Starting from scratch as a freelance bassist

[fdeck]

I've done this in two new towns, the most recent being 20 years ago. I found things like jam sessions, or even people who wanted to get together and jam at their homes. I went to gigs and talked to the musicians. And I waited.

At some point, somebody gets desperate for a last minute sub, and reaches the bottom of their call list. My first gig in Madison was on 2 hours notice with a quartet at a local restaurant. It was a place where other musicians came in to chat, etc. I also played in some community-type ensembles.

After roughly a year, I was to the point of turning down work. It was all basically word-of-mouth.

Things have slowed down for me somewhat. Live music has been in decline, and the number and quality of young bassists coming out of school has increased.

Reading, and playing by ear, were both vital for playing jazz. I played upright, but it was something that I imposed on bands, not the other way around. At my earliest gigs, most bands were OK with me playing electric, but as my chops improved on upright, it also became my favorite instrument. But I agree that it's a labor of love. There are better things you can do if it's just for money, such as computer programming.

 

[Michael Milner]

Good luck Jugganaught....you have to get known in your area...the earlier comments about open mic nights and jam sessions are very valuable and excellent advice. I have to respectfully disagree about business cards though. I use mine and they have come in handy, specifically if you are at a jam/open mic and somebody wants to get your contact information. Much more professional than trying to find a pen and write something on a cocktail napkin. The best advertising though is being ready to perform. Make sure you have the chops when you are called upon. The circle of musicians is small, and they all talk. If you are near an urban area, you might want to consider some music courses. I know sight reading isn't necessary, but it will provide you with many more opportunities. And if your goal is to be a "jobber", the more versatile you are the more you will work. And most wedding/corporate jobs pay better, in my experience. Also, make sure you have reliable transportation, and are well organized. I'm sure many, if not most of the other posters on this page have had experience with musicians who show up late (or not at all), double book themselves, forget details about a gig and show up inappropriately attired or with the wrong music, forget to bring required items like extra cables or a musicstand, etc. I would also ask your teacher for references. If he is a working musician in your community, he should be able to help you get your foot in the door somewhere. IMHO, as has been already stated, the most important thing is get known, and develop a good reputation. It has been my experience that word of mouth is crucial, which is why you will see many of the same local musicians working together.

 

[DrayMiles]

Get to the local jams and sit in. Blues, singer-songwriter, Jazz, and R&B.
Get some business cards and pass them out to anyone. Business cards are useful if you play your butt off. If they want your number, they’ll either get it right there or use your card. Don’t talk a lot either, play well, and hang. Spend some money and buy food/drinks... whatever. You need to hang...

 

[twinjet]

Hey, all. I'd created a similar post to this a little while back, here (Creating a "bass player" music portfolio) but the question was kind of unfocused. Since then, I've been able to clarify my goals a little more.

I want to be a freelance bassist in my city. This means that I want to make my services available for session recording and fill-in positions for live shows. I want to be paid for this. I've been speaking to my bass teacher, and he seems to think that I'm more than technically skilled enough to do this. (I really appreciate his opinion and I really try to reference it when I look at how good other professionals are.)

The problem I'm facing right now is this: although I'm capable of marketing myself through business cards, a website, etc etc, I don't have any "press" material to show. Many players that I've seen online have videos of them playing with existing ensembles, and they also have press kits (official photography, features in print media, etc) as well as their calendar of availability. I'm basically starting from scratch here; I don't have any footage of me playing in a band, and the music that I have recorded with other people is not professional and it's not something I'd want to showcase.

Freelancers on Talkbass - how did you attack the formative months/years of breaking into the freelance market? How did you create a portfolio of work and what pitfalls would you avoid if you did it again?

Here's what I've done, though I am by no means a professional bass player.

If you use Facebook, drop any and all personal posts. From today forward, Facebook is your media platform for appearances, events and the like. If you want to go extreme, delete anything that isn't just that. If you use your Facebook, you now have an automatic audience, depending on your friend list size.

Do business cards, if you aren't already.

Network. I unknowingly ended up playing with someone with connections to the local TV station, which netted me an appearance on a morning show, performing with my original/covers duo.

HTH.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I bought an uprigt bass last summer for the express purpose of more gigs, it’s just about paid for itself.

Different time frame, but yes the bass has paid for itself. Amazing how many opportunities pop up for upright. If i didn't have a day job i could be pretty busy i think.

 

[MrLenny1]

Start by playing any gig, Jams. Get to know drummers.
Get to know the cats that gig regurlarly. Use that base to
get on to social media. No need for a big press kit yet.
Be patient, there's not a lot of work for rythim section players.
Have a decent day job.

 

[markoc]

Just watched Hired Gun on Netflix. Nice insights from some of the best in the game at this job.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I don't know - because I'm not in the position by any stretch. But - from what I've seen in my local fairly rural scene - it's not necessarily what you know but who you know. You have to network network network. Be unfailingly available, polite, friendly, and easy to work with. Have no ego. Technical skill on the bass will probably be one of the least important (although hardest earned) elements of the skillset you need.

Boy you hit on a really good point here. The kid says he wants to be a bassist, but as a freelancer, you’d better be one heck of a marketer, which is probably more than, if not more important than skills playing the bass.

Remember the old song Nashville Cats? And the line about all the guitar pickers in Nashville, and all of them can pick better than you? If he’s going to expect to sell his service, he’d best come up with a compelling “Why Me” and not the others in the area.

 

[markoc]

Best thing in my opinion to do next is get some (gasp!) exposure. Get out and meet some people you're interested in playing with and be cool. Skill will only get you so far, being someone people want to be around will get you further.

 

[MDBass]

Hey, all. I'd created a similar post to this a little while back, here (Creating a "bass player" music portfolio) but the question was kind of unfocused. Since then, I've been able to clarify my goals a little more.

I want to be a freelance bassist in my city. This means that I want to make my services available for session recording and fill-in positions for live shows. I want to be paid for this. I've been speaking to my bass teacher, and he seems to think that I'm more than technically skilled enough to do this. (I really appreciate his opinion and I really try to reference it when I look at how good other professionals are.)

The problem I'm facing right now is this: although I'm capable of marketing myself through business cards, a website, etc etc, I don't have any "press" material to show. Many players that I've seen online have videos of them playing with existing ensembles, and they also have press kits (official photography, features in print media, etc) as well as their calendar of availability. I'm basically starting from scratch here; I don't have any footage of me playing in a band, and the music that I have recorded with other people is not professional and it's not something I'd want to showcase.

Freelancers on Talkbass - how did you attack the formative months/years of breaking into the freelance market? How did you create a portfolio of work and what pitfalls would you avoid if you did it again?

Booking paid work without any kind of existing samples will be difficult, if not impossible.

I think the best thing you can do in the modern era is learn how to record yourself: well enough to have good sounding playing samples to start with if you don't otherwise have any content, preferably synced to video if you actually playing the parts, but ideally well enough that you're able to market your services as remote session work.

An interface like a Apollo Arrow is really all you need, even for top shelf pro level work.

 

[David A. Davis]

Never turn down a gig. You will learn something or meet someone.

 

[Engle]

Lots of good advice so far. My 2 cents:

• Play out every chance you get. Play at parties with relatives if you have to. Play anything. Be versatile.
• Get someone to take video/audio of every time you play live.
• Set up a YouTube channel to post the videos.
• Set up a reverbnation account to host the audio.
• Get a web domain name (something easy to remember and spell) Set up a website. Link the videos and audio.
• Get business cards printed with your URL.
• Post a CL ad looking for a band and/or sub opportunities. Anytime people contact you, refer them to your website. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to check out your playing.

 

[filmtex]

Open mics/jams= network, network, network. Take any gig you can get. Play yer @ss off, all the time.

 

[groooooove]

1) Learn to sight read well. I won't say it's impossible to make a living without sight reading, but for the type of work you are saying you want to do, you have to be able to sight read.
2) Spend some money. It's going to be really hard to get gigs without sound and video clips. Even if you have to hire good people to play with you, it's essential, particularly when you get started.
3) Network, network, network. Go to clubs, go to open mics, go to any event that has musicians. Hand out your card to everyone. As the old joke goes, "Timid sales people have skinny children."
4) Get an upright and learn to play it well. That will be something that will really separate you from the competition.
5) Look at what your successful competition is doing and use what works for you.
6) Take your successful competition out to lunch and pick their brain. Everyone wants to talk about how successful they are. Just sit and listen.
7) Play with everyone you can, paid or not at this point. There is a lot that you need to know that you can only learn by playing with other people.
8) Have professional grade equipment. Whether you like it or not, there are people out there that will judge you by what you play. As the saying goes, you only have one chance to make a first impression. You don't want their first thought to be, "How good can he be if he plays [XYZ] bass."

Most important, do an honest evaluation of where you are at and fix your shortcomings. Seriously, would you hire someone you hadn't heard or seen, that couldn't produce a single sound file or video? You want to do studio work, but don't have a single example of the work you've done? You need to be brutally honest with yourself; this is not a game for the thin skinned.

It's a tough road, but not impossible. Make sure you have a backup plan.

as the internet goes, often in a thread like this I am suspicious of all posters who are going to say what they think the right answer is, even though they're secretly an accountant who's never been paid to make music.

anyway, as I read through these 8 points I kept thinking "this is so accurate."

be ballsy with #6. I recently e-mailed something I did to several high profile, and some full blow famous, bass players. Some of them responded and we had a great email correspondence. you'd be surprised how few people go the length to find phone numbers and dial them these days. do it. it's true that people love to talk about their success, and some people are easier to get in touch with than you think.

I couldn't agree more about being a GOOD upright player (classical, jazz, and anything else!) and knowing how to read. if you want to freelance, you need to learn tons of music quickly. reading does that for you.

I would even say, if you can, a college degree in music performance will help you become acquainted with what a "real professional" looks like. That was how I felt when I was a student in music school, and it was the #1 most helpful experience I had that made me qualified for full time professional work as a musician.

 

[juggahnaught]

Somewhat related question - does Talkbass have a "feedback" section where you can post your audio and receive critique on it? I have one track from a band I played with - it's not professionally recorded, and I'd like to find out if the track that I have is better or worse than nothing at all.

 

[Jeff Elkins]

I think the suggestions posed so far are excellent. And for the record, I’m not an accountant—but I play a technical writer from 9-3 or so most days. Having said that, I also read music and numbers and charts of any kind, play a handful of Theater shows a year, sub for a couple of Americana groups, record in studio for friends, play at songwriting at home.

Like you, I formerly wanted to be first call for subbing. That seemed like the best of all worlds. Not stuck in one genre, opportunities for live plus studio work, etc. I’ve been able to get almost as much of that as I wanted bet the past 5 years. Note that it’s also not a primary source of income, so I’ve turned down plenty as well.

Full disclosure: these days I’m jonesing for a solid originals act to join.

But I’m going to be that guy: I wouldn’t hire you to sub for anything important or where my reputation was on the line. It’s not that you don’t have media to show me. It’s because you don’t have experience. Being technically proficient and solid in front of your DAW or in front of your teacher is Nothing like real studio work. It takes years of practice to recognize the nuance of simple things like the reverb a singer adds to her vocals or the engineer adds to the snare drum, and how that changes your perception of where the center of the beat falls. And how do I know you can handle four hours of sweating to the oldies without getting bored because it’s a whole lot of root notes? It’s. A. Whole. Lot. Of. Root. Notes.

I’m sure this comes off arrogantly, and that’s not usually my style. And hey, you probably wouldn’t Want the gigs I need subs for! But I think the posters that said “join a band” were spot on. You’ll learn more than you think, and get the media you need, to boot. Meanwhile, you’ll build your repertoire, muscle memory, and strengthen your people skills even further.

I really wish you the best of luck. It’s work (and not always fun) to get the experience, but it’s worth it, imo.

 

[twinjet]

Somewhat related question - does Talkbass have a "feedback" section where you can post your audio and receive critique on it? I have one track from a band I played with - it's not professionally recorded, and I'd like to find out if the track that I have is better or worse than nothing at all.

Recordings [BG]

 

[juggahnaught]

Recordings [BG]

Thanks! I wasn't sure if that was for personal recordings or for sharing music that people liked. I've seen a lot of the latter.

 

[twinjet]

Thanks! I wasn't sure if that was for personal recordings or for sharing music that people liked. I've seen a lot of the latter.

Both! If it's a recording, it goes there.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

I've been freelance for the past 30yrs with a big emphasis on the "free" part.