karlplaysbass Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 hey everyone again. i recently found out i have more time to wait untill my uni course starts up again and was feeling this might be the perfect time to start depping but i was wondering where/how to start? and is there advice any one would care to share? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 In my experience most gigs will pretty much have a standard repertoire of songs. Best to get a pad of charts together, and practice transposing them. There are a couple of useful Facebook pages and groups where you can advertise, and where bands advertise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=22473888020 https://m.facebook.com/DepMusicians Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlplaysbass Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 cheers man i will check them out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) Have a look at a few local function band websites, look at their song lists, and start learning! When you're starting out, take any job you can. You never know who you might end up playing for! Buy a good mix of nice quality performance clothes. A pair each of black and grey trousers, black and white French cuffed shirts and a good quality pair of black shoes. If you don't already, learn how to sing and. It your own microphone. Everyone wants backing vocalists! Don't aggressively look for work and don't pester people. It doesn't really happen like that. Just take on as much work as you can or find a regular gig and eventually you'll start to get more and more work. The more people you network, the more work you'll get. Collect musicians phone numbers and keep a contact book. If you hear of a good job for a drummer and put someone in touch for it, he'll be more inclined to do you a favour in return. Finally, be prepared to work at a moments notice and never turn down work without providing an alternative player (see: previous paragraph). If you want to build up a good reputation, you'll need to be able to play when no one else can. Good luck! Edited July 7, 2015 by Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 How's your reading ? It's a useful skill to have, if you look on the one Facebook page you do see a fair few where reading is required, but the ability to busk is as useful too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlplaysbass Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 my readings not to great atm im practising it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Probably worth doing a few jam nights, it will give you practice in playing cold with new people and busking songs you dont know very well or even ones you never tried to play before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 You'll need to cover many many songs and you'll be expected to just drop in and do it. How you set about covering that, is down to you but generally deps get asked and you use who you trust or who is much recommended, IMO. Don't be too good though as bass players wont want to use you as their dep... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Anything you can do to get you used to being out of your comfort zone helps. As mentioned above having lots of charts and experience of transposing keys quickly is essential. Readers have more doors open than non readers. Staying positive and being prepared is hugely important. You don't have to be flash but you have to be solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blamelouis Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) Find the busiest players in town and take a few lessons with them. They now have your number. Edited July 8, 2015 by blamelouis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefrash Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Take any job to start with. Gets your name out there. From my experience, word of mouth is a useful too. Once you get your name out there and you've done a decent job, then things will spread. Finding a decent bassist is a bigger headache than it should be, so your number will be kept if you're good You'll probably find alot of the same tunes aswell, so best to learn all the regular stuff and be ready to transpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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