Once you've decided on a career in music, pursue it!... and don't give up! With enough practice and proper management, you have a decent chance at becoming successful. It doesn't happen overnight. There are bands who've played together for years and not hit the big time. Others who have never given up on their dream have been rewarded with record contracts. It's just like most everything else in life that's worth pursuing. The harder you work at it and the longer you stick to it, the better you become and finally, one day the call comes and you've made it!
Even though your music may be an esoteric expression of you, played from your heart and soul, there are some practical matters in the real world that need to be attended to before you can strike up the band.
Things you'll need to consider:
Where will you practice? When will you practice? You'll need to coordinate these things with your bandmates. Scheduling practice and keeping everyone on the same page may be one of the hardest tasks a new band will have to contend with. But if you get the right group of people who see the same dream as you and are just as committed, you have a big part of the battle won.
To start off, you need to tell people. Check out the local classifieds to see if there's a band who needs your skills or put an ad in the paper yourself, get the word out on the street. You may be surprised at how many people share your dream. Post to blogs or other personal web pages. The important thing is to find people who you can work with and have fun but they must be as serious as you when it comes to their music and their future. Not everyone will think exactly alike, but find people who are creative and determined but friendly and flexible enough to listen to another's ideas.
Once you've assembled the right mixture of people, the next obstacle you face is where and when to practice. Maybe you or your bandmates will have a place at home or a garage. If that fails look for a place to rent. A unused warehouse or storage area but try to find a a place that charges a reasonable rate. Not having a place to practice is terrible reason to trash your dreams.
Ok, so you've got the band assembled, a great place to practice and everyone's committed. You or even some of the band members may already have songs written so you'll be ahead of the game. Let that be a starting point for writing more songs. Not everything you and your bandmates write will be a Top Ten hit but the point is to keep the creative juices flowing.
Next step is easy:
It's something you already enjoy doing - PRACTICE! The more you practice as a group, the better feel you'll have for one another's playing style, sense of timing and on-stage personalities. It makes for great music when a well practiced, cohesive band plays and that only comes with time, familiarity and practice. It's also a good idea to record your practice sessions. It will provide instant feedback and you'll know when you start sounding good and where you might need some improvement.
So you've practiced, practiced, practiced and you're sounding really good. Look around for potential places you can play, maybe houseparties, family get-togethers or a local party spot. Contact local bands and volunteer to open for them. The value of feedback from a live audience is immeasurable. The experience will help polish your band's stage performance and get you more exposure. The more people that see you and enjoy your performances, especially in nightclubs, the more likely you are to get more gigs.
While you're playing these great gigs, record the shows. Make demo tapes and mail them out to the radio stations, give them to friends and family, load them up to YouTube. Get your music out there! You've worked hard to get to this point, be proud and show off your accomplishments!
Armed with this advice, your "I won't quit 'til I'm there" attitude and your six-string, go out there and beg, borrow, scratch and fight until you get to the top of the charts. You have the dream, do you have the will?
Who are the people who show dogs? Are they lunatics or fanatics? The dog people have a favorite joke about themselves. They say you don't have to be crazy to enjoy shows, but it certainly helps! This is because they actually go through many hardships and disappointments but still enjoy it and call it fun.
It is one of the fascinating peculiarities of the dog game that the people who are thrown together in the pursuit of this sport are from so many different walks of life: dentists, carpenters, teachers, bankers, housewives, farmers, musicians, engineers, artists, industrialists, young and old, rich and poor. All have the same desire - to take home a blue ribbon.
If you have thought that you might like to get into dogs, but have not yet purchased your first one, let me give you a word of advice. There are so many wonderful breeds, each with its own particular charm, that I'm sure you can find just the right breed for you.
However, decide on one whose size and temperament fit into your life. Don't get a Great Dane if you live in a tiny apartment, and don't get a tiny dog if a high-pitched bark grates on your nerves. Once you have decided which breed you want, please do some studying about what is right and what is wrong for a dog of that particular breed.
When you are ready to buy, go to a reliable breeder and tell him that you intend to show. A sincere breeder would not sell you an inferior animal if he knew he was to be shown. Many people when they are buying a dog ask for "just a pet," thinking they will get the animal cheaper.
A good breeder wants his stock shown and does not want to be embarrassed by having a dog of his breeding with a serious fault show up at a show, and by the same token he does not want to sell a top dog to someone who will never show him as for all practical purposes he would be lost to the show and breeding world.
He would rather sell you a good dog for less money if you promised he would be shown. If he is a big breeder, he cannot possibly get all the dogs he raises to the shows under his own name, and he is always looking for someone to come along who is interested in showing. He will not give the dog away, because experience has taught him that the dog receives better care if he has been purchased and he has a much better chance of actually getting into the show ring when the new owner has paid something for the dog.
It would be hard for me to tell you exactly what you ought to pay for a dog good enough to show and have some fun with. In addition to the fact that prices vary a great deal in the various breeds, and not taking into consideration the actual worth of a dog because of his good or bad points, there are many other things that enter into the price you must pay for a good dog. Here are a few:
How many other good dogs has the seller in his kennel? By selling you the only good one, he may be left without any thing to show himself, and if he wants to show, the price may go up.
How crowded are the seller's facilities? If he is over crowded, he may be willing to sell at a lower price than usual.
Can the owner afford to show? If not, he may sell for less in order to give the dog the opportunity to be shown more frequently.
How many other persons are interested? Naturally, if several persons express the desire to buy the same dog, the price of that dog will go up.
These are some of the first things you need to ask yourself before considering embarking on showing dogs. It is certainly a fascinating hobby!
Jimmy Cox has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Horse Racing and Investments. Discover The Amazing Secrets Of A Master Dog Grooming School!Click here for FREE online Ebook