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Shift work and playing in bands.


Dandelion
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[quote name='Dandelion' timestamp='1495489985' post='3304237']
Why is it that whenever a short notice gig is available. I am rostered to be at work? I can see my bandmates faces drop everytime. It must be nice to work 9-5.
[/quote]

Work hard, if you can retire at a young age you can gig *8 days a week if you want.

Blue

*Market permitting of course.

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That's something that will have to be addressed, either by way of a dep or some sort of workaround. It's not fair on you to always feel like the one letting them down. Similarly, it may not be fair on them having to turn down gigs.

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For the past ten years three of us have been shift workers (ambulance). It's been both our curse and our blessing. It's meant that getting all of us together for a practice, much less a gig, has been a struggle to say the least-however we've always been able to get around it somehow. We could practice mid-week when everybody else was at work, and we could often get shifts reorganised if we needed to. The fact that all of us were in the same boat gave us some flexibility. Thankfully we aren't a busy band, we only ever did it for fun and not a living. Now two of us have changed jobs or reduced their hours, and it's becoming nigh on impossible to get together-we're lucky if we get a practice once a month. Our first gig this year is on Sunday. The drummer in particular is making loud noises about how much of an inconvenience it is every time we want to do something, which is pissing me and the guitarist off. Only the fact that we still love to play is keeping us going, but I fear the writing is on the wall. I think that it will then be impossible for me to be in another band with people from outside the ambulance service, as I won't be available when everyone else is. That's why I'm practicing guitar a lot, as I feel a solo career is my only option if I want to play live.

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I spent most of my working life in the printing trade. I worked all sorts of daft shift patterns and consequently, gave up playing in a band.
Fortunately I have reasonable guitar skills and a halfway-decent voice so I was able to do solo acoustic gigs.

I started my current band four years ago after I was made redundant from the print industry and started working for Royal Mail.
Early starts but no shifts.
I'm much happier for that.

Shifts, particularly night-shift, are only worth it if you have no other option or really love your job.
Until I stopped doing them, I hadn't realised how much working shifts takes out of you, both physically and mentally.

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[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1495495051' post='3304268']
(possibly 8 if Paul S asks me to step in for him).
[/quote]

I would say it is inevitable once (if?) we start getting busy, Warren. A few bridges to cross before then, mind.

Seven bands - you must have fingers like old leather pruning gloves! :)

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Shift work (or in my case a continuously variable roster known only 6 weeks in advance) is the bane of my life as far as playing in bands is concerned. I have to have really sympathetic band-mates who appreciate that not working is not an option and that I'll do my best. It has certainly caused me grief with a number of previous bands regarding availability (for example no block booking of rehearsal room slots as I don't get the same days off every week) etc etc. As for gigs, it has certainly limited the number of gigs we have been able to do, and also I've never been able to join a function/wedding band as there's no way I can commit to being available for a gig in 18 months time - I can't even manage 18 weeks.

Good luck to all those who manage it. It's hard.

R

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I work shifts and on an On Call rota, and I can make it work with two bands...although you quickly get used to promising co-workers the moon on a stick to get them to swap shifts...I got tied down to a 'twofer' deal the week before last: to get Saturday night free, I had to cover two weeknights... :unsure: :D

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I've worked shifts for almost 20 years and it's been hard juggling shifts to fit in gigs. Only had to get a dep for a few gigs in all that time. Over the years I have used up a lot of my leave allowance to do it but I hate missing a gig.
Last year I left the band I had been with for 13 years because the band raised the level of gigs. They were all happy to travel hundreds of miles on a Friday/Saturday night and they are getting more and more gigs in Europe. Only two of us in the band had day jobs and I was the only one working shifts. I got to the stage of taking two days leave to do one gig. The guys were really good about things and said that although they would use deps, I was the bass player so it would always be my call about which gigs I did or didn't play. I decide to leave as I couldn't give it the commitment it needed and I'm now the first call dep if the new guy can't do a gig and I also join them on Sax for the occasional gig.
I joined a new band which does not want to be gigging more than a couple of times a month so I no longer have the stress of having to turn gigs down.

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I work a "continental" shift pattern - 4 days on, 4 days off, 4 nights on, 4 off ad nauseum....
This pattern means that two Fridays and Saturdays out of every month I am working. They are 12 hour shifts which leaves little room at the end of a shift for a rehearsal or a gig, so these are usually pushed back to when I'm not at work. I'm in two bands, neither of which are particularly busy - one is an originals band, the other is a jazz 6 piece. I blessed that everyone in both of these bands is willing to work around me and my ball ache of a shift pattern.

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[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1495519168' post='3304315']
yeah that must suck.

of course you could quit your job and play music fulltime......oops, there I go dreaming the impossible again, sigh
[/quote]

Isn't that easier to do in the UK than in the States.

Blue

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Truck driver here. Only available for gigging on Saturdays. Weekday evenings (even Fridays) not an option as I never know what time I am likely to finish. Sunday evenings are a no go due to 0500 start mon - fri and no idea where I will be sent until I clock in. I've lost count of the times i've been stuck in traffic when i should be at rehearsals. Pays the mortgage and funds the daughters Students Union bar bill but not great for a gigging musician...... :(

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I went fully self employed three years ago so that I never had to turn down gigs. I was sick of waking up not knowing where I'd be working or what time I'd finish. I wish I'd done it years ago. My type of work is pretty flexible so I can usually take whatever time I want when I want and I love being my own boss.

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I have worked on the buses and the railway my whole life and have had to work shifts since day one.

Shiftwork has a massive effect on your life and your family's. Not only do shift workers suffer specific health problems as a result of their varying hours and lack of sleep but they find it more difficult to commit to activities outside of work which are vital to a fulfilled life, whether it is playing music or football etc.

I am very fortunate and had the opportunity to switch to part-time hours and it has made a massive difference. Now I am able to commit to rehearsals on a particular night and gigs whenever.

I sympathise with musicians who struggle to develop their musical projects as a result of work. I don't think work should have such a big impact on life outside of it and I salute the NHS workers, bus drivers and all the others who we rely on.

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I'm another one who hates turning down gigs - it does the band no good and sitting at home watching TV is a very poor second to playing a gig. And it really grates with me when bandmates decide to be a bit too picky or seem to always be saying no. However, if it's because of shifts that are known about and the band can work round it then it shouldn't be a problem, and actually it makes it fairly easy to set out a schedule of when you can and can't make gigs or practices.

I've had some bandmates who made it known that their work was on shifts or might take them away at short notice, etc and they'd work round it for gigs but not for practices and that was absolutely fine. Another one pulled the "working late" card a few too many times (and wasn't bright enough to cover his tracks and would give away that he wasn't actually working late every time, he just got used to turning up late) and got the sack. From the non-shift worker's perspective making an effort and showing that you are doing the best you can goes a very long way.

A sympathetic boss is the best thing any of us can hope for.

I'm not on shifts but sometimes gigs will need time off depending on geography and fortunately my boss is relaxed if I need to leave early or take an afternoon off at short notice. In fact I had a chat with him the other day to warn him that there's a band i may be joining who have a tour booked in October so I may need some time off which is a pain because I don't have much holiday left - it covers the tour but won't leave much if they have many other gigs between then and the end of March that need time off work. His response was for me to book the holiday for the October tour now so that it's already in the diary if i need it and not to worry about any other dates - at worst I can take some unpaid leave...

...the drummer, however, didn't mention this to his boss until after the tour was confirmed, ads were posted and tickets were on sale. Other people at his work have already booked holiday so he can't have the time off for all of the dates. Not sure how that one's going to resolve itself...perhaps i won't need all those days off after all...

Edited by Monkey Steve
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Combining playing in a band and shift work can be a nightmare. Did it for nearly 20 years before I got in a situation where I was just working days Mon - Fri.

I was lucky in that my night shifts were cast in stone, but there were occasions where I had to try and swap shifts with people or book holiday to accommodate gigs. 98% of the time it worked, but if there was a situation where I couldn't, it usually meant cancelling or getting a dep. Unfortunately, I needed to work to pay bills, run a car, etc so work had to take priority.

Shift work (usually) pays pretty well, but sometimes money isn't everything. It's all about having a work / life balance.

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