early retirement, music 2nd act?

BGinNJ · Veteran Member Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 380

I'm wondering how many here have started to do gigs after finishing up with a day job. I'm a 'young" 60, got sick of my engineering job and quit.

I'm not exactly a comebacker, since I never really stopped for a long period of time, and I've been practicing regularly for the past 10 years. What I haven't done is much playing out- mostly jam sessions and a stint with a big band (until they heard my guitar playing and decided they need me more on that).

I don't have any false illusions about making much more than gas money, and I've heard plenty about how bad the music business is. But, I know people who are busy with gigs and teaching, and they're not all retirees.

kehaulani · Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2023 5:57 pm Post subject:

What kind of playing are you hoping to make money in?
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

cbtj51 · Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2023 5:12 am Post subject:

My wife began her decline from a brain bleed in 2012. By early 2014, her seizures becoming a daily focus, it became evident that early retirement at 62 would become necessity for me.

Within a few weeks of official retirement from my day gig as an auto dealer Sales Manager, I got a call that prompted a restart of trumpet playing after 14 years of total separation. I began public performance way too soon and struggled through the early stages of comeback, but as my wife's condition deteriorated further and my caregiver responsibilities increased, I found myself in the practice room ever more on a daily basis, as a much welcomed distraction as anything else. The diligent practice time was rewarded with an increasingly more active performance life, at times almost at fulltime capacity. My wife traveled with me as much as she could, staying very much supportive throughout. My wife passed away in January 2021 and my mind became very focused on stepping up my abilities.

I met a beautiful, much younger trumpet player/pianist at a weekend Easter performance in 2022 in the extreme northern part of our state. She lived on a large farm and taught full-time in a very southern part of our state, me living out my retirement in the central part. We had the occasion to perform together several more times during the following months and as these things sometimes go, were wed this past February (as it turned out, during a weekend performance schedule trip to the easternmost part of our state; married on Saturday, performance on Sunday!). She still has a full time teaching job after relocating to my area, me still retired from day gigs. We divide our time as we can between our (now) 2 homes (putting lots of miles on our automobiles), practicing together daily and continue to perform in several situations monthly, now more often on a weekly basis. She has taken on a very important role in my brass ensemble and we perform regularly with a statewide symphony orchestra as well as our solo activities.

Money for play? We perform mostly at churches of multiple denominations at every corner of our state receiving compensation from time to time, sometimes very good, but play mostly for the enjoyment of all things trumpet, sharing the mutual benefits that collaboration presents!

With much gratitude, I am enjoying this stage of my life very much!

Life is Short! Find the Joy in it!

Mike
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'71 LA Benge 5X Bb
'72 LA Benge D/Eb
'76 Bach CL 229/25A C
‘92 Bach 37 Bb
'98 Getzen 895S Flugelhorn
'00 Bach 184 Cornet
'02 Yamaha 8335RGS
'16 Bach NY 7
'16 XO 1700RS Piccolo
Reeves 41 Rimmed Mouthpieces

Rogerrr · Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2023 5:20 am Post subject:

Amazing story Mike...congratulations
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Sax player learning cornet & trumpet...and occasionally a little bit of trombone.
( so don't confuse me with an experienced player )

BGinNJ · Veteran Member Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 380

One of the many things I want to discover with my expanded free time is just how much (more) effort i want to put into trumpet. I've always had a baseline I managed to fit in when I was working, 30-60 minute sessions, but not every day. I did discover during COVID, and then getting a house & barn I could play in without bugging the family, I would play more, and I saw results.

I've always been a small group jazz guy, into standards, bebop, improvising. Big bands and concert bands remind me of being in high school- NOT what I'm looking to do again! I didn't quit working just to play jazz trumpet, though. I don't think I have the energy or interest to play more than a couple of hours a day or do more than a couple of sessions or gigs a week, but who knows? Opportunities knock when you make space for them

Crazy Finn · Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2023 5:33 pm Post subject:

Making money with the horn is a difficult thing. It's basically a constant hustle of ever decreasing gigs and teaching.

If you're very motivated, have connections, and are willing to carve out your own thing like some guys do with YouTube and teaching and whatnot, you can maybe do a almost decent living.

But, if you're just like - I play trumpet - and expect to make a living, even a fraction of what you did as an engineer - well....
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LA Benge 3X Bb Trumpet
Selmer Radial Bb Trumpet
Yamaha 6335S Bb Trumpet
Besson 709 Bb Trumpet
Bach 184L Bb Cornet
Yamaha 731 Bb Flugelhorn

kehaulani · Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2023 8:12 pm Post subject:

Best piece of career advice I got was from my Major professor in Grad. School who said, "You've got to create your own vacuum".

If I were starting out today, intending to make money at it, I would do a solo act, surrounding myself with a lot of electronics.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn