‘Do I like this song or not’

Most people are thinking ‘do I like this song or not’

It’s very simple.

But it’s not a conscious thought, that question is merely the underlying barometer of the action they’re taking.

They’re not literally asking that question, but instead they are turning it up or turning it off. There’s no hemming and hawing, or trying to figure out how to make the chorus better…there’s no DECIDING if the song is good.

I’m reminded of this every year during CMA week in Nashville. People from all over the globe come to Nashville because they like country music. They’re not concerned with how bro-country is too bro-country, or how pop the country song sounds, or if the co-writers were Nashville writers or LA writers, or if the act truly grew up in a small town and owned a pickup truck and had bonfires every night of the summer where the drank beer on a tailgate.

They just like it. They like the music.

And it an odd way, it’s always refreshing.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Especially if you’re in the music business...

You must remember that you chose this.

It did not choose you. You don’t have to do this.

Every day you wake up and step into this business again, you are forgoing an infinite number of other things you could do.

But you chose this. So no complaining.

***This business owes you nothing and you deserve nothing. But you can learn everything and earn way more than you need.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Biz Talk And Spouses

When you’re at the biz party, talking biz, the spouse who is standing with them knows a whole lot more about the biz than you think they might. They’ve heard all the lingo, seen all the ups and downs…they know what you’re talking about.

So talk with both of them.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Time vs. Expertise

When George Martin told The Beatles to speed up Please Please Me by twenty beats per minute…how much was that worth?

If Rick Rubin walks into your session, snaps his fingers three times and your song turns into a smash…how much should he be paid?

All of a sudden you need a song mixed by tomorrow and the engineer who is booked six months out gets it done anyway…how should the payment be calculated?


Expertise doesn’t have an hourly rate. Neither does coming through for someone to relieve their anxiety, stress and fear.

It’s about transformation through expertise, not amount of time worked.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Specifying / Prefacing

“The chicken has nuts in it.”

vs

“The chicken might not be very good.”

The specifying is for them. The prefacing is for you.

Not all prefacing is this way, but I know you know what I’m talking about here.

The little things that we say (just before the main thing we mean to say) in order to protect ourselves and our egos.

It’s scarier and more thrilling to go without the preface.

***There are very few artists, writers, producers who are confident enough to play someone a new song without throwing in a few prefacing remarks. 

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Throwing Away A Picture

Drawing a picture to throw it away.

Writing a song and not recording it.

Making a glorious meal for one.

It’s a different thing isn’t it? It changes the answer so drastically to the question, ‘what is it for?’

It’s most likely a less confusing answer too.

You might not do any one of those three things very often but it might be worth doing one of those things once in a while. To remember what simplified, specific purpose feels like.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com