New Freelancing Rules
Saturday, July 19, 2008
I know, I know, its been, like, a million years since I last blogged. Maybe some of you are even still reading. Anyway, things have been going well here in the Illadelphia. Basically, I have nothing to complain about except the blistering heat. But everyone's complaining about that, so I don't have to. And anyway, I have an air conditioner in my room so even that complaint doesn't really hold that much water. And I could complain about gas prices, too, but everyone's doing that, too, so the best I can do is put on my walkin' shoes and not get in my car whenever possible.
I read an article on Jason Heath's Bass Blog a few weeks ago titled "Twelve Tips for Freelance Musicians." Its a great article and I basically agree with everything on there, but I do have a few things to add that might seem like no-brainers, but came in SERIOUSLY handy recently.
1) Keep your gas tank full. Or, at the very least, never let your car get to the point where you are "running on fumes." Personally, I just hate stopping at the pump. I hate all the money I'm pouring into my gas tank, and I don't like taking the time out of my day. (Luckily, I drive through New Jersey a lot where it is illegal to pump your own gas!) But I have been known to get into those sticky situations where I'm driving around frantically hoping to find a gas station before I run out of gas. I also frequently get home at night, notice the gas tank is painfully low and say "I'll just get gas on my way out tomorrow."
So filling your tank serves (at least) two useful purposes: (a) Running out of gas on the way to a gig would seriously suck. (b) If the Philadelphia Orchestra calls you and asks if you can be at the Mann Center in 20 minutes, you don't have to worry about whether your car has gas or not.
2) If your horn needs minor repairs, don't put it off. You don't want to show up with a horn that's buzzing from two broken braces that you just haven't had the time or inclination to take to a competent repair person to have fixed. This sounds a little dumb, but keep your instrument in top condition at all times, even in the summer when you might not be playing as much.
3) Keep your chops in shape. Whatever that might mean for you... If you are one of those lucky individuals who can take two weeks off, then pick up the horn and play the Long Call 14 times in a row, then more power to you. I happen to know that I am not one of those people, though, and I have a fairly long warm-up and "maintenance" routine.
If you are a lucky freelancer who can plan out your schedule for an entire season before it even begins, you can easily see what major works are coming up and you can plan for the kinds of playing that you'll be doing. But if you are still rocking out on the 11:30 a.m. calls that go something like this "Can you be here in 20 minutes?" "Sure!", it is comforting to know that you've been practicing your scales and you're competent enough to play assistant (or 4th, or principal, or kazoo) on anything.
4) Also, if you keep your clothing in a locker at a hall somewhere, make sure that you at least have a backup pair of shoes at home.
I'm going to TRY to blog more often, but its so damn hot its hard to do anything, let alone string words together in sentences. Happy summer, y'all!
Posted byL. at 12:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: Freelancing, gigs
