how to become a session musician?

thelookout

First of all i'm not naiive. I know its difficult to get your foot in the door as a session player. I have been playing guitar for 12 years now and i get a lot of praise from fellow musicians and friends as to how good i am (not trying to sound big headed there).

I was just wondering if anyone can give me advice on how to become a session player or to start making a real living from playing around with artists etc.

If there are any session players who regularly post here, any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

rcaz

I'd be interested in hearing this too. Could be a cool/useful thread.

Owen

Get talking to your local recording studio for a start, offer your services as a session musician and take it from there. I've only played on a handful of stuff so far, but it's been a great feeling to be part of something you think will hit it big.

Grolschevik

At a guess:

Versatile and varied gear. The ability to play convincing funk in the morning, blues in the afternoon and metal in the evening (ie ability in a wide range of styles).

And being able to sight read probably can't hurt...

Rigsby

Perhaps I'm wrong here, but I'd guess that being able to sight read on the fly is a must for a session musician ? I have read of session musicians being called to the studio at short notice and a chart put in front of them. They might have a short space of time to look over the chart, before the recording light goes on. Often, they would not have previously met their fellow musicians on a particular recording session, let alone rehearse with them. This requires a high proficiency level. Also, he/she would have to be comfortable playing music like C/W to contemporary jazz and everything in between.

Granted, the above scenario may not happen on a regular basis, but it is part and parcel of the job.

Rigsby

Grolschevik wrote: »

And being able to sight read probably can't hurt...

You beat me to it. IMO a must, for the complete session musician.

Grolschevik

Rigsby wrote: »

Perhaps I'm wrong here, but I'd guess that being able to sight read on the fly is a must for a session musician ? I have read of session musicians being called to the studio at short notice and a chart put in front of them. They might have a short space of time to look over the chart, before the recording light goes on. Often, they would not have previously met their fellow musicians on a particular recording session, let alone rehearse with them. This requires a high proficiency level. Also, he/she would have to be comfortable playing music like C/W to contemporary jazz and everything in between.

Granted, the above scenario may not happen on a regular basis, but it is part and parcel of the job.

+1.

While I've heard of session heads who can't sight read and get by with basic chord charts and talent, they tend to be players who already have an established reputation.

Rigsby

Grolschevik wrote: »

+1.

While I've heard of session heads who can't sight read and get by with basic chord charts and talent, they tend to be players who already have an established reputation.

Yeah, I have come across those too, but IMO they are not session musicians in the true sense of the word.

Rigsby

A quote from Wikipedia :


"Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders. The term is applied not only to those working in contemporary musical styles such as rock, jazz, country, R&B and pop but also classical music. Versatility is one of the most important skills of session musicians as they may have to perform in a range of different settings. Session musicians are expected to learn parts rapidly and be skilled in both sight reading and ear training.

Session musicians are used in any situation where musical skills are needed on a short-term basis. Typically session musicians are used by recording studios to provide backing tracks for other musicians in recording studios and live performances; recording for advertising, film and television; or theatrical productions.

The terms "session musician" and "studio musician" are now synonymous, though in past decades the latter term more typically described musicians who were associated with a particular record company or recording studio"



Notice that classical music is mentioned too.

Chazz Michael Michaels

Normally required is the ability to:

a) Read music

and

b) Play more than one instrument to a high level


I have known session musicians and guys who tried to be one, and this is the feedback I get.

ElectricTaurus

when I was in Pulse during the first year we met two Session musicians, bassist and drummer lecturing on their respective instruments and their work.

The must for the job is sight reading music, most of the time these guys never heard the tune/arrangement. High end gear is the second requirement.

The guys were amazing players with different collaborations and hundreds of recording hours under their belt.

I'll say a good starting point is to go around and ask studios if they need any session studio musician, even if bigger studios like Windmill have already their own guys.

cathal02

I've only played in three sessions so no expert here, but here are my two cents. (Guitar and Mandolin)

Start for free, experience is everything, forget bmus, dips or certificates, bands you've played with, you need studio time. It's worth it.

Give it 100%, don't ever leave a studio thinking you could of done better (though you'll never be 100% satisfied), this means prepare properly, give everything it's due attention, it will stand to your own playing if even if you consider it beneath you. Engineer will remember you if you do this and try and get it in under 3 takes, time is money for whoever hires you, even if you're not being paid they are probably paying for studio time. Set up quick, don't mess about.

Nothing is beneath you. Grow up if you're not there already.

Everyone above who mentioned sight reading is spot on (for guitarists too!). Also get used to playing with headphones on, you may be sealed off in a room, everyone else may be unsighted, and you may have to play to a click track, practice with a metronome if you're not used to this, it will humble you if you haven't already.

Be friendly, and don't stress, it's important to relax, be focused, professional but try and relax and you need to get on with the 'artist' and the engineer.

Turn up 100%, not a time for rock and roll nonsense, Your gear and yourself in best condition Check your intonation, whatever instrument you play, if there's a decent engineer he'll be on top of that straight away. If guitar, mandolin have new strings fully stretched in, don't change them on the same day, two days before is good I think

You need to be in complete control of your sound

Don't overdo it, the session isn't about you. You can learn this the hard way or not, up to you.

Research a little about recording and studio work, general and pertaining to your instrument, don't expect the engineer to hold your hand, you're there to do a job

That might sound a bit harsh but reality is it is very enjoyable once you tick these boxes and if you can make a living doing anything involved with music, you can't complain about a bit of box ticking

Best of luck

CrimsonSounds

Echo a lot of what was said here - you need to think about what the customer wants in the first place. The session musician is a solution to a problem / challenge:

Proficiency in the instrument is an understood must, and therefore :

-Need to be quick and effective for whatever project is on the table.

-Probably require an ability to read music, and an ability to adapt to a genre / song within seconds / minutes.

However, that assumes that the people running the project are also proficient in writing music / notation for you.

This may not always be the case, and this is where a musical ear comes in. If you put on any song on any channel on the radio right now, could you for the most part jam to it with your chosen instrument within seconds, and almost 100% proficiently on a second listen ?

Ultimately, your service needs to fill a gap. A production team have a whole lot of elements that they need to take care of for the entire production - you will be giving them one less challenge to focus on by making their lives easier !

Des Claypool

One thing to add to all that is be dependable and reliable, thats huge!

bayles

I was a session player for quite a while (over 2 years) and made a nice living at it on and off although now im in a band full time . I fell into it by accident having been made redundant and at the same time not being able to find a permenant band .

To answer your question as best " I " can , The first thing i did was get a bloody good biog of yourself together and put everything in it all you have done right down to the type of equipment you use , plus a photo also . Bands wont know you from adam so they will want to know a bit about you .

The next thing i did was go online find email addresses for as many bands in Ireland as possible and get it off to them , im sure there is guys reading this who have come accross my Biog.

My biog was aimed at the cover band market although i found myself doing a bit of studio work for new acts.

What i found was coming towards the summer my phone was starting to go mad as Bass players (thats what i am) wanted to go on holiday and bands needed a replacement . If thats the scene you want to get into then an ability to learn alot of songs , around 30 or so very quickly is a must although what tends to happen after a while is that the same songs start reappearing so an ability to transpose if they are in different keys is a necessaty .

I can read music and in the time i was a session player i never once was asked to , a good ear goes a long way . This may also sound daft but an ability to drive and access to a car is a must unless you want to base yourself in dublin or some other city but all your doing is limiting your scope and you will find it hard to make a decent living .

As far as money goes your not on an even split with the band your on a wage (a set fee if you like) and this varys from musician to musician . I didint charge for rehearsal time although most guys do , I struck a deal for more work. Im not getting into rates here but it can vary from €200 to whatever you reckon your worth .

What i can tell you is it isint an easy living its very "sporadic" and with more and more guys out of work there is more people turning to music so the session scene is drying up

Hope this helps a bit if i think of anything else i will edit this post .

raindog.promo

Some great comments here, particularly #12 and #15.

postdarwin

I've done a little bit of session work but I know several other guys who have done a lot of it. One common way for people to get into this line is to come from a well known band -- not necessarily huge selling artist or anything, but one that has the respect of other musicians. It could even be a cover band -- simply having played with one of the big touring acts is a good indication of quality/reliability. Reputation is everything. All of the players I know continue to teach or run their own studios or play weddings or whatever. Not a lot of guys do this full time -- especially not in the last couple of years.

iamnothim

I've been on the session circuit for the last 5 years ish, mostly in a live sense, but a good bit of studio work too. I've worked with a lot of the biggest acts currently gigging. The musician scene in Ireland is notoriously small so it's pretty easy to get work once you get to know some people. I think there are 2 fundemental requirements. a) be relatively good at whatever you play and b) don't be a dick. Nearly all the gigs I've gotten have been through meeting other musicians socially and having a reputation for being able to deliver what's required. Always do your homework before a gig, if you gain a reputation for ****ups, it's very hard to shake.

iamnothim

another point to note. While I can read music and I was classically trained for around 15 years, I haven't been asked to do it once while sessioning. Also, someone with good groove and an ability to play appropriately will always get more gigs than a shredder/show off. Musicians who dominate performaces and dont give anyone else space get boring quickly.

Grolschevik

Another thing to note is that there's a whole range of "session" work, from depping in a wedding band to playing on Britney's next album.

That said, when I hear the term, I usually think first of album work.

There was an interesting feature on this in a recent issue of Guitarist, as well.

flyswatter

"Remote" session work is gaining popularity at the moment.

For example, a drummer has a home studio with his kit set up and mic'd up and the computer and software to record it.

Musician can send files over the internet and doesn't have to leave the house to do a days work.