Starting from scratch as a freelance bassist

[knumbskull]

Join a band, play gigs, go to open mics, hook up with singer/songwriters who want backing musos, make contacts, rinse, repeat. You need people out there who know you, like playing with you and are glad to recommend you.

Having an online portfolio of audio/video is helpful, but it won’t get you gigs on its own.

Just my 2c

 

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

Don't worry about marketing. Get out and play. If you're good enough you will be hired.

 

[jazzyvee]

Like others have said, a lot of it is down to visiblilty and getting yourself known in your local scene and opportunities can come because people have seen you play, heard about you, clocked that you have a good vibe, punctual, have good gear and can see that you could play what they want. Also it's often who you know. The other thing to realise is that at some point bass players get hired not simply because they can play, that's a given, but because they have a sound that someone wants on their particular gig/record or project. I have had a few gigs where I was told that which feels pretty good. In many cases if another bass player calls you to dep for them it's usually because they have a better gig elsewhere that there is a date clash or it doesn't pay enough or not a gig they really want to do.

That tip by the Martianbassist rang true for me. I went to see the album launch of an all female acoustic folk band where I knew the drummer. I thought the album was great, told the band so and bought a copy and unknown to them I spent a couple of weeks learning to play the whole album. Move forward a few months, their bass player decided to take a year out and my friend sheepishly asked me if I would be interested to dep for her I told her i'd love to and that I already knew all the bass parts album. They were all surprised when I turned up at their next rehearsal and played the album tracks in their set list straight through first time.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Tough to be a hired gun with no rep. Play with everyone, have someone there to record it.

 

[Wisebass]

Hi juggahnaught

Gig-wise, I'm open to almost anything that I can play.

This is a good start! How to get gigs?

I moved to another country 10 years ago.

It took me only some weeks, to get invited to housepartys where the majority of guests are musicians.

Socialize!!!! Go to jams, concerts, partys…. That' s how you get contacts!

All of my contacts (I am not a fulltime pro, I love my dayjob, but play a lot), I got because someone presented me to someone, who knows someone else' s friend.

Looking for a bassplayer? Do you know Wise? He 's cool...

When I get the call, one of the first questions is: Do you can read and write?

I will answer with YES! And this is how I get the gig!

(but I can't sight-read).

Change that! Get on a pro level!

just my thoughts


may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass
​

 

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

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.

The problem you are facing right now is probably not what you think it is. It's not about footage or press kits or marketing. You have a lot of work to do before that. Like, learning to read, getting out and play and play until you reach a professional level.

 

[Toddbass65]

My advice would be similar to what many have said...go to open mics whenever you can. Business cards ARE important! You need a quick way to give your contact info to people. Get good ones that have your photo so they remember who you are. "Oh, that guy, he was cool. Good player". I have a few friends who do this and it works. They get fill ins all the time based on meeting people at open mics. Plus bands looking for a replacement member or a fill in often scope out open mics to see other players play that they might not know. My area has many open mics during the week. Easy...go after work, play a few songs, drop some cards and head home. It's all part of networking, which has been mentioned by many as well. It's a business, so that's how it rolls. Good luck!

 

[ColonelZulu]

Find local studios. Try to find the ones that get the most work.
Book some time to record some of your own stuff.
Make friends with them.

Offer to do some tracks if there are any solo artists looking for musicians. Ask them if they know any musicians who might want to collaborate.

There's usually some acoustic singer-songwriter who wants to record a bunch of their original songs.
I've done that several times. it works.

Find freelance drummers. See if they have time to do some bass-drum tracking. Just lay down some beats and vanilla bass lines.

Also...as mentioned...get some videos on YouTube. Start a band page on FB even if it's just you for now.

 

[buldog5151bass]

And yes, sight reading is important. Most of the time when you are playing for non-guitarists/bassists, they won't have TAB for you. Whether you are reading a piece written for you, or are communicating ideas to other musicians, it will help.

 

[dpbass66]

Freelancing is the domain of accomplished, reputable, and HIGHLY-trained musicians. The last one (well-trained), means you have the musical skills (understand the academia of music.. harmony, theory, etc), can read music really well, follow chord-charts, you have great time, you have well-developed ears, have a deep understanding of different styles and can play them authentically, have the technique to pull off anything reasonable. You DONT need to have technique like Victor Wooten, but you do need to have technique to emulate styles, and sounds as per the repertoire you are playing. PLaying a wedding gig and doing Earth Wind and Fire tunes... can you slap in the 70's style?

You also should have the equipment necessary to support any kind of gig or situation and that equipment is reliable, AND you have back-up gear. You bring equipment that is appropriate to the situation. You are professional to the highest degree... you show up on time, ready to play at the start of the gig, you know the tunes (ie no fumbling around, no wrong notes, no arrangement snafus), you are interpersonally easy to work with, not a prick, dont talk about other musicians disparagingly, you have reliable transportation. About tunes, you need to know a lot of tunes, by memory. There is a basic gig repertoire for each style of music, jazz, classic rock, R&B, etc., and depending on your aspirations, you need to know hundreds, if not thousands of tunes, on the spot. Also, you need to be able to play in different keys. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is: You take a gig, you show up, you play, you go home, you've done everything perfectly with no excuses... that's your goal as a freelancer.

Assuming you are these things, the answer to your OP is..... Gigs, gigs, gigs... take every gig that is thrown your way. Assuming you play your ass off (see previous paragraphs), you will get called back AND MORE IMPORTANTLY referred for other bands, situations, gigs. Play each gig as if you want the person hiring you to say afterward: "Yeah, call that guy if you need a sub. He just showed up and killed it. He was a nice person, He had no attitude. He had no excuses... he just played his ass off. I have no negative comments about that guy". Your self-assessment needs to be honest. If you played a tune, and you screwed up the changes, or the form, you need to drive away angry with yourself, and go home and fix it.

If you start doing the above, I guaranty you will slowly begin to achieve your OP goal. It will take time.

 

[dan1952]

If your teacher thinks you can handle this kind of work, why isn't he recommending you for sub work? That's how I've always started in a new town.

^^^^^^^^^^^THIS!!! EXACTLY!!!
To the OP - You are pretty picky about what you will and won't do. In my experience, you might never get ANY work with that attitude.

 

[dpbass66]

.... you CANNOT be picky. You need to be willing to play ANYTHING! After 5-7 years of success, you might be getting SO MANY gig offers you will start turning them down, and MAYBE (if your lucky and good enough) can pick the stuff you really like..... maybe.

 

[tradernick]

Thanks for the response. I'll address some of your comments.

1.) I want to do session work, but I'm not really talking studio or pit work - I'm talking more about a singer-songwriter who wants to record a track and needs a bass player only for the recording. Alternatively, a DIY music group that wants to record some tracks but the bass player can't make it. (In Seattle, these aren't uncommon situations.) Your comment about sight reading is not without merit (and it's a skill that I'm working on, but it'll be a slow road) but I'm not really looking beyond my skill level in this regard.

For what it's worth, this is something I'd like to do as a side hustle, not a primary means of income. That gives me a lot of leeway in what I can and can't do.

You mentioned in the OP that you want to do session work.

If you want to do session work you have to be able to read, and read well. I don't mean that you will need to be able to read for all or even most sessions, but if you want to put yourself out there in your town as a guy who can do session work, you have to be able to read.

In addition, if you want to do (lucrative) jobbing gigs like wedding/corporate, even fill-in as you say, you have to be able to read. At least, you have to in my town. I always get charts plopped in front of me by singers on jobbing gigs. Maybe it's more accurate to say 'especially as a fill-in'.

Generally speaking, if you want to be seen as a freelance pro (which is what your OP said), you should be able to read.

You got some great advice in that post by lfmn16.

 

[DWBass]

You really need to build up a reputation. Get some video and audio demos. Go to open mics and network.

 

[juggahnaught]

^^^^^^^^^^^THIS!!! EXACTLY!!!
To the OP - You are pretty picky about what you will and won't do. In my experience, you might never get ANY work with that attitude.

I don't think I'm picky - can you clarify where you got that idea? I actually want to play different styles of music with different people for the experience.

As for why I haven't been thrown gigs from my teacher - I've only had three sessions with him and we haven't really talked about it. He stated that I'm good enough to play out - or, rather, that at my level of play, my technique won't be the limiting factor for getting gigs; it's the networking, as many of you have stated. (I am learning new things with him, though - my fingerstyle is decent, but I've never been a slapper, and that's a focus right now.) I suppose I could ask if he wanted to add me to the bottom of his sub list, which might not be a bad idea. Unfortunately, I suppose that I haven't really proven myself to him either in a professional sense - that may be a factor of time as well as a factor of me not having gigs - so maybe that's another start I need to focus on.

 

[fishdreams]

I saw your old thread and you had mentioned there you didn't want to do video.

My wife is a singer, and while she is by no means glamour- or formal-dress inclined, and works in a field (jazz, avant, modern classical) where musicianship is the most important, she still puts some thought into her appearance and expects the same from the musicians she hires.

So if you are going to back artists such as singer/songwriters as a for-hire, them knowing that you care about the stage aspect will be part of their considerations whether you get the gig or not. A few videos and/or a few proper headshots would help massively.

 

[dan1952]

The problem you are facing right now is probably not what you think it is. It's not about footage or press kits or marketing. You have a lot of work to do before that. Like, learning to read, getting out and play and play until you reach a professional level.

Great advice FEN!

 

[juggahnaught]

I saw your old thread and you had mentioned there you didn't want to do video.

My wife is a singer, and while she is by no means glamour- or formal-dress inclined, and works in a field (jazz, avant, modern classical) where musicianship is the most important, she still puts some thought into her appearance and expects the same from the musicians she hires.

So if you are going to back artists such as singer/songwriters as a for-hire, them knowing that you care about the stage aspect will be part of their considerations whether you get the gig or not. A few videos and/or a few proper headshots would help massively.

Yeah - I originally didn't want to do video because I didn't want to make the transition to having video of me all over the internet. I've changed my stance - this just may be a fact of life I'll have to live with.

 

[lfmn16]

He stated that I'm good enough to play out - or, rather, that at my level of play, my technique won't be the limiting factor for getting gigs; it's the networking, as many of you have stated.

Good enough to play out and good enough to free lance are two entirely different things. The networking is important, but getting a lot of gig experience is really more important. You can network 24 hours a day but if you can't play the gigs, it won't help. As a matter of fact, putting yourself out there before you are ready is the worse thing you can do; a bad reputation is really hard to fix.

I already posted my opinion about what I think you need to do to freelance, but after reading the rest of this thread, I'm not even sure why you want to. Usually people play, get their act together, get experience and then decide to freelance; often it just happens. You seem to be coming at this from the other end; you want to start out freelancing.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

 

[dan1952]

I don't think I'm picky - can you clarify where you got that idea? I actually want to play different styles of music with different people for the experience.

As for why I haven't been thrown gigs from my teacher - I've only had three sessions with him and we haven't really talked about it. He stated that I'm good enough to play out - or, rather, that at my level of play, my technique won't be the limiting factor for getting gigs; it's the networking, as many of you have stated. (I am learning new things with him, though - my fingerstyle is decent, but I've never been a slapper, and that's a focus right now.) I suppose I could ask if he wanted to add me to the bottom of his sub list, which might not be a bad idea. Unfortunately, I suppose that I haven't really proven myself to him either in a professional sense - that may be a factor of time as well as a factor of me not having gigs - so maybe that's another start I need to focus on.

Let's see - you can't or won't play jazz, weddings, pit orchestras, you will play in a cover band if it's working every weekend, and on and on...I will guarantee that Leland Sklar, Nathan East, or any other well-known successful freelance bassist ever said, wrote, or even thought of a bunch of more ridiculous stuff than that.