Conference turris::womannotes-v1

    I play because I love to play.  Without my music, I might not have
    survived a few of life's crashes.
    
    I started on snare drum in the 4th grade and continued on playing
    concert percussion through high school.  Then my music ended --
    its very hard to be a drummer, if you're not in a band.  At my 10th
    high school reunion, I bought a set of drums from the drummer in
    the combo at the reunion.  I looked at them for 2 years -- had never
    played set drums, and still wasn't in a band.
    
    Then I got a call to play in a summer 'town' band.  It had been
    12 years since I'd picked up a pair of sticks, but, what the hell.
    Eight years have gone by, and I'm still playing...and I'm busy!
    
    My musical year usually stacks up this way:
    
    	- STARDUSTERS Orchestra (20 piece big band) -- weekly rehearsals
    	  with 6 gigs/year.
    
    	- Pit orchestra (local theatre groups) -- 6 to 8 shows/year.
    
    	- Town Bands (I'm committed to 2, and sub for 2 others) --
    	  15 to 20 concerts during July and August.
    
    So, I'm actually out there playing about 50 times a year.
                                                             
    
    One thing I missed in my early training was reading notes.  I've
    read rhythm for 30 years, but never learned to read notes.   I started
    piano lessons this past January, and am having a ball.  It's 
    incredibly exciting (to me) to look over another musician's shoulder,
    and be able to follow the music.
    
    /Jo-Ann

    I am not a "working musician"  but I am a "musician" and I'd be
    working at it full time if I could pay the rent with what i could
    earn.  Getting gigs is hard work!!  You really have to sweat out
    those phone calls, get out those fliers, put together a good promo
    package and maybe someone will "bite"  There's a whole lot of 
    competition out there and coffeehouse's want to make a profit to
    stay open.  I'm an acoustic musician and "making music" is hard
    work contrary to what many people believe.  A lot of people think
    you just stand up there and have fun.  It's kind of like the people
    who think ballplayers get to "just play a game everyday"  when they
    sweat and run, sweat and bend, sweat and push up, sweat and lift
    all day long!!!!!!!  Musicians have to practice to stay fresh and
    not go stale.  They spend years perfecting their craft. Years learning
    how to read music so that they can play with other people. They
    practice with the metronome again and again so that their timing
    becomes perfect.  There are scales and scales and more scales!!!!
    And we still love it!!!! And more than anything a muscian wants
    to PLAY and PLAY and PLAY!!!!!!  But we don't make much money at
    it!!!  Only the "few"  make it so big that getting gigs and paying
    the rent are not a concern.  If i could I would in a minute!!! 
    because it's the best part of my life!!!!!!!
    

Please forgive my ignorance... what is an "acoustic musician"?

bugsy

    An "acoustic musician" is non-electric...an acoustic guitar is
    not an electric guitar.  My drums are not amplified, and have a
    different sound than those that are amplified and those that are
    electronic.
    
    The big band I play in is also acoustic (not amplified).  Many people
    are amazed that 20 musicians can play their hearts out, yet the
    audience can talk to each other and actually hear each other, and
    can go home without a headache.

    
    Music -- without it I would be lost.  I've been playing guitar for
    about 8 years.  Taught myself the basics and that's about as far
    as I got.  What I really like to do is sing, so I learned enough
    guitar to accompany my voice.
    
    I've never done a **real** performance, just played for friends
    at parties and cook-outs -- it's alot of fun.  I write songs with
    a friend -- we have notebooks full of them.  More than likely, I'll
    never make a career out of music, but I'll never stop playing, singing,
    or writing for the pure pleasure of it.
    
    Dawn
    
    
    

    If your an acoustic musician, "your on your own" without the
    electricity to amp up the sound.  I'm a regular folkie, who unlike
    Dylan has not yet gone electric.  Some folk musicians now use a
    boom stand mike for amplification but very few plug in, so to speak.
    For those of you who are interested in the newest in computer
    electronics, you might want to attend a free concert that I have
    handled all the press releases for.  Suzanne Shanbaum will be 
    performing at The First Parish Church at 3 Church St. (Harvard Sq.)
    Cambridge.  The church is directly across from the Harvard Theatre
    in what is known as "The Nameless Coffeehouse" durring the academic
    year.  The concert is Sunday Sept.7 at 7:00 P.M. She will be using
    the acoustic guitar with sequenced synthesizers as a backup.  She
    has programmed the entire set herself.  She is well known in Women's
    music and originates from California.  I prefer the acoustic guitar
    myself because it doesn't blow people out of the room and type of
    music I play lends itself to giving importance to the lyrics.  The
    lyrics are as important to me as the melody, rhythm etc. I like
    to write and sing music about my life and the lives of others to
    whom i feel deeply connected.  Some of the artists who have greatly
    inspired me are: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Holly Near,
    Tom Rush and Pete Seegar.  A really good Women's group out of the
    Northwest is MOTHERLODE.  These four women have just produced their
    first album and it's well worth hearing although not distributed
    nationally yet.  They play all acoustic music.  They use the harmonica
    guitar, viola, base fiddle etc.  A really good Acoustic musician
    in the area is Fred Small.  A good acoustic group is Bright Morning
    Star.  They will be performing at the Somerville Theatre on Sept.26
    at 8:00 P.M.  Marica Taylor is a member of this group.  She is a
    friend and my guitar instructor .  I'd like to learn a lot more
    about the drums so thanks for all the info. I'm thinking of joining
    a marching band soon and believe it or not I still have my drum
    set that ordered from Sears and Roebuck when I was in junior high.
    That was a real long time ago!!!!!! But I always had a liking for
    all that rhythm.  The reason I want to join the marching band is
    so that I can get more exposer to playing with other musicians.
    I know more solo musicians than those that play with others. This
    notesfile is incredible!!!!!!!!! Thanks Jo-Ann for all your input!!
    
    

    I never made my living as a performing musician (unless being an
    elementary school music teacher counts!) but I sang and travelled
    with a group called "On Wings of Song" for 4 years.  There were
    about 30 musicians in the group including people who played piano, 
    congas, trap set, trumpet, flute (the flute player was a DECcie), 
    bass and rhythm guitar.   The rest of us sang.  We had beautiful
    bright colored costumes, at first reflecting kind of a hippie look,
    and later on moving into the 80's with shimmery fabrics.  We did
    not try to perform acoustically because we often played for very
    large conventions of 1000-2000 people and that would not have been
    possible.  Our concerts were usually 2-3 hours long with no break!  
    
    The group recorded 4 albums (and recording is one of the most grueling
    experiences I ever went through) and went on 4 major tours (east
    and west coasts).  Quite often it was fun.  (Too often it was
    exhausting.)  The members of the group were very close, and it was
    like being a member of a very large family.  We laughed and cried
    and hugged and fought and stood up and put on a show no matter how
    we were feeling inside. 
                           
    Our music included folk, spirituals, rock, gospel, ballads and a
    lot of other things which are hard to classify.  Our orientation
    was New Age ("Humanity is only one spirit").  We even played at
    the Pentagon twice!  We drove up to the Pentagon in two rainbow
    painted busses.  When the guard saw our bumper sticker "Witches
    Heal", I think he momentarily lost his composure!        
    
    I will never forget the euphoric feeling of standing up on stage
    with bright, bright lights, so much sound equipment you could barely
    move safely, huge monitors, and hundreds of people in the crowd dancing
    and singing with us.  
    
    I would find it pretty grueling to make my living that way, though.
    The travelling is wearing, and having to perform night after night
    is very hard on one's voice.  At the same time, I wouldn't trade
    that experience for anything! 

    
    			   WILD ROSE
    
    		Annabel Graetz  &  Anne Goodwin
                           
    
    	"The Bawdy Ladies' Book" Tape Release Party
    
    
    	  Wednesday  -  September 10  -  8:30 p.m.    
              
    
    			at Passim
    	       
              47 Palmer Street, Harvard Square
    
    		For info call (617) 492-7679
    
    "The Bawdy Ladies' Book" is a taped collection of ribald folksongs,
    both old and new, from the woman's perspective.  The list of titles
    is annotated as to "suitable for broadcast" and "not to be played
    on the air".  

    
    Hi all, I'm a *working* musician if you count an income of about
    $400 a year. 
    I play French Horn (is that accoustic?) and just joined the union
    this year. I've been playing since the 5th grade. Liesl

    I'm not a working musician, but I'm an *enjoying* musician.  I was
    a music major in high school,  plaing a different instrument each
    week of the marching band season (clarinet, drums, trombone, and
    others).  When I graduated H.S., I decided to teach myself the flute
    and have been playing that for the last 16 years.  Since I taught
    myself, I developed a loose style, allowing me to improvise easily.
    I play mostly jazz/easy listening music for my own and my friends'
    enjoyment.  It's one of my favorite things about me.
    
    How about getting a jam session together?  Send me mail and I'll
    try to arrange something if there's enough interest.
    
    Sheila Mandell
    
    
    
    

hi, i've made money at music, as a guitarist in a rock band, as an acoustic
soloist in coffee houses, and as a street musician, in that order, which is
why it went from career ambition to hobby and i'm a computer nerd now.

i can do guitar, harmonica, pianno (kind-of), and vocals.

i put together a jam session in college it was a lot of fun, i'd recommend
renting a hall with a good size stage, renting a real good pa and mixing
board - making sure that someone coming can do the mix work, and getting
a good recording device, it's always great to have a tape of the "good times"
rollin'.  I'd also suggest publishing a list of songs you'd want folks to
know upon arrival.  i'd be happy to help put it together too, maybe we could
start a jam committee.

-rfl

    I posted this in MUSICnotes last week, with no response.  Since
    it seems like the majority of the MUSICnoters are rock people, I
    decided to post this here also.  If you like dancing to, or listening
    to swing music from the 40's, I guarantee you'll have a good time.
    
    			STARDUSTERS ORCHESTRA
    
    	               Annual Scholarship Ball
    
    			  Saturday, April 4
    
    		       Westminster Country Club
    		           Westminster, Ma.
    
    
    The Stardusters Orchestra is a 17-piece big band made up of Gardner
    area business and professional people.  Over the past 20 years we
    have donated more than $50,000 toward music scholarships for local
    high school students pursuing a musical career.
    
    The Scholarship Ball is our annual fundraiser for the home crowd.
    
    I'll be up in the back, on the drums, having a heck of a good time
    putting my drumming skills on the line...
    
    Tickets are $15/couple, and are available through me.
    
    Call or write for more details, tickets, directions, etc.
    
    		Jo-Ann Gerde
    		CNTROL::GERDE
    		DTN 225-6752

    Yes, this is ballroom dancing -- jitterbug, foxtrot, an occasional
    waltz (if the crowd begs for it) -- original charts from Goodman,
    Dorsey, Ellington, Basie, Miller, etc.
    
    Tickets are $15 per couple.  They may be bought at the door, but
    that's very risky.  We try to limit the crowd, because people come
    to dance, and we want to make sure that they can.  I have tickets
    with me if anyone is interested.
    
    Directions:  Rt. 2 West.  Take the Rt 2A/Rt 140 South exit.  (Signs
    	         point to either the Old Mill, or Mt. Wachusett Ski
    		 Area).  
    
    		 Right off the exit ramp, and take the first right.
     		 Follow this road (Rt 2A W) into the center of
    		 Westminster.  In the center, there is a small shopping
    		 area, couple of gas stations -- take a Right, onto
    		 Ellis Rd.  Westminster Country Club is a couple of
    		 miles down on the right.

    A little more specific directions for those who get lost easily
    :^)
    
    When you take the exit ramp bear right and go back over the highway
    take your very FIRST right (almost instantly after the bridge).
    That is 2A. Be careful to maintain speed limit (the policeman on
    duty usually sits there) You will see a hotel on your left keep
    going. The round will curve right and you will see a set of lights.
    Proceed through the lights past the library (right), Star Market
    (left), The Little Town Hall (restaurant on left), Sunoco, Mobil.
    Take the left that you come to. There is a converted garage/now
    flower shop just before it on the left. Stay on this road (Ellis
    Road) At the top of the hill there is a V bear right. The Country
    Club is a quarter of a mile further on your right, parking on your
    left.
    
    Sunshine
    
    P.S. I thought I was the only DECcie from Westminster....:^)