Comments on: Responsibilities On a Ship Gig http://www.musicianwages.com/cruise-ship-musician/responsibilities-on-a-ship-gig/ The Community for Working Musicians Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:18:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joe Trombone http://www.musicianwages.com/cruise-ship-musician/responsibilities-on-a-ship-gig/comment-page-1/#comment-2742 Joe Trombone Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:51:37 +0000 http://www.musicianwages.com/?p=1302#comment-2742 Hi Rick, Sorry it has taken me a long time to reply to you here. I haven't checked in on this post and have been at sea for 6 months. As for your question, yes the showband drummer needs to have very good sight-reading skills. I have worked with great sightreading drummers and drummers with chops but no sight reading skills and for the most part can hack the gig but when it comes to Guest Entertainers they have failed miserably. Really the drummer is the hot seat and the success of the band is on your shoulders, should you mess up because you get lost it makes it very difficult to hold it together. Most of the time guest ents have easy charts and are straight ahead but sometimes they involve a lot of finer details and they can be very picky about them, also much of the time you are the 'orchestral percussionist' rather than the drummer, if you know what I mean. As for the lounge acts, you can play what you want, when you want, read or not, it's entirely up to you, but normally you need to have a group and get placed on a ship together. I think there are some companies (Holland America maybe) who are hiring instrumentalists and vocalists individually for party bands and lounge acts. The only downside I can see to the lounge gig is that you play the same things day in, day out... It's bad enough in the showband playing the same big band tunes... but it depends on what you like. I like the thrill and excitement and pressure of sight reading, others love the lounge gig. An alto player mate is working on a jazz trio to do lounges as he prefers it. Hope that helps mate and all the best with it. Hi Rick,

Sorry it has taken me a long time to reply to you here. I haven’t checked in on this post and have been at sea for 6 months.

As for your question, yes the showband drummer needs to have very good sight-reading skills. I have worked with great sightreading drummers and drummers with chops but no sight reading skills and for the most part can hack the gig but when it comes to Guest Entertainers they have failed miserably. Really the drummer is the hot seat and the success of the band is on your shoulders, should you mess up because you get lost it makes it very difficult to hold it together. Most of the time guest ents have easy charts and are straight ahead but sometimes they involve a lot of finer details and they can be very picky about them, also much of the time you are the ‘orchestral percussionist’ rather than the drummer, if you know what I mean.

As for the lounge acts, you can play what you want, when you want, read or not, it’s entirely up to you, but normally you need to have a group and get placed on a ship together. I think there are some companies (Holland America maybe) who are hiring instrumentalists and vocalists individually for party bands and lounge acts.

The only downside I can see to the lounge gig is that you play the same things day in, day out… It’s bad enough in the showband playing the same big band tunes… but it depends on what you like. I like the thrill and excitement and pressure of sight reading, others love the lounge gig. An alto player mate is working on a jazz trio to do lounges as he prefers it.

Hope that helps mate and all the best with it.

]]> By: Richard Gray http://www.musicianwages.com/cruise-ship-musician/responsibilities-on-a-ship-gig/comment-page-1/#comment-932 Richard Gray Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:47:20 +0000 http://www.musicianwages.com/?p=1302#comment-932 Great article there Joe, very informative for someone like myself who is seriously considering this line of work (I've never worked on a cruise ship before but I've been a passenger many times). I'm a drummer (super chops I must say (: but my sight reading sucks so I'm looking to be in one of the lounge bands). My question is this; how different is this whole experience for the show band musician verses the lounge band musician? For example, it seems like the show band plays more often and in different places ( ? ). What about the site reading thing for a guy like me? Years ago I took a cruise and the leader of one of the lounge bands let me sit in (the drummer motioned to me to "go for it"). I ended up playing a full set of tunes (old standards like "Satin Doll", "Cute" etc.). Afterwards the band's leader informed me that their drummer was at the end of his contract and he offered me the job on the spot! At the time I was in a different and successful career so I turned it down but now I really want to do this. I've never forgotten that experience. I had a blast up there! Any insights you can provide as to what sort of schedule a lounge musician might have would be helpful. I've also noticed on Carnival that the there doesn't seem to be much of a dress code for the lounge musicians near the bar areas. Is that the norm? Thanks, Rick Great article there Joe, very informative for someone like myself who is seriously considering this line of work (I’ve never worked on a cruise ship before but I’ve been a passenger many times).
I’m a drummer (super chops I must say (: but my sight reading sucks so I’m looking to be in one of the lounge bands). My question is this; how different is this whole experience for the show band musician verses the lounge band musician? For example, it seems like the show band plays more often and in different places ( ? ). What about the site reading thing for a guy like me? Years ago I took a cruise and the leader of one of the lounge bands let me sit in (the drummer motioned to me to “go for it”). I ended up playing a full set of tunes (old standards like “Satin Doll”, “Cute” etc.). Afterwards the band’s leader informed me that their drummer was at the end of his contract and he offered me the job on the spot! At the time I was in a different and successful career so I turned it down but now I really want to do this. I’ve never forgotten that experience. I had a blast up there! Any insights you can provide as to what sort of schedule a lounge musician might have would be helpful. I’ve also noticed on Carnival that the there doesn’t seem to be much of a dress code for the lounge musicians near the bar areas. Is that the norm?

Thanks,

Rick

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