drunk person knocking over my gear. Plus, the back pain issues of hauling gear. Don't laugh, but I had to go to 8 gauge strings because of thumb pain. You learn to adapt. Others make fun of the spider webs I use for strings, but at least I'm still gigging. Take care Brad. You speak the truth that people outside the circle would never understand.
Much appreciated Bill.
Sobering reality of the live music scene. The $175 gig when considering practice time to learn 40 songs, replacing strings, gas money, setting up, warming up, tearing down.. That gig was paying less than minimum wage. Grateful to have the opportunity to play a few gigs back in the 80s and so glad I moved on got a career and now play music for pure enjoyment in my own home studio.
Thanks for sharing your story when I had children it quickly became obvious there was not enough hours in the day and not enough of me to go around . There were a few times in life where I wondered what it would’ve been like to stick with music and not have a family but at this stage in life, I’m grateful I moved on.
Best of luck ..
It’s a tough business! Thank you!
Thanks for more truth, Brad. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Merry Christmas bro!
@badbrad Thanks brother!
Dude no shit, I have that exact same guitar picture on your wall over your right shoulder that lights up. Crazy lol. Great show brother
Awesome! Thank you.
Good to have a solid composition style it will separate you from other players
Very true!
Wait until you get older and arthritis sets in. That morning 9th chord is uncomfortable. Where did that come from?
It helps to have a happy birthday tune ready too lol I played a college lingerie gig at zappatos across from the college stadium in Bryant Texas and they cared more about the happy birthday tune for their friend than they did for the whole set
We use to a funky version of Happy Birthday with an added verse that was a bit risqué.
@badbrad the lead singer got smacked in the teeth with her microphone that night cause some one a little to bent fell into the mic stand trying to help sing the song lmaof she bled for a while lol that's the kinda stuff no one thinks about playing live music and she carried on the singing like it didn't happen
I had a gifted music teacher guitarist (blues) and one time I sat there while he started learning a new set he had to do the next night. He said "the Internet has made a big difference because you can instantly get the chord chart". Anyhow he would spend some time on the first 3-4 bars and then zip forward into the song maybe once or twice and stop. I would say "Is that it?" His reply was a classic Mozart "and the rest is just the same" 😄 I would be trying to figure out a song for days and at the next weekly lesson, he would just listen (no guitar in his hands) to the song and say "well the bottom E is tuned down to D and the A is tuned down to a G" and playing it after that would just fall out. I don't have his musical ears that's for sure.
I have some hacks like that I did as well. Maybe a topic for a video.
How can someone learn 40 songs in a couple days? This is so hard, memorizing songs. I have been working on learning Little Wing for a year! This is not the only song I am working on, though. I have been working on the same 25 hard song list for a year and I have learned maybe 6 of them. memorized. I practice all day long, and I am wondering, how does one memorize songs faster? HOW?
Break the song down to the basics, just the chords. IF you're trying to nail every lick Hendrix or SRV played you will never get there. Play it your own way, those guys did. Be able to improvise with those chord shapes.
See Gilby Clarke circa Nov of '91 when he stepped in for the departed Izzy Stradlin in Guns N' Roses. Let's see, Mr. Clarke had to get familiar with the entirety of Appetite, Lies and BOTH Use Your Illusion records AND some covers. I think he had to learn the Guns catalog in a week or two and he did a fantastic job. Matt Sorum basically the same thing in the fall of '90 when he was hired to not only do the drum work on both Illusion records but also prep for a two+ year tour. He too did a very fine job. Good video, Brad, glad you explained this to the adults that don't know and the kids on their way up who might be curious. Ain't a damn thing wrong w/Partscaster guitars, lol. I love them. I'll get a decent body and put in better pickups and do it my way.
Those were some huge shoes to fill!
@ indeed, sir. I like how you break down the economics of guitars, gear, making $$, it ain’t easy.
Much appreciated!
High price gear high end gear does not equal high end tone if one can't utilize their tools properly.
I don't have a ton of money in my basssa guitars and amps and pedals.
But they can do anything a the cork sniffer stuff can. With ease.
It blows people's minds.
I've got 5 guitars rn that have to hit the bench. One of them is a pos but it's special to me. It wasy brothers last guitar purchased. It's been in a.skeleton for 20 years and the last physical thing left of him.
I honor of him that 1986 red bc rich platinum series guitar will live again. Now that I have the knowledge and skills to bring it back better than it was when new.
Kind of excited about it.
I'd like my mom to see it done before she passes she's getting old. 82 now
Right on Jerry! 👍🏻
I don't consider myself a very good guitar player at all but have turned down two opportunities to be in a band because of family health issues. I can't even comprehend having to learn 2 or 3 new songs that quick.
2 or three is not that bad…
@badbrad well when I say I'm not that good it's not an exaggeration. But I'm just a mediocre rythem player but one of the guys said it's really hard to find and keep someone who loves just playing rythem guitar.
Good Vibes today Everyone!🎉
Thank you Dana 🙏
i hard trigger finger for a while - pure agony, -> a RUBZ ball helped a lot and finger stretching
Wow man.
I often think of the “minor leaguers” when comparing your sound wisdom with other things I’ve heard from other musicians. I used to listen to a lot of singer songwriters who I thought were amazing when I was 16-30 ish. Now I listen to the albums and I wonder who I was then. I was a huge Greg brown fan. I remember him making fun of musicians who complained about life in the road. He said they were whiners and basically“I’ve had real jobs man, it’s not that hard to drive around singing a few songs every couple nights “. I thought his level musician was perfect. You could still walk down the street without anyone knowing you, but could sell out 500 seats in medium sized towns all year long. Drive around in your van with a dog and stay with friends along the way. But what you’re describing is a lot of work that doesn’t pay, and isn’t just creative fun art making. That’s real work and real pressure and there’s no faking the results, or second chances.
Very true. The romantic notion of it being this walk in the park ....that's a rare thing.
Thanks, Brad. The daily 'doom and gloom'. What about Sunset Strip?
Plenty of that to come and lots available to channel members.
Always good to learn always younger people have a lot of info now to develop
100% Accurate!
Thank you!
Gotta be able to adjust to different singers and bands. Timing, key, etc.
Oh ya
When I was young enough to pull the college birds I could of gave a damn about how much money I was making. I thought $75 and a good time was the top of the world.... maybe it was too 🤔
It probably was!
Hi Brad thanks again for another insightful vid 👍
Thanks Jeff!
I was in Nashville for a year, no way I could play full time like that.
I hear you!
Thats crazy brad. The cover and original band i was in shit we'd get couple grand just for Friday and Saturday . Plus you have to pay for sound guy. PA. Hotel. Travel expenses.
Yeah it's tough for sure.
I've told Pastor at work I need 2 weeks at least to learn the 5 songs we play on Sunday. These arent Alice Cooper or Queen etc songs that I've had in my head for 50 years they are all unheard. Fortunately there is the Tube here and I can study past performances and the original Elevation versions to learn stuff. And I have to find my part, which is atmospherics, triads, cool chord inversions while staying outta the way of the keyboard player the primary melody voice. All for free, they dont pay me to be a musician! I can keep about 90 minutes of music under my fingers at all times, a lot of stuff "goes up to the attic". Simple stuff may take 5 minutes to recover, more complicated an hour or two. 40 songs in 24 to 48 hours is light years beyond me, which is why I'm an amateur.
If your rent was dependent on it you might be able to learn quicker...lol.
Oh yes. That’s a sign of an early seat frame. I just looked and can’t find a changeover date for the MB seats.
Up here in Owosso Michigan it's not worth practicing and rehearsing 40 hours for a gig that wants to pay "$100.00 a man a piece" .
I wind up doing very few gigs these days. At 72 I won't go four sets, play after one a.m.,
or play requests all night.
I force feed 'em Hank Williams, Mr. Sandman, Just a Gigalo, Bye Bye Love, Ghost Riders, Tutti Frutti, It Had to Be You.
I pride myself on being one of the most hated guitar / vocalists in Shiawassee county! Get off my lawn!
Dusty you are the man!
Bro , doooood, the shit you've been through. Speaks volumes to your fortitude and resilience.
Be proud of all you've accomplished and endured and learned in your life Already.
I've drove the uber hahaha, in between being a consultant on cannabis and cbd farms. Yah I wear many hats and good enough at all of it that I get paid well for my time.
Too many hobbies/passions? ahahaha perception is everything.
That’s a really cool perspective!
I was to learn 40 once in a week , Shit it took me 5 days Hahahahaha.
And the genre it was. Everything ended up sounding the same to me. And I'd get confused what song we were playing hahahaha.
The band ends up splitting 2 weeks later anyway.
All good friends still to this day.
And I still work with the drummer a lot doing sound for bands. Setup teardown and a damn good ear.
What Brad Gillis had to learn as fast as he did when randy died was insane... Randy and sabbath tunes.
Nutz
Talk about a monster.
I had to Learn 40 songs in a week Ended up with a giant Z IT before the show LOL It was right on my nose man
The stress will do it!
“My time is not my own” = fatherhood ;))
Yes!
Hallelujah Bro, I’m 61 and I wish I had my 14 year old wood-shedding bedroom and mommy lookin after me (you have to eat 😂🤘🏻
Edit: $175 should be net you put in your pocket MINIMUM after taxes and expenses and they better be compin’ amenities. Ya I’m dreaming. I’m playing for gas money now 😂🙏
Man I've listened to a bunch of your videos recently. You convincingly tap into a lot of styles. Great, mature playing. Back in the earlier days in LA, did you ever catch some of the more fusion guys? Like Scott Henderson or Frank Gambale? Maybe Carl Verheyen?
Played with Scott at G.I.T. And saw Gambale live.
Not only do guitars get banged up but _sh*t get's stolen!!_
Oh yeah!👍🏻
and that is such a bummer
I never liked playing cover tunes. I have a very good ear and I have transcribed a lot of tunes but I never enjoyed the cover band gig. I even turned down a sideman gig for somebody a long time ago because I just don't like playing somebody else's shit all the time or long term. Some people thought I was silly, but I can't force myself to enjoy something I don't enjoy, even for money. There's not a chance in hell I'd learn 40 songs for a $175 bar gig much less 80 songs.That's the point where I think some dudes will reevaluate what they want to do in the music business and their income options.
I hear ya. If you need the money, you will do it.
@@badbrad Speaking for myself I wouldn't. I never did stuff just for money. It made things more difficult financially at times but something else always came along. With that said I have played covers with bands but I'm talking more along the lines of just doing covers for years and making a lifelong career out of playing only other people's material 100% of the time, ah no thanks.
Depends on the songs your learning
It does.
If it’s a Yngwie Malmsteen cover band, it could be annoying memorizing his solos
@@ramencurry6672 That would be a tough gig.
Done them all, except no one ever dropped 40 songs on me night before a gig. F… that and right move. They crossed the line of reasonable accommodation.
Indeed.
TBH ... guys like me... got you by 5 years, played 5 nights a week, raised kids, and held a day job, all while learning 50 songs in a two week period... I'm glad you got to play rock star for awhile... things have changed... don't like the "new" thing? Do your own thing, it's liberating not to cow to someone else's agenda... and... PLAY EVERY DAY.
Right on.
I like the bass id wish I was a bass player instead if I was to go back to the start
I hear you
17:10 gotta get Excalibur (from Wayne’s World) 😊
Man your story about getting hit with an additional 40 songs the night before the gig is really upsetting. I can only imagine your frustration. You've put in so much work and then it's all for nothing to avoid the (probable/inevitable) train wreck.
It was tough.
No matter what type of music or instrument you want to play for $$$, the "barriers to entry" are HIGH. Some people just will not have the natural ear to learn an extreme(?) number of songs quickly. Classical musicians have to learn how to deal with pages of sheet music that are often times more black than white. Singers have to have not only a good voice box, but set of lungs, and a good ear. And sadly, looks too. To me it is amazing when anyone can get paid to play music these days.
It is pretty tough.
There are some young guys coming up in Nashville thatayne have a new path but are getting good. Daniel Donato comes to mind.
He one of the young guys that’s been around for a bit.
I used to get kicked out of every band i was in i hate singers who they think are the band i made every mistake possible 😂i don't even care im impressed with the bands these days I don't even care anymore and dress the same as the crowd sometimes flip flops and jeans in winter that annoys singers i get physically attacked by them sometimes well i used to im chill now and sober and somehow the normal one today
Very interesting
I always quit when it wasn't fun anymore. I would do construction or something to make a paycheck. For whatever reason I grew expecting to enjoy it so thats what ive tried to do. I couldn't possibly learn 40 in a week let alone a day anyway.
Yeah, 40 songs in a day is crazy
I have had music directors send me a 40 plus song list of obscure ass music to learn for 1 show, and my response is send me the charts....if they can't f"em..
Man I hear ya there bro!
@badbrad ,I might not say that if it was a well paid 3 months tour..but 1 or 2 gigs not worth the brain width.
Very true!
Depending on the material maybe one person in the band can be sometimes"hope for the best" and try follow others. But if everybody is as clueless about the songs... hmm what part, bridge, verse, solo, what ever. And then singer is like, "Id like to try different key..." 😂
I have nightmares about that lol.
thumbs up x 10
Thank you!🙏
I remember the 80s where the singer would say hey why don't we play "ladies night in Buffalo ' by DLR ....next week .....they had no idea how hard that stuff was
Man that stuff was super hard
Singers.
Man, what they dont know would fill a house LOL.
That is one of the hardest songs I learned back in the day. Not easy at all. Relearning it now.
@@michaelwilson2497 man you know
40 tunes ? Nashville bassist Amos Heller had. A podcast on learning tunes (not 40 either or regular tunes ) usually does 2 new tunes per day to break down learn sections & any signature lines up to where he’s memorized both at the end of the day. I read that the brain after a song learning session continues to process this information while you sleep. Next day the song seems to effortless to play. Yep learned new stuff Teddy Swims, Harry Styles Post Malone , Coldplay Miley etc a lot of it has a distinctive old school R&B low fi feel to so it can be cool to play
Some of those tunes you hear in your sleep even when you don't like them lol.
@@badbrad 🤣
Hey Brad, I'm the keyboard player that called you as I was sweating my balls off waiting on the Bus that never showed up! You kno the saying in Nashville,' the business is made out of singers and songwriters and musicians are a dime a dozen'
Duuuuuude! It’s a tough business.
HS! That was crazy sending you more songs the night before the show. I hope you sent him the bill for having to learn the first 40 songs and wasting your time.
$175? How about $125 and a meal and hopefully some tip 💵 split 5 ways.
I just took a loss and bailed.
Dude I enjoyed the video, great work 👏. But I clicked because of that tasty purple Strat in the thumbnail. What is is?
This one! Get the Fesley FDK800 here: amzn.to/3Br2cMX
Nashville was interesting. I was hitting 50 and younger players would still shoot the sh@@ with soembody like me that was twice their age. Steve Wariner's son worked qt a coffee house down by Vanderbilt and Inwould catch up with what he was working on and he was like 20. That was kind of unheard of when I was back in LA in the day.
I hear ya there!
I missed this due to waking up late and having to go to my soul-crusher job so I can feed the family and keep us out of a damn tent in the woods. Living the dream...problem is it's somebody else's dream.
I hear you bro and thank you for tuning in.
No way I’d wanna turn music into labor.
Glad I'm only a mediocre guitar player. Never had to worry about making a living as a musician. 😆
It's tough.
Any chance you were compensated for learning the 1st 40 songs?Good call to pass,how ridiculous!
Not one cent.
@ Sorry.
I buy chibsons and put good hardware on em
Ok
@@badbrad lol.
There's nothing cool about being a rock star today. People are all just zombies on their phone. No such thing as selling your albums. You'll end up in debt.
Ya close brad.
What Brad is talking about here is a Freelance professional guitar player that make up less than 1% of professional guitar players. These guitar players normally play guitar full time, they are usually guitar teachers and studio musicians. I have never been to Nashville so I don't know what it is like there. It would take a low intelligence type of person to go around securing gigs without having a working band together and scrabble around making phone calls at the last minute looking for musicians to come and play. Even bands that play maybe one gig a month have permanent members of the band. And then surprise someone with a new song list. Who would sign up for that? I have seen many famous bands ask the audience for a song request and not do it, they wrote the song, recorded it and have played it the past. There is a word out there when musicians fail, its called butchering the song. Now there is a need for Freelance professional musicians, when Randy Rhoades died Brad Gillis came in so Ozzy could finish the tour. When James Hetfield's arms were severely burned in a pyro accident they hired a guitar player to finish the tour. On why musicians don't play expensive guitars, it is well known that guitars get "stolen". I would say everybody in the music business can tell you how and when all their stuff got stolen. It can get stolen off the stage during a break, off a truck or while in storage.
Uh in Nashville it is quite common to have to scrabble around for players. What happens when somebody gets sick? Bands are often put together merely by who is available that day. As a band leader I would often be given a lineup that I had no choice in picking. It's just what you have to do. In Nashville where there are so many stages and so many gigs it can happen often that a player screws up and double booked themselves and they call you and say hey can you come down now and play. In smaller markets yeah you usually play with the same guys. In Nashville you rarely have the same guys from gig to gig, unless it is a road gig but even those can be somewhat unstable and have subs.
We call that fresh smell Country Spice
lol
Good choice of words Brad. I.E. "harsh". One more use of "brutal" and you risked an ünsubscribe. LOL.
Lol
It’s not what it’s cracked up to be unless you get a big gig.
Truth
I meant Great
👍🏻
Subbing as a singer is what is really hard. Playing many rock songs on guitar is a walk in the park compared to singing them. You have to remember lyrics, that’s the hard part. It takes weeks to learn a new batch of songs. A complete new setlist may take a month or more to memorize all the lyrics.
Learning all the parts and solo's to 40 rock songs is a walk in the park all while tap dancing on your pedal board to capture the right sounds? That's easy? Remembering lyrics is harder? Not even close. Besides half the singers these days use an iPhone on the mic stand for lyrics. But before all that, you have a cheat sheet down by the floor and you can glance at it before each verse. It's not even close bro.
You gotta have another job and do it because you enjoy it. Oh I can’t even take 4 hour gigs anymore.
bro $175 for 20 hours work man ..... I think I'll keep coding
It's tough.
Yes singers know nothing about music this why I only play instrumentals check out my original guitar compositions
👍🏻
In teaching credentialing programs, vocal-only candidates are snickered at😂
Spent enough time searching/waiting for “lead singers” in my youth to just ball up and sing, put them charlatan wanabees out.
😂
I’m guessing it’s late where you are? Maybe the family is sleeping? Because of the whispering. 😉
Yes or early.
I have no "Smpathy WitThe Devl/
I hear you!
❤ I wouldn't listen to this stuff if you paid me to listen to it😂
lol
Learning 40 songs in 2 days ? Lead parts too ? I’m lucky to learn that many in a month. That doesn’t sound like fun at all. I had the chance to join a band and I was given about that many songs to learn in 2 weeks. I was just playing for fun too. No money involved. I thought , this isn’t fun. Nope. Pass.
That is a lot of work, for sure.
Just go
Good morning Brad and Everybody.i loved thst interview the other day.very cool.i dig Sixx a.m's 1rst album.but not so mich any others from them. I think nikki is a greedy tool like ozzy anymore ,after the Mick Mars fiasco.however..great interview.and the guy was super cool.
He is super cool!
$175.00 a day means $21.87 an hour (5 days a week). If you multiply 21.87 x 2080 hours a year ( most State’s labor dept base hours for compensation calcs); that’s $45,500.00 a year before taxes. Who the f*ck lives on that nowadays? I was a FT musician two decades ago, but when I sat and made the math; I quit the idea of making it “big”.
It’s tough.
you could be a young Bob Dylan or John Lennon nowadays and nobody would care. The smart audience is gone.
guitar players have the most fun.
Ha ha yes!👍🏻
I have like 6 copies of that WHIPPED CREAM record.
Sweet!