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What Is Your Reason For Performing Solo?


Sgt. Rock

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I've been a solo artist pretty much most of my performing life. At the start, I was basically a guitarist for my brother, Ken; I was told I didn't have a good voice. Over time, providing back-up vocals, my voice improved. When my brother got tired of performing, I went solo. I had two bands for brief periods, and performed with my brother Brian as a duo for a short bit, but for the most part solo performing suits me best.

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At the current point in my life, money is the main reason. Why play in a band and make $75-100 per show when I can work as a solo and make twice that for roughly the same amount of work?

 

Other reasons:

 

-My last band was a train wreck of personalities

-I get to pick the music

-I work when I want to and take the gigs I want

-Solo gigs are usually early evening instead of 10-2

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I've done both full band & solo/duo gigs since I was in my late teens (roughly 30 years).

 

15 years ago, we moved to Raleigh and solo was simply the easiest way for a new guy in town with a job and young family to keep a hand in playing music. I now do occasional solos, mostly duo gigs, and have started playing occasionally with a band in Wilmington, a couple of hours away.

 

I don't miss smoky bars but still get a kick out of the full-band setting. The variety of styles and challenges/rewards of each format help keep it fun & interesting.

 

Solo gigs also dovetail with a low tolerance for drama, divas, and dishonesty.

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At the current point in my life, money is the main reason. Why play in a band and make $75-100 per show when I can work as a solo and make twice that for roughly the same amount of work?


Other reasons:


-My last band was a train wreck of personalities

-I get to pick the music

-I work when I want to and take the gigs I want

-Solo gigs are usually early evening instead of 10-2

 

 

 

Exactly...I enjoy my band gigs, but I make a lot more $$$, with considerably less drama, gigging solo.

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Doing solo gigs, 95% of the b.s. and hassle is simply gone. Plus, I have total control over the music I perform, and I make more money when I gig.

 

About 7 years ago, I woke up and realized it was painfully obvious that the pain-in-the-ass factor of playing in bands far outweighed its benefits for me.

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At the current point in my life, money is the main reason. Why play in a band and make $75-100 per show when I can work as a solo and make twice that for roughly the same amount of work?


Other reasons:


-My last band was a train wreck of personalities

-I get to pick the music

-I work when I want to and take the gigs I want

-Solo gigs are usually early evening instead of 10-2

 

 

Perfect! I agree!!

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We're a duo, but we're only a duo because we couldn't find a bass player or a drummer. That said, I have really enjoyed playing as a duo, and haven't done it since the 90's. I forgot how much fun it could be, and it doesn't hurt that both of us are at the same stage of life (married with kids)... makes it easier for the wives to handle.

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15 years ago, we moved to Raleigh and solo was simply the easiest way for a new guy in town with a job and young family to keep a hand in playing music.

 

 

That's how I started. I had played in bands for years, but my day gig relocated me to a new city. I didn't have any musical network, but there were a couple of open mic nights around town. I did a few things there, and with the encouragement of some friends, started my solo act.

 

I'm actually back in my home city now, and I'm back into the band scene, but about 40% of my gigs are either solo or duo gigs. Locally, the number of "band" venues has steadily declined, while the number of solo venues has increased dramatically.

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Gigs and money.

 

I work for about six different artists on a regular basis and do other freelance gigs when called. I also have my own trio that works a little. And I do PA sound gigs here and there.

 

So doing a solo about 20% of the time fills in the gaps, and lets me play whatever I want - within the dictates of the audience and management. It often pays more; except for the casinos. They pay okay, even if you're a sideman.

 

For me, it's sometimes fun to just do things the way you want to. I guess that's the other reason I do solo stuff.

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All the reasons mentioned already, plus...

 

- I have a very extensive cover song list (over 1,000) and quite a few originals, and I'm tired of band members (mostly bass and keyboard players) with incredibly limited repertoires. It makes me wonder -- how have they played gigs all these years???

 

- When I do band gigs, we haul out the big stuff: powered subs, the big PA, mic'ed drums and amps, monitor wedges, etc. When I play solo, it's my 6- and 12-string guitars, a couple of pedals, a mic and some cables, and a Fishman "Fish Stick" PA.

 

- Twice the money, exponentially less drama, and I keep all the tips (which are usually a whole lot more when I play solo).

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I played and sang in bands since i was 16-17 years old and then quit altogether when i was in my 30's namely because the fun had started to go out of it for me,namely because some guys egos getting in the way of a good time?

The reason i went solo was partly because i started to miss the buzz and excitement of playing live and i also wanted to explore my passion of the big band sound but it is totally unfeasable to get a big band together and get a decent wage out of it all, plus the fact i don't have the egos to contend with!

Still there are parts of me that does miss the band friendship at times but then i don't also have to wait on some people turning up on time,if at all,to gigs!! LOL!!

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I went solo because duo/band gigs in my area went dry...bone dry. So, I did something about it. Let me explain. I kept driving by this sign that advertised a restaurant on the lake front and thought to myself "hey, go in there and introduce yourself and see if you can get a gig" Well, I met with the manager and he sounded very positive. The clencher though, was after I did a set for him and the audience clapped and showed their appreciation. This was in May of this year and I'll probably gig there until the end of October. Then I move onto my next set of gigs with my duo at at resort area I play every year from November to February...kinda like a snow bird band.

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I'm currently playing in everything from a solo act to an 8-piece band. To tell the truth, I'd rather do the solo act all the time for the reasons mentioned above. The band is fun, but usually the accompanying hassles and low pay just aren't worth it.

 

I really need to start marketing myself more as a solo artist, but my day job saps all my strength. When I retire in a few years, I'll put more effort into landing the solo gigs.

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I play solo because I haven't found a bass, guitar or keyboard player versatile enough to cover my material. I play anything from bebop, bluegrass, driving up tempo country, R&R, blues etc.

 

I can relate. Good luck finding three or four more people who can cover Stardust, then turn around and play Metallica's "Creeping Death".

 

Yes, my audiences can be weird, why do you ask? :lol:

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The arguments, being internal, are much quieter...

:thu: Nicely put. I admire those of you who go solo. I find that very difficult to sustain for 2,3 or 4 hours. I am more exhausted and drained from two hours solo than from 4 hours in a duo. I work in a duo which for me is the happy medium between the drama inherent in a band and the responsibility of a solo. And, I consider myself a guitar player who sings rather than a singer who plays guitar. Playing as a duo allows me to employ a bit more of the guitarist craft.

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