Issue #6___\__\__\__\__\__________/__/__/__/__/ June 97 THE TEMPO DISPATCH FREE Newsletter For Drummers and Drumming Enthusiasts Copyright Bill Powelson 1997 all rights reserved. ___/__/__/__/__/__________\__\__\__\__\___ 'IT'S ALL ABOUT DRUMS' Tips * Tricks * Hints * Ads * Freebies * Lessons * Gigs? NOW 825 SUBSCRIBERS!!! ___________________________________________________ "THE TEMPO DISPATCH" is a FREE publication *** Originating From *** BILL POWELSON'S SCHOOL OF DRUMS on the web Where the Drum Lessons are FREE! http://www.catalog.com/drummers/bphome01 E-MAIL: powelson@america.co ___________________________________________________ The focus and intent of this publication is to unite, enlighten, and entertain all the percussion enthusiasts of the Internet. If you wish to receive NO further issues, simply reply to the address at the top of this message and type "REMOVE" on the subject line or body of the message. Your address will be removed immediately. ___________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS What is in this issue? Contents: 1. Feature Article: Getting That First Gig 2. Bar Joke of the Month 3. Land of Lost URLS 4. Advertisements ________________________________________________________ *** FEATURE ARTICLE *** For June 97 How to Snag That First Gig Let's assume that you have been playing drums for some time now. You have a decent drumset and are at the point where playing along with nearly any recording on your sound system is easy. You are a drummer and you can feel and love it! What is next? Where do we go from here? This is a very critical point in your development and it is time to make a bold move. We need to get you into a band and . . . not just any band. It must be exactly the right band. Maybe you are the shy type. I know I was. Too shy to play for even a small group of friends. I remember those days. It took me four years to move from the back room of our house out into the public eye. I had been ready for nearly three years but didn't have the courage to consider it. I had even begun to lose interest in drumming because I didn't think I would ever be brave enough to get on stage and play with a live band. Finally, one day when I was about fourteen, my mom set me up. She knew about my shyness so she planned the whole thing and set it up for me (What a mom!). She made me put the drums in the car, then drove me over to the home of two kids (brothers) my own age. I had previously fought with these two guys in school a year or so earlier and for all I knew, we were mortal enemies. If they had mentioned their interest in music, we would have been friends all along. As it turned out, we hit it off and began practicing regularly. The first few times we played in public were very anxious moments for me. However, I soon noticed that as the music began, all the nervousness and stage fright disappeared. Once my hands stopped trembling, I had a ball. Before long I discovered that I was eager to play the live gigs in public. Playing before an audience actually turned out to be much more fun than banging away in my back bedroom. So, if you are worried about all that stage fright stuff, don't. You will probably experience it about the same way I did. Once you are over the initial fear, it's an indescribable blast. The point of this story is that you must start somewhere, make your own breaks (or get your mom to make them for you) and put that first band together on your own. Otherwise, the interest will die and the drums will go into the closet, only to be sold at a garage sale sometime later. THE TRICK: The trick is finding the right people. Starting with people who are on your same level is important. Look for people who are just starting and with whom you will be comfortable. This is important! It is important because rejection at this point can be devastating. You don't need rejection. What you need is a big score. START NOW: So . . . start racking your brain, right this minute! Think of all your friends (and enemies) who can play an instrument. Piano? Guitar? Bass? Brass? Think until you can write down a name or two. Don't even worry so much about whether you like these people or not. You will learn to like them if the music clicks. When you come up with a name or two, get on the phone and give them a call. Invite them over for tacos and a good old fashion Jam session. Just do it! OK! After racking your brain for twenty minutes, if you cannot think of even one person who fits the criteria then you must search them out. Go to plan B and try this! PLAN B: Get out the local phone book and turn to the ‘Yellow Pages'. Call the local guitar instruction studios. Talking with the actual teachers if possible is best. The receptionist at the store or shop may not respond like a teacher will. Most teachers will not only have a student or two that will meet the criteria but the teacher has a professional interest in seeing the students succeed. They want to help their own students get into the business. They will usually take the time to find the names and phone numbers you need. My bet is you will have a list of several names by the time you get off the phone. If this has failed to produce prospects for your band, call all the local piano teachers, voice teachers and any other music teachers who may advertise in the phone book. You will eventually succeed if you are persistent. MAKE AN INFORMAL CALL: OK! So, now you have a couple of names with phone numbers. What is next? Hold that thought for a minute . . . Don't you wish someone would go to all this trouble just to give you a starting place in the music business? So do they! They have probably been waiting for this phone call for months. We are all alike! We wait for someone else to make the first move. We want success to bang on the front door and drag us out of the house and into the ‘big time'. These people are probably no different. So . . . you make that first move . . . and make it as often as necessary until you get the right people together. The odds are very high that this ‘name on a list' will probably try to climb through the phone line getting to your house. So don't be afraid to make the call. Simply entice them in a very informal way. Ask them over to visit and jam. No big deal. Don't say anything about forming a band or any of that stuff. Invite them over to jam for fun and say no more. If they want to do it, they will find a way. Then, If the jam comes off ok, you might make a few plans. For the moment, leave yourself a back door, and a way out . . . just in case. The truth is, you may be musically above them or they may turn out to be jerks or something. Who knows, they may have one big green eye in the middle of their forehead. This way, it won't be a devastating experience for either of you if the music just doesn't click. Getting a good band together can be difficult but persistence and determination will eventually pay off. Try to assemble at least a three-piece group. You will need at least one lead instrument (guitar, keyboard, etc.), one bass guitarist and of course you will be the drummer. Bass guitarists are often hard to find so remember also that any guitarist is potentially a bass guitarist. Both instruments are nearly the same. You may be forced into calling two guitarists then talk them into taking turns on the bass. From this point on, the rest is up to you and the new band. Practice in the garage until the music starts sounding ok then begin volunteering to play anywhere you will be appreciated. Enter the band in local talent shows, play for family picnics, pool parties and so on. You will find plenty of places to play if you will use your collective imaginations. After you have a few free appearances under your belt and enough material to fill a four or five-hour gig without repeating any songs, put a price tag on your services. Before you know it, you will be playing every weekend for major money. Ninety percent of the professional musicians I know will tell you they started this way. Go for it and good luck! ________________________________________________________ |________________________________________________________| BAR JOKE OF THE MONTH Hot Duck A circus owner walks into a bar to see everyone crowded about a table watching a little show. On the table was an upside down pot and a duck tap-dancing on it. The circus owner was so impressed that he offered to buy the duck from its owner. After some wheelin' and dealin' they settled for $10000 for the duck and the pot. Three days later the circus owner runs back to the bar in anger, "Your duck is a ripoff! I put him on the pot before a whole audience and he didn't dance a single step!" "So?" . . . asked the ducks former owner, "did you remember to light the candle under the pot?" ****************************** Thanks to zoodc at the 'well' for this one. I lost the URL for his page or I would post it here. Maybe he will get in touch. ________________________________________________________ |________________________________________________________| *** DRUMMERS WANTED *** (FREE SERVICE) ********************** If you have knowledge of job openings anywhere in the World, let us know. Job placement announcements will always be free! ________________________________________________________ |_________________*** ADVERTISEMENTS ***_________________| ----------------------------------------------------------- SPECIAL NOTICE!!! US & CANADIAN residents! Now you can pay by check via E-mail. Any of the drum school products or services will be on their way to you in minutes! Send an E-mail enquiry to: ifrwy@mykabot.net, to get details on how to pay instantly, electronically. ----------------------------------------------------------- Place your own inexpensive ad in the Tempo Dispatch! Reach a target market of 700 avid drumming enthusiasts! (3) 80 word lines/$5.00 (US) per insertion 4th insertion FREE! ___________________________________________________ AD #1: SPECIAL!!! SPECIAL!!! SPECIAL!!! HOMESTUDY PACKAGE DEAL!!! (For Tempo Dispatch subscribers only) $30.00 US CASH, CHECK or M.O Includes *ALL* of the following . . . * 7 individualized private E-mail drum lessons tailored to your specific needs. * The Entire Website drum course on disk (Contains 22 interactive lessons with sounds & images). * E-mail Book & Biz-Op: 'Old Drums Into New Money'. * 'Information Freeway' (Biz-Op) You can make money and support the school too! $30.00 US FUNDS WILL BUY IT ALL!!! Mail check, cash or money order in US FUNDS to: Bill Powelson 107 Douglas Dr. Holly Hill, Fl. 32117 NOTE: Please include your E-mail address and mention 'DISPATCH SPECIAL', to receive this extra special offering! ___________________________________________________ AD #2: ***BEATBUG*** What is a BeatBug? The BeatBug is to drums, what your speedometer is to your automobile! Finally!!!! Visit the following URL then leave a short E-mail note asking about the BEATBUG. The BEATBUG is the miracle gadget of the 90's for all drummers! It is a high tech answer to the age old problems of tempo uncertainty. In this webpage discussion I will show you how to keep ROCK SOLID TEMPO and put an end to the tempo-wars with your band members. . .for good! Http://www.catalog.com/drummers/z.html or E-mail: beatbug@mykabot.net ___________________________________________________ AD #3 "OLD DRUMS INTO NEW MONEY" $16.00 (US) + $2.00 S&H BOOK & BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: This new book is a motherload of buying and selling tips! The music dealers hate me for writing this! Turn old drumsets into fast cash and big profits! Discover how to squeeze BIG discounts from your neighborhood music store. This book contains too many secrets to mention here. Visit this quick-loading page: http://www.catalog.com/drummers/oldrums.html ___________________________________________________ AD #4: *** UNIQUE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY *** The Information Freeway $14.00 (US) $14.00 could put you into a very lucrative internet business! Take it from me, this one works! It is not a MLM! I will provide you with your own information product! You will be in business for yourself almost instantly. Learn how to do it at: http://www.catalog.com/drummers/ifreeway.html ____________________________________________________ |____________________________________________________| THE LAND OF LOST URLS 'Webpages that are buried on the bottom of the search engine dog pile.' _________________________________________________ 1. 'Nirvana' drum tabs *ARE* now available, thanks to Andrew Goddard in Austrailia. Check out his site at: http://www.iinet.net.au/~simnoris 2. More drum tabs may be found at . . . "Carl & Nick's Drum Tab page" at: http://members.tripod.com/~Sugarfeet/index.html Both these sites contain links to other tab pages. ________________________________________________________ |________________________________________________________| *** ANNOUNCEMENTS *** (FREE SERVICE) This is your platform! If you have a drumming related announcement to make, you can make it here, FREE! Just send an E-mail note to powelson@america.com. No Spams please! Think in terms of public service announcements. Like this . . . ___________________________________________________ ANNOUNCEMENT #1 *** Tempo Dispatch Archives *** If you have missed earlier issues of this newsletter, you may see/download them all online at: http://www.catalog.com/drummers/tdarc.html ___________________________________________________ ANNOUNCEMENT #2 TIPS! There is a huge demand for another e'zine that will focus on drumming tips & tricks from subscribers. Someone 'out there' should take up the challenge! I would add a tips section to this rag but space and time are too limited. ___________________________________________________ ANNOUNCEMENT #3 If you enjoy this little 'e-zine' please show your support by reading the ads and buying the products. The 'Tempo Dispatch' and free drum school will soon die without a few sales. ___________________________________________________ ANNOUNCEMENY #4 SPECIAL NOTICE!!! US & CANADIAN residents! Now you can pay by check via E-mail. Any of the drum school products or services will be on their way to you in minutes! Send an E-mail enquiry to: ifrwy@mykabot.net, to get details on how to pay instantly, electronically. ____________________________________________________ END OF TEMPO DISPATCH #6 June, 97