Comments on: A Guide to Being a Successful Sideman

By: Establishing Good Practice Habits as a Professional Musician

Establishing Good Practice Habits as a Professional Musician — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:29:52 +0000

[...] are always in demand. Guitarist Gary Melvin recently contributed an article to this site called A Guide to Being a Successful Sideman. In it, he recommends starting out with a broad skill set in various genres that can become more [...]

By: Robby Lattimore

Robby Lattimore — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:26:54 +0000

Unless I’m mistaken, “trapman” is old jazz slang for “drummer”. I’ve heard drums be called “traps” before, maybe that’s the connection…

By: Jon Moody

Jon Moody — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:49:07 +0000

Thanks for the article. For the past five years, I’ve been gigging solidly in the musical theatre circuit, and I credit my success mainly to the things that you’ve outlined here.

By: George Hamilton

George Hamilton — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:50:03 +0000

Hello,
I am a vocalist, play a little guitar and piano but my love is in vocal entertainment. I am looking for some music accompaniment software for performance. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks

By: Door

Door — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:02:22 +0000

great Article.

One tip I miss in this blog,
Play everywhere you can. (And play it like it’s your last breath),
Musicians have to know you of playing.

greats Door

By: Cameron Mizell

Cameron Mizell — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:18:13 +0000

Hi Esther, those are all great questions! If you browse this site more, you’ll find some answers to your questions. Anything you can’t find in the articles, look for in the forums or start your own discussion. There are other musicians that hang out on this site that can help you.

By: Esther Ann Haynes

Esther Ann Haynes — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:42:17 +0000

How do I make a living as a vocalist?

How do I copyright a song? How do I affiliate with BMI and make my own publishing company?

What deducations can you take as a self-employed musician?

By: MusicianWages.com : Gary Melvin

MusicianWages.com : Gary Melvin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:10:56 +0000

[...] for a real functional and useful site that I wish was around when I was getting started. I wrote an article (yay for me!) and am happy to be a part of it. Cruise on over and check it out, and if you know any [...]

By: MW Contributors in the News - Musician Wages.com

MW Contributors in the News - Musician Wages.com — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:54:35 +0000

[...] in possibly our favorite mention, Gary Melvin’s article, A Guide to Being a Successful Sideman has been used as a reference in the Wikipedia entry for “sideman“. Gary, you are the [...]

By: Sidemen « Consult Keith

Sidemen « Consult Keith — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:39:13 +0000

[...] the site MusicianWages.com, Gary Melvin, a sideman himself, writes a guide to being successful at it. His main points [...]