What does it mean to be a pro?

[Guildedagain]

vs an amateur, is that one doesn't get paid to to do it "for a living", but what if you could?

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[Stuball48]

Great question Guildedagain.
My first love is old Bluegrass, old religious, and Rock and Roll from 60s and 70s. And I have heard lots of Country performers who are not very good players of their instruments but had voices good enough to be a professional musician. A capo is their best friend.
We may not know but the person who is really a good player will know within 10 minutes if they are listening to a pro or amateur.

 

[GAD]

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[Default]

Being in tune, *before* you do your three songs at the open mic.

 

[Rocky]

vs an amateur, is that one doesn't get paid to to do it "for a living" , but what if you could?

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Well, I know that there are people whose job it is to spread faeces. Most of them appear on Sunday morning talk shows.

As far as music, I think being a popular music "pro" (so few people can actually make a living at music) is having enough material to do roughly two complete three hour shows without repeats or major mistakes, not have to read chords or lyrics off of a sheet (having a discrete reference copy isn't completely forbidden), being able to engage an audience, and have reasonable control over your sound for the venue.

 

[HeyMikey]

Most pro concerts I’ve been to the headliner plays less than 2 hours so I don’t think having 6 hours of music memorized is a qualifier. Heck with a hit single you can be a pro touring backup band playing 5-10 songs per gig opening for the headliner. I’ve also seen uber pro’s like Al Dimeola reading from charts - most likely because they were professional enough to be able to do so well without much prior rehearsal.

For most players being “professional” comes down to being well prepared - knowing your music cold before a show, having a solid gear and sound set up, and pushing through with authority like nothing happened if you make a mistake.

That ain’t me. I so rarely perform anymore that I live squarely on the edge of mediocrity vs. disaster recovery when I do. Thank goodness I have a day job!

 

[tonepoet]

My two-cents is that being a pro has nothing to do with money. You play and create because you genuinely love it and wouldn't feel complete unless you were doing it. That you would keep doing it no matter what, which means that you'd even keep doing it for free.

I recall seeing Frank Zappa in an interview once where he said that there is only two things you should do: 1) Keep going and 2) Never give up.

 

[tonepoet]

For most players being “professional” comes down to being well prepared - knowing your music cold before a show, having a solid gear and sound set up, and pushing through with authority like nothing happened if you make a mistake

Well said, HeyMikey.

I think the best thing I ever heard about making mistakes live was said by banjo Master Earl Scruggs. His observation was to make the same mistake in the same place the second time around. Make the mistake a part of the live performance.

Also, Beethoven said that if a mistake was an accident that that was acceptable.

 

[crank]

What it means to be a pro vs. amateur is that a pro makes their living playing music. Are there some amateurs who are better players than some professionals? Yes there are.

And yes if I could I would.

 

[Guildedagain]

Any ads you see are a result of your browsing history.

I beg to differ, I haven't searched/researched anything to do with toilets or going to the toilet probably ever, and certainly not in well over a near two decades as we have what's called "outdoor plumbing", composting toilet, probably the finest low stress system ever devised.

 

[GAD]

I beg to differ, I haven't searched/researched anything to do with toilets or going to the toilet probably ever, and certainly not in well over a near two decades as we have what's called "outdoor plumbing", composting toilet, probably the finest low stress system ever devised.

Targeted advertising is WAY more complex than "He searched for X so show him X". Honestly, just use an ad-blocker. I don't know how people use the Internet without one.

As for this thread, I should have deleted it from the start because it's the kind of thing that cheapens the experience, but it amused me how many people didn't get the point and talked about being a pro musician. If it cycles back to the intended topic then expect it to be closed.

 

[Guildedagain]

I'm sorry, it was supposed to be humor about [the ridiculousness] of going to the can like a pro.


Lost a long time friend (since 1977) to pancreatic cancer yesterday, a very good player, able to switch between a multitude of tunings without any need for a tuner, and a good singer to boot. I didn't even know he was sick, no one told me, I never got to say goodbye.

I only saw him once or twice a year, but always a great visit. He'd lost his ability to play, so I would tune one of his guitars and play for him. So long Corky.

And so I thought a little humor would help, but I had no idea people were going to veer into what it means to be a pro musician.

 

[chazmo]

I consider myself to be a semi-pro musician. I have almost uniformly refused to take money for my participation in various groups, primarily on trumpet, that is. On guitar, gosh, nobody would want to pay me anyway! I did take money for some gigs on guitar/voice back when I was younger... Was I a professional then? Arguably yes, I guess.

Technically, of course, you're a professional if you get paid. Doesn't matter how good or bad you are or what kind of music you're participating in.

The question is actually more relevant for some sports which have no "professional" level of competition. For example, I am a competitive trap shooter, but there is no professional organization of trap shooters. The entire sport is "amateur." Lots of us get paid at various levels for prizes, etc. But, in this domain, the "professionals" are the ones who have corporate sponsorship. You could also argue that the top competitors are professionals, but I'm sticking with my definition.

 

[davidbeinct]

Targeted advertising is WAY more complex than "He searched for X so show him X". Honestly, just use an ad-blocker. I don't know how people use the Internet without one.

As for this thread, I should have deleted it from the start because it's the kind of thing that cheapens the experience, but it amused me how many people didn't get the point and talked about being a pro musician. If it cycles back to the intended topic then expect it to be closed.

I suspect the reason it didn’t go in the direction of the ad is that most of us have trained our brains, without really trying, to skip right over banner ads.

 

[crank]

I think that most, ok all of us, are not young and therefore we have all pooped enough to all be pro poopers. There's a band name: Pro Poopers.

Like Charlie, I consider myself to be a semi-pro guitarist. I've gigged for years and guitaring has definitely supplemented my income like a part-time job. When I used to gig regularly I made somewhere around 3 - 6K per year playing 2 - 6 gigs a month. I should calculate how many $ worth of free beer and bourbon I consumed over the years.

 

[Neal]

Am I a pro because I made $168 one evening playing music (my high-water mark)? Usually more like $80 to $100.

The answer, for me, is no. I couldn’t live off of those kind of earnings.

 

[GAD]

I'm sorry, it was supposed to be humor about [the ridiculousness] of going to the can like a pro.


Lost a long time friend (since 1977) to pancreatic cancer yesterday, a very good player, able to switch between a multitude of tunings without any need for a tuner, and a good singer to boot. I didn't even know he was sick, no one told me, I never got to say goodbye.

I only saw him once or twice a year, but always a great visit. He'd lost his ability to play, so I would tune one of his guitars and play for him. So long Corky.

And so I thought a little humor would help, but I had no idea people were going to veer into what it means to be a pro musician.

I’m sorry to read about your friend. That’s never easy.

 

[Teleguy61]

Great question Guildedagain.

We may not know but the person who is really a good player will know within 10 minutes if they are listening to a pro or amateur.

More like ten seconds.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

A pro is anyone who gets paid money on top of the beer he/she drinks during the show.

 

[Rocky]

A pro is anyone who gets paid money on top of the beer he/she drinks during the show.