What Now?

[DRay521]

Hey Adam,

I want to start by thanking you for having this forum on TalkBass. It's great to have a professional to talk to about various topics. Today, I'd like to ask you what I need to do now. I just graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Jazz Studies on Double Bass. I've also been playing electric bass for 12 years, and been in bands for the last 10. The band I'm in now has actually started to make some progress in getting bigger venues and wider exposure, but I realize that as a professional bassist, I need to expand my opportunities.
Having played nearly every style of music, from classical and jazz to rock and blues and everything in between, I feel ready like I could establish myself as a session or touring bassist. The problem is, Tuscaloosa, AL isn't necessarily a music hotspot. I've looked into moving to Nashville, Atlanta, or even Birmingham. I've got good respect and reputation from the people I've worked with, but I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to break into the professional world. By all accounts, I'm already a professional, as I've made my living only by playing music for the last few years, but I'd like to take it to the next level. Any advice you have on what I need to do from this point would be greatly appreciated. Again, thanks for your help and service to myself and all members of TalkBass.

David Ray
www.myspace.com/thehypsys

[adamnitti]

Originally Posted by DRay521

Hey Adam,

I want to start by thanking you for having this forum on TalkBass. It's great to have a professional to talk to about various topics. Today, I'd like to ask you what I need to do now. I just graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Jazz Studies on Double Bass. I've also been playing electric bass for 12 years, and been in bands for the last 10. The band I'm in now has actually started to make some progress in getting bigger venues and wider exposure, but I realize that as a professional bassist, I need to expand my opportunities.
Having played nearly every style of music, from classical and jazz to rock and blues and everything in between, I feel ready like I could establish myself as a session or touring bassist. The problem is, Tuscaloosa, AL isn't necessarily a music hotspot. I've looked into moving to Nashville, Atlanta, or even Birmingham. I've got good respect and reputation from the people I've worked with, but I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to break into the professional world. By all accounts, I'm already a professional, as I've made my living only by playing music for the last few years, but I'd like to take it to the next level. Any advice you have on what I need to do from this point would be greatly appreciated. Again, thanks for your help and service to myself and all members of TalkBass.

David Ray
www.myspace.com/thehypsys

hi david!

thanks for your post. congrats on all of your hard work so far. it sounds as if your efforts have paid off in establishing a solid reputation and sound musical foundation.

i could give you a long-winded reply outlining all the steps you could take in order to take your career to the next level... however, none of that really matters in the real world. having already established that you have much talent and experience, the most important thing is networking, building relationships, and being exposed to as many new musical opportunities as possible. you need to be where the action is. unfortunately, alabama is not considered to be a musical hotspot, so it will be tough to do it there. not necessarily impossible, but tough.

the fact of the matter is, there are tons of players out there with a fraction of our musical education and experience who are making a great living working as musicians. unfortunately, in most cases talent, alone does not get you work. it is a necessary component if you want to work as a versatile studio musician, but even then your personality and 'hang-factor' is still going to be most conducive to you getting called back in those situations... artists, producers, and musicians like to work with folks who have positive attitudes and are fun to be with. this is especially important when it comes to doing tours. players who come across as opportunistic, pretentious, or high-maintenance generally don't get called back. players coming up need to understand this when they network. it's way more important to cultivate real relationships with people, and not ones that are based on the possibility of what someone _might_ do for you or help you with... for this reason, it can take some time to work your way into a scene. but once you are in, it is much easier to exist there.

bottom line is that if i was you, i would probably move to a city with a great music scene. every city has its own vibe. if you want to land a tour, then you have to look at places like l.a., nashville, new york, or (possibly) atlanta. it depends on the musical idiom you want to work in most, of course... if you want to be a session player, that might be a little more challenging to break into, but it's a worthwhile pursuit. i say more challenging because there are fewer numbers of session players that are consistently used in a city as compared to the number of players going out on the road. a bunch of session cats i know are now taking some tour dates in order to fill in the gaps... things aren't like they used to be. if i was going to make a move, i don't think i'd have birmingham on my list, unless i was more interested in doing corporate gigs or more variety-oriented hits...

anyways, i hope this helps you somewhat. best of luck to you as you move forward!

[DRay521]

Hey Adam,

Thanks so much for the response. It's nice to get supportive and useful advice from someone I respect and admire in the business. I agree with the networking skills you mentioned. It seems a good personality goes further than talent sometimes, which is something I feel I can use to my advantage since I'm a pretty sociable guy. But I'm also noticing that there's a fine line between confident and egotistical. Quick case-in-point, I was called for a sub gig by someone who needs "someone of equal skill" to that of his bassist. Without thinking, I cited my education and said I was sure I could handle it. In retrospect, I realize I probably sounded like a pretentious jerk, but I meant to show confidence. Little things like this are things I'm learning, even in my 3 weeks of post-college experience.

One quick thing: if I move to Nashville, what do you recommend I do to start the networking process, ie jam sessions, hangouts, etc?

Thanks again Adam.

David

[adamnitti]

i would suggest trying to meet as many musicians as you can. go to gigs in town that you know are going to feature some cool players and introduce yourself at the end of the night. tell folks you are new in town and trying to meet new people. most players will be rather welcoming. I wouldn't necessarily share your educational background unless people ask, but don't be afraid to let people know what kind of opportunities you are looking for. above everything, be patient and persistent.

all the best to you,

adam