zachsutermusic Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Hey! I was wondering how any of you started to get recognition. I am a player trying to figure out how to get started and I was wondering what was the first steps you guys took when starting? Also please check out my newest bass only song "A Journey" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4jHgQbIFsZCJVLZMtEk2Zg/videos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Gollihur Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Define "recognition", in terms of with whom, how broad, and as what. 1000 Upright Bass Links, Luthier Directory, Teacher Directory - http://www.gollihurmusic.com/links.cfm [highlight] - Life is too short for bad tone - [/highlight] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 I'll let you know when it happens. Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butcherNburn Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Well there was that time at a bus station where I uh..... Never mind. If you think my playing is bad, you should hear me sing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Audition for everything. Take every gig you are offered, no matter what kind of music it is. Give your number to any good players you meet. If you can play, eventually people will hear about you. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Smile a lot. Be nice. Show up on time. Give everyone your card. http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard W Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Make sure you're playing for a reason other than recognition. "Everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." Leo Tolstoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Networking and time. Everybody has to pay their dues. When you stick with it for a while, people get to know you, the opportunities continue to improve, and the recognition comes after a long time and a lot of hard work. There are no short cuts aside from the occasional luck. But you can't rely on luck. Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 We are bass players. We don't get recognition! Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBFLA Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Tube Socks... Maybe not original, but it seems to work. Jim Confirmed RoscoeHead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamy ALB Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Ah man nobody gives a shite ever about a bass player!! Go be a scientist if you are after recognition!! Cure somebody. Bass is for dancing!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Little-Bitter/185235472447 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Tube Socks... Maybe not original, but it seems to work. I tried that. Everybody said the tube socks on my hands improved my playing! Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Audition for everything. Take every gig you are offered, no matter what kind of music it is. Give your number to any good players you meet. If you can play, eventually people will hear about you. This definitely sums it up. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zachsutermusic Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 Thanks for the advice. Not doing this to get famous just wondering when you guys broke into your local scene! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 You'll get a lot of different responses...all subjective. What, to YOU would make you feel like you got recognition? I think that's different for everyone. For me, it was when every musician in town knew my band and considered us sort of top of the heap...but that was the cover scene. We weren't a blip on the radar of the REAL music scene, it was just local cover crap. I made a name for myself locally over the last 20 years. I get a lot of calls every time somebody is looking for someone - my name comes up...I consider that recognition even though I don't do anything with it. Recognition may be completely different for you. Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Thanks for the advice. Not doing this to get famous just wondering when you guys broke into your local scene! The old school way of communicating this is "paying your dues". That comes about by starting to build relationships with some of the musicians in your area. How? Try attending some local open jams. On a good number of the nights that the top players aren't gigging, they may very well be out jamming. Play some of those jams. Get to know some of the good players on your scene. Jamming with these guys will lead to them getting to know you and your playing. Being able to play and hang with these guys can be a valuable way to build a rep as a solid, go-to player. Don't under-value the hang. It's important. Getting to know people personally is a great way for them to determine if you're cool or if, well, you're not. If a band leader likes a guy, they're going to be far more likely to hire that person. And if someone's a great player but kind of a jerk? Guess who gets the call? Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butcherNburn Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Thanks for the advice. Not doing this to get famous just wondering when you guys broke into your local scene! Local scenes are getting scarcer by the day. If you think my playing is bad, you should hear me sing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 I came awfully close with my blues band. We were getting great press from the Belgian / Dutch blues scene, smoke blown up our collective arses after every gig we did and had we gone at it for another year we would probably have "broken through" in that scene, small as it is. Right when it ended, I got a mail from a guy asking to come play bass with him and a friend. But they had no day jobs so they wanted to rehearse all day during the day. I'm not a courageous mand so I said no that Shortly thereafter some guy who played in a progressive metalband contacted me if I was interested in playing bass with them. Love prog metal but their material was not to my liking so I declined that, too. Since then, I am pretty sure the memory of my once-great blues band has evaporated from the collective minds, especially since the singer and one of the guitarists have gone on to massive international success with their other blues band. "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Wanted Poster You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric VB Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 In terms of a solo act there are others here who can answer that more directly than I can. However, here is something to consider. What do Susan Boyle, Pomplamoose and Rebecca Black have in common? And by that I don't mean the obvious viral videos. What I'm asking is why did all their viewers even bother to click on those videos in the first place? In the world of bass players, Victor Wooten has almost 2 million views of just this one copy of his "Amazing Grace" solo. Why? [video:youtube]pEyEu-hS0fA What I'm trying to suggest is there is an "X factor". Do you think any of them have a chance on America's Got Talent? (Of course Susan came in 2nd on the British version, only to go on to top world album sales in 2009.) How would you fare on AGT? Do you have the X factor? The traditional road to recognition is hard work. Even Madonna worked the clubs in NYC for years before going on to set world records in sales. Be self-motivated. Don't wait for someone to magically appear to ask you to play a gig, go on tour, hang your posters, wash your clothes, whatever; make it happen yourself. Be persistent. A lot of musicians (and actors) "make it" because that's all they want to do and a thousand "no"'s won't stop them. Be professional. Bad news travels faster than good news; being unprofessional is a quick way to end a career. Among other things, be prepared and don't be late. Be knowledgeable. How do you get booked for the biggest summer fair near you? How do you get your music placed in a film, TV show, or iTunes? How do you get on your local TV station's morning show? How do you get on local radio? How do other acts gain recognition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I have a Kubicki! Wally I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I have a Kubicki! Wally Seriously, we need a "like" button for this forum. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Last weekend the guitarist of my old blues band got married, and my girlfriend and I attended the wedding (which was held in a pub, much to my amusement - 't was great fun). We were chatting with the singer from that same band, and some bloke walks up to the singer and says: "Aren't you the singer from [mentions another band of the singer]? Yeah, I saw you at that and that festival then and then. Big fan!!" Now, one of those gigs was with "my" blues band. The guy sure did not recognize me The bassist of the singer's current band was also standing with us, and this guy is TALL (think NBA) so you'd think people notice him. Nope! Guy only remembered the singer :grin: "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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