Cruise Ship Musician Q&A -- Answering your questions — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00All right. Hey everybody, welcome back.
2. 0:03My name is John and I play the bass on
3. 0:08cruise ships. Right now I'm on the
4. 0:11lovely Norwegian Prima and we are in
5. 0:15Geranganger, Norway. I think I'm saying
6. 0:17that right. It's a very beautiful small
7. 0:21town here in Norway, deep in the fjords.
8. 0:24And um
9. 0:28uh yeah, I've got the day off and I
10. 0:30wanted to take I wanted to take this
11. 0:33opportunity to answer some of your
12. 0:35questions uh that I got from my last
13. 0:37video on Life on Board and getting the
14. 0:41gig.
15. 0:42So, I want to thank you all for leaving
16. 0:45your questions in the comments section.
17. 0:46It was great and uh I'm going to do my
18. 0:50best to answer them here. So, let's dive
19. 0:53right in, shall we? Okay. So, I got a
20. 0:56couple questions on site reading.
21. 0:59Um, when you say site reading, do you
22. 1:02mean reading music and is the music
23. 1:04standard notation or is it tab as well?
24. 1:09It's always standard notation. Uh, I
25. 1:12don't think I've ever received tab on
26. 1:14this job. Um,
27. 1:18so yeah, standard notation
28. 1:24and uh
29. 1:27Jack Jackson Morris 3491 asks,
30. 1:32"As someone who has never went to school
31. 1:36for bass, how do I go about learning
32. 1:38site reading?"
33. 1:40That's a great question. Um, I would say
34. 1:44get if you already know how to play the
35. 1:46instrument and you're proficient on your
36. 1:48instrument and you want to learn how to
37. 1:50read, I would recommend getting um like
38. 1:53a book and and reading it. You can get a
39. 1:58uh like a beginning band book and work
40. 2:03your way through that. That's how I
41. 2:05learned how to read.
42. 2:08So
43. 2:09um
44. 2:11like uh what I did when I want when I
45. 2:14wanted to learn how to site when I
46. 2:16wanted to learn how to read music, I
47. 2:18went and I bought
48. 2:20um like these beginning band books. It
49. 2:24was like musical excellence. There was a
50. 2:27red book and a blue book.
51. 2:29And so I I got these books and I just
52. 2:32started at the very beginning, page one,
53. 2:35and it was like whole notes, you know,
54. 2:37like E
55. 2:44and um and I worked through it and it
56. 2:46was like very simple songs like Hot
57. 2:48Cross Bonds and Mary had a Little Lamb
58. 2:51and things like this, but it allowed me
59. 2:54to connect
60. 2:57um notes I already knew on the
61. 2:58instrument strument with the dots on the
62. 3:01page. And that's really important
63. 3:04because you already know how to play
64. 3:06your instrument. You just need to learn
65. 3:09what it looks like on paper.
66. 3:12And so the best way to do that is to
67. 3:15just start practicing and to start at
68. 3:17the very beginning. So yeah, go out and
69. 3:21get one of these like beginning band
70. 3:24books for like middle schoolers and
71. 3:27spend a summer
72. 3:30uh just working through it, you know. I
73. 3:32think I did it I did it over a summer
74. 3:35when I was in middle school, I think. Um
75. 3:41and just like worked through these two
76. 3:43books every day. like I did like one or
77. 3:47two pieces of music every day and just
78. 3:50connected the dots and then at the end
79. 3:51of that I could I could read um and then
80. 3:55it's just repetition so reading a lot
81. 4:01and more regularly.
82. 4:04So
83. 4:06um there are some good uh site reading
84. 4:09books out there. I have one by Yannik
85. 4:12Guisdala that I think is really good. Um
86. 4:15I think it's called bass players guide
87. 4:17to site readading and it has a lot of
88. 4:19just like short etudes in it that you
89. 4:22can read and um and then just like the
90. 4:27trick to site reading is to just you
91. 4:28have to do it all the time and you have
92. 4:30to read new music all the time. So any
93. 4:33music you can get your hand on just read
94. 4:35it. Um, and so yeah, that's how I would
95. 4:40say to uh build that skill without going
96. 4:45to school because you definitely don't
97. 4:46need to go to school to to learn to
98. 4:49read. I think that you can learn it if
99. 4:52you you can learn it in a few months if
100. 4:54you just practice it every day and then
101. 4:57if you practice it every day for a year
102. 5:00or two, you'll uh get it you'll get it
103. 5:04really together. Um,
104. 5:07most of the reading that you do on ships
105. 5:09is not
106. 5:11it's not super noteheavy. It's not
107. 5:12classical music, you know. You're not
108. 5:15reading um a boach, you know. Uh it's
109. 5:21it's a lot of like chord changes
110. 5:24and rhythms and some slash notation. So,
111. 5:28a lot of it is like decoding what the
112. 5:31chart is trying to tell you.
113. 5:34Um, so really just like getting learning
114. 5:37rhythms, the common rhythm rhythmic
115. 5:40ideas and uh
116. 5:44and implementing that. So it's really
117. 5:46not super hard. It sounds more
118. 5:49intimidating than it really is. Um, I've
119. 5:53seen guys come through the gig. There
120. 5:56are plenty of guys that do this gig,
121. 5:58guys and girls that do this gig that
122. 6:00don't read or couldn't read when they
123. 6:02got the job
124. 6:04and they're fine. So, if you want to do
125. 6:06it, you can you can do it. Um, thanks
126. 6:10for your question.
127. 6:12Um, are there Cynthia Cynthia with love
128. 6:15asks, "Are there any harpists on the
129. 6:18ship?"
130. 6:20Uh, thanks for your question, Cynthia.
131. 6:22I've never seen a harpist, but that
132. 6:24doesn't mean there couldn't be one.
133. 6:27Um, a harp would be a really unique
134. 6:30instrument to have on board. And so I
135. 6:33think if you play the harp and this is
136. 6:35something you want to do, then you
137. 6:37should go ahead and send send an
138. 6:39audition tape in with one of the
139. 6:40agencies because if you're proficient
140. 6:44and you've got um a lot of repertoire,
141. 6:48you know, if you can play
142. 6:50um 3 to four hours of music a night
143. 6:53every every day for
144. 6:57six months, then go for it.
145. 7:02Louise Gardella says, "Hi, dude." Hi,
146. 7:05Louise. Thanks for commenting, man. How
147. 7:08you doing? Louise and I worked together
148. 7:10on the Viva. He was doing He was playing
149. 7:12Beetlejuice and I was playing Sid
150. 7:14Norman's. Louise is a great drummer. And
151. 7:17um it's nice to see you here on the
152. 7:19internet, man. Uh cheers.
153. 7:23Ian Dinerstein, I hope I'm saying that
154. 7:26right.
155. 7:28Says, "Hi, John. Thanks for the video.
156. 7:30very useful. You're welcome. Thanks for
157. 7:32watching. I'm a classical pianist and
158. 7:35would like to apply to one of these
159. 7:37gigs. Should I maybe focus more on other
160. 7:40genres like rock or jazz? Is a degree
161. 7:44necessary for passing the audition?
162. 7:47Cheers. Uh Ian, thanks for the question.
163. 7:52Um as a classical pianist, uh I don't
164. 7:55know that it's necessary for you to
165. 7:56focus on other styles of music. Um, on
166. 8:00Norwegian, most of the musicians are
167. 8:03more like pop or R&B
168. 8:07um or rock oriented,
169. 8:10but Norwegian's a pretty relaxed cruise
170. 8:13line. I know there are others that are
171. 8:15more formal.
172. 8:17Uh, I think like Kunard can be more
173. 8:19formal, like the Queen Mary is a very
174. 8:21like traditional ship. And so, uh, there
175. 8:26I'm sure classical music would be more
176. 8:28than welcome,
177. 8:30especially like strictly classical
178. 8:31music. Um, but that's not to say you
179. 8:34couldn't have it here. Uh, I've
180. 8:36definitely seen pianists that, you know,
181. 8:39some ships have just like a piano bar.
182. 8:42So, I think it depends on the cruise
183. 8:44line. Um, and it doesn't it never hurts
184. 8:48to send an audition tape in. So, um,
185. 8:52yeah, if you're interested, I would say
186. 8:54reach out to one of the many agencies
187. 8:57out there. Um, Lando Music, Lime
188. 9:01Entertainment,
189. 9:03ProChip, Suman,
190. 9:06uh, all these guys. Um, contract with
191. 9:09all the cruise lines. So, that's what I
192. 9:12would recommend. Um, because I'm sure
193. 9:14there's a job for you, but it never
194. 9:18hurts to learn more music. So, if you
195. 9:20want to learn rock or pop, I'm all for
196. 9:22it.
197. 9:24Mincent Price 1041,
198. 9:28uh,
199. 9:29says,
200. 9:31"I fill the vacancy as a drummer in a
201. 9:34band in ' 84.
202. 9:36Played Vegas showrooms and cruise ships.
203. 9:39Most recorded music cues weren't allowed
204. 9:42because of the musicians union.
205. 9:45So, we toured with magicians, dancers,
206. 9:47acrobats, and standup comics like a
207. 9:49vaudeville troop. We played full sets of
208. 9:52R&B, rock, review shows, and all the
209. 9:54cues and music during the specialty
210. 9:56acts. I was paid 800 a week
211. 10:00and sent every penny home. It was my
212. 10:02first job out of high school, and I
213. 10:04wasn't even allowed to step foot on the
214. 10:06casino carpet.
215. 10:09It was the experience of a lifetime.
216. 10:11Have a blast. Enjoy everything on your
217. 10:13journeys. Cheers. Thanks for the
218. 10:15comment. Um, yeah, there's a lot of
219. 10:19really interesting information in here.
220. 10:22Um,
221. 10:26I can say that there are plenty of
222. 10:28recorded music cues these days. Uh, and
223. 10:31the musicians union is non-existent here
224. 10:34at C.
225. 10:37Um,
226. 10:39we play full sets of R&B and rock review
227. 10:42shows. Yeah, that's pretty common. Um,
228. 10:44that's very similar to what I do now.
229. 10:47And there are a lot of people that play
230. 10:49for jugglers and comedians and acrobats
231. 10:53in like the show band gigs. So, that's
232. 10:56I've done that. That's super common
233. 10:57still. I was paid 800 a week. That's an
234. 11:0180 1984. $800 a week in 1984. I mean,
235. 11:07that's very similar to what we make now.
236. 11:10I make a little more than $800 a week,
237. 11:12but I mean, the purchasing power has
238. 11:14been degraded. So, that's really
239. 11:16interesting. I mean, that just goes to
240. 11:18show that over the last 40 years,
241. 11:22uh, that pay out here really hasn't kept
242. 11:25up with inflation. I think $800 in 1984
243. 11:29is like $2,000
244. 11:31today.
245. 11:33So,
246. 11:34wow.
247. 11:36Yo, editor John here. I want to pop in
248. 11:39because I just noticed that there was
249. 11:40one more question that I didn't answer
250. 11:42in the video that I want to get to now.
251. 11:46Um,
252. 11:48gan just this cat asks, "Hey man, do the
253. 11:52agencies pay for your bags during the
254. 11:54flights cuz I think I would have extra
255. 11:56baggage because of the instruments like
256. 11:59a guitar." This is an excellent question
257. 12:01and one that I wish I knew the answer to
258. 12:03when I started. my agency. Um, yes, they
259. 12:07pay for the extra baggage. So, when I
260. 12:09fly, they give me um usually two two
261. 12:15checked pieces of luggage that the uh
262. 12:18company pays for in the airline.
263. 12:22And so, that's my suitcase one and my
264. 12:24suitcase two. And then I bring my base.
265. 12:28And I always check my base. Um, a lot of
266. 12:31guys carry it on. I check mine. And
267. 12:36either way, a lot of times you have an
268. 12:38extra piece of luggage and it's your
269. 12:39instrument and the company uh in my
270. 12:42experience, the company always reimbures
271. 12:45you for your instrument fees. So, um I
272. 12:50check it. It's like an extra $100 to
273. 12:52$150.
274. 12:53Keep the receipt. When you get on the
275. 12:56ship, you give the receipt to finance
276. 12:59and the company will pay you back. They
277. 13:01also will reimburse you for your um any
278. 13:06food you pay for on the day of your
279. 13:07travel between
280. 13:10like airport to airport. So if you buy a
281. 13:13meal at the airport, if you buy a coffee
282. 13:15at the airport, keep all of those
283. 13:17receipts and when you get on board, give
284. 13:20them to finance and the company will
285. 13:23reimburse you up to the allotted amount.
286. 13:26It's usually like $25 a day.
287. 13:30So, um I wish I knew that before coming
288. 13:33in. I have also um bought a ticket for
289. 13:37my instrument
290. 13:39and put the bass um like in the seat
291. 13:42next to me and the company reimbursed me
292. 13:47um part of the ticket price. I think
293. 13:50they gave me back like $150.
294. 13:52That was like so that was like their
295. 13:54luggage allotment. Also, sometimes they
296. 13:58will forget to they'll forget to buy
297. 14:01your baggage when they buy your ticket.
298. 14:05And so then you pay for your luggage and
299. 14:09you have to keep all those receipts and
300. 14:12when you get to the ship, you give it to
301. 14:14them and they'll give it they'll
302. 14:16reimburse you. So, it's super important.
303. 14:18I can't stress this enough. Hold on to
304. 14:20your receipts. I keep a folder like
305. 14:26uh with me when I travel that all my
306. 14:27receipts go in and um Yeah. Yeah. So,
307. 14:32they'll they'll reimburse you for your
308. 14:34luggage. They'll reimburse you for your
309. 14:36instrument. You need your instrument to
310. 14:38do your job. The company will pay for
311. 14:40it. That's been my experience.
312. 14:43Um keep your receipts. Okay.
313. 14:46Yeah, that's uh that's about it. Those
314. 14:49are the questions. Um,
315. 14:53so yeah, I hope that is helpful and
316. 14:56answers your questions.
317. 14:58Um, if you're interested in doing the
318. 15:00the job, I would, you know, just
319. 15:02encourage you to apply. They're always
320. 15:04looking for musicians
321. 15:06and, um, so it never hurts to send an
322. 15:09audition tape in. There are
323. 15:13a number of agencies you can work for.
324. 15:16Um, I work with Landown Music. Like I
325. 15:19said, there's Lime, there's ProChip,
326. 15:23Sumin.
327. 15:25Um,
328. 15:26and they all work with different
329. 15:28companies. So, um,
330. 15:33uh, I would just start like,
331. 15:36um, reaching out to all of them, which
332. 15:38is kind of what I did, and then I just
333. 15:40worked with the first one that offered
334. 15:42me a job. So, you know, cast a wide net.
335. 15:46Um, it's like a funnel.
336. 15:48Jack Kanti talks about this. Everything
337. 15:50in life is a funnel. And so if you send
338. 15:53out a lot of applications, you got a
339. 15:57wide funnel and then
340. 16:00as you audition more and they you pass
341. 16:04some auditions and you don't pass other
342. 16:06auditions um
343. 16:10at the bottom you'll there's more likely
344. 16:12to get a job because
345. 16:15um anyway I hope that um this was
346. 16:18helpful. Thanks for watching and um
347. 16:22don't forget to subscribe if you like
348. 16:24the video and I'll see you next time.
349. 16:27Thanks. Bye-bye.