We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shawn Christie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shawn, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I began as a self taught player, for several years in fact, before attending Rowan University and obtaining a music degree. I was exposed to music at a very young age, and to the guitar through my maternal grandfather. He played a bit and I always thought it was cool. The instruments, the amplifiers, the sights and sounds were all fascinating to me. I was probably about 4 years old when I started to mess around with the guitar.

It wasn’t until I heard “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour at the age of 13 that I decided to pursue playing in a more serious fashion. I had a paper route at the time (remember those?) and all of my earnings went to buying CDs, books, instructional videos etc. I had a subscription to several of the popular guitar magazines of the day and I mostly learned to play via those methods and of course by ear. I had a couple music theory classes in high school and participated in jazz band along with my first original rock band. Around this time I decided that I would go to college for music to increase my skills.

I’m not sure I could have sped up the process. I practiced 3-4 hours a day (and more on weekends) for probably close to a decade to achieve what I did. Maybe a mentor that would have assisted in my growth and training could have helped. It would take a special type of person to support what I was after, without forcing things on me that could have made me lose interest. I think NOT having a teacher was probably what actually worked for me. I could pursue what I wanted and it was fun. I do realize the benefits of a qualified teacher (I’m one myself these days) but at that time I don’t think I would’ve been into the more academic aspects.

Developing my ability to learn things just from hearing them, the ear training part, is probably the most important skill I gained from being a self taught player. After all, music is an auditory experience first and foremost, so developing your ears and tonal discernment is crucial.

Easy and free access to relevant information were obstacles to learning more, for sure. I think kids these days are accomplishing more, at a much faster rate, because of the internet. Being able to see how something is played on YouTube or whatever, that visual component is likely contributing to how quickly they are advancing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As I mentioned in the previous response, I started out as a self taught musician. After participating in high school music programs, I decided to pursue a degree in music. While in school, I began performing live, concentrating on the live local scene. Some of these opportunities led to opening slots for some successful cover bands. After making hardly any money performing strictly originals, and seeing that some of these bands were playing music I liked AND getting paid fairly well, I shifted into the cover and private event market. While I still continued to write and record my own music, the vast majority of my income came from these live performances and private guitar instruction.

As a performer, I’m well versed in all styles of popular music with an extensive repertoire, from having done this type of work for 25 years. On the teaching end, I’d like to think I balance academic training while supporting the students own vision for what they would ultimately like to achieve. It can be a tough thing to find ways to connect or deliver important information to a student without turning them off to the idea, no matter how valuable I know it to be. My extensive experience in the teaching studio allows for me to meet the needs of my students and help them grow into their potential.

I’m proud to say that every dollar I have made since 1997 has been music related, in one way or another. That could be touring and sideman work, studio work or the aforementioned teaching and public/private event work. My career doesn’t always “look” the way that maybe I had hoped (number one hits, sold out tours, fame/fortune etc) but I realize how fortunate I am to actually make a good living strictly making music. Speaking on that last sentiment, I still write and record my own music to hopefully reach that pipe dream. Just because I do well in the other areas doesn’t mean I’ve ever stopped pursuing the muse. In fact I’m currently finishing the mixes for my next two releases. A 9 song LP and a 4 song EP will be released early 2026 and 2027 respectfully.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

While being a full time musician is a very cool thing, it’s not without its challenges. At one point I had steady work at two separate casinos in Atlantic City, resulting in over 500 performances in 2013 alone. You may ask how that’s possible, considering only 365 days in a year, but they were both theater gigs. Meaning there were sometimes multiple performances on certain days, matinees, etc.

The reason I think this is relevant is because it highlights a couple of important things. I think to make a living as a musician, you need multiple streams of income. One gig is generally not enough and also too risky to put all of your eggs in one proverbial basket. The above example illustrates this clearly. In 2013, over 500 shows and in 2014 it dropped to zero. Yes, the theater at the one property was sold out from underneath the production and the other casino closed due to bankruptcy and remained shuttered until its sale a few years later. Regardless, neither gig came back.

Fortunately I was still teaching and that at least kept me fed while I sought new work and opportunities. Ultimately 2014/15 were difficult years rebuilding but by 2016/17 I was back to a good amount of work which has stayed consistent since. There are certainly ups and downs when you do this type of thing for a living, but trying to be fiscally responsible can get you through the lean times. And if you’re good enough, you can always find work while still pursuing bigger and better opportunities and personal fulfillment.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

This is a tough question considering the streaming ecosystem. Unless you’re Taylor Swift, you simply cannot make any money selling your music. Streaming is great for the consumer, but terrible for the artist. If you like an artist, buy their merch, attend their shows, etc. support them in any way you can, if you want them to be able to keep making the music you say you love.

Further, musicians need to be seen as people, not puppets. Restaurants, bars and other venues like to pay peanuts yet want high quality performances. Same goes for private events, but it’s typically better pay. It’s crazy to me that flowers and photographers/videographers get paid what they do and typically the musicians/bands make the least, yet are tasked with entertaining everyone for hours on end. I’m not saying that the others I mentioned are not deserving, but when someone spends 15 grand on flowers that get thrown away at the end of the night and is still looking for some “deal” on the band, it’s disrespectful.

Music and art for that matter bring so, so much to our lives. Could you imagine if it no longer existed? The old saying “when are you going to get a real job?” comes to mind. Or the idea of not seeing original music because you want to hear songs you know. Well, the songs you know ARE someone’s original music. LOL

It basically comes down to respect for craft, for time, for effort, for mastery and fair compensation for skills that not everyone has, yet expect to have in their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shawnchristiemusic.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/shawnchristiemusic
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/shawnchristiemusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/shawnchristie