How To Get Bigger Gigs- Tips From A Pro!

[@brettlac]

Shane! Don't forget to let people know you have your own albums! Those things changed my musical life!! Cheers!

[@TheRiotguitar]

thank you you so much for that. I wish I would have spent more time on my music instead of "getting bigger gigs" sometimes haha.

[@brettlac]

@ i feel you. ‘Write songs and record an album or play gigs and eat food meals?’ 🤔 ha

[@TheRiotguitar]

@@brettlac Wel I never got into my own records to make money but I did expect to recoup the expenses. The first 3 did that and more but now.... it's basically impossible to recoup the expenses anymore with streaming and youtube. And it costs a good amount of $$ to do those records....So I stopped putting out new music, I know kinda sucks...haha.

[@puppypatrol100]

@@TheRiotguitar Shane, those albums have been played to death by me, they are in constant rotation still and are up there with all the classic guitar instrumental records - great playing, great sound and unlike most guitar records, great writing! Wish I could find "Raining In The Desert" on CD ... the only thing I'm missing lol!

[@brettlac]

@@TheRiotguitar many of my friends have said the same. I would do crowdfunding next time if you want to make more music. Im sure everyone here would agree they would be willing to prepay for new music from you. Just an idea. Btw i was just in Belle Chasse La recently getting my seaplane rating. Also ate at a place called the Rum house. Was amazing!! Love that place. Cheers! 🙏🏼

[@randalclarke5487]

I appreciate this- 40 year professional musician, definitely stuck on the hamster wheel of mediocre gigs. I need a change and I want better

[@Seabro-tabl42]

Great insights and advice for anyone looking to make a living in the music world. You said at the beginning that you weren't a teacher, well maybe not the focus of your career, but you have actually been a great teacher through your channel here and your Trufire courses. Thanks again, for sharing!

[@TheRiotguitar]

appreciate that!

[@aaronknight9759]

Great content! I’ve learned to be open to ideas, extra takes, alternative arrangements, different grooves etc. Saying yes, being in good relaxed mood, and hearing clearly goes a long way for the extra consideration and good impression. Thx

[@rhoydotp]

love hearing real life stories of working musicians. thanks for sharing

[@larryz3985]

Sweet.. !

[@TheRiotguitar]

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@buzzfretwear2906]

Great video Shane, and fascinating. I'm gonna go out on a limb (a short one, I think) and assume that the vast majority of us watching will never rise to the levels of Hall and Oats, Daryl, Don Henley, Boz Scaggs, and hanging out with Jon Herrington, but everything you said applies even in the smaller markets, function bands, what have you. Like they always say, it's a combination of talent, hard work, and yeah, maybe some luck (and networking, being a good hang, etc) 👍

[@ap7498]

Thanks for the insight into the musician side of the music industry. Sounds like most “talent/skill” based industries…Know your shit, have the right attitude, be an asset not an ass and stay relevant. Out of sight out of mind. Thank you!

[@TheRiotguitar]

yeah there are a few little differences like the audition stuff I was talking about near the end but basically it's human interaction and playing great

[@vchildband]

I love your advise its pretty much spot on.. I laughed when you nonchalantly said about 1/2 through, "oh yeah and you gotta be able to play"...

[@TheRiotguitar]

haha it's true

[@roberttaylor505]

This is some of the best real world advice since Tommy Tedesco. Nice to see your channel growing man 🙏

[@TheRiotguitar]

thank u!

[@peaceandpocket]

I appreciate the tips and insights!

[@rwest8905]

Great topic. Inside info is as interesting as a lesson. Nice variety. And thanks for listing the signal chain at the beginning! Take care!

[@dustyparker4806]

You are 100% correct.

[@jeffisaac8000]

Love channel. Your podcast was killer was my fav

[@FrancisFurtak]

Good knowledge!

[@Faithful_Watchman]

Shane: Theriot: Awesome! I'm so glad you're doing YT. I love your guitar playing, and I hope to meet you some day soon. Cheers!

[@Madbunyip3]

Nice tips Shane thanks. I loved the one, make sure you can play... :)... you got that right. Love your work.

[@davidsummerville351]

Great intro, will watch this episode later today. Love this channel. Thanks 😎🤓

[@elizabethdunn1668]

Nice to hear your experiences in getting hired, which could be valuable to the audience. Your unique perspective regarding the many facets of the music business is quite interesting . TY

[@TheRiotguitar]

Thank you Elizabeth! I'm glad you liked it.

[@officialWWM]

I’m gassing for one of those Soldano amps so bad 😂

[@revrocks3]

Hey Shane, great to see you here! Riff Raff podcast is one of my favorites!

[@ArloTarr]

Thanks for these tips Shane! I’ve been working on my networking as I finish my EP. I reached out to a Grammy winning producer recently to see if I could send him a song. He replied that he’d check it out. He dug the song and sent me a really awesome critique back. You never know what can happen🤘

[@TheRiotguitar]

That's great-That's the kind of feedback that can take you to the next level

[@aminahmed2220]

Awesome video have a great weekend also I have a stomach flu ❤1🤢🇺🇸🇨🇦

[@mannyeagleson5622]

thanks Shane.. for sharing your experiences . I'm in L.A as well. wondering if your appearing anywhere locally .i'd for sure come out. all the best

[@TheRiotguitar]

not at the moment but in the next few months yes!

[@bongo2565]

Konbanwa, Shane-san. Always enjoy your “behind the scenes” stories! I have absolutely no story that is comparable to your stories, but here is my “ I did not get the gig story”. I was a college student in the city of Nagoya in the 80s and I played the drum (also played the guitar in parallel). There was a small “mom and pop” guitar store (they were authorized builders for “Schecter” Guitar). I regularly stopped by there, because there was a tiny “soundproofed” room where I could practice drum. ( it was like $3 per hour). The owner of the shop recommended me as a drummer to a local rock band and said the band would call me. The leader of the band called me the next day or so. He was.. very soft-spoken and he told me his band name as something like.. ~ “Tennis Case”, but could not hear the entire name, I thought it was an odd name, but they may be a sort of “city pop” band rather than a rock band.. Then, we scheduled a meeting at the Denny’s a few days later. When I got there, nobody was in there except…there were 2 guys sitting next to each other facing the wall at the very end corner of the restaurant. One guy had very sharp & tall shiny blond mohawk hair and the other guy had very dark black long hair and he looked like he just come out from the swimming pool… but I nervously approached to them said… “Tennis Case”..? The dark hair guy told me, they are “Circumcised Penis Case”… 🤣 I was extremely nervous and do not remember the conversation well, but I think they were very gentle and claimed themselves as a sort of Psychedelic Punk Rock Band. Well, I was not psychedelic enough😅 and said “no” via the store owner.. By the way, they released several records and got national recognition (but in the underground scene ) in Japan later on. Sorry for the long story.😁

[@TheRiotguitar]

Haha! That's a great story- such an "only in Japan" kinda story too

[@jamesmatthews4435]

Really good information Shane. Thanks for sharing. You have a great channel thats si informative.

[@fredr2694]

shane, your comments are sooo true. spent almost all of my working life in the audio business because someone knew me and made a connection. the other big part of a musician's life besides getting the gig is being able to work within the band's dynamic. sometimes the music works great but the relaltionships inside the band kill the mood. great advice and yes, EVERYONE needs your solo CDs!!

[@TheRiotguitar]

thank you!

[@lawbossproductions1331]

Liked the intro lick :)

[@Nozmo_King_NJ]

Hey Shane .. This is great insight for those young channel followers that are trying to build a pro career. All good and important points. You can't just have good chops, etc. You need to be personable, friendly and memorable ... and make relationships. Be nice to people, even if they're not so nice to you. Being that moody petulant guy who can play a zillion miles an hour isn't going to cut it. Just my two cents .. Nozmo out!

[@piktormusic2538]

Ideas? Maybe this is one you would consider, Shane. As someone who has experience and wisdom as an MD, I wonder if you might share with us characteristics musical or otherwise that would make you consider hiring or not hiring a player. Of course there are general things regarding musicianship and professional conduct, but I was thinking more along the lines of what you look for in specific players. What makes you prefer one bass player, drummer, keys, etc. player over another? Alternatively, could you think of the topic as, “It really bugs me when the (insert musician here) does this…..” The reason that I ask is because I am not primarily a guitar player (though I keep learning) and have never been a band leader, but I’d like an honest perspective from someone who is both of those things about what I do on my instrument, if that makes sense. Anyway, it’s just an idea. Thanks for another informative video.

[@TheRiotguitar]

great idea- thanks I'll think about possibly doing something like that in the future

[@mariacruikshank5150]

Thank you! 💙 Barre chords intimidate me. I just can't seem to make them work & they hurt. Any tips/tricks/techniques you could share on mastering those would be wonderful!

[@TheRiotguitar]

make sure your thumb is centered on the back of the neck and drop the wrist lower.

[@mariacruikshank5150]

​@@TheRiotguitarThanks so much!

[@syfman6]

💚🎸

[@zeenuf00]

In Nashville, there's a very small circle of A list musicians, and everyone else is no better than anywhere else.

[@TheRiotguitar]

some really great players there yes. One thing I've noticed (and this isn't a negative thing) but the players in NYC and to some degree LA seem to have a bit more individuality to their playing with personality where you can tell them apart a bit more. I think players tend to take chances more in those towns but it's most likely what the music dictates- nashville is a pretty narrow set of borders that you have to fit in musicially -just my 2cents

[@zeenuf00]

@TheRiotguitar agreed

[@johndrew8]

Great stuff in there. I have the luxury of being in Windsor ON Canada and my visa for the states so have had many opportunities and still do. However, you are right on the money. Take the ones that make your pants a little poopy because you learn, network and when ya get one they are usually rewarding if chosen well. Thanks Shane love it! As always, JD john_drew_jd

[@Bobby-h9s]

Sounds like the same thing in smaller towns. Who you know. Don’t piss people off. Be as professional as you can. Be on time, etc. What would be your thought about Tulsa? I’ve heard it’s starting to grow a pretty decent music scene. You may not have any thoughts on it at all. Just asking, thanks

[@TheRiotguitar]

Yes most of it is just basic human interaction but like I was saying near the end with auditions there are a few things that probably only happen in the bigger music cities....I like Tulsa- great town and music history. I would think that would fit into like those tier 2 places- Memphis for instance...had a lot of things happen back in the day but after it faded even Steve Cropper left and moved to music centers like Nashville. Leon Russell, Keltner, etc...from Tulsa but went to LA then Leon was able to move back and open up Shelter and do his thing...nowadays though who knows? You could be a big fish in any pond with the internet and Tulsa probably is a great place to do that.

[@Bobby-h9s]

Thanks for your thoughts. Love you channel. When you live in a smaller city you don’t always have the insight and perspective of what’s going on out there. It’s great to hear things from the real pros.

[@TanyaNeedham-z1e]

Next time Don Henley asks you if ya wanna play Hotel Clifornia again THE only answer is only if we can play Life in the fast lane first!!! You're welcome lmfao

[@TheArtofBlues]

Boz calling asking you to make sure you learn the parts is interesting. I would assume that would be the point of the job, why we he feel the need to ask that?

[@TheRiotguitar]

Well, you might be surprised how many people sometimes just "skate" on that and blow through the songs...i should have mentioned it was 3-4 months before the actual gig. He said "i know you can play but I just want to know that you will learn the parts and honor the songs". A few weeks before the gig he flew me to chicago just to watch a gig of theirs.

[@TheArtofBlues]

@ thanks for the reply. Seems like these new musicians think they’re more clever than what was written for the song. Honor the artist by performing what they wrote. There is a reason they wrote a minor 7 not a minor 9! 😂

[@rocker1560]

Love your channel Shane. !! Very straight up advice. Networking. , Attitude. Persistence. How do you warm up. Finger exercises. Stretching. Scales. Do you have a routine ? Thanks Shane Chris

[@TheRiotguitar]

i don't usually warm up unless it's cold in the studio or outside gig....if i need to believe it or not i play the fast picking part from Bark at the Moon solo 2nd half of that solo is a great warm up! .thank you for watching !