gurdistThis time, you guys, I bringing up the journey of being a hurdy gurdist. I will be listing the pros as well as the cons and answer the questions that some dedicated musicians have been asking. SHOULD YOU GET A HURDY GURDY? WHY ARE THEY SO EXPENSIVE (This is one for another blog because there are MANY reasons a Gurdy is expensive AF.)?! WHY IS THIS EVEN A THING?!?!?!?!?!

There will also be a short lil assessment at the end as well to determine if this is the instrument for you.

Before I go into the Top 10 problems, I first would like to mention how it is the hurdy gurdy came about and how it became widely known today. Just a few short lil timeline points. Because I will say that the story of this instrument is LOOOONG. So this is gonna be the short, juicy details about the origins and how it is used now :P. BADABING BADA BOOM!

A hurdy gurdy is basically a fiddle with a mechanical structure. To play it, you rosin the wheel of the instrument and turn a crank, thus either creating beautiful music or sounds of a dying cat. depending on if the instrument is in tune and rosined/ cottoned properly. These guys are often compared to Bagpipes or Accordians because of the fact that they have drones as well. They are widely used (often along with bagpipes, mandolins, flutes, etc) in folk music of the Hungarian, Galician, Cajun French, Asturian, etc. Folk and contemporary music. It really is a very interesting instrument. :D

However, because of both the size and the difficulty of pulling the keys, only slow tunes could be played on it... YAWN... This organistrum was later made into a smaller version to be played by 1 player so that the player can both turn the crank AND work the keys. This model was later replaced by the French symphonia, which was a smaller box shaped version of our now hurdy gurdy. The symphonia was the first to have the keys pushable from beneath, WHICH WAS SOOOO MUCH EASIER! Around the Renaissance era, the hurdy became more widely known and so was the bagpipe. This was around the time that the buzzing bridges were added in! This gives the gurdy its spice :P. haha! It was also around this time that the design of the hurdy gurdy changed dramatically, making the body guitar shaped again and having more modifications. After the 17th century, musical tastes became more demanding, so the hurdy gurdy was pushed away as a "peasant's lyre", though a few composer actually wrote music for the gurdy. One who is really famous for his gurdy compositions is Nicolas Chedeville. During this time as well, the gurdy became more wide spread and was seen in Central Europe.  Musicians (who were often blind) known as the Lirniky played this or similar instruments around the Baroque period. They were categorized as beggars and were often mistreated TERRIBLY for playing in the streets (until 1902 when someone finally put a stop to the persecution). in 1968, the hurdy gurdy came about in a new way in a song called The Hurdy Gurdy Man which was sung by Donavan. The song did not use one, but made references to it. Today, it is wideley used in folk music and also to create PIRATE AND FOLK METAL. Which are 2 of my favorite genres ;). BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THE HISTORY. I WANNA TELL YOU ALL ABOUT MY BABY!!!

So I have played this thang for a year now and I was inspired to do so by the lovely Anna Murphy, who used to play the hurdy gurdy for Eluveitie and now plays for Cellar Darling. But As I went on the journey to learn what the hell this instrument is about, I experienced many things. Like with a child, raising your gurdy can be a labor. But it is a labor of love. You WILL experience a lot. You'll mostly get mad at it. BUT. IT IT WORTH IT.

There will be SO. MUCH. COTTON. So much that it is gonna look like a snowstorm hit your work area. It will also stick to you. Which will make people question what you are doing to get so much shit on you. It is a bummer and can flare up your allergies sometimes. But if you don't have cotton LITERALLY EVERYWHERE, it means you're not changing it out correctly. XD

All players know this one. when one of the tangents on your melody strings is off, your notes will sound warbly. The sound is indescribable, really, but when you hear it, YOU FUCKING KNOW. And you instantly wanna flip a table because once you adjust one tangent, you have to check on the welfare of the others because if one tangent is even a centimeter from the right position, you will get a flat or sharp note. It is a MESS.

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT SNORT ROSIN DUST. This shit is not made of materials you should be snorting and doing so can either lead to burning or to being sick. I cannot say this enough. I say this because I ACCIDENTALLY (I promise) inhaled it and the experience WAS NOT FUN.

You need to get yourself special tools to handle the small parts. This includes a small magnetic screwdriver. Thing is about those is that they also break easily, which can be dangerous. It can also strip your tangent screws clean so you cannot make adjustments. This is why I has 2 months of not playing my gurdy. TT3TT...

If you have giant hands, repairs can be a challenge. Like changing your strings or fixing your tangents. You have to go about literally EVERYTHING very carefully! Working with tools with large hands and a very delicate process is never easy.

There isn't and if you think there is, quit telling yourself that. EVERYTHING about the hurdy gurdy is precise. From the make of it down to how hard you can press a key. Each gurdy has a different personality. Some gurdies require harder key presses to make the notes more crisp while others you barely touch.

That's right. Even down to the weather. Weather changes make the gurdy swell, as most are made with wood to create the right resonant sound of a gurdy. This can be tricky when you travel for a tour or you live in a area like California where the weather cannot make up its fucking mind. This also causes the hurdy gurdy to not be able to make up its mind and it may sound like dying whales until it settles.

This instrument is very high maintenance and sometimes even how you carry it while traveling can affect the quality of the sound (combined with the weather changes above). So on a journey with it, you always have to come with a separate bag JUST FOR THE TOOLS and also request you carry it as a carry on ON YOUR LAP because airlines are NOT merciful to instruments. I always hear sad stories of the horrors of traveling with instruments and how poorly people treat them in airports.

What is that thing? Why is it so loud? Can you lower the volume on that thing? It is a hurdy gurdy. It is loud because it is a noise making apparatus. And NO, YOU CANNOT LOWER THE VOLUME ON THE THING (You can adjust the string pressure, which does slightly lower the volume, but this feature should only be used by advanced players. and even then, it only SLIGHTLY works). You will instantly wanna become anti social because people will NOT leave you alone about this. You will then have to explain like 15 times how the thing works then tell them no they cannot touch it and also NO YOU CANNOT LOWER THE VOLUME ON IT (unless you can take the wheel pressure off. some models do that.) After awhile IT GETS OLD.

You do have to set money aside for the hurdy gurdy. This is a hand made instrument and sometimes, as with ALL things, things break. So you have to buy tools to fix it or pay for shipping costs to be sure to get it repaired. I personally have shipped mine out once and it was expensive so I learned how to fix it myself. The instrument can start of at 1200 bucks depending on the maker, the features of your instrument, and how you get it shipped. My model was about 3700 something bucks and about another 200 to ship. If you want something with all the bells and whistles, it can REALLY add up. Makers also charge different prices depending on the materials used. Check out my vlog below about mine!

There are only 5 questions you need to ask yourself before you get one of these.

1. Do you have the patience to tinker A LOT?
2. Do you already have another stringed instrument?
3. Do you live near a luthier (maker)?
4. Do you at least have a SMALL amount of musical knowledge?
5. Can you do your research to learn it?

If you said no to more then 2 of these questions, then I am sorry to say that this is NOT the intstrument for you. As I have mentioned multiple times, this instrument is VERY hard to play. You NEED to do your homework and at least have contact with your maker if questions arise. You also need to have money saved up so you can properly pay your maker and also keep watching videos to get visuals on how everything works. It is time consuming but totally worth the effort! I am hoping you all wanna delve into this sucker! It is fun! :D! Joining a community on Facebook with gurdists in it can also be very helpful! Getting the right knowledge is ESSENTIAL to learn a new instrument. If you already play a stringed instrument, picking this one up won't be too hard. You also should know a LITTLE bit about music so you can at least get an idea on where things are on the instrument in order to fix it properly.

Hello everyone! I'm ArwenStarsong and I am back with another nonsensical rambling about the amazing adventures of being a musician that is COMPLETELY solo.

People seem to have this idea that many musicians who go solo have it easy. They seem to have this false notion that they get to have all the fun, get all the money, and they get places a lot faster than with a band... well let me be the one to tell you first hand that being solo and how you have it depends on many factors on the end of the artist. Here is a list of them...

1. There is a LARGE dependance of your circumstances. Such as the area where you were born in or grew up in, the places you have been, the friends you've made, the wealth you were born with... ALL these play a factor on how you make it as far as your music goes.
2. Age. Age is literally everything. if you start off REALLY young and put a ton of passion and time into making yourself better at your art, you get further with it. It DOES NOT happen overnight. Take me for example. I HAVE BEEN AT THIS 10 YEARS. and I am still growing out of the first hole of getting to the scene...
3. As I have said before, friendships are a HUGE factor. Here's why. Friends have friends and those friends have friends and if friends are good to you and talk you up to people that they happen to know who may like your art or are in the industry, there is a fighting chance that you can get in on the action. Friends can also be potential band mates if they are into the same thing you are. You just have to find dedicated friends who are honest and loyal. My brother, David is a perfect example. He found a group of friends and formed a band with them. They started playing more gigs and ended up opening for Abigail Williams, but then that fell down the tubes when the friendship he had died. After that, he just couldn't find people he could trust. WHICH BRINGS US TO THE NEXT FACTOR...
4. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. Being in an area where it is boring or the scene is not really popping (my hometown being the perfect example of this) can really drive a dagger into your career. Not only that, being inn an environment where you're surrounded by certain types of people can make things toxic and THAT is a HUUUUGE nono!!!
5. MONEY TALKS. this one is FREAKING SERIOUS. Over my 10 years of being a musician, my family has spent HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars. I have bought a 4000 dollar hurdy gurdy, my parents recently bought me a 3000 dollar computer so I can create better content, I also was given a 200 dollar violin for Christmas, spent 1000 on 2 cameras (one of which BROKE.... which is why I DO NOT recommend GO PRO), spent 120 on a performance mic and another 100 on wires for performance, my parents gifted me a 300 dollar mic and 2000 dollar keybaord with recording capabilities to make my music on, plugins for my music programs are pricey.... I also pay 40+ dollars a month to promote videos when I feel the need. And this is not even EVERYTHING I have bought or done to make the content I post. I also have hundreds of thousands of dollars more to plan including another 12,000 to pay my producer to make my EP with me and also plan photoshoots, travel for video shoots, etc... It is a PRICEY business.

There is so little time when it comes to being a solo artist. Depending on the factors listed above, you can either be REALLY good at managing your time and be productive during your day. Or you can be the image on the right.... Yeah... This is the reality of not having enough time for you. Of being pulled in different directions in your life and still trying to fit in time to create and practice your art. It can make for many sleepless nights and be bad for your health. It is overwhelming at times and then sometimes from being so occupied, you come up with something AMAZING.... but cannot write it down or play it because the rest of your family is asleep... So you stay up ALL. NIGHT... staring at your ceiling and wishing the sandman would knock your stupid ass out.... 

Much like the previous thing I mentioned but this is the opposite... This is the I GOT NO IDEAS BECAUSE I AM OVERWHELEMED... Henceforth the left right image. You are either Kermit or Spongebob in this case. Normally if you're solo, it can be very challenging to come up with ideas on your own... And then You need to make time to promote and do all the other things it takes... shooting videos, photos, artwork, etc... It can be hard on your mental health when you're overworked, but this is the life of someone going about it alone without the wealth or resources. AND BLOCK SOMETIMES CAN BE DEADLY....

Whatever you do to get by, just don't forget your name.... (hah....) Writer's block can sometimes be permanent so if you ever suffer a block, try writing down your feelings/ journaling your ideas as random thoughts pop in your head. It helps a lot!

Money is one of the most major challenges solo artists come by. Crowdfunding for projects can be a challenge unless they have a HUGE following and that in itself is very hard to come by (Because people do not usually take a solo artist seriously unless they are in a specific genre or have the looks to match...). Saving money can be tricky. Balancing a day job, paying bills, and also paying for the health of your music can get pricey. Most of the time there won't be money to spare. Henceforth why everyone asks up and down for it in the music industry. With money you can make better content, but then not have enough to eat sometimes.... There are many things a musican in particular has to pay for....

- Lessons (If you're even able to fit it into your schedule)
-Rent for the Venue a gig is held in
-Fees for studio musicians/ band members (For solo artists, this is a must. Because as much as one can be a jack of all trades, it does not mean they have mastered EVERYTHING.)
-Distribution fees (both physical and digital)
-Making Merch (YES. MAKING MERCH COSTS MONEY!)
-Booking a performance/ gig (booking agents. nuff said.)
-Instruments/ Instrument Maintenance (If your instrument breaks or needs a repair, you gotta pay for it)
-Music Production (Recording, Mixing, Mastering. ALL ARE SEPERATE FACTORS IN THIS CATEGORY)
-Photo/ Video Shoots AND EDITING THAT COMES WITH IT.
-Equipment for Performance and backup equipment in case that equipment breaks.
-Promotion Costs (Radio Spins, Facebook Ads, Youtube Ads, Google Ads in general)
-Running a Website (Pro domain costs 12/ year and also has fees added to whichever site you choose to make your website.)
-Clothes (to look the part)
-Bills for living
-Food
-Management (If you somehow manage to get someone to talk to you. This is a long shot most of the time because to even get a hold of someone you need to network a LOT)
-Networking (This means going to shows and meeting others who do the same thing you do.)

This ALL comes down to how you manage your money and what you do to save. Journaling/ planning your expenses can make a HUGE difference! And hopefully by reading the text above you get an idea as to why bands and solo artists ask for money. IT IS BECAUSE MOST OF US ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE END'S MEET AND WE WANNA GET OUR ASSES OFF THE GROUND.

Being a solo musician means you put your mind and your heart and sometimes (if you're obsessed enough) YOUR SOUL into practicing to better your craft. Practice is what makes the musician do what they do. sometimes when you do it all on your own, it can be very VERY challenging to make the time for practice, so you find time to do it when you have alone time or even during business meetings. Or like me.... where you sing in car karaoke like crazy and people stare at you like you're tweaking. Either way, practicing is the foundation of the musician and when you're solo, making time for it is ESSENTIAL. I suggest giving yourself at LEAST 1 hour twice a week or more to make yourself have time for everything else.

People think that being a solo artist gives you all the time in the world to do everything you need to because you are your own boss. As much as you can be your own boss, the reality is not what one would think/ realize. Going solo is a challenge, seeing as you also have to be a time management wizard. I have mentioned this many times in this blog already, but it is probably the most important thing out of all the experiences I am sharing. Being by yourself means you do EVERYTHING. LITERALLY EVERYTHING. You're the artist. So you write the music, write the lyrics, spend weeks at a time making the instrumental you're writing from scratch (which entitles you REHEARSE the parts you're gonna make), have to make time to rehearse the lyrics/ vocal parts, recording can take up to a month depending on what else you have going on in your life. Then to get quality material, you have to hire a person to help you and working with said person can eat up at least 2 weeks of your time to make one of your songs happen. ONE SONG. There is also having to keep up your little youtube channel by posting at least 2 videos a month. Which also takes up 3 or 4 days of your time to record vocals/ an instrumental then shoot a mini video and editing all night a few nights in a row. Then there is the other side, which is shooting a video for your release, talking about your release, trying to become a social network pro all on your own, making money by working a job so you can pay to promote yourself, saving money for a video shoot, which can take another couple of weeks depending on what you're doing. There's also waiting for whomever you hire to shoot your video to finish your video edits. During this time, you may wanna make doctor appointments and get your adult shit done so your health and bills are also kept in check. They say that in order to have a life you must sacrifice something. For solo musicians, that thing is definitely SLEEP.... which is essential for your health, but who am I to talk??? (I'm dying guys. I am writing this for you after a 12 hour crash from 3 days in a row of not sleeping...) With 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week, it gets literally IMPOSSIBLE to fit music in sometimes. Henceforth why I suggest using any days off work to focus on your artistic endeavors. Even that little bit of time can really make a difference.

When you finally get sleep, it is a crash. it is not a sinking into your bed and drifting off kind of crash either. it is more like "FUCKING FINALLY-" *CRASHES INSTANTLY* then you wake up an eternity later and realize half your next day or more is gone. This is the essence of being a solo artist. A normal human is supposed to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. But we are not normal. We are creatures of the night. We are not normal humans. And being normal is a challenge... With so much to do and little time to think, things can get hectic. I just hope you all make room for eating and sleeping. Because let me be the one to tell you, THE ROAD IS NOT EASY. And sleeping is essential. If you cannot fit at least 7 hours, try to fit in a power nap on a 6 hour sleep. or just do 6 hours. 6 is enough to at least hold your sanity... lol

 AA lot of the time when you're riding solo, you have to know a little bit about business and how it works. Doing it by winging it gets you nowhere. Look at me, for example. Been in this for 10 years now and have been seeing others who do the same thing i do make it in less time. Why? BECAUSE THEY KNOW HOW BUSINESS WORKS. Networking, making connections, talking to people, being active, and making sure you're heard is a major aspect of growing as an artist. You want people to know who you are? You have to be assertive and know how to negotiate deals and terms. This can get people to backing you up and when you have people you can trust backing you up who know their stuff, their insight can be CRUCIAL to help you understand how to succeed. This is EXACTLY why over the past year I have grown SUBSTANTIALLY from what i was before. I made many other friends who make music. I met a producer who is currently helping me make my EP. The fellow artists I follow watch what I do and when they like my stuff, it lets me know I am doing things right. I reach out and try to help as well when I can. I also did a TON of experimentation to see how I can make my brand better and help it grow. I made it my new year resolution to put ALL my spare money I make into things that will help my music or make it. One payment for an ad can make ALL the difference, folks. And I highly suggest you also read a TON on how business works. I am still learning a LOT, but I know for a fact that I am gonna continue to grow thanks to the knowledge I have received thru advice and books. I encourage you all to take these measure as well. Knowing whatever business you're going into is a necessity. And another thing: KNOW YOU CAN TRUST PEOPLE. Don't let ANYONE take your talent for granted.

There is nothing worse than already being pressed for time then having your technology fail to work the way it is supposed to. This is a big deal to people who use Live Streaming apps and video apps such as Youtube and Twitch. The thing is that to keep your channel active you need to post at least once every 2 weeks. And sometimes that can be a challenge when your schedule is whack and your tech is even worse. And not everyone is a millionaire like some youtubers are. They have to make do with what they have. During these times, having a good warranty for your stuff is essential because if you do, you may not have to pay a cent if something breaks. You also should make sure everything is up to par before you get up and running on your project.

In conclusion there are a lot of pros and cons to being a solo artist.

Out of my personal experience, however, I find that there are as many pros as there are cons. Sure, I may not sleep much and I may always be broke, but is this music worth it to me? YES. Every inch of my being loves what I do. And I know that there are millions of starving artists like me who feel the same. At the end of the day, I know I do EVERYTHING for the music. And I wouldn't have it any other way.  I know someday I will find my band. For now, I am the eagle that flies alone (Arch Enemy Reference lol)....

Hopefully you all get a clear understanding of some of the struggles a solo musician can face. As someone of the metal genre AND as a female, it is twice as hard. And I don't plan on stopping any time soon. Stay metal, my friends. I'll see you on the next one! ;).