How To Make Cash When Guitar Players Pick Your Brain About Guitar and Amp Gear

 
Here's How To By-Pass The Players Who Want To Talk Gear And Make Extra Cash Consulting Them On Just That!

Picture of: Brian Farmer Guitar Tech Guru Talking Gear With Gov't Mule Lead Guitar Player Warren Haynes

No! No! don't pick my brain about gear and setting up your guitar and amp. A musicians brain is one of the last bastions you want to pick. Just funnin' with ya there. But it's a pain in the ass for a lot of frontmen and band leaders when players come up to them and ask them all kinds of gear questions. It's not always fun when you're going over the show with your sideman or talking to a cutie who loved your playing.

Anyway...

Here's how to turn this pain around and turn it into a way to make extra cash on the side besides gigging. When I would talk to players after shows, local musicians would always come up to the band leader and start asking gear questions even when they were talking to me or someone else. Dee Curtis our consultant here on the blog would always get players asking gear questions. I told Dee to do this to make extra cash helping players doing this exact thing, but he passed and I passed it on to other players.

Okay, here's what to do. No really. I'm not bullshitting you.

Ask for money from players to meet with you and ask for at least 50 to 100 bucks plus a free meal. Why not? These musicians are asking for your expertise so why not give it to them. You're in a capitalistic society and making extra cash helping musicians is creating value.

What? You pay for other people's expertise. What if the advice you give a guitar player goes way beyond what they are paying you?

That's creating massive value!

Like I said at the start, if you can help set up a player's guitar and amp and give them the tone they need for their music, I think that's more than worth it to pay 100 bucks for. Especially if it results in more gigs for a band because someone who books saw your band and honed in on your natural tone.

If you're a player who does session work and you can show players how to play for the part instead of just playing off in your own world for doing sessions, I think that's worth 500 dollars. As well, you could work with studios and musicians who play your style of music and are looking for session guys beyond the work you can handle, and book players to do this session work for 10 percent of the take.

If the player you're helping needs help booking his band, create more cash and income source by doing just that. It could also help your band by opening for them and getting more exposure for the band you're helping.

There are so many ways to make cash helping musicians.

Besides having these guys pick your brain, you could and can make extra cash as a regular consultant and agent to these players who want session work, and make cash two ways besides gigging with your own band. This way when a player wants to pick your brain you can eventually pitch him so to speak and really help them out, and get "Mucho Dinero" to boot. As well, you won't be so pissy about players wanting to pick your brain about gear and playing.

For players who live in big cities like LA, NewYork or Sandiego,  you can actually pay the rent with this idea and bank some cash from gigging and CD sales. Just put the money in cash and CDs at the most. That way your money is safe, you sleep well at night, and any extra cash can go into your band or for your own gear.

If you're a player who'd like to take this idea to the next level and get players picking your brain constantly, just email me and we'll get started making extra cash.

mdgrove@inbox.com