Re: path to professional musician

Somewhere around 500-600. Of course, we're not talking about current
pop tunes here - these are tunes going back the last century or so,
and
a good number of those were never "pop" songs.

How did you go about making this estimate?

Good question. Believe it or not, that's not really just an estimate,
at least not in the "picked a number out of the blue" sense you might
think. I actually have a list. I built this up by spending the better
part of two years going through all the songs I could think of, working
on playing them in different keys, adding songs to my repertoire,
working on playing them by ear, and so forth. The end result of all
that - aside from from a *huge* improvement in my skills - was a list of
all the tunes I had worked on as part of this process. And for a while
I was updating that list every time I learned a new tune. But I haven't
updated the list for the last few years, so it's a bit out of date.
I've learned a few new tunes, also probably forgotten a few that I had
learned only just barely well enough to make the list (and yes, it
didn't make the list unless I could play a solo piano arrangement from
memory) but I haven't played for a few years now. Of course, there are
also any number of tunes I can play from memory in a band situation if I
don't have to carry the melody, and any number of tunes I could probably
play by ear right now even though I've never played them before.
Anyhow, the list currently stands at between 400 and 500 songs (I can't
seem to get the tools I am using to give me an absolute count, but it's
four and a half printed pages, and the first page contains a little over
100 songs). And my "estimate" is that between new tunes I've learned,
tunes I've forgotten, tunes I'm OK with as long as I don't have to play
the melody, and tunes I am confident I could play by ear, there are at
least 100 more songs that I could reasonably say I know well enough to
count for this purpose.

I've posted the list before, but probably not to this newsgroup. Since
it always seems to be of interest to some, I'm posting it below.

But that brings up the question of what it means to "know" a song.
Anyone who can claim to know 600 songs probably didn't spend days
learning each one. I have "learned" most of the songs I know on the
gig. I'm betting Marc did too.

Many. Quite a few were learned at home, though. I'd go through all my
fakebooks and recordings to find as many different versions of a tune as
I could, and then spent some time learning the tune from those sources.
I'd learn half a dozen or so in one sitting that way, but I only did
that one a week or less. I spend the days between just playing through
the tunes I had learned in the last session - playing them in different
keys, in different styles, and working them into solo gigs. Still, I'm
sure it was no more than hour *per tune* on average.

In my case it's not about rote memorization. If it were I doubt I'd be
much good at it. I remember how to play a song mostly by remembering
what it sounds like. In fact, I "remember" how to play a song in much
the same way that I learn it in the first place, by ear.

This was probably the most eye (and ear) opening thing I learned during
those two years. Did we "memorize" Happy Birthday by rote as children?
No, we learned to sing it by ear. And we can learn to play it - and
many other songs - that way, too. If I know the song well enough to
sing it, I probably know it well enough to play it. That wasn't as true
in the beginning of my career as it is now, but by the time I became a
full-time professional, I certainly had at least some skill in this
area. I'm not saying this is an essential skill to have completely
nailed down before you can consider starting out as a professional, but
some level of this mastery of this skill it certainly is quite common
among professionals, which is why their expectations may seem
unreasonable to folks who lack this skill at all.

And unless you plan
on playing those same 40 songs night after night, that's really only a
bare minimum - better to have twice that many songs at least to select
from.

"Better", yes, but you'd be surprised at how many bands don't.

True enough. But note if a band is looking at a keyboardist who knows
only 30-40 songs, unless those are the exact 30-40 songs they play every
night, that keyboardist probably really isn't close to knowing enough
songs to work with that band. Of course, he can learn them on the job.
But if he doesn't know 30 songs yet and is flabbergasted that someone
might consider this a requirement, that suggests he probably isn't
really ready to learn that much new material that quickly.

Here's my (somewhat outdated) list:

Afro-Blue
After The Rain
Agua De Beber
Ain't Misbehavin'
Airegin
All Blues
All Of Me
All Of You
All The Children
All The Things You Are
All The Way
Almost Like Being In Love
Alone Together
Always
Angel Eyes
Anthropology
April In Paris
Aquarian Sound
As Time Goes By
Ask Me Now
At The Cafe Central
Autumn Leaves
Avalon

Baby, It's Cold Outside
Backwoods Song
Bag's Groove
Beatrice
A Beautiful Friendship
Beautiful Love
Bemsha Swing
Bernie's Tune
Better Get Hit In Your Soul
Better Than Anything
Bewitched
Billie's Bounce
Birk's Works
Black Coffee
Black Narcissus
Black Nile
Black Orpheus
Blackberry Winter
Blame It On My Youth
Blue Bossa
Blue In Green
Blue Monk
Blue Moses
Blue Skies
Blues For Alice
Blues March
Bluesette
Body and Soul
Bolivar Blues
Bolivia
Broadway
But Beautiful
But Not For Me
Bye Bye Blackbird

C Jam Blues
Cantaloupe Island
Caravan
Cast Your Fate To The Wind
Centerpiece
Central Park West
Ceora
Chameleon
Cheesecake
Chega De Suadade
Cherokee
A Child Is Born
Cold Duck Time
Come Rain Or Come Shine
Con Alma
Corcovado
The Cost Of Living
Countdown
Cry Me A River
Cute

Daahoud
Dahomey Dance
Darn That Dream
Day By Day
Day Dream
Days Of Wine And Roses
Dearly Beloved
Deluge
Desafinado
Detour Ahead
Dindi
Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
Dolphin Dance
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Donna Lee
Doodlin'
Doxy
Drew's Blues

E.S.P.
Eighty-One
Embraceable You
Emily
Equinox
Ev'ry Day Of My Life
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Everything Happens To Me
Everything That Lives Laments
Eye Of The Hurricane

Falling Grace
Falling In Love With Love
Feels So Good
First Song
Five Hundred Miles High
Flamenco Sketches
Fly Me To The Moon
A Foggy Day
Footprints
For All We Know
Forest Flower
Four
Four Brothers
Fran-Dance
Freddie Freeloader
Friday Night At The Cadillac Club

Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
Gentle Rain
Georgia On My Mind
Giant Steps
The Girl From Ipanema
Girl Talk
Gloria's Step
God Bless The Child
Gone With The Wind
Good Bait
Good Morning Heartache
Good Night
Green Dolphin Street
Greensleeves
Guajira

Hackensack
Half Nelson
Hallelujah I Just Love Her So
Have You Met Miss Jones
Here's That Rainy Day
Hi-Fly
High Wire
Homecoming
Honeysuckle Rose
How High The Moon
How Insensitive
How My Heart Sings

I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
I Can't Get Started
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
I Could Write A Book
I Fall In Love Too Easily
I Get A Kick Out Of You
I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
I Got Rhythm
I Hear A Rhapsody
I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
I Love You
I Mean You
I Remember Clifford
I Remember You
I Should Care
I Thought About You
I Was Doing Alright
I'll Be Seeing You
I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her
I'll Remember April
I'll Take Romance
I'm Beginning To See The Light
I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
I'm In The Mood For Love
I'm Old Fashioned
I'm Through With Love
I've Got You Under My Skin
I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
I've Never Been In Love Before
If I Should Lose You
If I Were A Bell
If You Never Come To Me
Imagination
The Impossible Dream
Impressions
In A Mellow Tone
In A Sentimental Mood
In My Life
In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
In Walked Bud
In Your Own Sweet Way
Indiana
Invitation
Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
Isn't It A Pity
Isn't It Romantic
The Island
Israel
It Could Happen To You
It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
It Had To Be You
It Might As Well Be Spring
It Never Entered My Mind
It's All Right With Me
It's Only A Paper Moon
It's You Or No One

James
Jana's Delight
Japanese Folk Song
Jersey Bounce
Jitterbug Waltz
The Joint Is Jumpin'
Jordu
Joy Spring
Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
Just Friends
Just In Time
Just One Of Those Things
Just Squeeze Me
Just The Way You Are
Just You, Just Me

Killer Joe

L'Impossibile
La Fiesta
Lady Bird
The Lady Is A Tramp
Lady, Be Good
Lament
Laura
Lazy Bird
Lester Leaps In
Let There Be Peace On Earth
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Let's Do It
Let's Fall In Love
Light Blue
Like A Lover
Like Someone In Love
Lil' Darlin'
Limehouse Blues
Line For Lyons
Little Sunflower
Lonnie's Lament
Love For Sale
Love Is Here To Stay
A Love Supreme
Love Walked In
Lover
Lover Man
Lucky Southern
Lullaby Of Birdland

Mack The Knife
Maiden Voyage
Making Whoopee
Mamacita
The Man I Love
Manteca
The Masquerade Is Over
Matrix
Mean To Me
Meditation
Melancholia
Memories Of Tomorrow
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
Midnight Sun
Miles (Milestones)
Minority
Misterioso
Misty
Moanin'
Moment's Notice
Monk's Dream
Monk's Hat
Monk's Mood
Mood Indigo
Moon River
Moonglow
Moonlight In Vermont
Moonlight Serenade
Morning
Morning Song
Mr. P.C.
My Favorite Things
My Foolish Heart
My Funny Valentine
My Little Suede Shoes
My One And Only Love
My Romance
My Shining Hour

Naima
Nardis
Nature Boy
The Nearness Of You
Nica's Dream
Nigerian Marketplace
Night And Day
The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
A Night In Tunisia
A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
None But The Lonely Heart
Nostalgia In Times Square
Now's The Time
Nutville

Obsequious
Obsession
Ode To Life
Off Minor
Old Devil Moon
Old Folks
Oleo
On A Clear Day
On A Slow Boat To China
On The Street Where You Live
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Once I Loved
One By One
One Note Samba
Only Trust Your Heart
Opus One
Ornithology
Out Of Nowhere
Over The Rainbow
Oye Como Va

Parade
Parisian Thoroughfare
Passion Dance
Peace
Peace Piece
Pennies From Heaven
Pent Up House
Perdido
Peri's Scope
Phoebe's Samba
Pick Yourself Up
Played Twice
Poinciana
Polkadots And Moonbeams
The Preacher
Prelude To A Kiss
The Promise
Put On A Happy Face

The Raven
Recordame
Red Clay
Red Top
Reflections
Rhythm-a-ning
Rio De Janeiro Blue
Round Midnight
Route 66
Ruby, My Dear

S Wonderful
Sail Away
Salt Peanuts
Samba De Orfeu
Sandu
Satin Doll
Scrapple From The Apple
Search For Peace
Secret Love
Segment
Senor Blues
Sentimental Journey
September Song
Seven Steps To Heaven
The Shadow Of Your Smile
Shaker Song
Shiny Stockings
Siempre Me Va Bien
Since I Fell For You
Sister Cheryl
Skylark
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
So What
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
Solar
Solitude
Some Other Time
Someday My Prince Will Come
Someone To Watch Over Me
Something
Sometimes I'm Happy
Song For My Father
Song From The Old Country
The Song Is You
Song Song
Sonnymoon For Two
Sophisticated Lady
Soul Eyes
Spain
Speak Low
Speak No Evil
Spiral
Spiral Dance
Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
Spring Is Here
St. Thomas
Star Eyes
Stars Fell On Alabama
Stella By Starlight
Stolen Moments
Stompin' At The Savoy
Stormy Weather
Straight, No Chaser
Strike Up The Band
A String Of Pearls
Sugar
Suicide Is Painless
Summertime
Sunday In The Country
Sunny
Sweet And Lovely
Sweet Georgia Brown
Sweet Georgie Fame

Take Five
Take The "A" Train
Take The Coltrane
Taking A Chance On Love
Tangerine
Teach Me Tonight
Tell Me A Bedtime Story
Tempus Fugit
Tenderly
That's All
There Is No Greater Love
There Will Never Be Another You
Thermo
These Foolish Things
They Can't Take That Away From Me
They Say It's Wonderful
Things Ain't What They Used To Be
Think Of One
This Can't Be Love
This I Dig Of You
This Masquerade
This Old Man
Till There Was You
Time After Time
Time Remembered
Tones For Joan's Bones
Too Close For Comfort
Trinkle, Tinkle
Triste
Tune Up
Tunji
Twinkle, Twinkle

Ugly Beauty
Un Poco Loco
Up Jumped Spring
Until The Real Thing Comes Along

Very Early
Voyage

Walkin'
Waltz For Debby
Watch What Happens
Watermelon Man
Wave
The Way You Look Tonight
We'll Be Together Again
Weaver Of Dreams
Well, You Needn't
What A Difference A Day Made
What A Little Moonlight Can Do
What A Wonderful World
What Is This Thing Called Love
What Was
What's New
Wheelers And Dealers
When I Fall In Love
When Lights Are Low
When Sunny Gets Blue
When You Wish Upon A Star
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Whisper Not
Who Can I Turn To
Why Did I Choose You
Willow Weep For Me
Windows
Woodchopper's Ball
Work Song

Yardbird Suite
Yes Or No
Yesterday
Yesterdays
You And The Night And The Music
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
You Are There
You Don't Know What Love Is
You Go To My Head
You Look Good To Me
You Must Believe In Spring
You Stepped Out Of A Dream
You Taught My Heart To Sing
You Took Advantage Of Me
You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
You're My Everything
You've Changed
Young And Foolish


.

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