Want to be a session bassist.

[The Bassmonkey]

Hi there hallowed members of the talkbass forum.

I hope your all well and dandy this fine crisp winters morn/afternoon/evening.

I have recently hit upon the idea of becomig a session bassist on the side of my regular job and wondered how feasible this its, and how to even go about it?

Do i need any formal qualifications, or just know my way around a fretboard?

This is something i would really love to and i have been playing bass for 10 years, have experiance in most kinds of styles, and have got loads of live and recording experience.

So i ask any current session bassists out there, how did you get in to it? How can i get into it?

Thanks in advance everyone!

Lee

NB: Apologies if this is in the wrong forum, i did try to search but came up with nothing and wasnt sure which forum to place this in.

[deutschmarc]

If it's ment to be you'll be contacted by the brethren , Good luck.

[willyrep]

My advice as a humble working stiff in the great city of New Orleans is to:
A: Go to shows/gigs-network, find bassists you like and admire and talk; pick their brains-they probably have alot of good things to say
B: Have a good amount of recording/in-studio experience under your belt, know your way in/out of the studio and how to achieve what's needed for the track
C: Have a professional and versatile instrument/amp setup
D: Buy business cards!
E: Have a website or at least a facebook or myspace with music YOU played on
F: Play with as many different musicans/bands/acts/troops/groups as possible and garner yourself a "reputation" as being punctual/positive/polite and talented. This will all lend to your signature voice over time.

Cheers!

[silky smoove]

Most of this kind of work is based on your reputation, and more importantly who you know. If you know the people in the studios who are recording the music then you're going to get the call.

Once you've established that it'll really come down to what kind of tunes you're playing. If you're doing tracks for a jazz guitarist that's big on inversions, key changes and other more theory heavy stuff, you'd better be well prepared and versed in what they want from you. I wouldn't expect to be able to get by on just knowing your fretboard in that type of setting.

If, however, you're playing a simple 3 or 4 chord progession for a pop singer that needs little more than root notes... Well... You'll likely be fine without much in the way of theory knowledge.

At a minimum I would know your fretboard very well. Know all of the modes of the major scale in all keys. Most importantly when using modes is to know which modes sound good over which types of chords.

Oh! Above all else, be well practiced at playing to a metronome without any drums. Playing to drums is easy. Playing to a solo'd click can be merciless if you're unprepared.

[The Bassmonkey]

All great answers thanks guys.

So to summarise.

I need to network around the local scene - no probs.
Get in with recording people - could be more of an issue but a few phone calls letting them know im available for this should sort that.
Play with different bands - Thats easy, im in 2, do some freelance sound enginerr stuff and i do quite a few subs too.

Winner. Thanks again.,

Any other advice would of course be appreciated.

[jtb]

How's your sight-reading? Are you confident that you'll nail anything put in front of you first take? Have you got fingerstyle, pick and slap techniques down? If the answer to all the above is 'yes' then you can start thinking about websites and personal networking (and even business cards!). If the answer to any of the above is 'no' then you have homework to do. The session world is very very tough.

[Scatterblak]

Originally Posted by The Bassmonkey

Hi there hallowed members of the talkbass forum.

I hope your all well and dandy this fine crisp winters morn/afternoon/evening.

I have recently hit upon the idea of becomig a session bassist on the side of my regular job and wondered how feasible this its, and how to even go about it?

Do i need any formal qualifications, or just know my way around a fretboard?

This is something i would really love to and i have been playing bass for 10 years, have experiance in most kinds of styles, and have got loads of live and recording experience.

So i ask any current session bassists out there, how did you get in to it? How can i get into it?

Thanks in advance everyone!

Lee

NB: Apologies if this is in the wrong forum, i did try to search but came up with nothing and wasnt sure which forum to place this in.

Nashville, TN here -- unfortunately, bass skill has little to do with whether you can land a session gig (though it has a lot to do with whether they ask you back); there's a really stout 'good ole boys' network here that you're either in or not in, and if you're not in, you don't get the call, no matter how good you are, so networking is job 1 (after being able to play well, of course).

Disclaimer: This is all applicable to Nashville - don't know how applicable it is to other cities.

Let me tell you what I've seen doing some session work here - the other players around town (Nashville) who do session work for a living, or at least regularly, are a completely different breed of cat than live players, at least in the studio. Time is money; Nashville studio players make *extremely* few mistakes that require going back and punching something. By 'extremely few', I mean on the order of maybe one of two a year, and that's doing sessions all week long. These days, at least in my experience, the entire ensemble will arrive, set up, get the music, and the engineer will say 'everyone ready? Let's roll' - usually straight through, one take, then once more to get a different lead or organ feel or whatever, and that's it - next tune. Those guys are doing this for their bread and butter, and if someone has to go back a do a punch, it's costing everyone money (you get paid by song, not time), so being able to set up, read a chart (numbers, chord, and actual music, in that order IMH experience), and execute rapidly and accurately will increase your chances of getting a call back. The next thing to know as a bassist is this: Fender. Bring a P-Bass for country, bring a Jazz for everything else, and don't even think about bringing your boutique bass, unless it looks and sounds exactly like a fender, or it's your project. I've got a Low-End LEJ5 myself, and I can dial a P-Bass, a J-Bass, or anything in between; it plays like butter and sounds like thunder, and when I go do a session, I have to pop out and borrow a friend's MIM P-Bass. The LEJ sounds better hands down - the Fender gets you the callback.

The hard part is getting those initial sessions; when you do, make sure you've got cards, a great attitude, make sure you shower, come prepared, and make friends with the producer (if there is one) or the engineer (if there isn't) - these are the guys who are often asked 'hey, do you know a good bassist who can handle this track' when someone doesn't show up. It's a good idea to cultivate professional relationships with other session bassist whenever you can as well; you never know when they may get double booked (Can you play this gig at 3&L friday for me? I hear Michael McDonald might come by and get up and jam! I've got this session I have to do, tho...) and need someone to cover something.

Hope it helps!

-S

[scotch]

Originally Posted by The Bassmonkey

Hi there hallowed members of the talkbass forum.

I hope your all well and dandy this fine crisp winters morn/afternoon/evening.

I have recently hit upon the idea of becomig a session bassist on the side of my regular job and wondered how feasible this its, and how to even go about it?

Do i need any formal qualifications, or just know my way around a fretboard?

This is something i would really love to and i have been playing bass for 10 years, have experiance in most kinds of styles, and have got loads of live and recording experience.

So i ask any current session bassists out there, how did you get in to it? How can i get into it?

Thanks in advance everyone!

Lee

NB: Apologies if this is in the wrong forum, i did try to search but came up with nothing and wasnt sure which forum to place this in.

Scatterblak (above post) described the Nashville country scene pretty well!

If you already have "loads of live and recording experience", you're probably already getting calls, right?

Depending on the type/genre/pay level of the sessions you are looking for - there are different expectations. One of the keys to being a great session bassist (in any scenario) is staying busy & always being available. It's a tough trick! That said, depending on your local scene, establishing yourself with local producers, artists and other musicians is your best bet to getting studio work. Your gear, technique, attitude and creativity have to be on '10' at all times. It's an entirely different art than playing live! (Not 'better' or 'harder', just different!)

How I 'got into' the session scene involved a slow process. I toured full-time with signed national and some independent local acts for about ten years along with sporadic sessions. To be honest, I've really only come into my own as a session bassist over the past 3-4 years! I thought I had all I needed 10 years ago (I figured if I was good enough for national tv/etc... I was good enough for the session scene). But I now realize that my confidence, creativity and ability to interact with artists/musicians and producers/engineers in an efficient way has really only been 'up-to-snuff' these past recent years. And, wouldn't you know it, I get get calls now!

Any extra skill you have (being able to read notation, having a grip on general musical theory, ability to write an accurate chart/chord roadmap quickly) only helps, and depending on the situation,- is required. In Nashville, I rarely have to read notation (but I can and have). I DO have to be intimate with the Nashville Numbers System and I DO have to be able to accurately chart out a song in no more than 2 uninterrupted listens.

I get the occasional long project where the entire ensemble gets a block of 'pre-production' time in which to develop songs and lines, but usually you have to learn the song and develop a bass line in a matter of a few minutes. Then you have to perform it near flawlessly (fixes, at least, are much quicker and easier in the digital age!) in only a few takes.

Finally, as I have discovered in the live playing field as well, your personality and communication skills are almost equal in importance than your musical ability! It's true! You can be the baddest mo-fo in town on the bass, but if you're an a-hole or even boring to be around, don't expect many call-backs. Making yourself a person that people like being around cannot be underestimated!!!! This can mean just being extra considerate and cooperative, all the way up to being the life of the party (ideally a good combination of the 2). I've noticed that the most successful players (live and in the studio) always have great reputations and also bring some sort of 'coolness' or 'entertaining factor' to the table. There's bad-ass musicians serving me coffee every day in this town. (Know what I mean?)

[anonymous02282011]

If you want to do studio work you've GOT to be able to sight read.

All the session guys I know can read really really well. Like if a bird **** on a piece of staff paper they could read it in their sleep.

[scotch]

Originally Posted by adbass

If you want to do studio work you've GOT to be able to sight read.

All the session guys I know can read really really well. Like if a bird **** on a piece of staff paper they could read it in their sleep.

Sight-reading notation is a GREAT skill to have, but not a necessity in every genre and scene. There are guys in Nashville that have been doing sessions full-time for decades that cannot read a note of standard music notation.

If you're doing a film-score session in LA, then yeah - you NEED to be able to read! (just one 'for-instance')

Note*** I'm not discouraging musical literacy. As I stated in my above post, any added skill you have helps you out. Plus, learning to read just makes you a better, more rounded player.

[factorplayer]

Originally Posted by Scatterblak

The next thing to know as a bassist is this: Fender. Bring a P-Bass for country, bring a Jazz for everything else, and don't even think about bringing your boutique bass, unless it looks and sounds exactly like a fender, or it's your project. I've got a Low-End LEJ5 myself, and I can dial a P-Bass, a J-Bass, or anything in between; it plays like butter and sounds like thunder, and when I go do a session, I have to pop out and borrow a friend's MIM P-Bass. The LEJ sounds better hands down - the Fender gets you the callback.

What a shame that producers have that stupid bias ... when there's so many other great bass makes out there. That's the kind of slavish attitude that keeps Fender overrated.

Lots of cool info in the rest of that post - thanks Scatterblak!

[Kitsapbass]

Originally Posted by factorplayer

What a shame that producers have that stupid bias ... when there's so many other great bass makes out there. That's the kind of slavish attitude that keeps Fender overrated.

Lots of cool info in the rest of that post - thanks Scatterblak!

The only thing I'm gonna say on this is.....decals are cheap.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by factorplayer

What a shame that producers have that stupid bias ... when there's so many other great bass makes out there. That's the kind of slavish attitude that keeps Fender overrated.

you know, instead of people getting resentful that producers most often want fenders in the studio, you'd think they'd be happy. how bad would it suck for us if the most popular studio bass was an alembic or a fodera? or worse yet, if we were studio guitarists? studio guitarists have to have a strat, a tele, a les paul, an es-335, an acoustic, a classical, a 12 string...and then there's amps...a fender and a marshall at the very minimum. all we have to have to get sessions is a precision or a jazz. that's good news to me.

[MNAirHead]

Originally Posted by Kitsapbass

The only thing I'm gonna say on this is.....decals are cheap.

I've been blessed to have worked with great producers..

Couple of notes... They absolutely hate game players...

If you really are serious about this, get the real thing (sheesh did I just say this)... I'm not the biggest fan of my Fword basses.. I do have one ready at all times -- a good engineer quickly knows how to dial it in... my favored studios know a signal chain that works for my personal preference recording 5er.

========

Folks always forget that the game is how much critcal input you can take to do it right the first time - being cool also helps.

To get into studio stuff, I'd volunteer.. heck I'd even hack out the charts from a scratch demo...

Studio guys quickly know a player who can hear the full end product and quickly lay down a quality line.

Most of the calls I've gotten were referrals from studio producers/engineers.. not bands.

[Kitsapbass]

I was just referring to the fact that you can build a F Clone bass out of the woods you like, using the pickups that you want to use (for the most part), have that 21st fret, etc. After you do all that, then you can get the Fender decal and put it on there. I have 2 Fenders, believe me, I understand why engineers like them, they sit great in the mix...but when I'm given the choice, those tend to be the 2 that I use the least around the house...for the very same reason that engineers like them.

[JimmyM]

honestly, i don't think producers care what kind of fender it is as long as it has the look and tone of a precision or jazz.

[Kitsapbass]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

honestly, i don't think producers care what kind of fender it is as long as it has the look and tone of a precision or jazz.

That's my point...as long as it looks like a Fender, and sounds like a Fender...I don't think they're going to care if you put it together, or someone in the Fender factory did.

[azureblue]

with playing with songwriters and original bands. If you work well with them, and come up with good parts when asked, then eventually somebody will go into the studio and will want you to play bass.

Once, there- you have that session to prove that you are easy to work with, your instrument is up to recording standards, and you can lay down a great bass part in one take. After you do, THEN you can mention that you have a few ideas that may add to the song, if they want to hear them. Remember, the tracks are about the music, not your ego. And fergawd'ssake, don't show up stoned, loaded, amped, coked, drunk, etc.

Tips on learning to lay down a great bass track in a session:

Make sure your instrument is in tune and intonated, and has no buzzes, fret rattles, etc.
Be able to lay the track all by yourself, with and without a metronome, but still in the pocket, perfect, from beginning to end. At least three times. Your time must be rock solid and steady.
Follow directions and make friends with the engineer producer the minute you walk in the door. Prove to him or her that you are bright, full of ideas, but you're not gonna throw them out unless asked, and you can do what you are asked.
Ask them if it's OK for you to embellish a little, then, if it is OK don't get in the way of the music when you do- don't overplay. And don't get offended if they tell you to back down, or your ideas don't work.

I got into session work because of a few things:
I could show up on time, focused, ready to play, I could communicate well with the producer and engineer, and the musicians who wanted me to play, I knew the part or could learn / create one quickly, I could lay it down in a couple of takes at most, and had ideas to offer to improve the bass track. Also, I can read both clefs, sight transpose enough to get by, read about all types of charts from verbatim to Nashville numbers, and I know enough about other instruments, horns, piano, guitar, drums, etc., and how they are played, to be able to communicate with them.

It's not about monster chops- it's about solid groove, even when you have to play quarter notes through the song. The best thing anyone can do to prepare for recording is to work with a drum machine or metronome, until you can lock in tight and clean.

the rest, for me, was basically being at the right place at the right time.

Honestly, I got started because I was goofing off in one of my band's sessions, playing around with "Cissy Strut", and the engineer had a project going where they wanted some of that pocket, so he asked me to create a bass part for it. Which led to-----

[scotch]

Originally Posted by azureblue

with playing with songwriters and original bands. If you work well with them, and come up with good parts when asked, then eventually somebody will go into the studio and will want you to play bass.

Once, there- you have that session to prove that you are easy to work with, your instrument is up to recording standards, and you can lay down a great bass part in one take. After you do, THEN you can mention that you have a few ideas that may add to the song, if they want to hear them. Remember, the tracks are about the music, not your ego. And fergawd'ssake, don't show up stoned, loaded, amped, coked, drunk, etc.

Tips on learning to lay down a great bass track in a session:

Make sure your instrument is in tune and intonated, and has no buzzes, fret rattles, etc.
Be able to lay the track all by yourself, with and without a metronome, but still in the pocket, perfect, from beginning to end. At least three times. Your time must be rock solid and steady.
Follow directions and make friends with the engineer producer the minute you walk in the door. Prove to him or her that you are bright, full of ideas, but you're not gonna throw them out unless asked, and you can do what you are asked.
Ask them if it's OK for you to embellish a little, then, if it is OK don't get in the way of the music when you do- don't overplay. And don't get offended if they tell you to back down, or your ideas don't work.

I got into session work because of a few things:
I could show up on time, focused, ready to play, I could communicate well with the producer and engineer, and the musicians who wanted me to play, I knew the part or could learn / create one quickly, I could lay it down in a couple of takes at most, and had ideas to offer to improve the bass track. Also, I can read both clefs, sight transpose enough to get by, read about all types of charts from verbatim to Nashville numbers, and I know enough about other instruments, horns, piano, guitar, drums, etc., and how they are played, to be able to communicate with them.

It's not about monster chops- it's about solid groove, even when you have to play quarter notes through the song. The best thing anyone can do to prepare for recording is to work with a drum machine or metronome, until you can lock in tight and clean.

the rest, for me, was basically being at the right place at the right time.

Honestly, I got started because I was goofing off in one of my band's sessions, playing around with "Cissy Strut", and the engineer had a project going where they wanted some of that pocket, so he asked me to create a bass part for it. Which led to-----

+1 All great advice!

[joebar]

i always believed that i would make a great session player. i can figure out things in my head on the spot without touching an instrument, i have my time down.
perfect pitch and excellent relative pitch.
jus thinkin out loud...