A huge thanks to all of our participants. Let’s congratulate Victor Esparza , who joined our jam and won this beautiful Seagull Artist Mosaic acoustic guitar and case valued at $1229!
Victor with victory in his hands. Thanks again to all who joined the jam and please stay tuned for the next promotion and prize!
Justification Jam summary – how it worked:
Talent used to be enough to make your mark in music. Today we need to be a Jack and Jill of all trades and master of most; software, hardware, marketing, event planning… to name only a few. And it doesn’t end there. Not only do we need to know just about every trick in the book, we need to be able to explain the many respectable skills necessary to succeed at a profession that is not as easy as it looks.
Collectively, we built a lasting list of skills required to be a successful guitar player in today’s music scene. We created an important list that is now a resource to assist guitar players everywhere. By taking the following 3 actions, Victor won a highly rated Seagull Artist Mosaic guitar in our guitar giveaway:
- Liked Robbie’s FaceBook page
- Listened to Robbie’s list of skills in his Justification Jam video
- Sent us a skill that Robbie hadn’t mentioned in his video (using the reply form at the bottom of this page).
Robbie’s Justification Jam
The blues, standards and 3 chord rock & roll are great vehicles for playing at sessions. But the Justification Jam may be the most universal song that musicians are asked to play. Whether it’s a social event, a house party, a formal introduction or an interview, you’re inevitably going to get the request, “What do you do?”
People can have trouble “getting” guitar players
While it is sometimes easier to just adlib a response like, “I’m a big-game hunter”, or “I’m an astronaut, how about you?”, these clever quips may not soften your inquisition. Of course telling the truth often results in creating subtle sympathy, jealousy or confusion. So, as with every gig you’ve ever played, the key is in knowing the material.
Enter the Justification Jam. The Justification Jam is an invaluable tool created by Robbie Burns, a veteran guitar player and expert at blending art and commerce. It helps gently lead your inquisitor through the myriad of skills and talents required to be a working musician. The Justification Jam ultimately eases your audience into the conclusion that music is an honorable profession and a worthwhile endeavor.
A long laundry list of necessary abilities
The Justification Jam is a way to create respect for your efforts and for the profession. At the core, it’s an inventory of abilities you need to succeed in the music business. And when you finish delivering this long laundry list – clean, impressed, no starch – you’ll have washed away the misconceptions and have the people eating out of your hand.
An appreciation for all the thoughtful comments
With all of your contributions of additional skills and abilities you thought contemporary musicians needed, we accomplished something meaningful. And we can keep the list growing so we will always have an evolving tool to help us both professionally and socially.
Now that you know about the Justification Jam, the next time you’re put on the spot, you’ll be ready to stand, deliver and make everyone feel great, especially you! Keep your eyes open for the next contest…
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To succeed as a performing musician you gotta be in as many bands as you can til you find the right fit. Get out when the time is right or your gut feeling tells you so and keep searching for the right personnel.
Know your direction.
Get the right gear that works for you. The right instrument will set you free.
See as many shows as you can.
Take notes along the way.
Have a trusty recorder w you always for your ideas.
Aim high, stay away from the riff raff.
How about intuition? In improvisational sections, you need to be able to anticipate where other band members are heading – musically.
I believe you need obsession. It keeps you practicing, pushing, perfecting, and pursuing.
Hi Robbie:
I think you left off a very important thing, which is something that a lot of musicians forget and ultimately is a deciding factor in their progression growth and over all success. ” A good studied business sense”.
When I read a lot of these guitar websites they don’t always help you in other ways, other then selling their product they’re not as concerned about helping the musician with anything else. Your website intrigued me, because of the extras: product information, music instructional videos and an outreach line, which when you’re a musician, it’s really refreshing to find. So thanks again for allowing me to enter my humble opinion to your contest, and for rewarding me with such a wonderful prize.
One thing that every guitar player needs today is a knowledge of insurance. A lot gear is really expensive – is it covered if it is stolen out of your vehicle? What about the deductible? is it covered if I use it for non-business activity? If I lend it out, am I covered? Can I get a better rate if I am in the union? If I am behind on my dues or my membership gets suspended, am I still covered? Earthquake? Flood?? What if a piece of gear falls off stage and injures a fan?
A story teller and a visionary. A therapist and and a babysitter.
You need to have a sense of fun and adventure. If what you’re doing isn’t fun, you won’t be doing it long. But most important, it doesn’t matter what anybody thinks. If that’s your passion then you grab it with both hands and tell people I’m getting paid to do what i love. Nobody has ever did something extraordinary if they listen to nay sayers.
You need to be able to PROMOTE yourself properly, through the web, and through traditional means. You need to find financial backing and to get the right people working for you. These are the key to making sure you get the right record deal. That also includes finding the right manager to help with everything along the way.
You need to be Proud.
Not cocky or narcissistic, but you need to take pride in your work. Regardless of what you play or which level you play at, you need to think of everything as an accomplishment. Maybe it’s not for everyone’s ears but growth is important and if you practice you’ll do better.
I think the skill I use most is planning. Being disciplined as an artist can be tough, but having a plan about what I want to achieve and executing it on a daily basis has been core to my growth. As you said in your video, the performer wears many hats and must master many skills. Having a plan about which skill is up and which is on deck helps me keep my focus and my sense of accomplishment.
You need to be electronically inclined to hook up cables for things like mikes, pedals, (can be frustrating at the best of times) and extension cords everywhere. Nobody seems to know these things when problems arise.
Good financial management skills are essential for any self-respecting musician. After all, there’s ALWAYS a new piece of equipment that MUST BE HAD. Now that I think about it, I should probably add STRONG IMPULSE CONTROL to the list of essential skills that all musicians must develop.
One of the most important aspects of musicianship has got to be artistic integrity. You need to be able to stay true to your own sound and the music that you want to play. You can’t let a bad audience get to you, you cant just settle for a sound that’s close enough, and most importantly, you can’t let your producer/record label push you around and make your art for you. To put out a record you’re really satisfied with, you need to dedicate yourself entirely to making the best art you can and stay strong in the presence of adversity!
…you need to know how to be punctual “on time”, not just on your instrument.
You can not do the gig if your not there.
Try showing up “on time”, you know…10 minutes early,
other band members appreciate this:)