I'm always amazed how many creative people ignore their need to invest for the future. Now my particular idea of investing goes way beyond merely saving money and depositing for growth in a bank, stock, bond, mutual fund, etc. (I'll get to that in a moment). While I know that form of investing is crucial to real success as a music professional, there are a few other forms of investment to consider.

Since I advocate running your career as a business, the first place to invest is in your business. That doesn't mean running out a grabbing more gear. The best place to invest in your business is making it grow. That probably means adding music products and services and also spending resources to promote them. The next pace to invest is in your relationships, both business and personal. Nobody achieves success in a vacuum. You depend on people to help you achieve. Today is the perfect day to start building those crucial relationships. Lastly, always invest in yourself. Make yourself a better person by mastering new skills and savoring new experiences. Making all these forms of investment a part of your daily life is the true path to success in your life.

 

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Now the real money stuff...

Let's say your humble music business pays you $50 a month, $600 a year. You would need $10,000 in the bank earning 6% interest to make the same $600 bucks in one year. It can be hard to save $10,000. Even socking away $100 a month takes 6.8 years. If your business nets you just $100 a month and you sweep it into an investment paying 6% a year, you will have your $10,000 in 6.8 years. That same $10,000 will now pay you $50 a month without further intervention on your part. You've accumulated a capital base that pays you a dividend of $600 each year. Add that to your $100 from your business and in less than seven years your business and investments make $150 each and every month.

Now nobody is going to get rich on $150 a month.

You are missing my point. It is the combination of earning, saving, and investing that creates a moneymaking music machine for you. You just need to make some money from your music, save it, invest regularly, and watch it grow. Take the same figures from above and multiply them by 10. Can you use your music career to make $1000 a month? Can you in turn save that amount? In the same 6.8 years you will have $100,000 paying you a whopping $6000 a year in interest. That's $500 a month without touching the original 100-grand.

What choices do you have to make right now to allow yourself to both earn money from your music, save a sizable chunk of it, invest it, and ultimately reap the benefits of all your hard work?

One final thought: Spending some money can help you generate even more money. For example: Spend $25 on my "Moneymaking Music" book. Use the information you learn to land some gigs that pay you $750. You've earned a startlingly 30 times return on your modest 25 buck investment. You'd have to sock a whopping $10,000 in an investment paying 7.5% to get the same cash return.

Now you tell me: which is the wiser, more prudent investment?

I firmly believe that intelligent investing in yourself in a careful, controlled, and cohesive manner will often yield larger dividends than simply plopping the same cash in your savings account. Make sure you keep your perspective, though. Don't become either a miser or a spendthrift. Yet when an expenditure helps you create more success (and more money), you might be better off to write the check.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2003 - Republished with Permission

Effective Stage Presence For the Open Mic and Beyond
Performance Dynamics
By Spook Handy, MusicDish.com

Vol. I, No. 1

This series of articles is written with the beginner and intermediate level performer in mind. It is also written primarily for musicians that play instruments and sing during their performance. However, with a little imagination these principles can be applied to public speaking, teaching or reading poetry. These suggestions are by no means original. Many of them come from more seasoned performers of music and other arts who I site whenever possible.

 

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Performance Dynamics

I recently visited Tumulty's in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to catch the Wednesday Night open mic run by JPat. The basement room in which the open mic takes place is an excellent setting because the only things going on there are the music and the bar. As usual, it was a great night of music that varied in style and quality. The room was quite full of college grads and twenty-somethings. One thing that struck me was that some performers were able to get the audience excited about their set while others seemed to fade into the background. And the difference was not simply because some people sang better or played their instruments better. More than anything else the difference was their use of Dynamics.

What are dynamics and how do you use them?

Dynamics are the ups and downs of a musical piece. Ken Trotta, who performed that night, put it this way. "A song is like a roller coaster. Your job as a performer is to take people along for the ride. So sometimes you play quiet, sometimes loud. There are places for stops." You can also build up a song gradually as is done in a song we all probably know, "Stairway to Heaven." Or you can start a piece explosively as is done in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. You know DA DA DA DA!! That one. Yeah!

How can one learn to use dynamics?

Probably the best way to learn dynamics is to watch other performers - both those you think are effective and those you think are not. Notice how those who vary the volume or other elements of their singing and playing usually put on a more engaging performance than those who don't. Keep in mind that dynamics involves more than just volume. It could be the inflection in the voice or the particular way an artist attacks his instrument. I learned a little about dynamics from the Italian Bluegrass great Beppe Gambetti. Beppe has a way of playing his guitar softly yet energetically while he sings, and at the end of a line he often strikes his guitar with gusto. I asked him to show me his technique, and he showed me how to flick the strumming wrist as if you had honey on your pinky and a feather was stuck on it and you are trying to flick it off.

You can learn many techniques by simply asking other performers how they do it. It's a great excuse to meet a musician you admire and it is usually taken as a compliment. It's also a great way to network with your peers. However, the final say as to what dynamics to use and where and when to use them should come from the song itself. If you really want to express a song to its fullest extent you have to develop an intimate relationship with it so that you know what the words really mean and what the music is capable of conveying. Let the song take you on it own unique roller coaster ride.

There are more elements to effective stage performance than one could ever count, but dynamics is definitely among the most noticeable. Ken Trotta said, "There's nothing worse than watching someone get up on stage and play everything monotonically." So when you think about spicing up your performance or getting people to listen a little more closely to your music, ask yourself if there is room for better dynamics. There probably is.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2003 - Republished with Permission