Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 61

other social media portals are amazing tools
to connect with a larger audience.

What is your advice on how to be taken
professionally in the music industry?
Show up on time.
Have a good attitude.
Prepare by learning the music.
Practice.
Be as proficient as you can be at your
instrument.
Have good business sense.
Treat your band mates with respect.
Have gratitude for the people that come to see
you perform.
Have fun.
Love what you do.

What is your take on endorsements?
In general, I think endorsements are a
wonderful thing for both the company and for
the musician. Ideally, it’s a perfect symbiosis
where both parties gain some sort of support
from the other.

What do you wish someone had told you
when you were first getting started?
I wish I had known the importance of
establishing good practice habits from
the beginning. A few years back, I took Kai
Eckhardt’s mentorship program where you
have to practice for 108 days in a row for
a minimum of a half hour a day. Once I got
into the habit, I was logging 3-5 hours a day
at times. It totally changed my playing, my
relationship to music and my relationship to
my instrument. I’m thankful I understand the
power of that sort of commitment now, but I
wish I had known earlier.

Any advice for other females interested
in getting started on the bass?
I have about 25 students I teach and my advice
to each of them is the same regardless of
whether they are male or female. First, figure
out what your goals are. Do you want to play
folk songs in your local coffee shop or tour with
a fusion band? Is this a hobby or an intended
profession? Obviously, you would approach
those goals totally differently.

As a freelance musician, how has the
advancement of social media affected
your ability to market yourself and help
network?
Social media has really enabled musicians
to have more control over their career. Being
able to promote yourself and your music
through Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud and

I do believe it’s important as a musician to love
the gear you are endorsing. I personally feel so
thankful for the relationships I’ve made with
GHS Strings, Fender, Marleaux, Sadowsky,
MONO, West Coast Pedal Boards, Providence
and EMG pickups. I feel extremely blessed and
I love my gear.

So… First, figure out your goals. Second, make
a practice plan on how to reach them. Third,
stick to the plan. Consistency is everything.
Finally, be sure to keep it fun and don’t be too
hard on yourself. There are enough people that
will have that covered. ;-)
What can we look forward to from you
in the coming year?
The rest of this year is chalked full of some
pretty sweet stuff. I am super excited to
announce that I am coming out with my first

bassmusicianmagazine.com | aug 2014 | #bassmusicianmag | the face of bass

musically the right fit for a band, because of
my professionalism and because of my chops.