Let's discuss "doing it for fun"

[LightingPimp]

I think if you are in a band with no future and you are aware that it has no future you are "doing it for fun". For me, the band in which I play drums is basically that. I do it to become a better drummer and because I enjoy playing drums with other people. We'll probably never make a record and we'll never tour but we all have a great time doing it. .

 

 

says it best right there. while we have these thoughts of " i would do this for a living if i could" we for the most part know it aint gonna happen capin'. But i will say the money is good for what we do, it aint gonna pay the bills being weekend warriors.But the fulfillment of leaving a show that just totally kicked everyone square in the baby makers and leaves them begging for just "One More Song" and then they come up wanting everyones autograph on the shirt they just bought or if nothing else to come and tell you how much the enjoyed the show and how they havent been to one like that before / or in a long time.

 

that right there is FUN and a exhilarating to me and the guys. Being just the sound / light guy for me is as much fun as the guys on stage have ( almost) when people can tell you they really enjoyed the lights and that "man yall sound good " makes the hrs of work before and after the show worth it ( most of the time )

 

so yeah its for fun knowing our place , doing what we do but i could sure have fun & get paid for it ... making it that much more fun ! lol

[ChordGirl]

Please, go on...

[modulusman]

If playing music isn't fun then you're in it for money... Which ruins the business for everyone.

Playing music is a job. Sometimes when the band is cookin and the crowd is getting into it it is the best job in the world. If the band sucks and your playing for no one then it is the worst IMO.

[BlueStrat]

Any reasoning behind this? The way I see it, if you're in it for the money it's work, if not it's a hobby. Both can be equally fun and rewarding. I don't know what you work at, but I'm sure if it's something you studied for you get some extent of enjoyment out of doing it. Does you getting paid to work devalue your career?

 

Apparently, getting paid for your work ruins the economy. Or something.

 

 

Getting paid for playing to me is half the fun!

[prevost82]

Apparently, getting paid for your work ruins the economy. Or something. Getting paid for playing to me is half the fun!

+1000

[Opus Antics]

Fair enough... In short, I'm more into progressive, folk, and other music, rather than just the dance floor standards, at least when I'm doing music for myself at home.. So what I meant to say was that there's songs that are so powerful, like chariots of fire, beethovens moonlight sonata, etc.. that have nothing whatsoever to do with "fun", but are still 'rewarding' to play, at least personally. I was just trying to open a discussion, or point out the fallacy that music always has to be "fun"

But I think you are taking the term "doing it for fun" too literally. People mean they find reward and/or enjoyment out of it in some way. "doing it for fun" is just the catch phrase. It can mean many things. It means you're doing it for you and for whatever you get out of the act of doing it.

My 2 cents.

[squealie]

[bildo]

fun? ?/f?n/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fuhn] Show IPA noun, verb, funned, fun?ning, adjective

[Zon5string]

I like to paraphrase something I heard David Lee Roth say once..."You don't WORK music, you PLAY it!". It's "play", not "work", so it is, by definition, "fun".

[wades_keys]

Music is and will always be fun and rewarding to me.

Bands on the other hand can be a real pain in the ass.

[Lopp]

I like to paraphrase something I heard David Lee Roth say once..."You don't WORK music, you PLAY it!". It's "play", not "work", so it is, by definition, "fun".

[MaxKincaide]

I got in this argument with the guitarist in the band I was in last...

His take on music:

"You shouldn't work when you play in a band. A band is all about fun. Once going to practice and playing shows stops being fun, you need to reevaluate what you're doing. This is the way it should be, no matter if you're trying to become a famous rockstar or if you're just playing in your bedroom."

My take:

"I enjoy playing guitar, and I enjoy making music. Making music of any kind is fun. I understand that I can make a career out of playing music, and that is what I would like to do. It's just like any other career: you should make a living in a career in something you enjoy, whether it's music, medicine, construction, glass blowing..whatever. Music is what I enjoy the most, and it's what I'm the best at, so that's what I want to make a career in.

I understand that building a career involves a great deal of work and dedication, and I accept that. I'm willing to work for what I want. But, to me, the work is all part of the fun...even the hard work."

The other guy just thinks that life is about fun and games, gumdrops and sugar plums. Of course, he's 24, divorced, has a 3 year old daughter, never moved out from his mother's house (even when married), has no job, has no desire to get a job, and is fine with letting his mother provide for him and his daughter.

In other words, you have to be able to understand that work is part of the fun that you have...like life...it's all about the journey, and then the destination is the icing on the cake.

[BlueStrat]

 

I got in this argument with the guitarist in the band I was in last... His take on music: "You shouldn't work when you play in a band. A band is all about fun. Once going to practice and playing shows stops being fun, you need to reevaluate what you're doing. This is the way it should be, no matter if you're trying to become a famous rockstar or if you're just playing in your bedroom." My take: "I enjoy playing guitar, and I enjoy making music. Making music of any kind is fun. I understand that I can make a career out of playing music, and that is what I would like to do. It's just like any other career: you should make a living in a career in something you enjoy, whether it's music, medicine, construction, glass blowing..whatever. Music is what I enjoy the most, and it's what I'm the best at, so that's what I want to make a career in. I understand that building a career involves a great deal of work and dedication, and I accept that. I'm willing to work for what I want. But, to me, the work is all part of the fun...even the hard work." The other guy just thinks that life is about fun and games, gumdrops and sugar plums. Of course, he's 24, divorced, has a 3 year old daughter, never moved out from his mother's house (even when married), has no job, has no desire to get a job, and is fine with letting his mother provide for him and his daughter. In other words, you have to be able to understand that work is part of the fun that you have...like life...it's all about the journey, and then the destination is the icing on the cake.

 

 

I agree with you 100%.

 

The fun in playing music for me is in doing it as well as I can, hopefully better today than yesterday; getting good response from the crowd, decent pay from the venues, and respect from my peers. All of that takes preparation and hard work. I'm sure pro athletes play for fun, too, but a lot of the fun is in winning and achievement. Losing isn't fun. Neither is sucking at something, especially in front of people.

 

If I want to just have fun, I'll play guitar around the house. Better yet, I'll hop on my motorcycle for a few hours. Now THAT's fun!

[THX1138]

 

I got in this argument with the guitarist in the band I was in last...

 

 

You just nailed the difference between a bedroom rockstar and a pro.

[Nijyo]

I like to paraphrase something I heard David Lee Roth say once..."You don't WORK music, you PLAY it!". It's "play", not "work", so it is, by definition, "fun".

 

Easy for him to say, he's not workin' an office day job in the middle of a snowstorm this morning

[Janx]

You just nailed the difference between a bedroom rockstar and a pro.

 

 

Not only that, but it identifies the "slacker" mentality, that you should only do what's fun, and if work isn't fun, then don't do it. The result is, no work gets done, and nothing gets accomplished.

 

What I hate about this slacker generation is the idea that you're entitled to the dream job that is all fun, and doesn't have any negative parts. It's a black and white view that a job MUST be fun, or it's a bad job.

 

There are symptoms of this thinking when somebody talks about a band problem, and the response is "fire them, or quit." This thinking is that "if the band isn't perfect" you should get out. Instead of WORKING to fix the problem. Or accepting that there are some negatives you may have to put up with, in order get the good parts.

[Nijyo]

 

Not only that, but it identifies the "slacker" mentality, that you should only do what's fun, and if work isn't fun, then don't do it. The result is, no work gets done, and nothing gets accomplished. What I hate about this slacker generation is the idea that you're entitled to the dream job that is all fun, and doesn't have any negative parts. It's a black and white view that a job MUST be fun, or it's a bad job. There are symptoms of this thinking when somebody talks about a band problem, and the response is "fire them, or quit." This thinking is that "if the band isn't perfect" you should get out. Instead of WORKING to fix the problem. Or accepting that there are some negatives you may have to put up with, in order get the good parts.

 

 

What "slacker generation" are we talking about today? Every generation for the last 50 years has been called "slackers".

 

I personally practiced sweep picking on a shoebox strung with rubber bands while walking in snowstorms to school, uphill both ways. :poke:

 

I get a kick out of the articles I see in places like Business Week and what not, which (annually) warn of the new incoming young workforce and their bizarre ways. Without fail, most of it falls into the same problem that the field of medicine has in regards to hours spent working at a time: "I had do to do it, and so the newbies have to do it!" (the irony being that the guy who set the standard for hours-worked-at-a-time was high as a kite for most of it)

 

I dunno why you'd want to work at a job that you don't enjoy, and, IIRC, i'm not much younger than you are. Sure, my dayjob isn't 9-5 coke and porn stars, but I've actively sought my way out of companies that weren't fun, but that had the potential to pay me more than I make now.

 

But I digress. I think there's a balance to be struck there, anyway. If you're in a band and the rest of the band has one idea of what they're doing and you don't share the idea at all, it's time to bail. Why waste time beating your head against the way to change everything, when you obviously are the mismatched part? It's like over in the AC/DC cover thread. The guitarists obviously have a different idea of what they want to play than the rest of the band, so its time to cut your losses and go persue things that both enjoy.

[THX1138]

There are symptoms of this thinking when somebody talks about a band problem, and the response is "fire them, or quit." This thinking is that "if the band isn't perfect" you should get out. Instead of WORKING to fix the problem. Or accepting that there are some negatives you may have to put up with, in order get the good parts.

 

 

Absolutely. All of us in TK fight all the time, about everything. We don't always come to agreements either. Sometimes, you just have to get pissed and then put it behind you. BUT... we also have a {censored} ton of fun together.

 

I've known several of the slacker types - and it seems each of them is still hopping from band to band - just trying to find that one that will make them a rockstar.

 

I prefer to butt heads with this same group of guys who will get out there and try to make {censored} happen.

[BlueStrat]

 

What "slacker generation" are we talking about today? Every generation for the last 50 years has been called "slackers".

 

 

I'm a 54 year old geezer and I know lots of slackers my age or older....

[BlueHeaven]

I would say 'fun' is the wrong word. 'Enjoy' is much more accurate.

[BATCAT]

I would say 'fun' is the wrong word. 'Enjoy' is much more accurate.

 

 

Yeah, "fun" is kind of a frivolous word.

 

Although I very much like getting paid for making music, and do what I can to facilitate selling albums and getting paid for shows, it's not what drives me. I do think it's important to put a monetary value on music, because, like it or not, that is how we measure worth- considering that I put a lot of hard work into music, I do want it to be recognized as having value.

 

The fact that I don't make much off of music doesn't dampen the "fun" aspect for me, though. To me, writing/arranging/learning songs, recording albums, and playing shows is just all very gratifying. I like the process and I like the end result. Well, most of the time...

[MaxKincaide]

There are symptoms of this thinking when somebody talks about a band problem, and the response is "fire them, or quit." This thinking is that "if the band isn't perfect" you should get out. Instead of WORKING to fix the problem. Or accepting that there are some negatives you may have to put up with, in order get the good parts.

 

 

It's not necessarily that the band "isn't perfect", but the ideas, direction, work ethic, and attitude of the band "aren't perfect FOR YOU". If you aren't a part of something that is headed in the direction that you want to go, then why stay on board? You're doing nothing but wasting time, both yours and theirs.

 

The same goes for kicking a member out. If they are a bad fit, for whatever reason, then alot of times it's simply better all the way around to find a replacement, even if it takes a great deal of time, than it is to expect the offending band member to change their ways or attitude.

 

I see what you're saying, though, that alot of bands simply won't make the effort at all to fix anything...they just interchange members like Lego's. There was a local band in my area that was like that not too long ago...each time someone in the band did something that someone else didn't like, they had a band meeting and kicked the guy out. The result was a different band on stage for each show they played, and they eventually gave up.

 

For me, I had a huge problem with loyalty issues. I just couldn't give up the ghost, so to speak. I had a problem with quitting a band, because I don't consider myself a quitter, and I tried too hard to change situations that just couldn't be changed.

 

I think alot of musicians have that problem as well, where they just keep trying to fix something that is broken beyond repair.

 

The key, IMO, for musicians, is to find a balance between their personal life (what they are and are not able to do due to circumstances), their goals, how much time they have to invest, the amount of sacrifice they are willing to make, learning how to accept loss, learning how to recognize that it's time to move on, and learning when to "turn up the heat".

 

Of course, there are many, many things to consider when talking about musical careers, but the questions you should ask yourself and the things you should look at are basically the same as any other career. What do you want to do with the rest of your life? What are you comfortable with sacrificing to get to that point? Are you willing to work hard enough to achieve that goal? Etc, etc, etc.

[zekmoe]

I have fun learning the tunes, adjusting the PA, playing in my cellar with my band, talking over what we do etc. I don't have partuclar fun with gigs. I love going over someone else's house, as long as they have appropriate gear and space, to jam, hack tunes, try some stuff. No pressures.

[Kramerguy]

Hey all, great responses.

 

Back to what I was saying, or having difficulty saying...

 

Yeah, we do it for fun, but fun is such a vague and over-used term..

 

Rehearsal is fun

Playing in front of a crowd is fun

Recording in the studio is fun

 

Hauling gear isn't fun

Setting up / breaking down isn't really much fun either

Paying the studio isn't any fun at all

Endless promotions, begging friends to come to shows, cold-calling and bartering with bar managers, bookers, etc... certainly ain't fun..

 

So it's not all about fun, it's tons of hard work and doing a lot of un-fun things in order to achieve the few moments of fun we DO get out of it.

 

Again, really great discussion folks.. much better responses than I expected.

[Casjam]

 

I think if you are in a band with no future and you are aware that it has no future you are "doing it for fun".

 

 

Good point - and this is what I was thinking when I read the original thread headline.

 

To add to that point - I personally enjoy "working" on music, rehearsing and getting better playing as a band, even if it's "just for fun". Committing the time and effort to writing, learning, and playing complex material is fun for me. That's what being a musician in a band is all about (in my opinion).