If Guitar is your career choice, it’s not an alternative; it has to be a passion | Professional Guitar Playing & Career
Friends, there is a great dearth of information in music industry in India, so just to start with, I felt to pick the topic that says who can be a professional or to expect being a professional guitarist?
As Guitarmonk has introduced COP (Career Oriented Program) for upcoming guitarmonk centres. We are receiving a plethora of admission inquiries full of enthusiasm, commitment and passion. Some of them are even ready to pay the fee and join it immediately. But let me remind you; don’t make it easy, because it’s a big decision of life?
I mostly advise all my students that on what grounds or basis they are taking this decision (my 1st question) and then 2nd question, how this decision will help them to achieve what they want in life? I also counsel them on the vision of this industry and hard facts. Music is not everyone’s cup of tea indeed, and those looking for just bread and butter – is it worth to choose music for that? so both the danger side i.e. stability (which is easily available in other streams in form of salary as compared to risks) and the achievable side (which is only available in music stream say satisfaction, joy, music, fame etc. ).
There are a many more questions that I put them through and then I expose them to factual hidden view, efforts and facts of Guitarist/Musicians life and even then if they are ready to go for Guitar Career, they are the ones for it. We push them.
The positive part of Guitarmonk Career program is that stability is not any more concern as was with me. We have industry who can pay us, we need people who can deliver. [Read My Press Release on number of teachers we are building up for Jobs or catch it at info@guitarmonk.com]
Point is it’s not just the front end visible life of a guitarist (the periphery), whom everyone rejoices and feel fascinated with. There is a hard work behind that too and that hard work can’t be questioned. A guitarist playing music is surrounded by crowd or friend requests is not what the only fact of guitarist life. A professional guitarist has to have a plan to sustain, should have consistent work factors, earning models and that scenario should also be clear to prospective Guitar Career seekers. Most Guitar Career seekers see guitar as a dream come true enjoyment career and job for them which is absolutely wrong and a too much narrow view.
Guitar is a study as respectful as like any other subject – Like any other subject, guitar is a study of years and professional platform means commitment. So when ever one feels to try this industry, it’s the time for counseling and detailed introspection. It’s better to test yourself and to test the profession for you both. So whenever my students start expecting more of guitar. It’s time to bind him and to solve doubts and clear career path. A mere direction and thought/desire isn’t enough to make you professional. You will have to take the path, walk the path and spend time on it to complete your journey. Taking few steps and then thinking all these, is waste of time and wisdom.
As a professional Guitarist I can answer these question because I walked from the same roads, spent my journey playing at streets to the Bollywood and feeling both very lucky at unlucky at various domains. I don’t tell my student’s Do’s because that everyone is doing, I rather tell those Don’ts to them, because a single mistake can struck their career move. Opportunities came my way and my talent got connected to platforms as well. Age, Time, hard work was in synch to get an output. This combination is required to be stable as a Guitarist.
I also recommend this program to those who are already successful or who are stable in their careers but passionate for Guitars. This can work for them very well too. Point is who can justify it. It’s not who it will benefit, its rather who can handle it and understand it well and take out the best out of the platform.
I don’t advise this career stream to all, it’s not an alternative to your other career or other failures. For me and for everyone it has to be passion if they want to a professional Guitarist. And Guitarmonk COP program is for those few members.
So for all those who want to be part of Career Oriented Guitarmonk Program. You must give the psychometric test, attend the counseling sessions and get complete idea before joining this course.
Remember if Guitar is your career choice, it’s not an alternative; it has to be a passion.
AUTHOR – KAPIL SRIVASTAVA | COPYRIGHTED @ GUITARMONK
