Advice for becoming a gigging player in Chicago

[mye37]

Hi all,

I've been playing bass for a couple years here in Chicago, mostly via private lessons and bedroom noodling. I absolutely love playing. I'm a decent player at this point, not amazing but I can hold it down. I could use a lot of work on theory knowledge though, and I can't sightread just yet but I can follow lead sheets.

I'm wondering if I can get some advice on breaking into the Chicago scene if anyone is familiar with it. I live in Chicago proper, for reference. (Lincoln park)

My dream is to gig regularly in local cover bands or be a hired gun for someone else's project. I have no interest in writing music of my own. I'd love to learn jazz eventually but I've never played a double bass. I have a career, so this would be for fun, not needing to support myself on music alone.

I have also dabbled in local schools (School of Rock and the Old Town School of Folk Music). School of Rock was a good experience but very expensive (400/month and you only get to play on maybe 2 or 3 songs at a time). The Old Town School is great, but the ensemble slots are first come first serve and fill up very quickly, so I've often been out of luck on that.

Thing is, I'm not sure how to go from where I am now (no connections at all, not much gig experience, no demo reels) to becoming "known" on the scene and getting chances to audition for bands. I know a common piece of advice is to just show up to jams, which I'd like to start doing, although I'm a little worried I'm not good enough yet. I'm not great with making up parts on the fly, I much more enjoy learning songs as they were written/recorded.

Here are some of my questions:

1. Does anyone know of jams in town that are not jazz focused?
2. Any suggestions for a teacher/mentor who could help me develop the skills I'd need as well as help me learn about the scene and get my name out there?
3. Anything else I should know about the scene? I feel like I don't even know what I don't know, if that makes sense

Thanks very much!

 

[brianrost]

I know a common piece of advice is to just show up to jams, which I'd like to start doing, although I'm a little worried I'm not good enough yet.

Depends on the jam, of course. Because Chicago is such a hotbed of jazz and blues you can expect the bar to be high at those.

Going to jams without your bass should be step one. Just go, see what the level of players is like and chat with some of the bassists who show up, especially whoever is the house bassist. Pay attention to what songs are being played and if you have no idea what they are, ask about them, go home and stream them.

Don't be afraid of talking to whoever is running the jam and asking them what they expect of first timers. In particular, ask about what repertoire you should know to participate.

I was house bassist at a blues jam for over 20 years and we got everything from local pros to total beginners. I always tried to encourage beginner bass players, as long as they seemed interested in becoming better players.

After checking out a few jams you should be able to pick one that you would feel comfortable at and start bringing your bass.

 

[LowTorque]

Depends on the jam, of course. Because Chicago is such a hotbed of jazz and blues you can expect the bar to be high at those.

Going to jams without your bass should be step one. Just go, see what the level of players is like and chat with some of the bassists who show up, especially whoever is the house bassist. Pay attention to what songs are being played and if you have no idea what they are, ask about them, go home and stream them.

Don't be afraid of talking to whoever is running the jam and asking them what they expect of first timers. In particular, ask about what repertoire you should know to participate.

I was house bassist at a blues jam for over 20 years and we got everything from local pros to total beginners. I always tried to encourage beginner bass players, as long as they seemed interested in becoming better players.

After checking out a few jams you should be able to pick one that you would feel comfortable at and start bringing your bass.

This is solid advice. You may be OK at home but playing with others in an unfamiliar environment is a totally different experience. Nothing at home will prepare you for not hearing yourself, or the drummer getting faster, the singer forgetting their lyrics and your own screw ups.

 

[manta]

Hi! I'm a bassist around Chicago but im in the same situation as you are so I can't offer anything in the way of advice if you want to connect though I'm down

 

[Nebadon2000]

Excellent advise from Brianrost

Once you get comfortable playing with others onstage:

You can ask players about finding opportunities for joining Bands

Also check out local Craigslist and FB thread if one is available for Musicians looking for Bands and Bands needing players

Go see local bands and try to introduce yourself to Musicians

Many times at jams if you are unfamilar with certain songs someone will give/tell you chords and structure you should pick up rhythm and timing first go around then just play what sounds right to you as bass player don't need to play as recorded in those situations
can go home and learn songs as you prefer for next time

PS: It is best not to play than hit sour note when insecure

 

[Kansas]

Good advice above. Create or respond to CR/FB ads for players with similar experience/interests as yours. Start playing with anyone whether in a garage or basement and learn the songs required and show up ready to play. You will get a feel for what it is like and go from there. Memorize the tunes.

 

[buldog5151bass]

1. Improve where you are weak. Unless you are lucky enough to land a spot in a cover band gigging regularly for good money (and there probably are at least a dozen bassist looking for the same spot who can replicatethe lines from the recordings), signtreading, knowledge of music theory, familiarity with jazz, ability to play well enough to hang at jams, are all helpful skills.

Other than that, start hanging out anywhere there is live music. Talk to people, look for any opening.

 

[MegaSwing]

Meet people. Find your tribe. Build your network. There’s always someone jamming somewhere. Google. CL. Music stores. Local/regional music websites. Anywhere where players congregate. Ya gotta seek out the action before the action can seek YOU out. Then, when an opportunity comes, be ready.

 

[g1303bk]

Want 10X more gig opportunities as a bassist? Sing - either basic harmonies or lead vocals.
If you don't presently work at it.

I am not a spectacular bassist but it is what has kept me steadily working for many years. (I'm 65)
Gigs that I don't have to sing become a walk in the park...

 

[bassfran]

Lots of good advice so far. There are plenty of beginner bands to be found in need of a bass player. CL, FB, open mics, etc. should connect you with opportunities in town. Play as much as you can and be a good person to be around. Practice well and good luck.

 

[waveman]

Not from Chicago, but good advice above on the jams, I would say join Facebook musicians groups and find opportunities with bands forming. Craigslist used to be a pretty good place around my area, Music stores sometimes have a bulletin board. And bandmix can be a decent place, but you have to pay to use it.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Want 10X more gig opportunities as a bassist? Sing - either basic harmonies or lead vocals.
If you don't presently work at it.

I am not a spectacular bassist but it is what has kept me steadily working for many years. (I'm 65)
Gigs that I don't have to sing become a walk in the park...

Beat me to it. The ability to sing decent harmonies while holding down the bassline will vault you over better bassists.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Don’t focus on gigging be my advice. Find some similar beginners and play play play.

Once you do that for a while you will know MORE of what you don’t know!

Repeating: nothing you do at home will replace playing in a room with other humans. Or semi-humans. Hominids….

 

[Element Zero]

Hi! I'm a bassist around Chicago but im in the same situation as you are so I can't offer anything in the way of advice if you want to connect though I'm down

Really? You just joined talkbass today and are in the exact same situation as this other fellow in the same city and you just happened to find this thread?

I think you should buy a lottery ticket.

 

[H Nighttrain]

My dream is to gig regularly in local cover bands or be a hired gun for someone else's project.

So if you were in such a band, you'd need to at least know the most popular/standard songs of the genre(s), right? Learn what those songs are by checking out those types of cover bands, ask for setlists, take pics of setlists. Who are the top bands of the genre(s) you want to cover, learn their hits.

In other words, prepare yourself for that role by learning and knowing songs, the material. In my eyes that's as important as all the other good advice above.

Plus the regular stuff - be on time (which means be early), look good, smell good, have reliable gear that you know how to use... all the things you'd want in a bandmate. Good attitude goes a long way.

 

[matthewbrown]

I'd echo all of Brian Rost's advice. It's good that you can follow chord charts, and that skill, along with a familiarity with current styles, will help you a lot. It really helps to learn standard notation, and if you have a private teacher, I think you should include some basic reading in your practice. Sight Reading Factory is good for this, although getting your hands on real bass charts or transcriptions is better, and these are easily found online.

Networking is fine, but the more you have to bring to the party, the better the networking will work. When I landed in Boston with 2.5 years in a music college program under my belt, I landed a spot in a band by filling in for a guy who was going on tour. That gig lasted over a decade, and helped me finish college. But if I hadn't been able to play all the different styles required for it, I wouldn't have landed it. I wound up playing alongside Berklee professors regularly -- playing weddings and bar mitzvahs, mainly -- and I learned a lot from them.

Another approach is simply to make yourself available at local music schools. A friend of mine hung out at Berklee and played with whoever needed a drummer for a session. He wound up a top player in this state.

 

[Jason Hollar]

Not Chicago specific … but my advice would be to seek out busy players who also teach.

You can begin to address your deficiencies in reading & repertoire in a safe space and work toward getting referrals by your teacher (who may ask you to sub so they can take a better gig!)

 

[logdrum]

Just have tough skin. Big cities like NYC and Chicago, Nashville - LA, etc the talent pool is big and the bar is high, You will be rejected a few times. Get your skills up and you never know

 

[faulknersj]

Find and attend local jams.

Keep a list of the songs everyone knows and plays and record the arrangements they play with the voice notes on you phone. Go home and learn + practice the tunes the way they play them.

 

[mye37]

Thanks so much everyone for the excellent advice! A lot of really good tips and ideas in here!

I was wondering if anyone happened to already be familiar with Chicago jams and could point me in the right direction. I've already been researching jams, but it's harder than I thought to find them. A lot of info online is outdated, like a given venue's website hasn't been updated since before covid. Some of the more well-known venues like Kingston Mines are definitely active, but the player quality is also really high there. I showed up to Hungry Brain which turned out to be jazz only on double bass. Would love to play in that someday but not yet.

So yeah I hope you don't mind that I'm asking here as part of my research to learn the scene. I know this is a worldwide forum, and I apologize for asking such a narrow request for info, but if anyone happens to be in Chicago, I'd love to hear from you!