Jason discusses reasons why one may decide to back out of one gig in favor of another, and some of the hairy problems that this can cause down the road!
Bass News Right To Your Inbox!
Subscribe to get our weekly newsletter covering the double bass world.
Hi Jason! Good post, great thoughts. I have been giving this some thought lately, too. The freelance scene here in Philly is an even smaller one than Chicago and I’ve seen some people get into some hot water over subbing. I tend to weigh my options pretty carefully before subbing out, but if I do end up opting to sub out of something, I always try to give it at least three weeks notice and if possible, and supply some names of other horn players who may be available, depending on the gig or contractor. Another thing is that if its a group or contractor I don’t really know, I’ll ask around first to find out the possible repercussions of subbing out.
Oh the delicate balancing act of it all! Hope you are having a busy and lucrative springtime!
L.
In the non-orchestral world of freelancing we face similar dilemmas when deciding how to deal with the inevitable. You WILL get a call for a great job (excellent musicians, great pay, right down the street, three hours of pay for fifteen minutes of work, or some combination) for a time when you already have a, um, crap job of some sort in your book. Subbing out in my world comes down to these deciding factors:
1) Am I working for someone good who hires me a lot? I probably won’t sub out.
2) Can I replace myself with a very good player who passes muster with the contractor (not always the same list, right?) I’d never leave any leader high and dry; that IS unethical.
3) What kind of work do I want to nurture for the next stage of my career – ie, should I sub out of the kind of gig I’d rather not be doing for one that moves me into an area of the business I’d like to pursue, even if the “old” gig pays more?
I have subbed out of private engagements to play a theatrical show, for example.
Just some thoughts from the jazz/commercial end of things.
We should have a discussion about “phone ethics” among musicians sometime…