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what does it take to make it as a bassist

#21
I don't want to sound like your Mom, but she does have a point. I went to college to do a nursing degree, and because of that I was able to work very flexible shifts to support myself, move to America, join a band, buy some cool equipment and a new car so that I had all the gear and finances to support whatever choices I made. I remember being a poor musician and it sucked. I couldn't afford to buy decent equipment and I couldn't afford to travel or go and see shows. If there was one piece of advice I could give a young person it would be to not ignore the rest of your life, which will keep on happening regardless of music. I lived and breathed nothing but music when I was 18, but to the detriment of anything else, and so I went to college later than most kids. I still have friends who used to be really cool and able musicians, who are now older and without college degrees and are finding it very hard just to make a living. When you're 18 it's cool to be a poor starving artist. When you're 40 it just plain sucks. Plan your life and your finances, because money amy not equal happiness but it sure as hell allows you to make choices that will.

I like the position I'm in right now. I'm in a great band that tours all over the country and abroad, we play great shows, I have good equipment and can afford even better, I drive a new car and I work 3 days a week and earn $60,000. I fit my music around my job and life is good. If I didn't have the job I couldn't really afford to do the band. If I need a new flight case I just buy it. If I need to hire a car in California to get to a show, I can just do it. When I was 18 I couldn't do any of that and I remember trying to get to a gig with my guitar and an amp on the bus in the rain! So...the moral of the story is...work at your music and work at your life. Good luck!
 
#22
Rockgurl said:
I don't want to sound like your Mom, but she does have a point. I went to college to do a nursing degree, and because of that I was able to work very flexible shifts to support myself, move to America, join a band, buy some cool equipment and a new car so that I had all the gear and finances to support whatever choices I made. I remember being a poor musician and it sucked. I couldn't afford to buy decent equipment and I couldn't afford to travel or go and see shows. If there was one piece of advice I could give a young person it would be to not ignore the rest of your life, which will keep on happening regardless of music. I lived and breathed nothing but music when I was 18, but to the detriment of anything else, and so I went to college later than most kids. I still have friends who used to be really cool and able musicians, who are now older and without college degrees and are finding it very hard just to make a living. When you're 18 it's cool to be a poor starving artist. When you're 40 it just plain sucks. Plan your life and your finances, because money amy not equal happiness but it sure as hell allows you to make choices that will.

I like the position I'm in right now. I'm in a great band that tours all over the country and abroad, we play great shows, I have good equipment and can afford even better, I drive a new car and I work 3 days a week and earn $60,000. I fit my music around my job and life is good. If I didn't have the job I couldn't really afford to do the band. If I need a new flight case I just buy it. If I need to hire a car in California to get to a show, I can just do it. When I was 18 I couldn't do any of that and I remember trying to get to a gig with my guitar and an amp on the bus in the rain! So...the moral of the story is...work at your music and work at your life. Good luck!
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This is some of the best practical advice I've ever read on TB. Well done, Debbie.

You must be a recent addition to Sister Funk, no? We shared a bill opening for Maceo Parker at the Webster Theater last year (my band is Mystery Feet http://www.mysteryfeet.com).
 
#23
All these comments are just awsome thanks guys, and girls.

My actual choice for university would be electrical engeneering. So that would be very valuable in music as far as i see it. Not to be in a successful band which is mainly what I wanted to do, but it would allow me to work in a studio or be a producer...

However... that is killing prime years to be in a band... 19-24 are important years... a double major.... well I want to beable to actually have spare minutes to play my bass :).

As far as my image goes, not really sure how to work on that. Aside from the mentioned singing and dancing i suppose. I have a mic so I plug that into my amp and practice some singing. I have more of a bodybuilder build though, I was a major kickboxer, so I am built "big" rather than most the people that back people up who are skinny, that shouldnt be too much of a problem though.

I can't read music... and I probably wont start learning that until I have a solid foundation of all my techniques. But I used to beable to read it back when I played bass in a grade 7 school band :)

Once again thanks, if anyone has more to add please, feel free
 
#24
Once again, I must reiterate that having a "backup plan" in place is crucial. I didn't, I quit optpmetry school to play music. I didn't make it as a tour guy, but I had fun playing with a bunch of cats who did. I was (still am) a big guy myself, but the industry does not look favorably on most people who have more than 8-16 oz. of "extra". If I had been blessed with a skinny body and dancing skills, rather than a good ear and good chops, I may have been something. But I ended up at age 35, putting myself through school, on my own dime, getting a degree, and becoming a computer geek. Now I have the money to support my "habit" and have a foundation in IT, be it less than rock-solid. Don't be surprised if you don't make it, but apply yourself to making it happen. Life is a funny thing, it never seems to go according to plans...
 
#25
Craig Garfinkel said:
This is some of the best practical advice I've ever read on TB. Well done, Debbie.

You must be a recent addition to Sister Funk, no? We shared a bill opening for Maceo Parker at the Webster Theater last year (my band is Mystery Feet http://www.mysteryfeet.com).
Click to expand...

Thanks Craig. Yes, I joined Sister Funk just before Christmas and am now embarking on an insane touring schedule! Sometimes I wish I didn't need to have a job! It's so funny that so many people seem to know my band. Funnily enough my band's ex-bass player just played with Maceo Parker about a week before Christmas. Very nice to make your acquaintance. I checked out your site...it's excellent and the samples are awesome. :D
 
#26
MCBTunes said:
All these comments are just awsome thanks guys, and girls.

My actual choice for university would be electrical engeneering. So that would be very valuable in music as far as i see it. Not to be in a successful band which is mainly what I wanted to do, but it would allow me to work in a studio or be a producer...

However... that is killing prime years to be in a band... 19-24 are important years... a double major.... well I want to beable to actually have spare minutes to play my bass :).

As far as my image goes, not really sure how to work on that. Aside from the mentioned singing and dancing i suppose. I have a mic so I plug that into my amp and practice some singing. I have more of a bodybuilder build though, I was a major kickboxer, so I am built "big" rather than most the people that back people up who are skinny, that shouldnt be too much of a problem though.

I can't read music... and I probably wont start learning that until I have a solid foundation of all my techniques. But I used to beable to read it back when I played bass in a grade 7 school band :)

Once again thanks, if anyone has more to add please, feel free
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you mean about using up "crucial years" but trust me, those crucial years will soon run out and then you'll realize how crucial they were in a very different way. Just decide never to waste a moment of your day and use any spare time to keep learning. Go to college and be in band. Buy a book and learn the basics of music theory...one note at a time. Every day learn something small and it will all make sense. Electrical engineering is an excellent choice for a back up plan, and you won't regret it. College is a great way to meet other muscians too.

If you try one and fail, then you have nothing. If you try both things and succeed in one, then you're set. If you succeed in both, you're a fortunate man.
 
#28
I think this is one of the best threads I've read on this site; period. I would also add that you should always be focused on your love of music above all else. I know guys that make a lot of money playing music, but yet their playing feels so dead and mechanized. This is not to say that 'making it' automatically equates with a downshift in your musical passion, but keep in mind that if you truly want to do music full time, and not have a day job, you WILL have to play gigs that you do not like and that may even leave you jaded as to why you began playing the bass in the first place.


Don't play because you want to make alot of money, because odds are that you won't. Play because you absolutely have to, because the very existence and essence of your God-given soul demands that you do so. Maybe, just maybe, the money will come. If it doesn't, you still have a gift in your instrument that most people can never even begin to know.
 
#29
I have to agree with all of these posts. I started my university career as a music performance major (tuba, the bass is a recent love ;) ). After 2 1/2 years I realized that I would benefit much more from a practical degree. I knew enough theory and was talented enough, but I needed to network more than anything else as a musician.

I don't make a living playing music, but I do have occassional paying gigs. I'm also working on getting to a point where I'm financially stable enough that if the perfect opportunity comes along, I can afford to take it. If it doesn't, that's okay, too. I still get to play... a lot.

You might find this interesting, too - it's a post of my blog:

rock-n-roll high school
 
#30
:) Hi MCB, Good advice above mate. My son's 17 and drawn to music as well and the advice is basically the same.

A back up string to your bow can be more than handy, depending on your interests/talents are. My son loves playing guitar, bass, Didg(yidaki) so performance is one thing(already started). He's going to start Music biusness/production studies this year and as he also wants to be a luthier we'll start building him a Strat and me a Jazz (mabe) at home to
start him on that track.

This seems good to him as he'll have a good general idea of different facets of the music game and then decide where to concentrate his effort.

If you decide to play then play with all your heart..........................Luck mate :bassist:
 
#32
maybe i'll just can the idea.... for me it is probably more about the actual band than my bass... i love the rush of standing in front of 1000s of people. When I was kickboxing just the first steps into the ring would be a huge high. I dont know if I am willing to risk being able to properly support my family and give my kids these oppertunities though.
 
#33
MCBTunes said:
maybe i'll just can the idea.... for me it is probably more about the actual band than my bass... i love the rush of standing in front of 1000s of people. When I was kickboxing just the first steps into the ring would be a huge high. I dont know if I am willing to risk being able to properly support my family and give my kids these oppertunities though.
Click to expand...
I think you just answered your question
There's nothing wrong with doing a degree in another area as well as playing in a band or having a job through the week as well as playing in a band like Rockgurl mentioned
Gee even I done that stunt for a few years ( job as well as bands ) but since I made enough dosh to get quality gear and transport as well as savings in the bank
I left my job and now make a living from music fulltime by being a sideman/freelancer as well as teaching at our local institute partime
But hey nothing wrong with doing two things at a time but you must be ORGANIZED and be prepared to make sacrafices but if you put in the time you will be rewarded at the end
Good Luck in whatever you do
 
#34
MCB, hey I too was in your shoes (im 21 now) I was 17, going to college and really just wanted to get into a band. (that was the point of college ha ha) I was a physchology major, then after a semester i switched to music (my true love) then I realized I would go nuts if I kept up with what I was doing, so I switched again, and then again, then transferred, then transferred back, needless to say, Im graduating this may with a degree in philosophy and a minor in religion. I have no desire to continue studying these things. As for post graduate life, right now All i want to do is play bass all day. I don't have much advice to give you, just practice alot. In college I was able make a better attempt at playing jazz and was able to play with mulitple groups. Those times were some of my favorite times in college. Gave me much experience playing with different people. I have no killer advice, just do what ya love. (to be honest, Im still looking for advice as hard as you are) peace
 
#35
When I was 20, and I am more than twice that now, I decided to take the route of getting a degree and that turned into a Masters degree. I spent many years in getting an education. But, as soon as I reached the end of my formal education, I started with the music again. At first, just for fun, but then it turned into something more serious, first electric bass, then upright, then learning to sing, then studying with a variety of great teachers, first rock, then funk, now jazz. And I am just about ready to get involved in something very professional. Because of my other career and the money I make there, I have been able to afford good musical equipment, have a house, and have been able to afford private music lessons with really great teachers. I have a pro type of day job that gives me the opportunity to adjust my work schedule around music. My musical life is not dictated by having The Job running my life.

Lately, I have been playing music with a number of guys who have the professional music education (a few from Berklee) and they are 40 plus but they are just struggling to get by or have to spend a lot of time in jobs that take up a lot of time and pay very little and they are struggling financially. That's okay if that's what one wants to do, but these guys are musicians and they woudl rather be playing music but their life is tied up in the day job. These guys are just not making it musically. May just be them, but so many musicians end up in jobs that require them to work evenings and weekends too. That's more likely to happen without a college education.

I sometimes feel envious when I read these threads about folks heading off to start at a well known music school and wish I was 18 again, but I probably would still take the route of having some lucrative back up career in place. Even being female, that's very important. But, I think I would have also used my college education as a time to hang with the music majors too and get involved in a performing class as well.
 
#36
I'm almost 18 now, and about to finish secondary school in a few months. I'd love to make a living out of music and sometimes I'd rather just don't do anything else after this school. But since I've only been playing for about 6 months, I still have so much to learn. And the chances of being succesfull aren't exactly huge. I'm not looking to make millions, just making enough money to support myself only by doing what I love most, and being able to buy new gear ofcourse. But still...

So I'm going to follow an education anyway (one wich I will also enjoy ofcourse), so I'll atleast be able to get a good job if it doesn't work out. I can always do music aside it as a hobby. With the job I can atleast make some money to invest in my future plans as musician. Those years in college will also be a good time to develop myself as a bassist and meet new people, maybe even other musicians.
 

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