BASS
FLY ! FLY BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS ! | Gary Lunn
I played in the house band for a big conference recently . I was equally amazed as much by the artists who were very prepared as by the ones who were hardly prepared . As a studio musician and a live performer with forty-plus years of experience behind me , I say that I absolutely love what I am honored and privileged to do . But I could never have done 90 % of the jobs that I have been required to do without having been prepared for what was ahead of me . One should always ask themselves daily , “ Am I really prepared ?” and know the answer !
This reminds me of a story that I should probably tell about myself . I must confess that my 10 % ( or so ) of not being prepared in my career I can sum up in one story about a oneday , nine-hour tracking session experience that was somewhat terrifying , unforgettable , and invaluable , all at the same time .
I had been called to do a “ simul ” date ( a live session with bass , drums , guitar , piano , strings , horns , and percussion - recorded all at the same time !) which I had done many times before . Up until this particular session , the material was always pretty “ easy ” from a rhythm player ’ s standpoint . It always requiring my best ( of course ), yet the pressure was typically less because the music was usually straight-forward and fairly easy to read . The charts usually consisted of lettered chords over staves with occasional rhythms indicated and occasional bass lines written out for unison-line purposes .
However , the charts that I was having to read in this particular instance were a mixed bag of quirky variables that were put together in a most confusing ( for me ) way . It was fast paced 50 ’ s style music , all written notation ( bass clef ), no chords above the staves , and mostly written in actual sound ( below the staff ). Also , there were a lot of slurred lines written over bar lines ( anticipations , etc .). I was in deep trouble . My mind was racing . My first thought was “ I am definitely not prepared for this . I am truly the wrong guy for this session !” Being faced with that reality was one of the toughest things that I had ever encountered . My next thought was , “ I don ’ t want to be a time waster !” I thought this because I knew that I would be making way too many mistakes throughout the day and would be costing the client money ( try to imagine the per-hour cost for all that was going on ). And every time I had to do a “ punch ” ( a punch-in on my track - a fix ) I would be sitting there with everyone in the room watching me choke ... on all of my mistakes !
Please know that there are almost always a few “ musician ” mistakes in the room ; technical problems , chart errors , etc , but usually just a few - and I did not want to be the cause of many ! I even considered that maybe at the end of the day I could offer the producer an hour of all-expense payback as a refund , along with my paycheck , for my inadequacy ! Did I have that kind of money ? What should I do ?
Needless to say , the prayer , “ Lord help me ” went up from the bass chair many times during that first read-through . Unfortunately , my prayers were not answered . I probably played 10 % of the chart correctly ! It was bad , however , a tiny bit of confidence kicked in and I said to myself , “ I can do this !” So , we recorded the song and I did a little better . Then my prayers were answered as a golden opportunity presented itself . The session leader ( who was also the conductor ) said , “ Okay . Let ' s stack ( double ) the strings and horns . Percussion can do another part . Guitar can play an additional part . Does anyone want to redo their part on the stack ?” As the sun shone through the trees allowing me to have a third chance of getting it right , I replied , “ I ’ d love to redo my part please .” Each time through I had learned more , but I still didn ’ t get it all right and I knew I would have to punch a few spots . But then the miracle of all miracles happened as the leader uttered , “ The client wants me to triple the strings all day so let ' s do another pass . Any requests ?” I spoke up , though not too quickly , and said , “ I ’ d love to play this one more time . It ’ s just so much fun !” I know by now that you know exactly what that really meant . It meant “ The fourth time ’ s the charm !”
It was , even though the pressure had just started . The same scenario continued through the day , but as my confidence built I began to sight-read better as the charts came . Sometimes I would get a copy of the next song to practice through on my own as the strings doubled or tripled . I would also practice the next chart during the ten-minute break at the top of every hour . It was the single most stressful day of my career . But ... I made it through by the grace of God . I “ practiced ” reading notation a lot after that !
There are many morals to this story . Some of them are ; practice makes perfect , know your limits , study to show yourself approved , etc . The main one for me is this : Know who you are in the Lord and know that you can ask Him for help in your time of need and He will come through for you . Blessings to you all !
Gary Lunn Gary is a session player / producer / writer in Nashville , TN . He plays for many recording session accounts , does home recording and producing , and attends Grace Church ( gracechurchnashville . com ) in Franklin , TN . Email him for questions , comments or scheduling ... garylunn @ me . com