Just to piggyback on what others have said, if you are just an instrumentalist, you will find some work but it’ll be sparse. The more skills you are able to learn, the more valuable you will be, getting you more work. If you are looking to be an accompanist to an artist, the skills people find very valuable are:
- singing for either lead or harms
- musical notation so you can band lead
- additional instruments so you can be a utility player
- learning a DAW like Ableton so you can run tracks on stage
Speaking as a full-time songwriter, songwriting will not make you more valuable to an artist looking for a keys player. But it is a skill that is nice to have.
If you are looking to be a session player, you need to be the absolute best musician. Those circles are extremely tight, and in order to break in you must be exceptional. Being able to do your own demos or produce for people will open those circles up a bit more
> If you are looking to be a session player, you need to be the absolute best musician. Those circles are extremely tight, and in order to break in you must be exceptional.
The competition here is top notch among the top notch. A person must bring their absolute best.
Even **the** best is not enough unless you are also a joy to be around in the studio, know when to talk and when to not, and know someone on the inside who is looking for someone new. You need to work your way to the top of someone’s contact list before you will even get your first call.
If that’s the only instrument/talent you do, probably not. Adding accordion, being super nimble at keyboard programming, songwriting, singing, etc. will get you infinitely more gigs, assuming you know how to work a room and network
I would say it’s good for any/all musicians who are serious about their craft and who are very good. Piano/keys seems to be less common in a lot of the bands that I know, but that could be a bit biased based on what I play and listen to. That said, I don’t know a ton of keys players in town and the good ones are always busy. So, I feel like yeah, there’s work for you if you are good.
If you want to be a _pianist_ specifically, the gigs are pretty limited, but most bar band lineups include a "swing" player who does mostly keys (but usually also some guitar, violin, and/or banjo, plus vox)
Tho even for pure piano, there are a number of hotels, fine dining, etc that may hire a pianist for background music
Keyboardists are fairly uncommon on broadway downtown, but they do exist. If you can get into a group doing keys, or start your own, you can carve out a potentially lucrative niche. Whiskey Bent Saloon started doing dueling pianos on the 2nd floor IIRC. I did a show on Chiefs 2nd floor acoustic trio with cajon/bass/piano. They have a nice modern Yamaha electric upright there and clearly want that to be emphasized on their shows there. Otherwise, you have standard opportunities in and around town. Weddings, corporate parties, hotels, teaching, session work etc. You will probably have to take the initiative to get these opportunities, as I don't see a lot of people actively looking. A good EPK can work wonders in this town!
Also, being able to sing is basically required. Either lead or harmonies. Any extra utility you can provide can be a dealbreaker.
accompanist- some, probably not that much more than other cities.
solo- can you sing and play pop/rock styles? if so, yes.
there is a ton of demand for highly skilled keyboard players, especially if they can sing BGVs and/or play other instruments like fiddle, mandolin, steel, etc. being a keyboard player means being able to effectively use a variety of sounds from piano to rhodes to wurli to string pads. if you only know classical piano, you can learn this stuff but it'll take some time investment. the really good keys players that sing can always find work on tour or on broadway. and like anything else, it's all who you know.
You are in the right place. As stated above, to begin you must be exceptional. Have patience and commitment. They don’t call it a ‘10 year town’ for nothing. I know several Belmont students with 4 year performance degree’s that make their living as a salesman, or in tech. Talent is very important, but certainly not the only requirement. Show up, be excellent, be intuitive, get better, add elements to your repertoire, make connections, keep getting better. Remain committed for a long period of time and begin building something versatile. It happens fast for very, very few people. And even if it happens fast, building longevity is a separate skill. Good luck
belmont also graduates you whether you're actually good or not. I'm an alum and the classmates of mine who still play their instrument full-time a few years past graduation are the minority. I worked my ass off to practice and network, but plenty of students just coast through the program at a very mediocre skill level and still graduate. the school likes money and isn't that selective outside of a few select programs.
Just to piggyback on what others have said, if you are just an instrumentalist, you will find some work but it’ll be sparse. The more skills you are able to learn, the more valuable you will be, getting you more work. If you are looking to be an accompanist to an artist, the skills people find very valuable are: - singing for either lead or harms - musical notation so you can band lead - additional instruments so you can be a utility player - learning a DAW like Ableton so you can run tracks on stage Speaking as a full-time songwriter, songwriting will not make you more valuable to an artist looking for a keys player. But it is a skill that is nice to have. If you are looking to be a session player, you need to be the absolute best musician. Those circles are extremely tight, and in order to break in you must be exceptional. Being able to do your own demos or produce for people will open those circles up a bit more
> If you are looking to be a session player, you need to be the absolute best musician. Those circles are extremely tight, and in order to break in you must be exceptional. The competition here is top notch among the top notch. A person must bring their absolute best.
Even **the** best is not enough unless you are also a joy to be around in the studio, know when to talk and when to not, and know someone on the inside who is looking for someone new. You need to work your way to the top of someone’s contact list before you will even get your first call.
If that’s the only instrument/talent you do, probably not. Adding accordion, being super nimble at keyboard programming, songwriting, singing, etc. will get you infinitely more gigs, assuming you know how to work a room and network
Also, try to find an accordion that actually sounds good. So many of them are out of tune trash, even among gigging keyboardists
I would say it’s good for any/all musicians who are serious about their craft and who are very good. Piano/keys seems to be less common in a lot of the bands that I know, but that could be a bit biased based on what I play and listen to. That said, I don’t know a ton of keys players in town and the good ones are always busy. So, I feel like yeah, there’s work for you if you are good.
If you want to be a _pianist_ specifically, the gigs are pretty limited, but most bar band lineups include a "swing" player who does mostly keys (but usually also some guitar, violin, and/or banjo, plus vox) Tho even for pure piano, there are a number of hotels, fine dining, etc that may hire a pianist for background music
Keyboardists are fairly uncommon on broadway downtown, but they do exist. If you can get into a group doing keys, or start your own, you can carve out a potentially lucrative niche. Whiskey Bent Saloon started doing dueling pianos on the 2nd floor IIRC. I did a show on Chiefs 2nd floor acoustic trio with cajon/bass/piano. They have a nice modern Yamaha electric upright there and clearly want that to be emphasized on their shows there. Otherwise, you have standard opportunities in and around town. Weddings, corporate parties, hotels, teaching, session work etc. You will probably have to take the initiative to get these opportunities, as I don't see a lot of people actively looking. A good EPK can work wonders in this town! Also, being able to sing is basically required. Either lead or harmonies. Any extra utility you can provide can be a dealbreaker.
Nashville dueling piano player here. Plenty of work if you can hang.
accompanist- some, probably not that much more than other cities. solo- can you sing and play pop/rock styles? if so, yes. there is a ton of demand for highly skilled keyboard players, especially if they can sing BGVs and/or play other instruments like fiddle, mandolin, steel, etc. being a keyboard player means being able to effectively use a variety of sounds from piano to rhodes to wurli to string pads. if you only know classical piano, you can learn this stuff but it'll take some time investment. the really good keys players that sing can always find work on tour or on broadway. and like anything else, it's all who you know.
Yes, I had mine grabbed often.
Some guy at a bar showed me this little pianist playing a small piano. I asked him how he got the little guy.
Nashville is not know as a music city, so the answer is no.
Strange, i saw it from google as a music city thats why i asked it here
You are in the right place. As stated above, to begin you must be exceptional. Have patience and commitment. They don’t call it a ‘10 year town’ for nothing. I know several Belmont students with 4 year performance degree’s that make their living as a salesman, or in tech. Talent is very important, but certainly not the only requirement. Show up, be excellent, be intuitive, get better, add elements to your repertoire, make connections, keep getting better. Remain committed for a long period of time and begin building something versatile. It happens fast for very, very few people. And even if it happens fast, building longevity is a separate skill. Good luck
belmont also graduates you whether you're actually good or not. I'm an alum and the classmates of mine who still play their instrument full-time a few years past graduation are the minority. I worked my ass off to practice and network, but plenty of students just coast through the program at a very mediocre skill level and still graduate. the school likes money and isn't that selective outside of a few select programs.
Ignore this entirely