Google Drive has saved my hide more times than I can count , and I ’ m a bass player , so that ’ s more than four times . It is my office / library in the cloud secured by two-step verification ( more on this later ). I have my Drive meticulously organized in folders / subfolders to organize the various parts of my life .
Musically speaking , it contains :
• Every chart I make or receive , organized by person / band I ’ m playing with
• Every gig set list organized by year with notes , YouTube links , talking points , soloists , etc .
• Several versions of my bio ( short , long , life story , tome ) as well as various photos for promo
• All of my commonly used teaching materials ( lesson plans , exercises , backing tracks , articles , etc .)
• Music-related receipts for tax time
• Professional development materials , course material , lists of to-dos , hopes and dreams , etc .
• Email templates ( musician services quote , new student welcome , pestering Alain Caron for a bass lesson , etc .)
• All of my gear info ( receipts for warranty , insurance , serial numbers , identifying photos , favourite amp settings sorted by venue , maintenance photos , bass glam shots , bass selfies , etc .)
Having all of that material in one place and at my fingertips anywhere I go helps me sleep at night . Drive lets you create documents , spreadsheets , or scan text from a physical document and save these directly to your Drive .
I ’ m going to tell you two things ... which one is true ?
• I wrote this entire article at my desk sitting in front of my computer
• Jaco needed a fifth string
Lies . They ’ re all lies . I wrote 85 per cent of this article on my phone while on the couch , in a parking lot , in my kitchen , or sitting waiting for my kids at kung-fu or choir (“ OK Google , remind me to start a kung-fu choir …”) Heck , I wrote part of this article pulled over on the side of the road because I was struck with a great idea . ( Sadly , CM wouldn ’ t send me to Robert Trujillo ’ s house to write while playing Jaco ’ s bass for inspiration .)
Now what about all of your old files ? I ’ m sure you have important files on your computer that you ’ d like to back up or have access to while on the move . Google Drive has a downloadable sync tool that syncs files from your computer ’ s Google Drive folder with your Drive on the cloud .
Did you know that any content in Google Drive is shareable with other users ? You can send a link to a specific item or an entire folder and manage the access level so other users can just view it or view and edit . Setlists are a great example . Maintain your setlists in one location and no more indecipherable 1,000-line Facebook threads that only half of your band members caught in the first place . No more “ What ? We were supposed to learn ‘ Wrecking Ball ’ for this rehearsal ?” Everyone knows where to check the setlist and , therefore , no surprises .
Another great feature is the ability to share files as an email attachment or to any other app on your phone . Imagine walking to your van the morning after a gig to find your windows smashed and your precious gear stolen . You have a precise list of serial numbers and identifying photos to instantly provide to the police and share online and with local pawn shops . Or let ’ s say I ’ m a band leader for a corporate gig 100 kms away from my house . The contractor comes over to meet the group and after chatting says in front of everyone : “ Forgot to mention we need an invoice . If you have one , we can cut a cheque tonight ; otherwise , it ’ ll be sometime late next week .” Rather than sweating through your lime green tux and facing seething band members , you whip out your pocket computer , fill out the blank invoice template you have saved in Google Drive , and you email it to Mr . Money faster than you can say Gene MacLellan .
Often I ’ ve punctually sent charts , lesson material , setlists , recordings , invoices , and bios / photos directly from my phone while standing in line at Tim Hortons , from the car , sitting on a bench , or making supper while fielding a thousand questions per minute from my four-year-old . Having an organized and standardized location where everything is saved really helps to boost productivity and reduce information loss or duplication . How many times have you emailed yourself something to remember , only to have it buried in your poorly-organized inbox . Email isn ’ t a great option for saving information . Or is it ?
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