Articles by Dave Isaacs
Dave Isaacs has released seven albums and logged countless road miles as a solo artist, bandleader, and sideman. He is a musician’s musician with a dynamic presence and a craftsman’s touch…rooted in the blues and energized by rock & roll, but with a jazzman’s improvisational spirit, finesse and command. Dave is also a highly creative educator, offering classes, lectures and workshops that help musicians grow by changing the way they think about what they do. He maintains a busy studio on Nashville’s Music Row working with aspiring artists and songwriters, building musical skills in their minds and ears as well as on their instruments. In the formal academic realm, he teaches music theory and critical listening in the Audio Production program at the Art Institute of Tennessee – Nashville, and coordinates the annual Guitar Summit at Tennessee State University, where he also teaches studio guitar.
Remember this: as an artist or a songwriter you are still ultimately an entrepreneur. You are starting a business and you or your work is the product. Entrepreneurs need to be self-motivated, driven, and focused: focused on the big goals (eyes on the prize!) AND on the day-to-day details. Recognize this, and organize your work accordingly.
I can’t claim to know how inspiration happens. It arrives at unlikely moments, so we carry notebooks and scribble on napkins or sing a few bars of a melody into a cell phone. Sometimes when I play it’s as if my hands and ears are being led. The ideas seem to be coming from somewhere else, and we’re always looking for a way to tap into their source.
There’s a difference between networking and what I would call “social climbing”. Networking is exactly what it sounds like: building your network, your circle of people who know you and your music. One wants to be aware of who’s who and how much weight they carry in the industry, but it’s generally considered poor etiquette to pursue someone higher up the ladder too aggressively. This is sometimes known as “gherming” and is a good way to develop a bad reputation.
What a producer is generally not: a producer is generally not an agent or manager. A producer’s role does not include getting you signed (though someone with contacts may be able to help open doors for you, don’t ever assume that this is part of the situation). Some people may offer their connections (which may or may not be real) as a hook to attract clients, but I’ve seen many situations where the producer made promises and never made any effort to follow through.
No matter what type of venues you and/or your band generally play, odds are you are using some kind of sound reinforcement. Perhaps you mostly play showcase rooms or festivals that have a pro running sound, or perhaps you have a PA system of your own that you primarily use. Either way, some basic knowledge of live sound is a great asset to a performing artist or group.
This article is aimed solo artists…singers and singer/songwriters who want to play with a band, or at least another musician or two. If you’re part of a band, some of these ideas will be relevant to you as well, but the always complex topic of band dynamics is something I’ll address in a future article.
Making music is all about communication…between the performer and the audience, between the artist or front person and the band, and between the musicians themselves. Every performer knows the importance of “connecting” and working the room from the stage, but the other two communication channels sometimes get overlooked.
Dave Isaacs discusses the importance of having good mentors in the music business and their importance in the success of aspiring musicians.
Find out what professional musician, Dave Isaacs, learned (and didn’t learn) in music school.
