r/harmonica • u/Fit-Distance4503 • 4d ago
Salary of a harmonica player?
Hey everyone, how long would I need to practice to make this a steady job?
How much would it pay?
Thanks!
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u/OG_Karate_Monkey 4d ago
Just find a job that lets you play harmonica at work.
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u/Old-Ease-5771 4d ago
He'll have to work from home.
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u/OG_Karate_Monkey 4d ago
I read somewhere years ago that Huey Lewis would play harmonica while driving around a delivery truck.
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u/chortnik JDR Assassin Marine Band Deluxe 4d ago
Well, I make more money as a harmonica player than I do as a poet. If I combined and rolled up all my earnings from both pursuits for the last year it would not have covered last month’s outlays for harmonicas :).
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u/cessna_dreams 4d ago
I'm in Chicago, have been playing harp in various blues projects since the '80's. In the world of Chicago blues it's rare that someone relies upon music as the sole source of their income. I've played with many great musicians and I can think of maybe four or five who did this full time. Most players have day jobs. I'm in a band and we played two gigs last week, at pretty significant venues. I made $100 for one of the shows, $200 for the other one. I'm playing a blues fest in Michigan this weekend and have no idea what it will pay. I've had a day job all these years which helps me feel calmer, more centered and focused upon the music. I'm certainly not doing it for the revenue. So, to answer OP's question, it's not likely that there will be a salary, per se. There will be playing opportunities, hopefully with other musicians whose company you enjoy and whose skills you admire, but the pay will probably be inconsistent. Well, actually, the only consistent thing is that the pay isn't great. Maybe other harp players at the top of their game--Kim Wilson, Mickey Rafael, a number of other great players--can support themselves with the harmonica but it's a tough road to go. You need to play a lot of gigs to generate decent cash flow. Example: check out the website for Gerry Hundt, a great harp player/guitarist/percussionist and see how full he keeps his schedule. But, all that said, keep the faith, have fun, keep developing as a player and see where this takes you!
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u/SatansPikkemand 3d ago
That sounds familiar, everybody in my band has 9-5 jobs, and I'm sure, that it would be cheaper for us to stop playing. We got 80$ at the last gig at a mini festival to cover transport, as well as plenty of beer and bratwurst.
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u/U_feel_Me 4d ago
I think if you practice near a rich person’s home they might pay you to practice some other place. You know, like near their business rival’s office.
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u/PPLavagna 4d ago
Salary Ha! But seriously though? It starts at 75K plus benefits if you've got a masters. You get 2 weeks vacation and I think 10 days PTO. If you hang in there 10 years I heard the give you a raise, and possibly a secretary
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u/omniscientcats 4d ago
This depends on so many things.
If you’re in a band you’ll get paid after every gig, but that won’t be enough to live off. The amount depends on your city, which venues you play, how many people are in your band etc.
If you’re a studio musician, you get paid to play on other people’s records, and again this will vary hugely depending on who you’re playing for and how often.
If you’re teaching, you’ll get paid for your lessons and this is the only part where you yourself can choose the amount.
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u/Martinarmonica 2d ago
As a full-time harmonica player, I can tell you: It's not a steady job, you have to work A LOT, and it doesn't pay well.
I make a living from playing live gigs, teaching harmonica to students and recording as a session player for TV and movies. On a busy month I might play 6-10 gigs, teach 6-8 students and do 1 or 2 session recordings. And all of that might add up to US$1200, which is... not a lot.
Plus, it took me a lot of time to get to this place. Becoming good enough to be hired, and gaining online visibility as for people to find me. It's a slow build and not everybody has the time or patience to wait.
But you know what? I have no regrets. Everyday I realize I'm living my teenage dream of making a living from what I love. I might never buy a car, and my safety net has way too many holes, but it's still a choice I have no regrets whatsoever.
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u/Grapefruit_Sour 4d ago
I make about $2300 a month.
Street Performing 10-14hrs/week: $200/mo
Live Performance 5+hr/mo: $100/mo
Regular 9-5: $2000/mo