I adore Dame Evelyn Glennie.

I see a lot of commonalities in what she talks about…I’m not deaf, but bassists do hear with their bodies. I love collecting instruments. I love feeling music punch through my body. Most musicians know and love that feeling.

And to those folks who still believe musicians should not get paid…consider all the time she is putting in just on considering her choice of mallets for a concert. She’s visualizing the room, and prepping on her own time to do the best work she can in the limited practice time she will have with her fellow performers.

I spend considerable time choosing effects and editing parameters for songs for my solo bass show and (as applicable) when I work as a hired gun. I will try a song out on multiple basses to see which one delivers the song in the best way. Folks will redo their pedalboards and build ones for a specific production. And then there’s all the the hours of practice involved to make a show happen.