Pro or Newbie?

psyx

Ok so recently there have been alot of debates on the forum about rookies and pro's and their contributions etc... So I thought it would be interesting to see what the composition is of the regular forumites... Call it a GFSA sensus for interest's sake.

No intention to start a debate or to troll.

(old forum) Poll Results: Are you a..?

Pro Musician (Full time): 3
Pro musician (Part-time): 11
Amateur musician,doing the occasional gig: 29
Bedroom musician (Advanced): 4
Bedroom musician (intermediate): 19
Bedroom musician (beginner): 6

Gearhead

Don't mean to troll either, but in your poll all non-pro musos either want to be pro or play in their bedrooms?

psyx

Gearhead wrote Don't mean to troll either, but in your poll all non-pro musos either want to be pro or play in their bedrooms?

I will change the advanced bedroom muso to someone who gigs occasionally
Edit:

racman

What if I don't play guitar in the bedroom?

psyx

Ok So I added the gigging amateur field... See a bedroom muso as a lone jammer ?

DaFiz

40 years of guitar playing definitely no newbie, yet no pro either...
Always felt a trade would pay the rent and put the kids through school more effectively.
To this day I find the musician's earnings are pathetic, unless you're right at the top of the game.

I play for beer and a boerie... anything above that is bonus ?

Stoffeltoo

I second Dafiz on the beer and the boerie, seldom got a bonus except in Clarens when I got beer and coffee on the pavement during an impromptu(Sp?) gig. No Boeries

Arno-West

Vote submitted. Surely I can't be the only Full-Time Pro Musician on this forum?

warrenpridgeon

um... I don't really fall into any of the categories...

I am not a pro muso... but I "gig" at least once a week sometimes twice a week... I play in church...

Gearhead

Gigging is playing for people, Warren. It is my distinct impression the Lord is a lot more tolerant than human audiences when it comes to appreciating performance :?

?

AlanRatcliffe

I'd call myself semi-pro - or "pro musician (Part-time)" as it seems to be called here. ? i.e. I get paid to perform, but it isn't my sole source of income. I suspect that by that definition, many of our local "pro" musicians are the same.

Arno West wrote Surely I can't be the only Full-Time Pro Musician on this forum?

You're not - far from it. But its a rare full time pro who also still wants to talk about it online in their downtime. Something I understand completely - when I was working in stores and when I was repairing, all while playing in bands, I found I didn't play for pleasure (or practice enough), which became a problem.

warrenpridgeon

Gearhead wrote Gigging is playing for people, Warren. It is my distinct impression the Lord is a lot more tolerant than human audiences when it comes to appreciating performance :?

?

I guess so hey. lol. well then I gig quite a lot. I don't know how I compare to amateur or pro... and then there are some bedroom rockstars that would play a lot of us under the table (i've seen em on YouTube. lol).

AlanRatcliffe

warrenpridgeon wrote I don't know how I compare to amateur or pro...

Strictly speaking - as with any other industry or art, it's about the money: If all your income is from playing, you are a pro; If part of your income comes from playing, you are semi-pro; if you don't get paid, you're an amateur. It has nothing really to do with expertise, as you get a lot of pros who are not very skilled and a lot of amateurs who are amazing players.

warrenpridgeon

Alan Ratcliffe wrote
warrenpridgeon wrote I don't know how I compare to amateur or pro...
Strictly speaking - as with any other industry or art, it's about the money: If all your income is from playing, you are a pro; If part of your income comes from playing, you are semi-pro; if you don't get paid, you're an amateur. It has nothing really to do with expertise, as you get a lot of pros who are not very skilled and a lot of amateurs who are amazing players.

makes sense!

Psean

Somewhere between bedroom musician (intermediate -only because I've been playing too long to be called a beginner) and Amateur musician,doing the occasional gig. Got a band now,but I don't think open mics count as gigs.

Keira-WitherKay

Well i'm a fulltime pro musician and have been since mid 80's ..... And pay tax on it too , as its my sole source of income ...never had a "real" job in my life ?

strataxe

...and having seen Keira in action, she knows what she's doing. Me, played church 8 months, now again just playing for myself, (on the stage and the crowd in my dreams...) ☹ ? ? ?, in the living room and the tv audience

PeteM

I'm a pro musician part time... Sadly, I earn a pittance out of music, teaching and gigging, and earn real money doing other stuff.

Stoffeltoo

Gearhead wrote Gigging is playing for people, Warren. It is my distinct impression the Lord is a lot more tolerant than human audiences when it comes to appreciating performance :?

?

Well said Gearhead.
I play in church as well and it really gives me great joy.
Does gigging for Mozambicans on a dhow count? Nogal with a classical el cheapo that I took along for the trip. (see avatar pic) I think I did Ok else I might have been keel hauled.
Other places that I went gigging was on top of Platberg at Harrismith to an audience of 7 flyfisherman.
The 2004 Metallic Silhouette Worlds in Bloem and off course my dearest wife and daughters
My best gig was an impromptu pavement job in Clarens which was absolutely priceless the Sunday after the Beer festival

Norman86

Too long to be beginner, but too short to be intermediate!