Saw this listed, and as a lark thought I'd see what "secret skills" I was in store for. I've been performing for over 50 years in everything from 3.2% beer joints, to concert halls, to orchestra pits, to concert halls and expected this to actually be tripe. My biggest comment is that this IS NOT only for bassists. The info you share here is REAL WORLD stuff that every member of every ensemble (or even a solo act) should understand prior to stepping out as a paid, professional musician. You definitely hit the nail on the head with this one. So much so, that I'm going to check out your other videos, even though I am a guitarist, not necessarily a bassist. I hope some folks out there were able to take your info and learn from it.
Another important, gig-ready requirement is to be likable and pleasant to work with. No one wants to hire a prima donna or put up with some curmudgeon. You don’t need to be a suck-up or like some overly cheerful Disney employee but aim to be friendly, a team player and relatively ego-free If you’re able to leave a positive impression where you go, repeat work will follow.
Now I‘m feeling really old. Back in my day bass players were only gigging bass players, because we all started playing in a band while learning our instruments on the fly. 😀 And I know the comment to smile more. I always answered that‘s my concentrating face I need to make the best music for the audience.
Open mic nights are awesome for training your ear and building your playing skills. You never know who you'll be playing with or what style of music you'll be playing. But I think one of the most important things to do if you want to play good paying gigs is check your ego at the door and be as professional as you can be.
Totally Oletta - you can learn a ton from playing at open mics, especially if you don't know the songs that get played. And you're on point about leaving the ego at the door as well. Thanks for the insights.
Luke, thanks for the reminder that while it's all about the music, the music is about the people. How to fit my music skills in with others in different contexts is critical knowledge that you dropped in your usual engaging and accessible style!
Great information. I know I need to smile more for sure. As an event DJ as well as a bass player, I certainly understand song selection. It's just a good Idea to start with well known songs and most bands will be ok. You know you have a good set when you can get people dancing.
I agree with most of what you say. What I do have a problem with is the notion of playing tunes punter want to hear. When I first started working bands played what they thought was cool & if the punters liked it you were successful. In recent years the catch phrase 'play what the people want to hear' has become the golden rule leading to everyone playing the same list of tired tunes - usually badly. I am not saying that appropriate music is not important but for the sake of music as an art form it has to keep moving forward otherwise why wouldn't the punters just play their iPod?
Sometimes there are festivals that allow for contributing starting bands to play. Back in the eighties I opened for a small Christian rock festival with a band l had put together. I had taught the bassist and second guitarist. We had worked together for about a year prior and we did a five song set if I remember correctly that was only one cover (or two?) and we had original material too. We weren't all that good but it surprised me how much positive response we received.
Thanks Luke. That makes a lot of sense. You mention changing song selection to suit the crowd so I assume you have to have a quite extensive song repertoire before even auditioning. Do you have any guidelines regarding what songs, how many etc you should know?
Good question Chris. As far as what songs to know, it depends on what kind of music you're playing and also where you live. Lots of places have songs that don't get played a lot in other places, but there's also usually a lot of overlap in song lists. As far as how many, obviously more is better, as long as you know them well. I'd probably know thousands of songs by now, but that's because I've been doing this seriously for more than a decade now - you don't have to start with thousands. Start with whatever you have right now and keep learning new songs and adding them to your personal list.
Thanks Luke. I happened to go to a party with a covers band last night. It was a 50th so lots of 70's & 80's danceable hits (Jackson 5 etc). It was useful to hear their setlist and how they had tailored it for the gig.
Absolutely Chris! I'm always trying to learn things from different bands that I see. The 70's and 80's setlist would be perfect for a 50th. All the songs that came out then would have been part of that age group's nostalgia years.
I totally agree with you. Just my point of view: Musicians are not like chameleons, or at least not that flexible. Some are good entertainers, some are good in reading music, . . . but a very few number of players are that flexible. I think if someone is that professional, or flexible in all different aspects of playing and perorming music, this lucky guy or girl will either share the stage with the big names or is caught in a TOP 40 band playing weddings on the weekend and jazz and "Pub" repertoire during the week ;-)
Hello, Luke. I've come seeking guidance again and I would love your opinion if you have the time and desire to clue me in. This one is kind of ambiguous and I don't think there will be a simple answer for it. I have recently started gigging again and I am with a group that has been established for some time. A lot of the performances lately have had soundmen provided by the venue. I keep running into a conflict where the soundmen do not dial me in in a way that I find acceptable. Mainly that they don't seem to have any understanding of how to create a balanced sound on bass guitar. What I'm running into is that many of them seem to think that the way to EQ a bass is to turn the lows all the way up and ignore the rest. So I end up with thunderous, farty lows and inaudible mids & highs. Whenever I try to request that they take away some lows and give me some mids they just turn me down because I guess I offend them? Anyways. This is turning out to be a real problem and I'm not sure how to remedy it. I get aggravated and don't enjoy my nights like I would like to. Surely this is a common problem amongst working musicians so maybe you can help me figure this out?
This is a tricky one Scott. Unfortunately, there's no one simple answer that will work 100% of the time. One thing to be aware of is that the sound you hear onstage might not be the same kind of sound that is pumping out the front. In fact, the standing wavelengths of many bass notes are many meters long, so unless you've got a super long lead and can go out the front, it's going to be hard to gauge how it really sounds to the audience. There's a certain amount of trust that you have to put in the sound people. One thing you could do is just treat your on stage amp as a monitor and let them take care of how to deal with that sound out the front. Get a sound that you're happy with onstage, and then have them send that signal to the front of house. When they do that, I'm guessing they're pumping it through their own system, which is probably a lot bigger and more powerful than your amp alone. They might be running multiple subs that boost the low end of your sound, and this could be made even worse depending on the type and size of venue you're in. If it's a small space, then the low frequencies will just bounce around all over the place and probably feel pretty bad. When you ask to turn down the lows, you will get less volume - it's probably not got anything to do with you offending anyone (unless you're asking in a rude way, which I'm guessing isn't the case). Another thing you could do is be specific about which frequencies you want to take out. Saying take out some 'lows' is kind of vague. It could be anything from 40Hz to maybe 1kHz, depending on who you're taking too. But if you asked for them to bring down around the 100Hz range, that's more specific. You could even ask if they have a high pass filter that you could set at a certain frequency. If you have the means, you could play around with your own high pass filter so those sub frequencies never actually get sent to the front of house at all. It kind of goes without saying, but always be nice and friendly to the sound engineers you work with. Even if some aren't very good at their job, they have the power to truly mess with you if they want to, so I always make it a point to remember their name when I meet them, and frame everything I ask as a request, not a demand.
@@BecomeABassist Thank you very much, Luke! I'll definitely be looking into understanding those specific frequencies. The next 4 gigs have a good soundman so I won't have to worry with it for a while. Keep being great, Luke. I know you don't get to see most of it, so just know that you are helping people. Quietly thumping away in their rooms, striving ever forward.
No worries at all mate :) Used to play bass but haven't for about 8 years, getting a new one in the new year and will really throw myself into it. Are you on facebook / instagram / twitter at all? @@BecomeABassist
Luke is a pretty fit-looking dude. I wonder if looking good without a shirt is a conscious part of his presentation strategy? Or is it just about being healthy or picking up chicks? Just curious! :)
Saw this listed, and as a lark thought I'd see what "secret skills" I was in store for. I've been performing for over 50 years in everything from 3.2% beer joints, to concert halls, to orchestra pits, to concert halls and expected this to actually be tripe. My biggest comment is that this IS NOT only for bassists. The info you share here is REAL WORLD stuff that every member of every ensemble (or even a solo act) should understand prior to stepping out as a paid, professional musician. You definitely hit the nail on the head with this one. So much so, that I'm going to check out your other videos, even though I am a guitarist, not necessarily a bassist. I hope some folks out there were able to take your info and learn from it.
Another important, gig-ready requirement is to be likable and pleasant to work with. No one wants to hire a prima donna or put up with some curmudgeon. You don’t need to be a suck-up or like some overly cheerful Disney employee but aim to be friendly, a team player and relatively ego-free
If you’re able to leave a positive impression where you go, repeat work will follow.
Seconded!
Now I‘m feeling really old. Back in my day bass players were only gigging bass players, because we all started playing in a band while learning our instruments on the fly. 😀 And I know the comment to smile more. I always answered that‘s my concentrating face I need to make the best music for the audience.
Open mic nights are awesome for training your ear and building your playing skills. You never know who you'll be playing with or what style of music you'll be playing. But I think one of the most important things to do if you want to play good paying gigs is check your ego at the door and be as professional as you can be.
Totally Oletta - you can learn a ton from playing at open mics, especially if you don't know the songs that get played. And you're on point about leaving the ego at the door as well. Thanks for the insights.
Luke, thanks for the reminder that while it's all about the music, the music is about the people. How to fit my music skills in with others in different contexts is critical knowledge that you dropped in your usual engaging and accessible style!
Great information. I know I need to smile more for sure. As an event DJ as well as a bass player, I certainly understand song selection. It's just a good Idea to start with well known songs and most bands will be ok. You know you have a good set when you can get people dancing.
For sure John! If it's that kind of gig, a full dance floor is the #1 thing I'm looking to get by the end of the night.
I agree with most of what you say. What I do have a problem with is the notion of playing tunes punter want to hear. When I first started working bands played what they thought was cool & if the punters liked it you were successful. In recent years the catch phrase 'play what the people want to hear' has become the golden rule leading to everyone playing the same list of tired tunes - usually badly. I am not saying that appropriate music is not important but for the sake of music as an art form it has to keep moving forward otherwise why wouldn't the punters just play their iPod?
Sometimes there are festivals that allow for contributing starting bands to play. Back in the eighties I opened for a small Christian rock festival with a band l had put together. I had taught the bassist and second guitarist. We had worked together for about a year prior and we did a five song set if I remember correctly that was only one cover (or two?) and we had original material too. We weren't all that good but it surprised me how much positive response we received.
Yeah spot on mate
Thanks friend!
Thanks Luke. That makes a lot of sense. You mention changing song selection to suit the crowd so I assume you have to have a quite extensive song repertoire before even auditioning. Do you have any guidelines regarding what songs, how many etc you should know?
Good question Chris. As far as what songs to know, it depends on what kind of music you're playing and also where you live. Lots of places have songs that don't get played a lot in other places, but there's also usually a lot of overlap in song lists. As far as how many, obviously more is better, as long as you know them well. I'd probably know thousands of songs by now, but that's because I've been doing this seriously for more than a decade now - you don't have to start with thousands. Start with whatever you have right now and keep learning new songs and adding them to your personal list.
Thanks Luke. I happened to go to a party with a covers band last night. It was a 50th so lots of 70's & 80's danceable hits (Jackson 5 etc). It was useful to hear their setlist and how they had tailored it for the gig.
Absolutely Chris! I'm always trying to learn things from different bands that I see. The 70's and 80's setlist would be perfect for a 50th. All the songs that came out then would have been part of that age group's nostalgia years.
I totally agree with you. Just my point of view: Musicians are not like chameleons, or at least not that flexible. Some are good entertainers, some are good in reading music, . . . but a very few number of players are that flexible. I think if someone is that professional, or flexible in all different aspects of playing and perorming music, this lucky guy or girl will either share the stage with the big names or is caught in a TOP 40 band playing weddings on the weekend and jazz and "Pub" repertoire during the week ;-)
Own a tux or at least a nice black suit with shiny shoes for the higher paying classier gigs.
Absolutely Ian. Matching your clothes to the expectations of the gig is definitely important too. Thanks for the comment.
Hello, Luke. I've come seeking guidance again and I would love your opinion if you have the time and desire to clue me in. This one is kind of ambiguous and I don't think there will be a simple answer for it.
I have recently started gigging again and I am with a group that has been established for some time. A lot of the performances lately have had soundmen provided by the venue. I keep running into a conflict where the soundmen do not dial me in in a way that I find acceptable. Mainly that they don't seem to have any understanding of how to create a balanced sound on bass guitar.
What I'm running into is that many of them seem to think that the way to EQ a bass is to turn the lows all the way up and ignore the rest. So I end up with thunderous, farty lows and inaudible mids & highs. Whenever I try to request that they take away some lows and give me some mids they just turn me down because I guess I offend them?
Anyways. This is turning out to be a real problem and I'm not sure how to remedy it. I get aggravated and don't enjoy my nights like I would like to. Surely this is a common problem amongst working musicians so maybe you can help me figure this out?
This is a tricky one Scott. Unfortunately, there's no one simple answer that will work 100% of the time.
One thing to be aware of is that the sound you hear onstage might not be the same kind of sound that is pumping out the front. In fact, the standing wavelengths of many bass notes are many meters long, so unless you've got a super long lead and can go out the front, it's going to be hard to gauge how it really sounds to the audience. There's a certain amount of trust that you have to put in the sound people.
One thing you could do is just treat your on stage amp as a monitor and let them take care of how to deal with that sound out the front. Get a sound that you're happy with onstage, and then have them send that signal to the front of house.
When they do that, I'm guessing they're pumping it through their own system, which is probably a lot bigger and more powerful than your amp alone. They might be running multiple subs that boost the low end of your sound, and this could be made even worse depending on the type and size of venue you're in. If it's a small space, then the low frequencies will just bounce around all over the place and probably feel pretty bad.
When you ask to turn down the lows, you will get less volume - it's probably not got anything to do with you offending anyone (unless you're asking in a rude way, which I'm guessing isn't the case).
Another thing you could do is be specific about which frequencies you want to take out. Saying take out some 'lows' is kind of vague. It could be anything from 40Hz to maybe 1kHz, depending on who you're taking too. But if you asked for them to bring down around the 100Hz range, that's more specific. You could even ask if they have a high pass filter that you could set at a certain frequency. If you have the means, you could play around with your own high pass filter so those sub frequencies never actually get sent to the front of house at all.
It kind of goes without saying, but always be nice and friendly to the sound engineers you work with. Even if some aren't very good at their job, they have the power to truly mess with you if they want to, so I always make it a point to remember their name when I meet them, and frame everything I ask as a request, not a demand.
@@BecomeABassist
Thank you very much, Luke! I'll definitely be looking into understanding those specific frequencies. The next 4 gigs have a good soundman so I won't have to worry with it for a while.
Keep being great, Luke. I know you don't get to see most of it, so just know that you are helping people. Quietly thumping away in their rooms, striving ever forward.
awesome video luke :)
Cheers PJ - I'm glad you liked it.
No worries at all mate :) Used to play bass but haven't for about 8 years, getting a new one in the new year and will really throw myself into it. Are you on facebook / instagram / twitter at all? @@BecomeABassist
I do have an Instagram account, but I barely use it, and it's none of the bass lesson stuff. My handle on there is @lukemcintosh89
@@BecomeABassist Cool thanks man, ill give you an add there.Your vids are deffo making me look forward to re learning the bass again :)
If you're sitting in with a band you do not get to pick the music
Luke is a pretty fit-looking dude. I wonder if looking good without a shirt is a conscious part of his presentation strategy? Or is it just about being healthy or picking up chicks? Just curious! :)
It's much easier to get fit and healthy by picking up weights instead of 'chicks'
Luke from Become A Bassist r/murderedbywords
Bassist counts to four, lol