My 15 years Playing on Cruise Ships-Pros, Cons and How to Get the Gig

[@stflaw]

Three quarters of the aspiring cruise ship musicians watching this video stopped watching at "drug test."

[@TastyGuitarcom]

lol

[@janoski96]

Lol sighed audibly

[@MrAbyneal]

Hahaha!

[@wildhorsemusic1111]

Haha!!! 🎶✨🐎

[@rudygracia5573]

Upon hearing"drug test";Enter screeching tire sound or scratched record effect!😳😮

[@Jeep101248]

I'm not a professional musician and will never be working a cruise gig myself, but I started watching this video and found it so interesting and straight to the point that I watched it all the way through. More informational videos should be like this one. Great job, Rick!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you!

[@normancrew2739]

What an intelligent, well presented and clear thinking guy. Even though a cruise ship is not for me, I found your video worth watching as an excellent example of how to convey information.

[@les4767]

Hi Rick. I did cruise ship gigs on and off for 20 years. I'm a singer/pianist, so my gig was usually in the piano bar. Since I don't drink, I can definitely assert your statement about being able to save a lot of money. That was a pretty good deal. I loved the travel and the food. I hated being away from my kids, the really bad and expensive internet service and the training/in-port manning/abandon ship drills. I did like getting really strong playing chops and learning a whole lot of new material since top 40 was different in different parts of the world, so I had to increase my repertoire considerably. And, lastly, I learned from Dutch passengers the benefits of using black licorice to protect my singing voice, and that probably extended my useful singing career another 40 years.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Cool Les, likewise for me it was mostly a very positive experience, though got completely sick of sleeping in bunk beds, though as a soloist sure you had your own cabin all the time

[@les4767]

@@TastyGuitarcom Well...not immediately. I shared with a show band member in my first contract....later I got my own room...and in my last contract I got a passenger cabin to myself..so I went out on top.

[@MrSeeker42]

Black licorice candy?

[@les4767]

@@MrSeeker42 Yes, Dutch black salt licorice is the best, but really any black licorice will help protect a larynx.

[@Phoboss32]

Ufff, I don’t know. The taste of liquorice is absolutely horrible.

[@GaryRinaldi]

I spent a year and a half working on Carnival cruise line as a Showband drummer, and we always had a day off every week. This was around 2014-15

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Consider yourself lucky, showband musicians generally have a little bit lighter schedule...75% of my contracts were 7 days a week

[@TheRoneZone]

Did 8 years myself and just got back into it and started vlogging about it. Still don't get why musicians end up getting so dark. Free food, room, travel, I mean it's worth trying at least once.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

I think there are a lot of reasons to get burned out, too much BS these days on ships, but overall it's still a great gig to do a while, especially for younger single musicians

[@PhillipHagen]

Spot on great video. 10 years on cruise ships

[@scottbarnett1643]

Man, I just got back to your channel(keep comin back)... Thanks for letting us in on the things most "teachers/instructors" Dont even think about. Guess that's why you're a "professor". Keep 'em comin Rick! You're an inspiration for guys like me!!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

thank you Scott!

[@garycitro1674]

Once I was called at the last minute to take a month-long cruise gig at the perfect time with a Greek band. I got the gig by word of mouth, but I didn't have my passport so missed the opportunity. I was kind of crushed, as I hoped I could get into that biz, but I had never been on a cruise before (STILL HAVEN'T!!) and I had all the questions you just answered for me. Thanks so much for taking the time. VERY informative!

[@emdblues]

Thanks, this was really interesting. Good luck on that gig Rick :)

[@TastyGuitarcom]

thanks Edvin, looking forward to the Artic!

[@brianortiz2200]

@@TastyGuitarcom Great channel

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you Brian!

[@banjoboy01]

@@TastyGuitarcom "Arctic" guitar guy

[@albansibaud4126]

So unfair that the musicians in the orchestra band are the least paid... I mean they have to sight read everything, in every genre, with almost no rehearsal, and they're the one who play the most!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

agreed, except they dont play the most

[@joethrelfall6370]

@@TastyGuitarcom could you do both?

[@stephendoss8354]

@@joethrelfall6370 no. they play simultaneously nightly

[@MrJessePillay]

Thank you brother .., this helps a great deal since Im going on a ship shortly as a one man band. God bless you

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Great man, have fun!

[@tonirogers1021]

Great info Rick! I am a jazz vocalist, but your tips were still applicable. Thanks!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you for watching Toni!

[@monoped8437]

1$ - $1.50 beers? that's worth it in it's own right! as a passenger, they're closer to $8

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Yeah right, the real partying happens below decks :)

[@stephendoss8354]

all that does is make everyone an alcoholic

[@monoped8437]

@@stephendoss8354, and?

[@jagzin6147]

​@@stephendoss8354 know your limits and drink responsibly? Nobody's forcing you to buy drinks.

[@Herfinnur]

There is one more kind of gig that you didn't mention: the local-flavour-act that gets paid to go on board all kinds of ships when they are in harbor, perform, then leave again. I did that for years. You don't get the accommodation and travel experience, but you do have passenger status when you're on board, and you can negotiate for things like free booze and getting some or all of the courses on the restaurant menu. It's a great way to find out whether doing a full on-board gig is something for you.

[@h5mind373]

Wow, I didn't even know that was a thing. We live in a port of call for cruise ships, so would be interesting to look into. Thanks for the idea!

[@Herfinnur]

@@h5mind373 glad to help. Additional advice: before you contact anyone, put together a proper concept with entertaining banter. Put yourself in the shoes of the Program Director who has to verbally sell you to each new batch of guests. Make their job as easy as possible. Our tagline was something like: "a musical journey through Europe from up north down to the Adriatic sea" , and the program directors hung on to that line with gusto. And of course, be equal parts entertaining and emotionally resonant

[@imaginableAudio]

This man is playing ESP guitars.. huge respect. ESP is really good. I'm in Japan, ESP is top quality

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Love the old ESP 400 series, awesome guitars. Wish I still had this guitar!

[@MichaelLynMusic]

Thank you for posting Rick...as a guy who LOVES TRAVEL and a fairly versatile guitarist... I have constantly been asked by folks around me to do these cruise ship gigs....I always wondered what was behind the scene....as a kid that grew up on small boats and with the help "Your Video"........... I have been empowered with enough information to RUN FOR THE HILLS....thank you thank you Sir!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Haha its certainly not for everyone but the travel is great

[@itsallinthehands]

You are awesome brother!!! Good Luck and have fun on the gig :) Looking forward to the 'cool' lesson

[@fachas54]

Really good information. Thanks a lot. I'm a Mexican drummer and definitely I wanna do this. Thanks!!!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks for watching and best of luck!

[@shvetes]

Excellent video! I listened up to the point of describing guitar gigs (since I’m a former cruise ship drummer) and this video is spot on!!!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Cool, thanks!

[@chefallen520]

This was a great video. Thank you. I am super interested in doing this. I am married with one kid and I need to do something else, besides the day in, day out, grind. I am a chef and the culinary, world is screwed up. I want to do, what I was born to do and that is, play music. I have years of experience, in all fields of music. I have been a studio and hired gun. I build, repair and tech but I put it on a shelf. I have never stopped playing or writing. At 53, I still got it and then some. Anyway, I am gearing up for this adventure, next year. Thank you for your time and experience and knowledge. Most of all, for sharing.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks Chef! Best of luck, most important thing is have a great prono video and big songlist.

[@younkinjames8571]

My wife and I have an acoustic duo, the children are adults and we were thinking about this idea...my wife's brother did this for a long time as well and I think the accommodations, or lack thereof, is what made (her) decision lol...I was in the navy so a lot of the "cons" I'm used to.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

if you were in the Navy a cruise gig would be a piece of cake for you, best of luck!

[@clearmanlawyers753]

Thank you Rick for a cool video. Appreciate your playing and your dedication.

[@shable1436]

Your hardcore bro, I've always wondered about the cruise gigs, luckily I played my past 20 yrs on land pretty consistently with opportunities in foreign countries and even last second replacements in very famous bands while being in opening acts. Being in music cities helped and you wrote not burning bridges with agents and others is understated key in this business. Your commitment to the contracts builds you up seniority and reliability is key land idk about water, minus rigorous tentative schedules when being a studio muscian and the 300 song lists are not as intimidating after you sleep with your instrument for years learning to play as long as your playing for money. As you said talent, but I wonder if the uniqueness is squashed being that they want a format of every genres and flavor to entertain the most stringent of critics. So no playing SRV behind your back if that your shtick or being a Beatles cover band works very well on ships. It's the conservatory graduates gig to tighten your chops before hitting the road as a journeyman per se.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

The cruise gig is good for someone who wants to travel, play and get paid consistently. Musically it's a dead end but does allow you to become a well rounded player if that is your goal. But there are room for Beatles cover bands/ tribute bands too, just in the guest entertainer gig. Most players on ships are kinda young and mediocre, though I have seen some some amazing players too. I've outgrown the gig, but still do 2 months a year for the travel. Currently in Namibia on a gig and its incedible!

[@peterson88keyz]

Great stuff man. I'm a solo piano/singer and always thought about doing this when I was younger. At 53, that ship may have sailed (pun intended)...kudos to you young buck! Thanks for the info.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

The solo piano/singer gig is a great gig on ships, never too late to get out there! I'm 48 btw, not exactly a young buck lol

[@MrAbyneal]

Excellent video! 👌 You will do exceptionally well as a Band Master.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks, but that is a job I would never want lol

[@TiagoReeves]

It is a dream come true. Don’t need any booking or Rockies…stage and guests are always at the same place 😀

[@larrylehman751]

Great video I have been wondering how the lifestyle was or is

[@KristopherCraig]

I’ve been the guitarist and now MD on a Cunard Ship forge last decade. Before that I did party band on P&O Australia. I manage and schedule all 30 musicians. Fortunately the show band and ballroom band, come on as a group and the musicians are solid.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

That is super rare, sounds like a cool situation.

[@pb12661]

the sharing the room part is the deal breaker for me. I'd go nuts without a little "alone time"-even if the room was just a small closet sized room.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

yes, the room sharing does suck

[@gigantor100]

Hi Rick. Enjoy your videos mate. Great playing always. I spent a year on a ship in my early 20s in 89. 4 piece night club band- 4 hours every night. Good players and could play what we wanted so was a whole lot of fun. A bit rough on my health though as too much fun was had! Thanks for your vids. Cheers.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

cool Brett, yeah back in the 80's everything was alot more casual from what I've heard....very corporate atmosphere these days which takes alot of fun out of it, and yeah partying every night in the crew bar can take its toll lol..... but I still do one short contract a year for the travel :)

[@timbradley135]

Are you allowed to interact with passengers in your off time? Do you get the same food as passengers? Thanks for your lessons-I’ve learned a lot from them.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Yeah you can mingle with passengers, but not too much lol, that is the easiest way to get fired....but most musicians choose to hang in the crew area where booze is $1-3 vs 10 bucks for the same thing in passenger bars.....and yes, musicians are allowed to eat passenger buffets and go to specialty restaurants with a big discount

[@MrBabszi12]

Thank You, thanks for your informations! 🤗 Really helpful!

[@mikkovaltonen3564]

I'm studying drums & percussion in college at the moment, gonna go for the show band gig after graduation, jazz ensemble would do as well :)

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Cool, good luck to you!

[@terryjohnson2691]

Just study the BEATLES and you've done well by learning

[@DrumTipTuesday]

Hello Mikko. I am a former cruise ship drummer of eight years and currently I am doing research to put together a course on how to do get the work. I would like to get on a call with you to discuss what you would like to see in a course to prepare for this kind of work. Go here to schedule a call calendly.com/drum-tip-tuesday. (this is NOT a sales call, just research)

[@SIGE_MUSIC]

I went to the south of France and just roamed the ports and asking if they needed a musician, probably gonna go again next month

[@RobertFairweatherMusic]

Thanks for sharing the info. Best of luck to you!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks for watching!

[@abhinishsingh3603]

This was like listening to a sweet story and going to sleep..❤️

[@DeathByHumbuckers]

Hey, what a great video! It's not a gig I've ever considered after a friend of a friend told me about his worst experience... Basically, mid-cruise, a SERIOUS star (Brat-pack, but not Sinatra) turns up and decides to take the stage. He insists that the band use his own arrangements and key for each song, which they did perfectly. Star turns up, absolutely blind drunk, consistently sung completely out of key and very angrily blamed the band during the performance. The following morning the captain dismissed the band, leaving them stranded with their instruments somewhere in the Caribbean. EDIT: also, that ESP tele is amazing.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Wow that's awful. I'm guessing it was Dean Martin?

[@DeathByHumbuckers]

@@TastyGuitarcom apparently he was a gentleman :)

[@sunshinegalkw9675]

Just found this channel! Really cool info thanks Rick!!!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you Stacey!

[@bazk5449]

Great video mate. Very informative, thank you. Btw I’m not a Fender Guy but wow that Tele is Sweeeeet 👌😎

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Lol thank you!

[@vanlifethetravelinfranksho5611]

Well that answered my questions. Thanks.

[@elmopablo]

Dude . I love your funk lessons. Man you make them seem so easy. Thanks for all your effort. Truly an amazing guitarist - I m in awe (actually Dead Jealous :)

[@TastyGuitarcom]

thanks Paul!

[@elmopablo]

@@TastyGuitarcom No ... Thank you.. Watched your video on being a guitarist on cruise ships.. I worked on them as well .. not as a guitarist ... interesting about the accommodation though. Ours wasnt too bad.

[@dullsearake]

Super interesting vid, thanks mate

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you for watching!

[@KatjaGotYa]

Very informative. Thank you so much!

[@deanbibb3680]

Good advice and nice ESP’s! I have a 92 Mirage myself.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks Dean, yeah the old Japanese esp's are great guitars

[@drachenfeuer7410]

Grand vid man and I thought very useful all the infos U gave on table. I have a doubt, I play double bass, only, and have experience in orchestra, small combos (chamber music) as in duos and trios. Because of my profession I'm obliged to have sighreading and play both with bow and pizzicato. I'd like to know what sort of ship should I apply to get the job? There is no one interested in working as duo or trio in a cruise with me, so I'm alone in this path and I really don't know how to approach the agents.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Sorry but getting a gig as a double bass player would be next to impossible. If you play electric bass you could do the orchestra gig though.if there are any acoustic bass players on ships they would come on as part of a combo

[@dwin4037]

Thanks dude!

[@jjblue7412]

Very busy gigging solo guitarist singer here. I use drums/bass tracks and know hundreds of songs in many styles. I am also a fulltime elementary school music teacher with 8 years till retirement, at which point I'll be 55. I know I've got the chops, experience and professionalism, but honestly, is that too old for this kind of gig?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Really depends on your songlist and video presentation. I think there are probably plenty of solo guys in their 50s out there doing it. But you should present a youthful energy in a great video and have some fairly current tunes in your song list.

[@4EverLearning757]

Awesome video. Very objective, information. Thanks for putting that together. Any tips, advice or recommendations for bass players?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks Darrin, either put a 5 piece party/dance band together or if you have the reading chops try for an orchestra gig, those would be your best options.

[@johnnyblevins3846]

Hi Great video! I always wanted to play on a cruise ship but at 57 (excuse the pun) that ship has sailed for Me... I do have a question? How hard is it to maintain Your instrument while sailing. For example guitar strings, drum sticks, drum heads, picks etc. You mentioned that living quarters are small...just curious....

[@TastyGuitarcom]

When I was doing ships I would always take enough strings, picks etc to last the entire contract. Never had to do much besides change strings in the cabin. Can't remember a time when I had an issue with a guitar but have had a few pedals go out while onboard and a couple times the onboard engineers/electricians were able to repair them.

[@performystic8325]

Thanks for the tips - something to aim for :) 🎷 💕

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks for watching!

[@marimdq]

Hi. I'm a 51 Y-O bassist from Argentina. Do you think I have a chance to get a gig? I don't care about the cons you mention. But I've just read at the Suman's page that for bassists, strong sight-reading is required and it is not my case. I can really play by ear, I've never had any problem. Fluid english, passport, no drinking or smocking, two grown independent children... eager to play! what's your opinion?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Your best chance is to be part of a band that goes on together. You are not going to be hired in the showband without reading and you can't get hired as a solo bass player. Form or join a band.

[@arnoldcaines9012]

Sounds like joining the Navy.

[@boataxe4605]

Minus the killing people.

[@rickmanley767]

Except you get to keep your hair and you don’t work 18 hours a day.

[@craigbrowning9448]

How might this vary for different Instruments? I mainly play Organ (B-3)/keyboards as a main Instrument. I am pushing myself to improve on guitar (also working on playing the guitar while using the Organ Pedals to play bass). Years ago I had a Piano/Organ teacher that would play Cruise Ship gigs. Her husband also played, they would bring a B-3 with Leslie, a Wurlitzer Electric Piano and a serious of Vibes and a shitload of printed music. In my case I am not that great a sight reader, but I have held down a piano chair in big band before, I have played Instrumental Jazz/Lounge gigs as a single, worked OS Blues/R&B bands and the like. I had a studio apartment where I wanted rehearsal studio space, so I turned the Walk-in Closet into the bedroom.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

good god somebody brought a B3 aboard a ship?? that would never happen these days lol Your best bet would to get your reading chops together and do the orchestra gig or if you sing well you could do a piano bar gig

[@hectormherrerar3134]

Hey Rick I'm really interested in getting on a ship maybe at the end of this year so I would like to know more about everything. Specially what it takes, you know, to get myself more prepared through the year. Really helpful video!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

+Héctor M Herrera R email me your promo video Hector, I will be honest with you on whether you have a shot or not, or what you need to improve on to get the gig. [e-mail]

[@hectormherrerar3134]

Right! i will, thanks man!

[@AndreLanari]

You are good!! Thanks!

[@Twsuf1]

Thank you so much Rick for answering my question in a timely manner, I.may have more questions. So do you have any videos of you performing on your cruise ship gigs?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Sorry I dont think I have any videos on ships

[@sodh]

thank you so much for the tips !!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks for watching!

[@MrKco63]

LOL had a good buddy of mine from a sheltered upbringing in the midwest played a cruise ship 3 month contract gig out of Miami i think it was throughout the Caribbean in the early 2000's . On Two different trips norovirus broke out on the ship and he was still required to play.... with a buckets behind the amp for the band members infected. Apparently theme trips had just started as a draw. One was strictly gay patrons that he said was surreal due to the level of open promiscuity, drag queens, furry's, multiple genres within the gay community( twinks, bears, leather, Biker) something not so accepted at the time and something he had never even heard of to the most extent. The second one was something dealing with WWE and had various wrestling personalities on the cruise. Course that type of person that watches WWE ....apparently there were fights all over the ship between patrons and something like 30 people got kicked off at different ports. Great stories... but he choose not to re sign.

[@jonathanadams1896]

KC O I

[@macro16]

I'm not a musician but found this very interesting.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Right on, thank you for watching!

[@chrisstevers4397]

Great vid,!, I didn’t see the links or info for agents... that would be great if you could suggest them.

[@drutgat2]

Thanks. That was interesting. I have watched similar videos by a singer and a drummer, and - even though they were on different cruise lines, they had similar experiences in that they were not working 7 days a week. *QUESTION* How do you cope with musicians' injuries - tendonitis, laryngitis, tinnitus?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks for watching. Never dealt with tendonitis. Tinnitus sucks and there's nothing you can do about it really, but most of the time I dont notice it that bad unless in a dead quiet room. Losing your voice is a real problem for singers, especially if singing for months at a time without a day off. My solution was to get plenty of sleep and limit my alcohol to almost zero. When my voice was in rough shape I had plenty of instrumental tunes to help get me through but I dont remember having a big problem at that time.

[@IagoVital]

Hello, Rick! How are you doing? So... I am a full-time professional singer and guitarist musician based in a large metropolis here in Brazil. I work approx. 250 to 300 gigs a year, at an estimated 2h30min each. Got very interested after watching a few videos about that Cruise Ship gig. I speak fluent english, fluent portuguese and advanced spanish. My range is baritenor, going from a G2 to an A6, and I studied most vocal techniques from almost all the main musical genres popular in worldwide radios today, even including reggaeton hits. I am a not-so-great guitar player, sucking almost entirely on jazz and fusion, but doing easy work in other areas like rock, pop, blues, reggae, indie, surf music and etc. as well. My repertoire goes between 400 and 500 songs singing and playing at the same time. I know entire cover shows from the following bands: Maroon 5, Coldplay, U2, The Weeknd, Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber. My rig is definetly packed, using for vocals a Neumann KMS105 and a Telefunken M80 with a TC Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme and for guitar a Fender ST62 Strat with a Line6 Helix LT stompboard in a Fender Twin Reverb 1967. Do you think my resume, plus making a great video and a nice big and organized catalog can help me stand out and get that gig faster than usual with a nice deal? Actually... Do you even think I have the chance to get it, since I live in Brazil? I don't know how is the market open to musicians from my nationality, and honestly don't know where to start besides applying to the websites you posted in the description and checking facebook groups and stuff. Appreciate your kind guidance. Best regards, Iago Vital.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

you have a good shot at it, do a great video and send me the link and I'll reply with any advice I have to improve it.

[@IagoVital]

@@TastyGuitarcom Thank you so much for your fast reply. Will do! Thank you!!!

[@IagoVital]

@@TastyGuitarcom Best regards! The show reel will be completed probably in 2 weeks notice, but I am releasing first full music videos almost daily. Check out the first one I've made and tell me if it meets the standards most agencies require to add the act to their roster, please... Here you go with 'Mi Gente', by J Balvin ft. Willy William performed by my band live: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKrJhZWmipqsoMU

[@TastyGuitarcom]

@@IagoVital Hi Iago, your video production looks good enough, you would just need to do 5 or 6 well known party songs in English also and edit them together, about no more than 1 minute clips of each song, so total video length about 5-6 minutes is enough. If you do that I think you have a good chance. I have some Brazilian friends working on cruise ships and would be happy to put you in contact with them because they work with an agent in Brazil that gets them work on ships. One thing I recommend though is it would be better if you played guitar in the video also instead of just singing. That is because in all my years on ships I never saw a band with just a male vocalist that didn't play an instrument. If there was a vocalist not playing an instrument it was always a female. But the size of your band is what they are looking for these days, 4-5 piece. Get the video together and we'll take the next step!

[@IagoVital]

@@TastyGuitarcom I am posting a total of 10 songs, and this is the only one in spanish. The rest of it is totally in english. I would love to reach out this agent you mentioned. I just got caught totally off guard with the playing guitar advice. I totally play electric/acoustic guitar in a huge amount of songs but for this footage I focused on showing the "pop singing frontman act" stuff and I am very sad to know about it after paying for the whole audio and video thing since I can't fix that. Only way to save it would be recording another gig, which is something I sadly don't have the money to right now. Well, that's really sad. Thank you for your advice, though. Will comp the whole thing and go to the next step (stoping by here to tell you more when I do). Cheers!

[@josevargas7714]

Thanks for the video.....can you do another one for the guest ent gig? I will really preciate that info

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Well, there is not a lot more I can tell you, I was a sideman in a guest ent singer's band, something that's almost unheard of in the industry because they are always backed up by the orchestra these days. Your best bet to get a guest ent gig as a guitarist would to put together a tribute band/act, you would have to have a top notch show though.

[@lemonnlimelight2760]

A friend of mine from Durban S.A. got into some mischief and was dropped off with his passport in Istanbul Some horizontal pleasure with one of the guests. Remember there's tons of surveillance..

[@TastyGuitarcom]

of all the ways to get fired on cruise ships, that is the quickest. And they will put you off in the nearest port.

[@ZPX945]

Great Vid👍🏻

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you!

[@210caulfield]

Rick. I enjoyed your well presented and informative video although I would have liked to have heard about individual cruise lines. I worked for 5 years back in the 70s for RCCL on their first three ships (18,000 tons, so tiny by today's standards). They were 9 month contracts and we shared decent sized cabins above the water line and we ate in the passenger dining rooms along with the cruise staff. The officers did not like the musicians although we did nothing to help our situation. For example in the Captains' cocktail party when it was an officer's invitational dance we played a fast short number and when it was a ladies invitational and all the older ladies grabbed an officer we would play a waltz medley!! Also in the night club we could stop playing if there were less than 15 people so if an officer went to the bathroom and the number went down to 14 we would quit!! Quite a number of musicians were caught in compromising places and handed their ticket home on Saturday mornings followed by celebratory drinks in the officer's mess I'm sure. Having said that I did 3 RCCL contacts and then went onto Commodore working with German officers who were much easier to get along with. Everybody partied on the Boheme and Caribe and I met my wife to be and 40 years later we are still sailing along. I did it for the travel opportunity and even though I didn't go to as many places as I hoped I still enjoyed it and was a better musician at the end of my time than at the start.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

9 month contracts! That would have drove me nuts haha, 2 months in and I'm already climbing the walls. And yeah the whole officer douchebaggery lol, that hasnt changed much. That's great that you can look back on it with fond memories, I'm mostly the same, although I think I did do too much time onboard, but I had a blast for the most part. These days I do 1 or 2 contracts a year aboard The World, the floating condo for the super rich, the best gig at sea really. Headed to Japan this September for a short 3 week stint. Thanks for sharing your story!

[@DerekLewisSuperStar]

Is this the Famous Rick from the Jane Powell band and so much more? Greetings to you from San Antonio - and if I'm not mistaken we were on a few ships at the same time twenty years ago - All the best to you - and this video is right on the money!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

DerekLewisSuperStar Derek! Wow, what a blast from the past dude. Yeah you were on my first or second contract on the NCL Seaward I think. Remember the bass player Mark? think he still lives in San Antonio, you should look him up! Hope you are well!

[@mossmonaco9061]

Ace result, very well presented. Maybe a mention about not touching the dancing boys and girls would help. That would mean bon voyage for a long stretch. But then the cell would remind you of a ship's cabin and the food would be similar but without the waiter service. There would be no option for CD sales unless the warden takes a huge cut. With good luck you might find yourself sharing with a murderer, otherwise with bad luck you might be sharing with a bandleader!

[@theodorekorbos2804]

Hi Sir Thank you for all your information! I was wondering if these are cash gigs.? I'm sure you understand.Thank you again best of wishes to you and your Teddy Korbos !!!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

If you are a US citizen or resident you have to claim it and are issued a w2

[@theodorekorbos2804]

Thank you for your reply I meant to ask you how many hours do you play a night ?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

@@theodorekorbos2804 4 45min sets is standard, however it can vary depending on the cruise director. Once started a contract that they tried to make me do 5 sets a day 7 days week and I noped outta that in a week

[@theodorekorbos2804]

Thank you again for your reply I really appreciate all your information. If I was a younger man I will definitely think about it sounds kind of exciting I mean I do understand that there's pros and cons but at least you build your chops become a better player I guess! Thank you again so very much best of wishes to you. Teddy

[@hotcitysoul7144]

What was the amp that you preferred for cruise ship guitar work?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Depended on the gig. When I did a gig in the main theatre I used a Fender Prosonic which sounded great. When I did a solo gig I used a Fender Blues jr or no amp and ran direct. Most of the time these days nobody brings an amp on because you don't know how many venues you could be playing in a day. My last cruise ship contract was in 2017 and I played up to 3 venues daily and there was no way I was going to haul an amp around a massive ship doing that. I still do a private yacht gig once a year or so and just take a HX Stomp XL, super easy and quick to setup. Most guitarists on ships these days do the same and run some sort of pedal direct to board or use a ship provided amp that they dont have to haul around.

[@savedplayer]

Are there gigs for instrumental soloists? And are they willing to use wired musicians like I do ambient bass solos would that be accepted on a cruise?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Not really, most solo entertainers are expected to sing as well

[@FirstnameLastname-bp5cm]

can you show us some examples of guitar charts that get sent to you for sight reading? I've worked with a bunch of different types of charts and mostly we get a rhythm chart with a few lines written out. but, it would be fun to see what really gets used out 'in the trenches'. thanks.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Hi Micah, I've never done a full on reading gig on a ship, that is the orchestra gig, the only one I haven't done. I have seen the charts for some shows though and some of the guest entertainer charts can be intense. And the band usually only have an hour to rehearse the show and sometimes don't get the charts until rehearsal, So needless to say you would really need to be an excellent sight reader to pull off that gig. I would suggest asking this same question in one of the Facebook cruise musicians forums, there are several. Sure a current or former orchestra musician would be willing to share.

[@shwanadam4412]

Hi I was wondering if you could help me figure out a query, I am a musician who is able to sight read guitar tablature with ease, however, not able to read traditional sheet score music. Is it possible to sight read from guitar tabs to get a cruise ship musician job, for example in the audition as well as on board - or is it strictly traditional score only that is accepted? Thanks

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Hi Shwan, for an orchestra gig it is strictly notation, and a lot of the time the musicians get the music at the rehearsal so not much time to even look it over. But there are other gigs, playing solo or as a duo with another musician or singer, for those gigs you juat play your repertoire, no need to read.

[@GJHamann]

Rick, can you record one of your solo cruise shows as a demo of your other styles?

[@goldiemack6125]

Great video. Can you give me a setlist for what you'd be doing everynight? Say for an hour long set.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

+Goldie Mack it really depends on the gig and venue, you have to come prepared for pretty much anything, but most stuff I would play on a ship would be old school rnb, soul, classic rock and blues, some jazz and even a few classic country tunes

[@alejandrohayes3243]

great video

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you!

[@Songwriter74]

Hi, thanks for the great information; I was wondering what is the advantage, financially or otherwise, of applying direct with the cruise line rather than an agent? Also, what if you are based in a country that the cruise line does not sail to/from, does this limit employment opportunities due to cost of travel, distance, logistics etc?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

It is definitely better to go direct with the cruise line if possible because agents take 20% on average, unfortunately it's tough to do direct as most lines deal exclusively through agents. I've seen musicians from all over the globe on ships, from as far away as Brazil, Australia, south Africa etc but they will expect you to do at least a 4 month contract to justify flying to and from the ship.

[@Songwriter74]

@@TastyGuitarcom That's good to know; cheers!

[@fredacuneo5180]

Your video should be used as a model for all other videos like this.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thank you Freda!

[@dougwebley9359]

HAHA Excellent video. The comments were hilarious.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Thanks for watching!

[@dougwebley9359]

@@TastyGuitarcom Recently found your channel and am binge watching and learning. I spent years trying to figure out how to play those tasty licks. Thank you.

[@legatusvids]

How about the equipment? What did you take? Were you limited ? 1 or 2 guitars, amp type etc. Thanks

[@lamper2]

do you know derek conlon? piano guy-we loved his playing on royal caribbean-or joyce kuo? she played all that queen stuff!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Sorry I dont them

[@koolkat808hawaii]

What cruise lines did you work on. Princess Cruise lines the bands or duos played 2 45 min sets 4 times a week Ncl. every act played 1 hours sets. The band in Syd Norm and played 4 - 1 hr. shows the entire week. Same with the duo's all though the duo's played 2 sets 2 of the 4 days. The hardest working musician was the solo piano player played 5 nights 2 -1 hour sets. That s 10 hours in 7 days. There is alot of down time. Not sure about the other cruise lines. You are correct sharing a "Bank vault" is the worse. Note, try to find a room mate that works opposite hours than you do. You do get to see the world on someone else's dime.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

I worked for NCL, Carnival, Celebrity and M/V The World and those lite schedules are completely unheard of at least on those ships. Easiest I ever had it was 4 shows a week as a guest ent's band, otherwise 3 - 4 sets a day 6 or 7 days a week was the norm.

[@13thAMG]

I'm an Audio Engineer. I did one contract with Carnival as the ship's Audio Engineer. I observed they treat their own crew like shit. Muso's have a reasonable life. But their actual on board working crew, many of whom are from poor countries, get paid a lousy US$300 per month and work 16 hour days 7 days a week - some in the most disgusting conditions in the refuse/recycle room. I would NEVER recommend anyone buy a cruise ship ticket and support that exploitation. Sure, I did some huge shows (I'm an entertainment industry veteran). Perhaps it's better for younger people just starting out and getting experience. I made some awesome friends and saw some incredible places. My own production business (I have 10 crew) was young back then. I have 10 crew. One of my stage managers came to me the other week asking for advice about cruise ship contracts, as she was considering it. She's only very young and extremely naive. We're very protective of her. I gave her all the information and advised her to make her own decisions. There are rapes and sexual assaults within the crew walls that the cruiselines don't want anyone to know about. I sighed with relief when the young lady came back to me and said she and her parents talked and thought it was best to wait until she's older with more life experience. Note: Musos also have to perform on board non-music related duties too. It drives people nuts! Good luck to all. It suits some and not others.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

13thAMG yeah man the cruise industry only survives cause of their exploitive and blatantly racist hiring practices. In recent years it seems to have improved somewhat as 10 hours a day is now the norm and overtime is payed for people who do more than that, at least that is what I'm told...but yeah they still end up paying people shit wages for long hours if they are from developing or 3rd world countries. I did a contract last year and they ran the sound techs around like dogs, not sure what they got paid. For musicians it was still a decent gig, 3 or 4 sets a night, decent $, they tried to make me do other duties but I specifically made sure that was not the case before I boarded so I fought it and won. You just have to ask ALL the questions regarding the gig before and know exactly what it includes, otherwise they will try to screw you. Sexual harassment is a huge problem and when I was on that contract a senior officer got fired for harassing a female singer, they seem to be taking it seriously at least these days. So I suggest people weight the pros and cons of the gig. It's certainly not for everyone as you know. But for a young musician I still think it's worth doing for the travel and to gain experience......just not for 15 years!

[@Charlie_Jnr_om]

Hi TastyGuitar.Com great information by the way, I was wondering how many songs do you need? ... & also could you get away with say 100 originals for something like solo acoustic vocal cafe type music, singing them over and over? .... or do you need to have mainly cover songs? ... also do you need to know the songs of by heart or is it ok to have a song sheet? thanks!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Need at least a couple hundred tunes, covers, not going to get the gig doing originals though you can play them occassionally.

[@thesaneparty4079]

I think private rooms and a shared bathroom w a number of shower stalls, etc. would be better than sharing a room, using the same space.

[@eduardoibarra8458]

Is it good way to join an agency but still auditioning to other? I auditioned to an agency, I didnt makr to play in an orchestra (where you sight read the most, i think i wanted that) they offered me like the first example, a band, they told me its more unusual to get that sort of gig but i agreed anyway. Covid spreads and I think i want to try to other agency where you could play in theaters, on plays.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

I would say to apply with as many agencies as possible. But to llsy 8k the showband you will need to work on your reading to pass the audition. Or put aband together. But now is probably the worst time to try to get a ship get gig due to covid.

[@eduardoibarra8458]

@@TastyGuitarcom the situation is that I applied Lime to join orchestra (i guess it was orchestra because they demand good sight reading and many genres) but I didn't 100% on reading (do agencys always look for 100%?) So they offered me a vacant for pop gigs or something like that. If I audition to other agency and they offered me a better gig, is it like a stab in the back for lime? Since they offered me a vacant before coronavirus but you know there has been no gigs.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

@@eduardoibarra8458 most musicians on ships have worked for multiple agencies. Unless you sign an exclusivity agreement with an agent you are free to use whatever agent is offering you work

[@traviscarver4708]

I’m not sure how I missed this video tasty. What does the average pay look like for a 6 month or three week gig? Thank you for your videos and all you do!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Depends on what gig, please be more specific

[@traviscarver4708]

What does a three week gig land you?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

3 week gigs dont really exist unless it's a fill in spot Pay could be anywhere between $550 to $1000 a week, usd depending on type of gig, cruise line and whether you go direct or through an agent.

[@manueltamayo4235]

Rick can you please show us your cruiseship rig. What do you use for background music. Thanks very much.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

can't figure out how to add a picture here, but these days I go direct with my pedalboard on a ship gig...it consists of a exotic wah, ep booster, ac booster, another ep booster, tech 21 blonde preamp/speaker simulator, mxr chorus, strymon flint reverb/tremolo, tc x4 delay, ernie ball jr volume, boss rc-3 looper. The tech 21 blonde is key, allows to run a pedalboard direct with a decent tone, almost like a mic'd amp. Do alot of stuff just acoustic/vocal or with live looping. If using backing tracks will run those with a great app called OneTrack with an iPad.

[@manueltamayo4235]

TastyGuitar.com Thanks very much for replying, I hope you post one of your live performance. People who cruise, normally dance Cha cha, rumba, mambo, salsa. How do you play these music when they do these requests?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

kinda rare to get these requests these day, there is usually at least one band onboard who will cover that style, depends what gig you plan on doing, if its solo or duo you don't need, if playing in a larger combo you should have some of this stuff ready

[@manueltamayo4235]

TastyGuitar.com thanks Rick!

[@scottlaytham8308]

TastyGuitar.com OneTrack is no longer available. Have you switched to something else? I'm having a hard to finding a suitable replacement.

[@Pluggit1953]

A big con for me would be rough seas!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

It's actually very rare to have rough seas unless you are doing an ocean crossing, these ships are huge and you dont notice the movement that much most of the time.

[@EdGouveia]

For the musicians that already had contracts. How much you guys earned monthly to play in cruisechips?

[@chaselikedonut]

how long would you recommend playing guitar before signing up for one of these gigs? ive played casually for years and im just picking up sheet music, how fluent in sheet music/ music theory should I be before considering doing this?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Depends on what gig you are trying to do, please be more specific

[@chaselikedonut]

@@TastyGuitarcom im just trying to get on the boat, I dont really have a preference on what I want to do, it all sounds like it would be enjoyable

[@hebrewchile5144]

I have a couple of questions. Do you have to bring your own gear? Also how long is a gig on a given day? Great and informative video!

[@TastyGuitarcom]

they do have amps, but you never know what they will have, mostly crappy solid state amps which I'm not into, most people suffer through it but I choose to bring a small tube combo or just go direct with my pedalboard and a preamp pedal which does the trick depending on the gig. The schedule varies on the cruise line, average is 4 45 minute sets per day but they may spread those out as they wish which can turn a 4 hour day into an 8 hour day if you play a pool set in the afternoon, then return at night which does happen

[@hebrewchile5144]

Thanks for the info! So what is a good wattage for a small tube combo amp?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

depends on the gig, but I wouldn't take anything bigger than a small 10-15 watt tube combo, cause playing in more than one venue per day is pretty common and moving gear around a big ass ship sucks!

[@hebrewchile5144]

One last question lol Do they mic the amps?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

depends on the size of the room, small room no mic, big room mic'ed

[@paulprice6330]

Nice video, as a guitar player how do you cope with cold fingers?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

you mean warm up stuff? I do simple chromatic exercises up the neck for about 15 minutes before the gig, that usually works for me. Sometimes I also soak my hands for about 5 minutes in hot water, somehow helps me to loosen up

[@paulprice6330]

TastyGuitar.com yes, thanks. It's hard to play when fingers are freezing. do you wash your hands after playing for hours or do you rest your hands for an hour before getting them wet?

[@jeffspaniola2607]

Would love to hear a bit about how you made this gig sustainable, most people I hear about get really burnt out after a contract or two.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Its easy to get burnt out after a couple contracts, after my first contract I said I would never do it again, too much drama in the band. Couple years later did a shorter no drama contract, then got picked up to play with a guest entertainer which was an awesome gig, amazing singer and band, and good $, no reason to stop. Did that gig for 5 years pretty much 8-9 months a year til got burnt out. Took a year off then went out solo which I could work as much or as little as I wanted and did it on and off for 5 years or so. I was careful not to burn bridges with an agent that trusted me to be a pro and gave me work whenever I wanted it, that is pretty key. Now I just go and do a short 3 or 4 week contract every year to satisfy my travel itch.

[@electricj5]

TastyGuitar.com great way to work the system

[@joycree6969]

Great video. What is the pay like? 3 month contract 4 piece.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

varies depending on cruise line and agency, most 4 piece bands are making about $2500-2700USD per person/per month....not great but no commute, and room and board, air tickets paid etc

[@bunskilabonskiwashtubfun9841]

Hi Rick, have you ever seen a vibraphone player get a gig on the ships?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Nope

[@anthonyseeto3331]

200 - 300 song list dddaammnn haha tips or videos on how to remember songs? Lol

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Repetition, repetition, repetition...you need to play them pretty regularly in order to retain them

[@anthonyseeto3331]

TastyGuitar.com haha tru! Simple as that really just put in work! 👌🏽👍🏽 cheers

[@rudygracia5573]

A LOT of what he saying applies to doing session work,Vegas,tourist spots...I can't do ANY of these.Cuz I don't wanna be playing crappy tunes that everybody likes(Jazz,Tropical,R&B🤮),I wanna play what I LIKE!!THUS,I play in NURSING HOMES!😁

[@tomspallone1868]

I’d be willing to do this for 1 week out of the month, and repeat. Do they ha e those type of contracts fir solo artist dinner/lounge music type of stuff? Was in the Navy and, my long days at sea are over Johnny.

[@TastyGuitarcom]

No, nothing nearly that short

[@offiicallymrdev8497]

+TastyGuitar.com Is there a certain age and education you have to be to enter as a duo guitarist and singer, do you have to already know the singer or can you just get assigned a singer and what are the sleeping quarters like for duos?

[@TastyGuitarcom]

Duos go on as an established act, cruise line does not form these. No age or education requirements but they usually prefer younger these days. Shared room in bunk beds are the norm.