Ironically, or not, you're posting this in a "hobbies" forum. I don't think there is such a thing as a balance as you are inferring. That's like trying to be an engineer AND a lawyer; they're two completely non-overlapping careers. You can only be successful at one or the other. Whichever you concentrate on, the other is relegated to essentially "hobby" status.

While there are those that successfully moonlight, they're basically on the path to total burnout, and they generally are not successful at either job.

TTFN
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I plunk on a banjo, but only as a hobby -- kind of a relaxing break. You wouldn't refer to me as a musician, though. My family and a couple of very kind neighbors are my usual audience.

It's tough to find time, but once a month I seem to manage the couple of hours I need to learn a new song.

I guess as far as balance goes, there is none. Family is the heaviest thing on the scale, then work, then play. Some months play gets a big share, some months it's a feather versus a Buick and a bowling ball.

Best to you,

Goober Dave

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Thanks, IRstuff, I think? ;)
I agree, burnout is a danger. Do you play an instrument?

Dave: That is pretty much what I am dealing with - my band mates want more time out of me. Like IR mentioned, it no longer becomes a hobby at a certain point - more like a stress riser (pun intended).
How much does an average banjo cost? I'd be interested in one.

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I don't, but a coworker I knew was a jazz musician who had gigs every couple of months. But he still had a day job.

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I'm a very casual guitar player - I pluck away ar it maybe an half an hour a day and once or twice a year I'll meet up with another buddy who plays and trade licks. He is a bit more serious than I am but treats it like others treat golf or bowling - once or twice a week practice for the entire night and then a serious gig once or twice a quarter. More than that and I can see it being a strain on your day job.

truck: I like your buddy's take on it.

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Playable banjos can be had for $150 new, less at a pawn shop or on eBay. Good banjos are in the $600 to $3000 range. I have a Fender FB-59 that cost about $600 10 years ago. I see they're trading in the $1000 range now. It's MUCH easier to play than my old Sears & Roebuck $75 model.

I've never had my hands on a really expensive one.

Best to you,

Goober Dave

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I'm currently a worship drummer, sitting in for local churches' contemporary worship bands when their regular drummers can't make it. The songs are pretty straight forward, so I don't strain my chops too much.

When I was younger, I practiced around 4 hours a day. Then I went into engineering and lost my chops. Now I'm lucky if I practice 4 hours a week. It's barely enough to maintain my chops, much less learn anything new and sustainable. There are still some things that I used to be able to play and I find the coordination a bit daunting today. I would love to dedicate more time to practice.

--Scott
www.wertel.pro

Would love to be a serious guitar player, but....no time. Older son is full time musician (rock/blues guitar) and makes a living at it. I pluck at a variety of guitars once a month or so. Currently have a real strat and a Zager acoustic....dreaming of a Ric 360/12.

I read somewhere that musicians make good programmers, because of some similarities between the two activities, e.g. choosing from a limited selection of actions within an overall structure whose scope is large enough to not be particularly limiting.

Some of the better engineers I've known did a little music on the side; so did some of the not so better engineers I've known, so I can't support a correlation.

I've messed around with music chips just for fun, but I have no detectable musical talent. My son plays the piano beautifully, but only for very small audiences.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

I'm one of those over the top Hendrix fans, and I can play guitar (ha! No where near him), but not so much any more. For me, and for me alone, playing music became an imitative exercise, as I try to follow along with my idols.
But I also paint with acrylics. I know very little about renowned acrylic or oil artists. And I have avoided lessons for the most part. Perhaps for this reason, when I paint, i feel like there is not vey much of the imitative going on, but a lot of the creative. Am I good? I've been told I'm pretty good (thanks mom). For me the point in painting is not someone else's opinion, but to get the creativity juices going inside of me.
And when I come back down to earth, out of those stolen hours of creativity, I've found more than once that the solution to my engineering conundrum pops into my head.

Thanks for your comments, Guys! Sorry for the last 'thanks'. The ole' cancer was acting up again.

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I have been playing the drums since I was 12. It really is a great stress reliever from the day-to-day grind, and helps me focus when I need to buckle down and get to work. However, when we have a buyoff, my play time begins to suffer, but they are always there on a nice "quiet" Sunday afternoon!

The joy of engineering is to find a straight line on a double logarithmic diagram.

I'm rather surprised to not see a slew of responses about Ableton Live in here.

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