Are you passionate about music? Since your early childhood, have you dreamed of facing a delirious concert audience? Does your instrument or your texts never leave you? Your dearest wish is to release an album and hear your songs on the radio?
Every “blue thumb” on YouTube makes you shudder? So are you ready ! You are ready to become a professional musician !
Linkaband, specialist in music promotion and in connecting musicians and music lovers, gives you some suggestions and some benchmarks that will help you know where you are and above all to achieve your goal and become a professional musician! It remains to be defined if you are a musician or just a music lover! In the first case, do not hesitate to consult our musicians ads directly.
To become a professional musician, you must above all love music with an all-consuming passion. Then choose an instrument and learn how to master it every day. Find your style, set goals, accept setbacks and criticism. But above all, do repetitions, again and again. Breathe, we will explain everything to you…
How to become a musician (amateur)?
“Make your life a dream, and a dream a reality”. This quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry should be a mantra for all artists and especially for budding musicians. He could also have said: “If you want to become a musician at 40, 7, 25 or 99, it’s possible! “. If the very concept of becoming an amateur musician or becoming a beatmaker may seem absurd, know that many are content to switch from one instrument to another, to write two lines of texts or to scratch three guitar chords to be able to call themselves a musician. …amateur. Music lover, yes! Whereas to become a musician you need (among other things):
To have music as a raison d’être!
Above all, to become a musician you have to be passionate. Without passion, no success! The life of a professional or amateur musician is made up of obstacles: lack of recognition, difficult end of the month, increasingly strong competition, difficult first step… Your passion for music must be all-consuming and fill your dreams and your lives.
Choose an instrument!
To become a musician worthy of the name, you must choose a musical instrument. Guitar, saxophone, piano, turntables or even your voice, music can be interpreted in 1000 different ways. In order to progress as quickly as possible, it is better to force yourself to play an instrument, after which you can tackle several instruments.
Find a style of music!
Finding your style of music can be as important as choosing your instrument, the two being often linked. However, it is not a question of choosing one and confining oneself to it, but rather of leaning on it, of finding your marks and your bearings. You will see later that the musical styles mingle and intertwine, influence each other and sometimes give birth to new styles of music, which will allow you to evolve and go in the direction you want.
Set goals and stick to them!
Now that the basics are established, it’s time to get to work! A passionate musician constantly seeks to go further, but above all he sets goals to better stick to them. Whether that goal is to play at your best friend’s wedding, to perform at a bar, or to master a classical music score that has been giving you a hard time for far too long, a true musician goes all the way, he not content with the chorus.
How to become a professional musician?
The difference between an amateur musician and a professional musician is not just about the experience or the quality of the musical performances. The base being the same, the passion, the differences appear in small details, which sometimes seem like nothing, but especially in the vocation of the musician. An amateur musician will be content to live his passion, while a professional musician will also seek to live from this passion.
Study music!
One of the keys to going from amateur musician to professional musician lies in higher education in music. The profession of musician requires a musical education transmitted by musical education. You can be a musician without necessarily joining one of the many national orchestras. However, going through a music school or a conservatory will help you climb the steps of professionalization more quickly. With the CFEM (Certificate of End of Musical Studies), the DUMI (University Diploma of Intervening Musicians) or the DNESM (National Diploma of Higher Studies in Music), in your pocket, the musical scenes will open up more easily!
Master a language and respect it!
The language of Molière, Dante, Goethe, or Shakespeare, whatever jargon or dialect you choose, you must master it! To sing or to address your audience, using language sparingly will not do you any favors. While giving a background to your remarks, a structure to your thoughts, will raise you to the equal of the pros, for your greatest pride.
Accept criticism to move forward!
To evolve and improve, it is essential to put aside your pride and accept criticism. For a songwriter, having his work criticized is probably one of the hardest things to take. It is obvious that those who started in a music school will be more inclined to accept criticism. Ditto for those who began musical studies later. But criticism will help you improve and that’s all that matters, right?
Be punctual and show respect!
Even if being late is the courtesy of artists according to André Maurois, arriving on time is above all respect, both for your audience and for the organizers. A short time ago you were almost desperate at the idea of not finding concert dates, and now that you have one you find a way to snub the clock… A professional musician is punctual if he wants to last!
Repeat like a chorus
Like a sweet chorus, to become a musician you have to repeat, repeat and repeat to go further. Otherwise no salvation even for the June Music Festival! Like a sweet chorus, to become a musician you have to repeat, repeat and repeat to go further. Otherwise no salvation even for the June Music Festival!
Be on stage like at home!
A professional musician must be able to face an audience. During a concert, those present are not present only for the music, they are there for a show, for a unique moment! If you are prone to shyness, above all stay yourself and don’t panic, it is by forging that one becomes a blacksmith, it is by playing music… In short, you have understood, nothing is equal to ‘experience !
Communicate and communicate!
Communication is the sinews of war. Having talent is one thing, making it known is another! To find a place to perform, to find your audience, to make your music group known, you have to communicate. Social networks, blog, stickers, whatever the means used: communicate, communicate, communicate! And when a small notoriety points the tip of its muzzle, it is necessary to maintain the links with your public!
Become an intermittent performer!
Music schools may give a state diploma in musicology, but not the status. Intermittent status allows musicians to benefit from a special regime that protects them from the potential vagaries of this industry. Thus, the intermittents du spectacle can be paid in declared fees. This legitimizes their activity. To learn more about intermittent work and fees, see our article how to become intermittent in the show business?.
Participate in specialized training!
Many training courses for musicians are available on the internet. The latter offer artists training on different subjects, whether it is composition, writing or more “business” subjects such as music publishing, copyright, author’s rights, marketing strategies…
Guil’s Records offers this type of training as well as services, do not hesitate to take an interest in his work. And she even offers a special code for readers of this article! -15% on training with the promo code “LINKABAND” and -10% on services by contacting directly from its site.
Register on a platform for musicians!
Platforms for musicians, such as Linkaband, are good springboards, both for making yourself known and for finding your audience. See it as a serious boost, as an accompaniment to the highest steps of success. By registering on a platform you increase your visibility within a network dedicated to music and you start working on your presentation. In short, join their catalog of musicians search and you clearly pass in the superior category!
What kind of musician are you? What instrument to play?
The team of singers! Are you a pop rock or jazz lyrical pro? You were in a choir and you were told that you have the vocal talent of a tenor. Free yourself from those tunes that run through your head, on stage, in a band!
The solo instrumentalist! The instrumentalists are past masters in the art of instrumental mastery. So much so that these soloists like to play it solo. With a good dose of passion and talent, an instrument is enough for the orchestra!
The fingering of a pianist! The piano is one of the most noble instruments to have survived the ages. Many a legendary genius has created symphonies on ivory keyboards. Between the harpsichord, the organ of a chamber musician or the mythical grand piano, your fingers and your ears will remain the real instruments that you will have to train to become a pianist.
The class of the guitarist! To join guitar gods like Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix and Santana, it’s not enough to know four chords. The guitar is an art, an all-consuming passion. You can buy as many guitars as you want, but if you only bring it out for your guests, it’s your dream of becoming a rockstar that’s going to take the dust!
Drummer’s Rage! Do you have a sense of rhythm? So you are made to be a percussionist! Percussion is essential for any good self-respecting band . He’s usually the most eccentric character in the band, a fan of punchy improvisations!
The grace of the violinist and cellist! Obviously, for true lovers of classical music, the violin and the cello have nothing to do with each other. But if you like to rock an audience by dancing a horsehair bow on strings, the choice is yours.
Bass player vs double bass player! They set the tempo. If the tuning is similar, they differ in the playing position. The bass is played horizontally and the double bass vertically. They both offer low notes that blend with a particular style of music. If one prefers rock, the other jazz. If one prefers Bossa, the other Funk. Who is who ? You decide.
Saxophonist and trumpeter: the brass stars! The saxophone and the trumpet are the most mediatic brass instruments ! Between Lisa Simpson and Louis Armstrong, more than one icon has put her lips to their beak. Sometimes seen as the instrument of the most introverted, it is making a comeback alongside DJs!
Victor Raimondeau is one of many Linkaband artists!
Flutist, oboist, clarinetist: The breath of the winds! Between the flute, the clarinet, the oboe and so on… If you have breath to spare, you won’t lack takers to become an orchestral musician. Great friends of orchestras , their enchanted sound is at the origin of many splendid solos with Bach and Debussy.
The charm of the Accordionist! The Accordion is a magical instrument, it makes us travel to a universe full of charm and love! It is played by bon vivants and big hearts!
The passion of a concert performer! He only works on his repertoires for festivals and concerts! The stage is his professional identity ! Energetic and insomniac individuals who punctuate our nights of joy!
The creativity of Composers! The composer, his thing is the musical project. He is a conductor who bathes in scores. He prefers the recording studio to the stage. A concern for quality that generates unforgettable melodies. To become a session musician, it takes time and determination.
You are a professional musician when…
Now you know how to become a professional musician. And in a short time, if everything goes well and you give your all, a few small clues and changes in your life will allow you to see that the stage has been taken! So you have become a professional musician when:
- You have a stunning stage name that clearly identifies you.
- You must wear sunglasses to avoid being recognized on the street.
- You are paid to exercise your passion. In addition to live concerts, you can earn money through YouTube!
- Your friends come for your music, not just to support you.
- You can pass on your passion like a music teacher would.
Whether you are about to become a professional musician or you already are, never forget that success is a capricious mistress that must be constantly maintained! So don’t hesitate to get support and register on platforms for musicians like Linkaband to benefit from great concert plans. They will allow you to make yourself known and increase your chances of going on stage! Friends who wish to become a musician artist, it is now time for me to bow out, so I say good luck to you and may the muses accompany you!