how to become a session player

[maxwell roach]

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Dear Bass Player Magazine forum bassists:

 

I want to become a session bassist, but I have never attended music school. Is music school necessary or even the most ideal means for becoming a session player? All that I have under my belt is 17 years of playing, knowledge of theory, and having taken 5 years of private bass lessons.

 

Thanks very much for your time and consideration,

Max

[Eric VB]

I'm no expert, but I think it takes a lot of networking more than anything else.

[jeremy c]

Music school has nothing to do with getting hired as a session player. You do not submit a resume to anyone.

 

What it takes to become a session player is:

1) Superior musical skills

a)ability to play something correctly the first time

b)great sense of time

c)knowledge of a variety of styles

d)excellent tone

e)creativity

f)ability to learn new music extremely quickly

2) Great working skills

a)ability to follow instructions which may not be clearly stated

b)ability to follow instructions which may be counter to what you think is correct

c)ability to make changes or suggestions without rocking the boat

d)ability to stay focused during long working hours

3) Great networking skills

a)ability to meet people and make a good impression

b)ability to show great playing skills while still coming across as a team player

4) Great ability of being in the right place at the right time

a)living somewhere where there is studio work

b)running into someone who actually is in need of a studio player

 

In my experience, there seems to be less studio work these days than there used to be, even though there are more studios.

 

There is also no great demand for new studio players. People generally don't quit their gigs as studio players leaving openings. And the people who hire studio players are very reluctant to try someone new...too much time and money is at stake to risk using someone who does not have a track record.

 

All I have under my belt is 40 years of bass playing, over 30 years of bass teaching, a degree in music and a not bad reputation as a player.

 

But good luck anyway and welcome to the forum.

[Rick Hoffman]

I broached this topic once before...maybe if I'm motivated enough I'll fish it up. Or you can use the "search" feature on the top right and find a lot more information.

 

I feel like a session player lately since the last few bands I've played with weren't permanent spots. Jeremy's list nails it on the head! Considering everyone I play with lately, I've had to aspire to everything on that list.

 

Granted, I've never had to sit down and play for someone who's like all famous or anything. Just local bands. So I would think that working as a hired-gun for someone, whomever they may be, would most definately be more demanding.

 

When I think session work I imagine being in NYC with bass case in hand(SABDDI in case), walking from one studio to the next, plugging into the board, playing along to the TV ad jingle/next #1 pop hit/any of the many singer-songwriters trying to make it...it's also a word of mouth thing. As Jeremy once said before, you don't find session work. IT finds YOU.

[g.]

I dunno, I think there's a big gap between subbing on non-reading gigs or coming and going from bands easily -- and actually being able to do a lot of sessions with a lot of styles of music. I do the former all the time, no prob, but the latter would require a lot more disciplined practice and getting the reading to the level I had on horns/saxes/etc.

[Quinn]

The session scene in major markets is very cliquish and tough to break into from what I've heard.

 

This can be verified by reading the liner notes of the CD's in your collection. Major label releases that rely on session players are probably all using the same handful of peeps:

 

Kaye/Osborn/Jamerson/Cogbill/Jemmott in the 60's; Rainey/Sklar/Hood/Jackson/Scheff in the 70's; Lee/Palladino/Miller/Laboriel/Levin/Washington in the 80's; Stubenhaus/Rhodes/Hungate/Worf/Hutchinson/Pomeroy in the 90's.

 

Of course, there's overlap from decade to decade and I'm leaving out some notable players, but you get the idea - as one generation of session players retires, a new generation steps in to dominate the scene.

 

OTOH, if you have the requisite skills, you could probably keep busy as a freelancer subbing/recording in a regional music scene. Several people on this forum have been very successful doing that.

[BenLoy]

2) Great working skills

a)ability to follow instructions which may not be clearly stated

b)ability to follow instructions which may be counter to what you think is correct

c)ability to make changes or suggestions without rocking the boat

d)ability to stay focused during long working hours

Don't forget e): ability to follow instructions that are counter to what was actually requested of you.

[g.]

sub-bullet: be able to make it sound purple or any other abstract description that really has no meaningful relationship with the context.

[Fred TBP]

welcome to the forum, maxwell!

jeremy said it for all of us.

 

If it were me I'd book some private lessons in the city with one of the current session pros in the area, like Anthony Jackson or Will Lee. (I don't know if they're accepting students at the moment) The few people I know who've broken through the barrier have had their shot by word of mouth from a working pro on the A list who was nice enough to recommend a student. There are also some great teachers at The New School downtown.

 

But if you score a teacher on this level, be prepared to work your tail off every day for the next couple of years to build up your skills. It's not an easy market to break in and if you screw up a studio call the word will go out and you'll find it even harder to break in the next time. And it takes a minimum amount of hours as a union-card carrier (you'll need one in Manhattan) before you're qualified for health and pension benefits.

 

Oh, yeah, you'll need to be able to read sheets. The degree doesn't mean so much, but the ability to read what a producer or composer scratches out on paper is required. And never, ever show up late to a studio call, especially in NYC.

 

Having said all that, I wish you the best of luck. You may be the one we all read about in Bass Player Magazine in a few years. Meanwhile, hang out with us here...

[maxwell roach]

Thanks everyone! Have a couple of questions from your replies, though:

What is an SABDDI (see Rick Hoffman's post)?

What is the "New School" downtown (in NYC or Albany?(see Fred the Bassman's post)?

 

It sounds like, other than acquiring all the skills, I would need to network through contacting studios and taking lessons from current studio musicians. My current bass teacher believes that if I graduate from a good music school, having done very well, that I would get my contacts with studios that way. What do you guys think?

 

Thanks again.

[maxwell roach]

Also, thanks for the positivity and professionalism that I don't get on many online forums!

[g.]

There's a huge amount of people coming out of schools like Berklee and they still have to put their pants on one leg at a time when it comes to getting onto studio call lists. The schools' main purpose is to give structured training, and the contacts may or may not mean beans - actually such schools are often good to get onto the road with a band of monster players if you are one too, though.

 

Do not underestimate the skills, the mindset, and the determination/persistence and luck needed to get into a top call list.

 

A small local scene can be a lot different; if you are the best-equipped person around in a small pool you can do a lot of radio jingles and local TV spots, and play on recordings for aspiring musicians. But for the most part the pay in such a scene is only so-so or worse. Augment that with teaching and you can just about make a living if you stay real busy.

 

This is not to discourage. But if you couldn't find a post from a few days ago, realize that persistence and methodology and reading/glancing skills are going to be demanded ; }

[Whacked]

Lots of good peeps here

 

SABDDI - SansAmp Bass Driver DI, made by Tech 21. excellent piece of equipment

[g.]

A lot of better studios and engineers are going to laugh or roll their eyes at the Sans Amp. It certainly is not something that figures highly into determining a favorable career for a studio bassist ; }

[maxwell roach]

"This is not to discourage. But if you couldn't find a post from a few days ago, realize that persistence and methodology and reading/glancing skills are going to be demanded ; }"

 

Computer skills vs. bass playing skills, understanding how a new internet site works vs. sight reading music, and playing melodies based on flying through chord charts, etc., etc. are very different things! I realize that having a masters in psychology, and having gone to a rigorous grad school, doesn't necessarily make me more likely to become a successful session bassist!

Thanks for your info,

Max

[Max Valentino]

A lot of good advice passed here. I wish you a lot of luck...which, in the nd, is what you need.

Jememy and greenboy both listed some very good points.

 

I have been a session player in LA...and the "scene" ain't what it used to be. In fact, it has all but dried up. Session playing in the not so distant future will not be the somewhat romaticized picture of a player floating from studio to studio; from session to session. Many, in fact most, of the big studios are either downsizing significantly or closing up shop as the affordablity of new technologies has made it possible, and in fact desirable, for an artist/production team to take a small portable setup to a "location" for recording (in a less stress-filled, and expensive environment) rather than book blocks of time in a rather sterile, yet impressive (often to the point of being intimidating) studio environment. Sure, there will always a be a few A list studios (A&M...which I think just sold and is being liquidated) Oceanside et al), but for the most part your best bet is to find connections with production companies, engineers and "project studios". Certainly, the money will be less, but there will be work.

In LA even film work is hard to come by as a lot of post production work is not sent off to Canada where the film companies are not tied by the plethora of union-wage workers which are insisted upon by Hollywood (but, oddly enough, Canadian law dictates that only Canadian musicians be employed for film score work).

 

NY is a hard market to break...and there is jingle work (but most is consumed by a handful of well tested and seasoned players), and, of course, this does not apply to Nashville, where the recording studio biz will always continue to flourish...but, in Nashville, even the men's room attendants have demo deals, and everyone is a good player.

 

Not to say it cannot be done....but the glory days of studio work are long gone now.

 

Regional markets are much more "do-able", tho' smaller in scale. And, every region has their advertsing/jingle market. contact some ad agencies...or make note of some decent tv ads which feature music and ask the advertiser who handles their accounts. You mat find yourself tracking to protools out of someone's renovated bedroom or shop space...but it is work. Welcome to the glamourous life of a professional musician.

 

Oh, as to the SABDDI...yes, a lot of people like them ( I am not one of those), and a lot of professional recording engineers wil grimmace if you take one out on a session (and don't even think of using a POD...). In studio work, one always defers to the discretion of the engineer. Almost every studio, even small project studios, worth their salt (i.e. those doing "professional calibre" work---and a great deal do not work at this level!) will have DIs, mic pres, eqs etc which are of higher quality than what most bass players have in their rigs...and they are units which the engineers have spent hours and hours learning how to use well and effciently. Don't get too hung up on your gear. You are usually hired for your skill and not your "sound".

 

Max

[ATM]

My two cents from the other thread.

 

My buddy Joe is planning on going this route. He's currently up to 3-4 hours a day practicing. Of course, he does have a music degree, and he's damn good to start with.

 

Knowledge of different styles, from basic root, iv, v, to pop & slap, to latin rhythm, well you get my point. Be versatile, be confident.

 

A knowledge of the different musical notations, and a knowledge of music theory come in very handy. Practice your sight reading.

 

Wouldn't hurt to play upright, and ugh more than 4 strings could come in handy.

 

As far as educational credentials go, doesn't matter if you have a PHD, if you don't have the skills, they still won't call you back. Maybe more of real life should be more like that...

 

Anyway, I've covered a few points, let's see what the real session players say. *

 

ATM

 

*When posted in the other thread, there had only been one other post that slipped in ahead of me.

[maxwell roach]

Wow,

Thanks for all your insight. Thanks to Greenboy, Mr. ATM, and Max especially for all your knowledge.

 

Everyone's post rings true, but I will find a way to make money doing what I love some how! Just might not be according to my original plans...

Max

[jeremy c]

Max,

 

If your teacher starts recommending you to sub for him on gigs that would be an indication that you are going in the right direction.

[Fred TBP]

Originally posted by maxwell roach:

What is the "New School" downtown (in NYC or Albany?(see Fred the Bassman's post)?

The New School (located in the Greenwich Village area of downtown Manhattan) was one of the first universities that tailored educational alternatives for adults and working people.

 

for more information click on these links:

--New School home page

--the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music

 

BTW, NYU is also in Greenwich Village, and they also have great adult education programs in music and the arts.

--link to NYU home page

 

And if you're ready to commit a few years of your life without moving too far away from home, there's also Berklee (Boston, MA). I've been honored to play with a couple of their graduates, and they are everything they say they are. They are the Annapolis of music schools in the East coast, and they WILL work you hard!

--Berklee home page

[GTRBass]

I hate to tell ya, but there is no longer a session business per se for just about anyone. I was a session player in LA for several years, mostly as a ghost player. Those days are all but gone because of protools, etc.

 

Today's journeyman bassists are mostly live/touring players who also do records. Think Tony Levin, or Justin Meldal-Johnsen as examples. Even guys like Will Lee and Nathan East are journeymen. They don't do strictly studio work, because there isn't as much to go around as there used to be.

[Nicklab]

Great points from a number of posters here. Obviously, your playing ability has to be up to snuff. That includes being tasteful, mastering a number of styles, etc. It's all been said.

 

So how do you come across the opportunity to get work? First and foremost you need to be actively playing in a good music scene. Get as many gigs as you can so that you can get some live work first and foremost. Is this studio work? Nope. But it's your introduction to a music scene. What do you do next? Get to know as many bandleaders, singer-songwriters, soundmen, recording engineers and producers as possible. These are the people who are either going to hire you or refer you for work.

 

The next thing to keep in mind is being prepared when you meet people like this. You should have at least one if not all of these things available: a resume of gigs and recordings, a business card or a demo. Think of it like you're trying to get a job. Because in fact, you are! I work in television, and it's pretty standard for freelancers to have business cards, resumes and even a demo reel for prospective clients. The same goes for a session player.

 

Next comes the real devil in the details. Money. Are you going to get enough work to support yourself? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the player's in the Musician's Union will rate somewhere around $300+ for a 3 hour session. Some guys can demand more, but they're also the first call people and that's really another topic. My point though is that with the advent of so many smaller project studios there isn't anywhere near as much work for union scale musicians. Hence the pay isn't there. Case in point, a singer-songwriter who's a friend of mine called in a 3 piece horn section to play on his record. He got them for less than scale, paying out $250 per man. They played for about 3 hours, and where were they headed afterward? A live gig. Fact is that live work is probably going to help you pay the bills more than session work. Your best bet is to keep an open mind about the subject.

[GTRBass]

Here's the hard truth: Making a living is very difficult no matter where you are in the food chain. AFM scale is roughly $110 hr, but steady work is not there.

 

The bread and butter for session players was not record dates, but jingles and Film/TV work. The majority of that is done with synths and samples/loops now, particularly for rythym section parts. Orchestra dates are largely done offshore too save on costs. There is still work out there but it is a fraction of what it was 10-20 years ago.

 

Lots of people have the mentality "I want to make a living from music and nothing else" due to their passion for it. The truth is that it's next to impossible, even for signed artists to make a living wage. Don't make the mistake of thinking "If I work harder to be the best I can be it will happen." Your competition for work isn't other players with greater skills. You would have to change what are now basic paradigms in the music industry to see an increase in available work or wages, and you can't change the world to suit your desires.

 

I am a Berklee educated musician. I have been in LA for 20 years. I have been in three major label acts. I even have some gold and platinum record credits. I don't make all of my living solely from music. Is it because I'm not good enough? Hardly, trust me. I keep company with some very serious and famous players even to this day.

 

I'm not bitter, I'm a realist. I have a wife, two kids and a dog. They want a decent home to live in. (Sooner or later, you do all the grown up things like have a family.)

 

If you really want to make a living from music, you will have to be diversified, and there are many compromises. You will need to be very flexible. You can do whatever session work comes your way, but you'll also need to play live gigs that pay. That means weddings, casuals, or corporate gigs. On those gigs you will be musical wallpaper in a tux, playing lame cocktail jazz to uninterested patrons making small talk, or worse, to drunken grandma Sofie in her wheelchair, asking you to play "Yellow rose of Texas" one more time. You might have to work in a music store, or teach kids how to play. You might have to be an employee of a musical instrument manufacturer. There is no shame in making an honest living, no matter what capacity that is.

 

If your dream is to be Will Lee, or Neil Stubenhaus, they'll be the first to tell you to forget it. Those days are in the past. There was a bubble from about 1962 through 1982, where the standard was to put a great chart in front of a bunch of great players in a room and that's how you made a commercial, or film score, or a record. Trust me, those old days are never coming back. Just like the days of Stax, Motown or Muscle Shoals, we can pine for the era when greatness existed, but that will not change how it is now.

[g.]

Thanks for sharing, GTRBass. It's pretty much what I would expect having read many trade mags, interviews, etc, and having been in on the project studio boom when that first became a force in the market. Anyone who questions your statements merely need to think about it when looking at film credits, album credits, and when busting their hump doing many different things to survive while trying to become a studio cat with a studio tan ; }

[abaguer]

I just did a gig recently with Jerry Friedman who was a guitarist in the New York session scene in the seventies. He worked with Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson, played on Tie a Yellow Ribbon and hundreds, if not thousands of other songs, etc. etc.

 

I was picking his brains about the session scene and he was telling me how he got in at just the right time, did a ton of work in a seven year period, didn't snort, inject, smoke or drink his money and lived off his earnings for about 17 years, albeit frugally. With a resume like his, he now finds it very difficult getting anywhere near the calls he used to get. The reason is the scene is very small and there just is nowhere near the work there used to be. Remember the session heyday was before midi.

 

He told me a story of running into Anthony Jackson on the street in manhattan a few years after the sesssion scene had died down, and that in their reminiscing they both thought the scene would last forever.