7 Inevitable Truths When You're Dating a Musician

It’s the same situation for all unprepared partners who find themselves together with a musician. You have met a cool guy or girl and you share some great times together; the fire is beginning to spark and you are happy. There’s the immediate benefits of free concerts and crazy nights backstage. But BEWARE! Below I have put together some things to consider before you decide to date a musician: 

1. “I can’t, I have a studio practice tonight!”

According to scientific research, 80% of all daily conversations among musicians finish with this phrase. Put simply, if you intend to date a musician, you must get in to the good habit of calling ahead of time for any dates, events or parties to confirm that no practice nor gig has been organized for that intended evening. Be careful however; calculate everything and make sure that your partner is aware. Musicians have never been particularly organized and it’s more than possible that a gig has been forgotten. In this case … music calls…

2. They will sit next to you and play a song over and over again (with errors)

Picture this; you are all set for a relaxing evening at your place with your friends. Your intention is to have some good conversation, drink a little and laugh together whilst discussing the in and outs of your weekend and what’s going on at work. Your partner however, doesn’t share the same intention. Their evening will be working on the solo to "Dance Of Eternity” at 250bpm. Being the good partner that you are, you will suck it up and let it happen but you can rest assured that after 15 minutes of playing you will hear a very frustrated “(insert expletive), it’s too difficult!!” Be ready for it!

3. Last-Minute Concerts

You got dressed up and are on the cusp of leaving the house for a date, finally! You are on your way to see a film that you have been looking forward to all year but all of a sudden something is wrong. You hear you darling partner on the phone with somebody and you hear uttered the dreaded words, “Yes of course, we will be there ASAP” … Then come the puppy dog eyes … “Sorry babe, The Bedford in Balham has asked us to play … TONIGHT! How about we go and see the film tomorrow?”

I will tell you now that with an opportunity like this, any answer which is not “Ok, I know how much this means to you” will not be acceptable.

4. Forever broke

Well … yeah. What did you expect? Unless you are dating a mega ROCKSTAR. Unfortunately, this comes along less often than you would imagine.

5. They will never like the same music as you!

It’s Sunday morning; you have made your ritualistic Sunday coffee and picked out a good book. You head to Youtube on your laptop and decide to play calming 80s ballads to calm your zen and align your chakras as you stretch out on the sofa and nestle in to said book.

When your partner arrives home you are sure to be met with those sideways eyes and a swift comment along the lines of “What is this ****? You have to hear this new thing I’ve discovered; it’s called ‘Afro-latino jazz funk Armenian folk metal.' You are going to love it!"

My advice here is to stand your grand and beat your partner into submission or all power will be lost forever.

6. They stop the movie you’re watching each time to see who composed the soundtrack

Watching a film together may also present its own problems. Soundtracks often go fairly unnoticed and fly-by in a flurry of emotion. With a musician however this couldn’t be further from the reality. Prepare yourself for each film to double in length as your loved one has to Google each and every artist. If you decide to watch a film such as ‘Lord of the Rings’ … Sincerely, I wish you the best of luck.
Top Tip: Point them in the direction of Wikipedia!

7. They will suddenly burst into song, Disney style

Anywhere and anytime, there are no known situations which can stop a musician from refining their angelic singing voice. Don’t be afraid, they are not crying out in pain, nor are you witnessing the breakout of World War 3; it is just your partner working on their rendition “Don’t Stop Believing”.

I hope that this small pre-warning will prepare you for what is ahead when deciding to date a musician and helps you to manage your relationship with a few less training bumps.

What do you think is the worst part? Don’t hesitate to leave comments below if you have any extra points to add!