Session Work (advice needed)

[OliverBlackman]

[quote name='swanbrook' timestamp='1345805291' post='1781714']
Work gets you work, getting one gig might lead on to another and then might lead to some recording and so on. I don't think anybody has ever picked up a bass today and became a pro session head tomorrow.

But before any of that happens it helps, well helped me to have these "rules". I don't think I am a great bass player by any means but I have made a good life from music playing bass. Am I ever going to get a dep gig for jamiroquai no but I do provide a good life for my family from music.
[/quote]

But what I'm getting at is how did you get that first gig that got you all the other gigs? Thats what pro's rarely talk about because it usually shows how lucky they were to get the first gig. However, you need those rules that you pointed out and the skills to work as a sessioning bass player to keep getting gigs.

[OliverBlackman]

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1345807553' post='1781766']
Another contentious discussion I have with pro musicians is the sticky topic of reading music and theory knowledge. Is it necessary?
[/quote]

I think now that so many music students have the opportunity to go to schools where the curriculum forces you to read and know theory, the standard in reading and theory knowledge will improve. However, there is the argument that many young musicians lack the musicality and feel that the older players possess. Sorry for going off topic a bit.

[swanbrook]

Back when I started out there was no Internet forums ( Jasus I feel old now ) the only way to meet other musicians was at clubs and gigs and hope somewhere you might get a spot to play. Open mic nights where great

My first gig came from a friend of mine, his dad played in a wedding band and I sat in for the bass player, I was 14 and was pretty sh1t. But word got around and by 16 I was gigging by 19 I was touring and by 23 I was driving a new car and living in my first new house. If its what you want you will find a way or it will find you. A lot is luck a lot is on that list and a lot is hard work.

I don't do religion but I am thankful that I get to go work and have as much fun as I do.

[OliverBlackman]

[quote name='swanbrook' timestamp='1345815785' post='1781934']
Back when I started out there was no Internet forums ( Jasus I feel old now ) the only way to meet other musicians was at clubs and gigs and hope somewhere you might get a spot to play. Open mic nights where great

My first gig came from a friend of mine, his dad played in a wedding band and I sat in for the bass player, I was 14 and was pretty sh1t. But word got around and by 16 I was gigging by 19 I was touring and by 23 I was driving a new car and living in my first new house. If its what you want you will find a way or it will find you. A lot is luck a lot is on that list and a lot is hard work.

I don't do religion but I am thankful that I get to go work and have as much fun as I do.
[/quote]

The first paragraph is still the same today. Although I've started developing a website because some artist management want to see and hear your you play in their living room. But jam nights are still where I meet people properly, and the move to London was so I could go to more jam nights and meet more people. As "swan brook" has shown, if you capitalise on any luck you may have by having the skills and punctuality you should be able to make a success out of it.

[lowdown]

[quote name='swanbrook' timestamp='1345815785' post='1781934']
Back when I started out there was no Internet forums ( Jasus I feel old now ) the only way to meet other musicians was at clubs and gigs and hope somewhere you might get a spot to play. Open mic nights where great

My first gig came from a friend of mine, his dad played in a wedding band and I sat in for the bass player, I was 14 and was pretty sh1t. But word got around and by 16 I was gigging by 19 I was touring and by 23 I was driving a new car and living in my first new house. If its what you want you will find a way or it will find you. A lot is luck a lot is on that list and a lot is hard work.
[/quote]

Good grief, pretty much me summed up [with Music collage thrown in]

You don't just walk into [Recording] sessions from scratch.
Over time you get to meet MD's/Fixers/Supervisors - All the people that really count.
Getting on dep lists for shows is a great thing to do, that will lead to you getting calls for your own show,
Dep that out for other gigs/functions/recordings/tours, a good way to get to know other full time working Musicians/Bassists.
The term 'Session Musician' is now the sort of thing you would hear from some pissed bloke in the pub.............
'Are you one of those Sessioneers?'....Lol...........
Freelance/Freelance Musician is more apt these days, a bit of everything is involved [playing wise]
Good reading chops, good ears and the ability to learn things fast are a must.

The days of doing three MU rate three hour [plus overtime] sessions a day are well gone [In the UK anyway]
Good luck with it all - It's worth it in the end.


Garry

Edited August 24, 2012 by lowdown

[Owen]

[quote name='Faithless' timestamp='1345753472' post='1781351']
but the thing that goes BEFORE everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING, is being able to [b]play[/b].
You Have to be able to improvise, you have to have your chops high up in there, so that you pull out ANY stuff, that might come in; know (and be able to play) different styles, etc... but first of all, it's all about playing - it doesn't matter how hard you network, and how many cats you might get to know, but if your playing is not happening, then you won't get there.
[/quote]

True, but you also need to know when to not spread the chops on thick. I have no chops (blazing solos, triplet slapping/tapping etc) to speak of (even less than I ever had) but in my experience of session work, what MDs want is a solid bass line to build everything else on. I have depped work out in the past and gone in for the next session with the same guys and been welcomed back because I did not have an opinion about everything that was happening and did not want to share my ideas all the time. Rest assured, I have an opinion about everything that happens in a session and could save a lot of time by pointing out why something is not working etc etc, but that is not what I am being paid for. That is the MD's gig and I want him/her to hire me for the next session cos I made the project sound good with my playing not never phone me again cos I made him look like an incompotent eejit. Some of them are, but they are still the ones who do the phoning. In 25 years of doing studio work I have never been called upon to spend time up where the guitarist's register is. That is what MDs use guitarists for. Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

Reading? I have yet to meet an actor who is cast for a part and just says "I don't need the script, I will just pick it up from the DVD". Obv there are monster players who do not read but never stop working. Pino is the obvious one. But in the bread and butter world of studio work why would anyone pay for half an hour studio time + half an hour of 8 other player's time to teach anyone a song when they could plonk a part in front of someone else and just say "wait for the red light and then play after 1 bar of click'?

Opinioinated? Moi?

[xilddx]

[quote name='Faithless' timestamp='1345753472' post='1781351']
it's an interesting thing that goes around on on in these kind of topics - how do I become a pro, session work, etc etc.....
It's of course very important to network, be punctual, own realiable gear, etc etc, but the thing that goes BEFORE everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING, is being able to [b]play[/b].
You Have to be able to improvise, you have to have your chops high up in there, so that you pull out ANY stuff, that might come in; know (and be able to play) different styles, etc... but first of all, it's all about playing - it doesn't matter how hard you network, and how many cats you might get to know, but if your playing is not happening, then you won't get there.
[/quote]
Agreed. You have to be everything, and some of that has got to be better than most. But taste and being cool are very very important I would think.

[swanbrook]

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1345844763' post='1782469']


True, but you also need to know when to not spread the chops on thick. I have no chops (blazing solos, triplet slapping/tapping etc) to speak of (even less than I ever had) but in my experience of session work, what MDs want is a solid bass line to build everything else on. I have depped work out in the past and gone in for the next session with the same guys and been welcomed back because I did not have an opinion about everything that was happening and did not want to share my ideas all the time. Rest assured, I have an opinion about everything that happens in a session and could save a lot of time by pointing out why something is not working etc etc, but that is not what I am being paid for. That is the MD's gig and I want him/her to hire me for the next session cos I made the project sound good with my playing not never phone me again cos I made him look like an incompotent eejit. Some of them are, but they are still the ones who do the phoning. In 25 years of doing studio work I have never been called upon to spend time up where the guitarist's register is. That is what MDs use guitarists for. Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

Reading? I have yet to meet an actor who is cast for a part and just says "I don't need the script, I will just pick it up from the DVD". Obv there are monster players who do not read but never stop working. Pino is the obvious one. But in the bread and butter world of studio work why would anyone pay for half an hour studio time + half an hour of 8 other player's time to teach anyone a song when they could plonk a part in front of someone else and just say "wait for the red light and then play after 1 bar of click'?

Opinioinated? Moi?
[/quote]

Yup Bang on
If the md asks you to play less notes it's already too late you have p1ssed him off

[Doddy]

First of all,what is your definition of a 'session player'? Personally I'd class it as a player who plays on recording
sessions (think Will Lee or Nathan East,for example).I know some (quite a lot) of people who call themselves 'session
players' because they play with 2 bands occasionally.
As others have said,the recording scene is very tight-most of the guys who are doing the big sessions are the same who
were doing it 10-15 years ago. Even on a more local level,the guys who own studios and produce their own material tend to
use the same players time and again and any new players come via recommendations. If you do get asked,you have to be
sure that you can handle the gig.If the artist gives you a chart can you play it down without any fuss? Maybe they will play you
a rough demo and want you to play your own part? Can you do it quickly without wasting a lot of time and therefor money?
A lot of times you won't know what you are going to be playing until you arrive at the studio,so you need to be confident that
you can handle it.
How is your tone?Maybe the tone you usually use isn't required or just doesn't sound good when recorded direct.Are you willing to
change it or even pick up a totally different instrument and still be comfortable? What if your tone is good but there is a lot of unwanted
fret noise? Are you willing to maybe raise your action slightly to get rid of it? Would you stick a set of flatwounds on your bass if it
sounds better?Or detune? Is your technique clean enough that your notes aren't buzzing,and open strings aren't ringing? There may not
be drums on the track yet,so are you comfortable playing to a click?
Of course,you may not be thinking about studio sessions,and want to know more about being a freelance player,in which case there is a
whole other set of things to know.

[Roland Rock]

Welcome back Doddy :-)