Dreaming of earning your living as a professional guitar player? Well, there are multiple ways you can accomplish your dream! Becoming a full-time musician requires a lot of talent and experience along with creativity and thinking out of the box. You can earn from your skills in several different ways.
How to Make Money as a Guitar Player
Definitely Do Solo Shows
As a musician, you have the option to earn money by giving solo performances. You can find many coffee shops, bars and restaurants open to the idea of having you perform at their venue. The reason being that they are often on the lookout for live music options and are usually agreeable to paying for gigs.
A great way to approach such opportunities is to visit these venues and build up a rapport with the staff as well as a reputation as a good musician. Be sure to have your promotional material ready. These should include quality photographs and professional recordings. These must also be available on your website. Keep in mind that you might need to supply your own PA system at these shows.
Join and Associate With a Cover Band
It is also a good idea to join a cover band which play songs recorded by well-known singers. They often pay well and are in business, whether it be playing at weddings, events or even cruise ships. Looking around your local community or city for such bands and connecting with them is a great way to start.
Make the Most of Stand-In Gigs
Sometimes one or more band member can become unavailable. It could be because of a long-planned holiday or an accident or a sudden illness. Whatever the reason may be the band instead of turning down the gig goes in search of a replacement. At such times, performing as a replacement can reap rich dividends. More so because not only is it a good source of income but also of showcasing your talent.
Once you become more familiar with the style and repertoire of the band and if they like how you play, its ground for more work to come your way. Because of the last-minute nature of such gigs it is difficult to learn a lot of music quickly. The best way to be prepared is to know music usually covered by local bands and stay in practice.
Become a Session Guitarist
While many aspire to do session work, it is a difficult way to make money. However, it is the most creative of all outlets for guitarists and can be a fantastic way to write original music and even earn from it. Session work can usually be divided into two spheres.
One is live performances and second is studio recording. In live performances, you will be backing artists in live bands learning your part from their record and arranging live music. In the case of studios, as a session guitarist, you will need to contribute to an artist’s recordings whether it be a single, an album or an EP.
Most people believe that session players only work with famous artists but that is not necessarily true. There is no specific route to get into session work and jobs here are hardly ever advertised. Which is why networking is key. Attending music courses, visiting local music venues and open mic nights and getting to know music players and producers in your local area is a good way to find lucrative opportunities.
Become a Guitar Teacher
A good way to make some money as a musician is by teaching others how to play the guitar. While it may sound simple, it takes some work to build a reliable base of students. While you can obviously teach students on a one-on-one basis, you also have options to teach the instrument online via Skype or Zoom. You can also opt to teach at music schools, music stores or at charity projects.
Again depending on your music qualifications and experience you can also teach at schools or colleges. In case, your decision is to teach privately, your first step would be to plan a syllabus and work accordingly. With more experience, you can teach multiple students at the same time for a higher fees.
Want to learn more about how you can start your guitar journey? Take a look at our guitar courses, here – Online Guitar Classes
