Bit of a Rant Sorry, "Professional Singers" Options

[soccermom]

And presumably, if listening to music in a pub, many people's critical faculties will have been dulled by alcohol before the singer starts!

[Barry Toner]

If I see that a pub has "live music" on, I will always head for another pub. I know that the music (style and substance) and performance standard will not appeal. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ill.gif)

[RoseRodent]

Now where did I put the link to that article about Joshua Bell playing in the subway station? Most people really don't care an awful lot about quality, I'm afraid. Or they want fast, fast, fast. I played a recording to someone today and although he had years of flute lessons he totally misread the difficulty level, he thought it was about grade 6 and I was amazing on the flute. It was actually a prep test level piece! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) Play something slow to your average untrained ear and they think you are not very good because good is always fast, right? I can impress people with one of my piano pieces as it's all broken chords and scale passages but it's fast and goes right up and down the piano, sounds amazing but any pianist would know it's utterly without substance.

I have been thinking about this aspect of "professional" recently myself, as my big dream was to be a pro musician, but what is a professional anyway? In one musical capacity I have actually be paid for my music and paid royalties from a CD sale so i guess I've been a pro musician but it didn't feel like it at the time, and it was hardly my best work. A friend of mine plays in a pro band simply by definition that they play and people give him money, but it's basically busking but indoors. Then I played in a self-supporting amateur orchestra, all costs paid for by ticket sales, high standard of performance, some members are indeed professional performers. It's technically amateur, but it's much higher standard than my professional work. So what, really, is professional peforming? You can take the dictionary definition - did you get any money? - or you can take a wider thought process on it. It gets extra-ordinarily muddy in the world of sports, where most of the elite are amateurs, but amateurs who have their kit and training sponsored and are paid a maintenance allowance to live on... but they are amateurs, of course!

[Tenor Viol]

It's one of those things where the definition varies according to whom you speak. My view is that if you primarily make your living through performing then you are in effect 'professional'.

I'm only just starting the world of playing in an orchestra and performing, but I ahve a lot of experience with choirs. Choirs also pay a subscription to run their choir, they (usually) pay for a music director and an accompanist. The major income source after subs is usually ticket sales. They engage perfomers (soloists and players) to accompany them. These people will be of various levels from amateur through to fully pro, usually dictated by funds (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) .

What I do know is that most "amateur" singers and players, are often much better than pub "pro" performers. It's wrong to label all this way as undoubtedly some will be very good.

By way of example, I was in Chester yesterday. There was a guy busking on a electric violin. Wired up to a load of kit with all sorts of effects. What he was playiing was very simple and required very little skill. The sound after it had been through all the effects boxes/synthesizers etc sounded very complex. People were chucking money in the hat. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif) I've seen kids busking playing Bach and being ignored.

[Victoria Clarke]

I think one of the reasons is musicians who study hard might have a few top flight pieces they can perform to a very high standard, but a pub singer will usually be booked to perform for up to 3 hours. That's a lot of material. You can't expect all the songs to be top notch. Also, pub/ hotel singers get requested to sing things which do not suit them just because they are popular. I don't think anyone likes singing Achy Breaky Heart or I Just Wanna Dance The Night Away, Sweet Caroline etc.. but it's what the punters like.
You can't provide an evenings entertainment singing just stuff you like. I've learned this the hard way. Yes, I do have a degree, and I am doing my diploma. But I have also worked as a hotel singer.
I enjoy singing Schubert, Bellini, Faure, opera and sacred music.
Punters want Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Adele etc. and if you can't deliver top 40 and pop standards you won't get paid, simple as. When I go out busking I sing opera and classical crossover, not top 40. I don't know if I'd make more if I did (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)
I really don't enjoy pop very much.