The Life of a Freelance Guitarist

The life of a professional musician is often portrayed as a non-stop backstage glamour fest. The reality is that unless you’re Bon Jovi or of celebrity ilk, you have to grind and fight everyday to make a living as a freelance musician.

However, this isn’t to say your hard work can’t be rewarded with some enticing benefits. In particular, freelance musicians can enjoy a fun lifestyle free of office spaces and the typical obligations of standard nine-to-five jobs.

Here are some tips to help you succeed as a freelance guitar player:

* Explore multiple routes for making money 

Succeeding as a freelance guitarist demands booking any opportunities that arise; focusing on a single field is generally not enough to make a full-time salary. Teaching private lessons is a great to find relatively steady work. Seek out any paid gigs you can find, but do not depend on them as a regular source of income. Guitarists who can also sing may be able to find a job as a regular performer at a local establishment. Talk to other guitarist and look online for possible job opportunities.

* Constantly market yourself 

Successful freelance musicians must also be effective at businesses tasks and making sales. Most of the people who will hire you are not musical professionals, and they depend on what you tell them to make their decisions. By developing targeted, effective sales pitches, you can increase your likelihood of being hired. Reading books about succeeding in sales can help. It is also important to charge what you deserve; do not sell your services for less than what they are worth.

Hands of a person playing an acoustic guitar

* Prepare for slow times 

Being a freelance musician will likely lead to periods of time when you will not be able to find work. It is important that you save as much as you can when you are able to get regular jobs. During the slow times, it is never a bad idea to add to your skill level. Any professional, from a temp worker to a CEO, should know the value of continually growing and learning new skill sets. Maybe you play the bass–during a down-time in your work flow, consider taking some lead guitar lessons and adding to your arsenal of skills. The site jamplay.com offers video-based guitar lessons, so you could even learn while on the road.

* Use the Internet 

Guitar players sometimes fail to keep up with the latest technologies. Success on the modern market, however, often demands using the latest trends to keep the money flowing. Social media is crucial for making new contacts and finding new customers, and having a website can help increase your visibility. If you have a bit of money saved up, consider hiring consultants who can help you achieve better search engine rankings, and consider trying a pay-per-click advertising campaign.

The freedom of being a freelance guitarist is hard to match, but it is important to know that it does entail a substantial amount of work. By dedicating time everyday to finding new lines of work and reaching out to new customers, you can increase your likelihood of long-term success.

 

Article Submitted By Derrick Manning(Community Writer)

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