Within the music industry session musicians are held to a very high standard and are expected to be able to quickly adapt to different situations and styles, whether that is in a studio learning and then recording a song or performing live. Most are expected to have some form of academic music qualification from university; however, many have also started their careers before they leave university. Due to the nature of this career, experience is invaluable, so previous work or examples of working in studios, playing live and writing parts for songs could be seen on a similar level of importance to actual academic degrees.
First and foremost, a session musician must be at a very high level on their instrument(s) so they are able to learn or write parts in a range of styles and genres at short notice and have the confidence to perform with said instrument in fitting with the rest of the performers. This applies to a range of different roles within a piece of music, as a session musician should be able to fit into whatever is needed – whether that be lead, rhythm or more ambient background. Sight reading is also a skill valued very highly, although notation is not always provided, whether that be actual sheet music, charts or tabs, as studio time is expensive and the general standard is very high among session musicians. Additionally, to be successful as a session musician, a good amount of knowledge is needed in regard to theory, your own instrument(s) and also sound design – possibly relating to guitar pedals or synths so that you can easily achieve a desired sound and be able to communicate with the people you’re working with fluently and professionally, helping to successfully achieve their vision. Due to the collaborative nature of this career, certain personal qualities are key to help build a positive reputation among potential clients; these entail being good at working with people, being reliable, perseverant, punctual as well as sensitive and respectful towards their artistic vision. In this area of the industry, networking and reputation are everything, so to be successful, you must match qualifications and skill with the previously mentioned other qualities so that you can be recommended to others and find more work. Good time management is an essential skill to have so you can maintain commitments whilst simultaneously having time to practise and find more work, as referenced by Jonathan Feist, who suggests musicians itemise “all that you are trying to do, ordered by priority”. Whilst the aforementioned skills are essential to getting work, it is also important that musicians are educated in regard to the legal and financial side of the industry, like contracts and different ways to monetise, so that they can support themselves and avoid ending up in a fractious scenario regarding payment or fulfilment of contractual obligations. On top of this, session musicians must be independent, as their work will mostly be spread across many different commitments; therefore, being able to travel freely with your equipment is essential, so a driver’s licence and car would probably be needed.
The duties of a session musician can vary but are primarily centred around recording written or writing parts in a studio setting and live performances or tours with an artist. Having a ‘portfolio career’ means that schedules for a session musician most likely will be filled with a variety of commitments which change throughout the year as you go through quieter and busier times where you’re either extremely busy performing and recording or spending most of your time searching for work – yet another reason why perseverance and good time management are crucial skills for a session musician. Within the broad category of recording work there are a range of different situations that a session musician might be expected to contribute to; in a studio recording sometimes they are given the music and song in advance or on the day, with or without sheet music/tabs/chord charts. They can also be asked to either play a specific prewritten part or be told to write a part in keeping with the rest of the song, sometimes given more detailed instruction than others. This links into the reasoning why session musicians must be extremely versatile in a range of different genres and styles so that they are able to help achieve the artistic vision of their client quickly and effectively. Whilst a lot of this recording work will most likely be in a studio setting, it is important to note that due to the digitisation of recording and the ease with which tracks can be sent, it could mean that the recording takes place at home, where you record a part yourself and send it over. The other main duty that fills up a session musician’s time is performing, often in a supporting role for a solo artist or a band; this is the majority of the time playing an arrangement or part for their pre-written songs. Similarly to recording work, the span of time in which to learn the songs can vary, as well as the possibility of receiving guide tracks or music notation (in some form). Regardless, session musicians are expected to have learnt the songs fully and be at ease with performing them in a variety of settings: from intimate gigs and festivals to long tours across countries or a live recording in a studio. Therefore, this leads onto another key aspect of a session musician’s duties within their schedule: practising and learning. Whilst fulfilling current obligations to a range of projects, they must also learn, develop and/or write parts for upcoming performances and recordings simultaneously to the point where they are confident in all the commitments they have made, which again demonstrates the importance of time management and efficiency within a practice routine and general work schedule. Additionally, it is important for them to keep progressing on their instrument(s) and general musical skills, focusing on areas of weakness and refining knowledge of different genres to allow themselves to take a wider range of opportunities, also possibly focusing on practices like production to give them a broader knowledge of sound design and techniques which would give them a greater ability to communicate ideas or achieve another artist’s vision. Finally, searching for further work takes up the remaining time on a musician’s work schedule, as the onus is on them to create more opportunities for themselves. This primarily involves advertising themselves through social media, possibly a website or networking.
Although a major part of finding more work as a session musician comes from word of mouth and reputation among members of the industry, it is also vitally important for success that you are able to successfully market yourself. In the modern era now, this is primarily online, whether through social media or more conventional means like websites. On either platform it is crucial to clearly show a portfolio of your work with a range of examples, like audio recordings or videos, that is accessible and demonstrates the full breadth of knowledge, styles and experiences you have so that more diverse opportunities become available. Whilst having a website would most likely be the best way to create a more professional and in-depth presentation of yourself, social media plays a more crucial role in promotion, as, by using it, you are able to reach far larger audiences. By regularly posting engaging short-form videos online as well as documenting your gigs or recordings in posts, session musicians can attract large amounts of viewers and people visiting their profile – which could lead to more work. To do this effectively, this could mean having the necessary equipment and skills to record yourself at a high level at home and also mix audio. Portfolio work should also feature on social media, but it is also valuable to demonstrate a range of skills, instrument(s) and examples of original music with obvious signs advertising yourself to other musicians or members of the industry. Additionally, many session musicians find work through a ‘fixer’ with the Musician’s Union or similar organisations as well as simply getting in contact with potential collaborators online or in person. Despite the importance of any form of promotion, a successful session musician is able to publicise their skills in their professionalism and reliability in their work, significantly increasing the likelihood of being recommended to others or being asked back by the same musicians.
Even after finding work opportunities, there are still a range of difficulties for session musicians with regard to financial and legal issues. Having a good understanding of contract law and agreements is vital for a session musician to be able to receive fair payment for their work and to understand the full scope of what they are committing themselves to, especially in the case of a long tour or reoccurring obligations. As previously mentioned, the income for session musicians is not a steady salary like other jobs, whilst this means that having to manage finances, especially through quiet periods with little work, is challenging. On top of this, they also do not have employment benefits like other jobs; this means that they do not receive paid holidays and have to manage their pensions themselves rather than it being paid in as part of their salary. Unlike artists, session musicians mostly do not receive steady income from royalties, as they are paid a flat fee for their time in the studio; therefore, even among other musicians in the industry, their income is even less reliable.
Being a session musician can create some problems, like lots of stress over a range of issues and potentially a loss of musical identity, which could cause burnout. The unreliability of income and opportunities for work can cause significant mental strain and possibly make some want to change profession; however, by diversifying your income by offering or doing a range of services like teaching, music production and arranging, it would be possible to create a more stable and sustainable financial situation. Outside of the purely financial side of things, the difficulties in finding work to do could also lead to a lack of motivation to find more work or keep progressing on your own skills, so it is important to network and promote yourself as much as possible so that you are doing everything you can to increase the chances of finding work. Finally, by solely playing other people’s music, live or in the studio, and focusing on achieving someone else’s artistic vision rather than your own repeatedly, it might be difficult to stay passionate about music if you are rarely focusing on your own. Therefore, it is important to maintain your own music in your free time and continue to write and play live music more in line with your own creative vision. Additionally, if possible, you could also seek out more session work that requires collaboration and input from session musicians, as opposed to just playing along to music notation of some form.
To start off with as a session musician, it is inevitable that you begin by building a portfolio of work, probably based off the connections you either already have or that you can find quickly. This is likely to be more home-based studio work or playing with smaller independent artists. From there more opportunities will become available to you through recommendations, better networking and also your expanded portfolio of work, on top of any that come through online promotion. On top of the usual jobs that session musicians fulfil, another way to further develop your career could be to learn other skills, possibly in relation to music production or teaching, for example, so that new areas of work become available to you. Another thing could be specialising in a genre or possibly a more niche style so that you could promote yourself as a specialist and thereby gain more work. Additionally, due to the constant evolution of technology within music, there will be far more opportunities for accessible career specialisms or opportunities, as seen by the significant impact DAWs have had on recording in the music industry, as commented on by Bruce Reid – “the environment of the large studio format…has lost its position of importance in the industry”. Therefore, whilst these previous technological progressions have helped make home recording far more accessible and thereby made opportunities for working with other artists far easier, it is important to note that for evolving career progression as a session musician, it is vital to keep up to date with and utilise the new technologies that become available, or otherwise risk falling behind.
Bibliography
Berklee (n.d.). Music Industry Career Roles – Berklee Online. [online] online.berklee.edu. Available at: https://online.berklee.edu/careers-in-music/roles/session-musician.
Bradfordcollege.ac.uk. (2019). What Is A Session Musician? – Finlay Mactaggart. [online] Available at: https://digitalspace.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/10577750/what-is-a-session-musician/.
Glasson, C. (2014). Earn Up to $100,000 Per Year Backing Other Musicians in Studio. [online] Careers In Music | Music Schools & Colleges. Available at: https://www.careersinmusic.com/session-musician/.
How (2022). How to Become a Session Musician | What Is A Session Musician? [online] Musiciansunion.org.uk. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/career-development/career-starter-kits/starting-out-as-a-session-musician.
ICMP. (2018). How to survive as a session musician. [online] Available at: https://www.icmp.ac.uk/blog/how-survive-a-session-musician.
Indeed Career Guide. (2024). Step-by-step guide on how to become a session musician. [online] Available at: https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-session-musician.
Leeds Conservatoire. (2024). Musicians’ Survival Guide: The Life of a Session Musician and Songwriter. [online] Available at: https://www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/about-us/news/musicians-survival-guide-the-life-of-a-session-musician-and-songwriter/.
McDowell, S.J. (2024). What a Day in the Life of a Studio Musician Is Like. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/the-riff/what-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-studio-musician-is-like-2b07c64b8ec1 [Accessed 7 Jan. 2026].
Musicians Union (2023). Session Musician Advice. [online] musiciansunion.org.uk. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/working-performing/recording-and-broadcasting/working-as-a-recording-session-musician.
Sessionstories.org.uk. (2026). Session Stories – London’s Session Musicians. [online] Available at: https://sessionstories.org.uk/interviews.html [Accessed 7 Jan. 2026].
Szekeres, N. (2023). How to Promote Yourself as a Session Musician. [online] Fusion-Bags.com. Available at: https://www.fusion-bags.com/blogs/news/how-to-promote-yourself-as-a-session-musician?srsltid=AfmBOop5_5ZOmvK4xpz4EDupHICRwi7xuw351UNhU0mn44UG3Fm3qbEN [Accessed 7 Jan. 2026].
UK Music (2020). Session Musician. [online] UK Music. Available at: https://www.ukmusic.org/job-profiles/session-musician/.
Reid, B. (2025) The session guitarist as a collaborator and arranger in the analogue and digital eras of recording. [15 December 2025)
Feist, J 2013, Project Management for Musicians : Recordings, Concerts, Tours, Studios, and More, Hal Leonard Corporation, Winona. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [20 December 2025].
