when is a bass player considered a professional bass player?

[email]sugahbass9@aol.com

Well, what makes someone a professional? According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, professional means, "Participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs. <a professional golfer>." So, you're a professional bass player if you make money at it.

What he said.

Playing for the door and the band members ending up with $6 each may not count.

There is a big difference between making money and making a livlihood at it (i.e. making a living).

along with that would a professional attitude and demeanor, as well as the neccessary skills, knowledge and experience.

A "professional" player does not have an attitude, nor does he/she let ego govern their musical part or direction.
A professional player always brings something to the table but knows instinctively when to defer to others in the decision making.

You should also have a very good and deep foundation in harmony, rhythm and music theory and be able to play any tune in any key at any time.....regardless of whether or not you know it or, for that matter, have even heard it before.

There is a VERY big difference bewteen someone who plays a musical instrument (and the skill levels there can be quite high) and a musician.

Max

Does music pay the bills?
If the answer is yes - you are a pro.
If the answer is no - keep at it and focus on being entertaining.

It could start paying the bills any day now.

and also read all the stuff Max said. He made some very good points.

Mongo......

Max nailed it, but I would like to add my two cents. Whereas I have made money from my music in the past, I have never reached the stage where I could make a living off of music. With that being said, I cheerfully despise the term amateur for the following reasons:

1) I have never met a musician that would stop being a musician if the money dried up. All of us are musicians because we love music so much that we feel a need to participate in its making, and a loose definition of "amateur" is someone who participates in activity for the sheer love of it.

2) Being an amateur does not give you carte blanch to act like an idiot. I had a drummer just recently that did not bother showing up for a gig; ask me if I will ever call him back?

3) Without rethreading what Max succinctly stated, I will put my own spin on things; being professional means that you show up on time, prepared, and with your head in the game.

4) To quote my old bass teacher, "it's not that professional players never make mistakes, they just know how to recover better." I will pick on drummers again, please forgive me; I had one drummer recently that lost it in the middle of a song, and flat out stopped; doing dumb things like that, will flag you as an amateur quicker than anything that I can think of. If you loose the bubble, it happens to the best of us, even pros, don't get that deer in the headlights look on your face. Maintain your composure, stay on key, and find your place; if you are playing in a bar most members of the audience won't know the difference anyhow.

5) Last but not least, you are in the bar to work, stay sober. You may think that you play better when you are drunk or stoned, but trust me, it's just not true. Besides, would you show at a "real job" drunk?

To close, just because your music does not pay all your bills, if you want to get to the stage where playing your bass will take care of your mortgage, start acting like a professional now!

Mario...good post! By the by...feel absolutely free to pick on drummers all you want...that's what they are for!

Exactly. Their sole purpose is to annoy the hell out of musicians

As for "professional", I think that it's more defined by if it's your main job; if you have to work at McDonalds on the side to help pay the rent, that doesn't discount you from being a professional musician.

Thanks a bunch guys; just trying to put a bit of common sense in a topic that can be contentious.

Originally Posted By: carpedebass
Mario...good post! By the by...feel absolutely free to pick on drummers all you want...that's what they are for!


Copius replied: Exactly. Their sole purpose is to annoy the hell out of musicians.

And Hanson says--- the function of the bass player is to keep the drummer and the keyboard player from killing each other.


But the real point is what Max and Mario said: the more you act professionally, the sooner you and others will recognize you as as such.

Olwell and Valentino got it right. If you pay your bills and the rent with the money you earn from playing your bass, you are a pro: even if you suck as a musician.

For those of us who make some bucks (and are really good at our instruments) but still rely on another income, well we all are semi-professionals. In a regular work force I guess we would be considered "part-timers".

And yes, like any other job, there is a "professional" demeanor you follow (like being on time to gigs and rehearsals, not give anybody in the band a hard time especially the guy that pays you, following musical orders to maximize your groove and being sober).

Ok, the whole attitude about how being drunk or stoned on a gig means you're not a professional gets my goat. I live in NYC and make my living playing the bass. I'm a professional. I don't drink (in excess) or use drugs before or during gigs.

BUT

I know a lot of musicians in NYC who I work with or have studied with who do. A lot. Cats get wasted on the daily. And they don't just scrape by playing music, some of these guys rake it in cause they play great. Do they play better sober? Definitely, but they also play well enough when they're inebriated that it doesn't matter. I know some people who won't hire you if you do that, but for some musicians it doesn't matter.

My point is drinking and drug use do not preclude professionalism. In my mind, a professional is someone who knows how to earn a living with their craft. Wether they do it sober or not is a personal issue.

I don't know where y'all are from, but working musicians in New York have substance use (and abuse) as a serious part of our culture. There are only a few musical circles that preclude that (broadway, classical work, you know, the crappy jobs).