Practise Tips 4: utilising downtime

Everyone gets busy from time to time so how do we maintain practise while still managing to live our busy lives?

In my opinion the key is to utilise downtime. For example; if you need to travel somewhere then maybe the train is a good option? You could play your guitar and run something like scales, arpeggios, chord shapes etc while on the train. These are things that might be impossible on the bus and most definitely impossible while driving a car. Ha.

Another thing you could try is to leave your guitar on a stand while at home, rather than in the case. That way if you have 5-10 minutes downtime to spare while waiting for someone to arrive you could quickly grab that guitar and practise something. Anything. And the guitar is staring at you all the time saying... PLAY ME!

I consider listening to music to be an integral part of my practise. When I say listening, I mean really listening: not just having music on in the background when cleaning up etc. I often try to grab a few minutes here and there to listen to tunes. iPhones make this a breeze these days. If I can find 5-10 minutes spare that could potentially be 1-2 tunes I could absorb. At the moment I am trying to fill my ears with the new Scott Henderson record - Vibe Station. It's excellent. Check it out here. 

Another idea that might work is to get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to practise. I remember hearing that Frank Gamble used to do this. For some people this works. For me, not so much. I am most definitely a night person. So, I do the same thing but at the opposite end of the day.


All these small moments during the day add up. It is totally possible for most people to find an hour per day if made up of little 5-10 minute segments. The real question is, how badly do you want it?


The reality of my life is I have to utilise downtime. People think that being a professional musician I just sits round practising all day then do gigs at night - I wish: this is most definitely not the case. I do get to play the guitar a lot. More than most people ever do and I feel fortune for this.

Sometimes practise just doesn't happen for a variety of reasons. If this is the case and you can honestly say that you are utilising your downtime effectively, then maybe you really do not have the time to be a musician. Thats ok, it's not for everyone. Or maybe you don't have the motivation. What to do then? Maybe listening to new music might help? ...or going out to check out bands might help (you should do this anyway!!). Jamming with other musicians might help? Having a practise buddy might help, in the same way people pair up to exercise? All worth a try.

There is a great video of Steve Vai talking about how to be successful on YouTube. It is a bit cheesy in style, but the message is good and applicable to this. Check it out here. The key point in this video is how Vai talks about making time to focus on your goal. Vai talks about how you first have to decide what you want to do then make time to do that. I would say if you want to be a musician then practise is a necessity, so why not make it a priority in your life - if you can.

I wish you all the best for your practise. Let me know how it's going!

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Is your attitude up to the required level for gigging?

It never ceases to amaze me how some musicians work really hard on their playing only to lose gigs or are not asked to do gigs due to their attitude. Do not get me wrong, I am not for saying for one second I am perfect - I have learnt many lessons the hard way.

Lets look at what is involved in doing a gig:

For a local gig in one's home town the band might typically play two sets of forty-five to fifty minutes each. That is around two hours total (give or take) of playing. In order to do the gig the band must know the material which means rehearsal etc. Once at the gig there is setup time; lets say thirty minutes or more. Then the break in the middle of the gig is usually twenty minutes (despite saying we will be back in ten minutes! ha.). Then there is the pack down and maybe a beer after the gig to wind down and talk about the gig. If we consider all of this we can see there are many more hours of interactive time between band members than playing. All this interaction is greater when touring or doing a gig out of one's home town.

It is common sense that people are only going to book those who they know can play the music and are easy to work with. No one wants to work with someone who is difficult or unorganised or is plain and simply troublesome. Being a musician and making music is hard enough as it is.

Recently I had an experience with a difficult musician who was way out of line. The silly thing is I was about to offer this person some gigs - but won't be now. So if he had been cool, that particular gig we were doing would have been better, and there would have many more dates for his diary.

I have learnt many lessons about attitude. Recently I had someone (different person) who was difficult on a gig. I could have confronted this person for being a dork but decided to remain calm and let it go and deal with it another day. In the mean time I happened to stumble upon someones comment on facebook which was 'it is better to remain friends than to be right'. So I decided to say nothing to this person and to let it go. This was the best thing to do.

Here are a few ideas to consider that could make life easier for all:

1. Turn up on time and with the required gear. In fact I would recommend being early.

2. Learn the music. A great attitude won't get you anywhere if you can not do what is required.

3. Be nice to everyone. Many times the guy or girl who is playing next to you will end up becoming the band leader ... or he / she might end up recommending you for future gigs ... or he / she might stop you getting future gigs!

4. Stay focused at rehearsal. If you are playing then focus on that, not your smart phone (no facebook, txt etc unless you have a break or are tacet). I know one band leader who gets extremely annoyed when people txt / facebook / email during rehearsals! This person has a long memory.

5. Pay attention. Do not noodle when the bandleader is talking!

6. Say thank-you when people help you. e.g if someone pays you a compliment, or offers you work, or gives you a ride, or recommends you etc. Seems simple but many people do not do these things. Pay people back for help - consider recommending them for gigs.

7. Be nice to everyone. I know I have said this previously but it needs repeating. You never know where someone is going to end up. The guy who is pouring drinks behind the bar might end up running it one day and might have the power to get you gigs.

8. Never complain about the money. Do not take the gig if you are unhappy with the money offered. If you accept it, then you do so for the amount agreed. However, you have every right to complain if you do not get paid what was agreed.

9. Do not bad mouth people. I know, I know, it is easier said than done but sometimes this gets back to the person... and as I said earlier - you never know where people are going to be, or how they might be able to help you. The only time it is ok to bad mouth someone is if people rip you off. Then spread the word, to ensure others are not getting ripped off too. Even then, often it is best to let it slide and put it down to experience (just don't work with them again!) - besides karma will get them.

10. Make friends. One of the best things about the music industry is the cool people you will meet. Make friends with people. The music gets better. Everything gets better. I have met and are friends with some amazing musicians both locally and internationally and am very grateful for this.

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