I want to get into session work, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice, from personal experience, that could help me along. I would like to do more studio work than live work. I already know I'll need to become more versed in different playing styles, and I'll need to get more fluid at reading music. beyond that... What should I do to break into that line of work? What will be expected of me once I do get booked for some work? What are some experiences you had starting out that really caught you off guard or influenced you? any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Pick up Ed Friedland's book, "The Working Bassist's Toolkit". That'll have answers to most of your questions right there
I'd imagine you'd want to make as many contacts as you possibly can who might ever need a session bassist...i.e., singers/songwriters/producers, etc. That'd be a good start.