How can you make money from playing guitar?

Also, you've got the weddings, function or to begin with pub market to aim at. Just ask your band to have a look at doing covers for extra dough. Or if you look and sound like someone - tribute act. They are only really two nights a week things but nice money on the side.

Another thing to look into would be just playing in a pub - just you and an acoustic - £100 and a few free drinks - more if your really good...
 
But if you think about the big money earning pop bands, stone roses, oasis, Beatles, rolling stones, Arcitc monkeys etc....these guitarists in alll honesty are not amazing at all...well maybe John Squire...Noel Gallagher is a great songwriter but his guitar playing is always pentatonic lead and same chords lol nearly always...

So, to make money is more about being able to make catchy tunes that sell well.

That has little to do with guitar ability right?

So being good at guitar is not a great thing to possess. Better at making great songs or riffs?
 
Still, theres millions of amazing songs out there that will never make it.. I believe there is an element of luck in the music industry and its who you know. Some people work hard for many many years yet other people can make it just like that if discovered or its the right moment.
 
Session playing and/or teaching.

I know a guy who makes a very decent living from doing just that.

Being a great guitarist does not equal being a great songwriter. One could even argue that they are two entirely separate things.
 
Woody__ said:
Being a great guitarist does not equal being a great songwriter. One could even argue that they are two entirely separate things.
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Id agree.

Off course it takes guitar skills to create ''guitar'' songs such as Jimmi Hendrix, Led Zep.

But to make regular pop songs dont even need to know guitar.

Guitar music is not much about these days anyway. Its all simple pop.
 
compboyo said:
Id agree.

Off course it takes guitar skills to create ''guitar'' songs such as Jimmi Hendrix, Led Zep.

But to make regular pop songs dont even need to know guitar.

Guitar music is not much about these days anyway. Its all simple pop.
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Not really. Joe Strummer and Bruce Springsteen aren't renowned for having brilliant guitar skill, yet have made some of the best "guitar songs" ever written.

If you think there's not enough "guitar music" then you need to look in a different place for it, to be honest.
 
Doing a national diploma in popular music and now a BA hons i've learnt that songwriting is one of the big money earners.. But even then it takes a lot of songs before one is possibly taken and used.

Music isn't really a money making career, more one of passion or as a hobby.
 
I think one can make money from music, just that making money from the actual creation of music is probably the one that's least likely to generate an income.
 
I've been 'making money' with my guitar for 41 years playing covers and the taxman takes some of it.
If I wanted to make a living I would go as a solo artist playing Workingmen Clubs and finally give in to teaching guitar.
The beauty is that you don't have to be brilliant to please a Workingmens Club audience as long as you play the right songs and the majority of people who want to learn how to play the guitar don't ask to see your grades but just want to be as good as you.
 
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Bands and session guitarists (like all session musicians) are pretty different beasts. As a band if you are lucky and manage to catch a label's eye and are what they think will sell then you may have a chance (see our own GordyR as an example of someone who was a decent singer/song-writer, but only got to the 'nearly' stage despite working hard at it). Skill level doesn't really matter that much as the ability to play as a unit. You're a ready-made product for the label to make money from.

Session musicians are freelance hired guns who are called in to do specific things, often just to play and flesh out things that have already been written (often in pop music finished tracks are peddled about for singers to use just as much as finished lyrics). You come in and are expected to pull things out of a hat on request, or perhaps you get a contract on a TV show as part of the backing band. It's the same with backing singers, dancers and that kind of thing. It's skill/hard work/who you know. You're a tool used by producers to generate things that match their musical ideas. AFAIK you need to be able to sight read music at a lot of studios, be able to convincingly play a variety of musical styles, and improvise in those styles. Not easy.
 
Woody__ said:
Not really. Joe Strummer and Bruce Springsteen aren't renowned for having brilliant guitar skill, yet have made some of the best "guitar songs" ever written.

If you think there's not enough "guitar music" then you need to look in a different place for it, to be honest.
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when I meant guitar. I meant epic guitar stuff...its a misunderstanding

You could say Wonderwall is a great guitar tune..its simple..

You could say beatles have great guitar songs..many are simple 3 chords


When I say guitar song I mean song based upon epic, complex, creative, innovative guitar playing..whole lotta love, Stairway to heaven, Hendrix= 3rd stone from the sun, hey baby, little wing, Santana black magic women etc..style playing. Complex and well thought out guitar playing and very creative.

you dont get songs based upon guitar playing like that these days...
 
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I would say you do, yes. Perhaps none of them are particularly successful in terms of mainstream recognition, but they exist.
 
Woody__ said:
I would say you do, yes. Perhaps none of them are particularly successful in terms of mainstream recognition, but they exist.
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right if true then supports my comment that to make money being a good poppy catchy songwriter is better than an epic guitarist.

EPic guitar music is not mainstream nowadays

Wheres todays van Halens, , Hendrix, Page, Santana?

There aint any..still these dudes are the big guitar names...20-50 years later

Maybe more current great guitrists are in metal rather than rock so not so mainstream.

Frusicante and The Egde (also both been aroudn for ages) are prob the best recent rock guitarists mainstream.
 
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I'm sorry man, but I'm really confused about the money making aspect of it here. Surely it's better to do what you love first and foremost...
 
Woody__ said:
I'm sorry man, but I'm really confused about the money making aspect of it here. Surely it's better to do what you love first and foremost...
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Well obviosuly Im not debating that point.

I am stating which IMO is quite clear to see that there are no mainstream famous epic guitarists today. Maybe Slash cause he looks cool :D but GNr old too.

Unlike back in the day, Clapton, hendirx, Page, Van Halen, Santana etc...bands and people famous based upon the guitar playing.


Though its possible todays greatest guitarists play metal thats why they are not 'so famous'' or mainstream. Because metal is a selective taste. Off course classic rock was huge and very popular back in the day.
 
Johnny Greenwood, Tom Morello, Slash, Graham Coxon, Robin Finck, any of the guys who are currently in Guns n Roses...just from the top of my head.

They might not be "epic", but they're in pretty mainstream bands and are all great guitar players.

And Prince. Obviously.
 
Woody__ said:
Johnny Greenwood, Tom Morello, Slash, Graham Coxon, Robin Finck, any of the guys who are currently in Guns n Roses...just from the top of my head.

They might not be "epic", but they're in pretty mainstream bands and are all great guitar players.

And Prince. Obviously.
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yet I and most off the popualtion ahve not even heard off them. They are not fmaous stars. You are comaprign graham coxon to Van halen..lol not even same sentence..

OK greenwood this is radiohead dude right? lol no one knows him excpet radiohead fans and idnide fans same as grame coxon.


Lets be real there is no santana, hendrix, van halen. There never has been for years...No superstars. NO guitar heros.

just some good guitar players.

Noel gallagher prob most ''famous'' guitarist off last 2 decades in Uk at least and he is not amazing on guitar at all.

John Squire was pretty good but he was short lived tbh and not enough good material and pretty quiet/elusive not a star. And I wouldnt say his fame wa mainstream but im too young to know.

The only exciting rockstars off last 20 years in UK has been Oasis as they had attitude and style. Maybe U2 and RHCP next worldwide....but people dont know frusciante or Navarro or The edge unless they are ''guitar folk''
 
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I think there a lack of guitarists like that these days due to there not being as much inovation due to technology and everyone wanting to sound the same. Theres just so many guitarists and most don't have a distinct personality.

They exist though. But will never get to the level of the people like Hendrix or others. Its goto be to do with the time I think.
 
compboyo said:
yet I and most off the popualtion ahve not even heard off them. They are not fmaous stars. You are comaprign graham coxon to Van halen..lol not even same sentence..

OK greenwood this is radiohead dude right? lol no one knows him excpet radiohead fans and idnide fans same as grame coxon.


Lets be real there is no santana, hendrix, van halen. There never has been for years...No superstars. NO guitar heros.

just some good guitar players.

Noel gallagher prob most ''famous'' guitarist off last 2 decades in Uk at least and he is not amazing on guitar at all.

John Squire was pretty good but he was short lived tbh and not enough good material and pretty quiet/elusive not a star. And I wouldnt say his fame wa mainstream but im too young to know.

The only exciting rockstars off last 20 years in UK has been Oasis as they had attitude and style. Maybe U2 and RHCP next worldwide....but people dont know frusciante or Navarro or The edge unless they are ''guitar folk''
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Blur were one of the biggest bands in the UK and Radiohead are one of the biggest bands in the world...

Should also chuck James Dean Bradfield from the Manics in there too.
 
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