Session Musicians
I have chosen to research the role of a modern session musician. As a bass player myself, I will be basing this project on the role of a session bassist specifically. This role is evolving constantly with the advancement of technology and MIDI reducing the need for traditional musicians in some situations.
Session work originated in Nashville and Los Angeles during the 1950s (Savona, 2005). Since then, it has become common practice within the music industry with musicians being hired to record on songs for solo artists or other clients. This could range from commercial corporations wanting a jingle for an advertisement or film music and theatre work. Session musicians can also be hired for live performances in addition to studio recording sessions. The session scene used to be very localised with each city having its prominent go to musicians that would dominate in their area. Now the landscape has changed significantly with developments in technology increasing access to recording equipment allowing more musicians than ever to have home studio set ups for high quality recordings from home. This opened new opportunities for remote session work meaning you could now hire anyone in the world to play on your track. This changed the session game completely and increased competition dramatically as you were no longer only competing against the local names but also legends of the instrument who have active remote session work available for hire. Notable session bass players include names such as Carol Kaye, Pino Palladino and James Jamerson. Carol Kaye alone accounts for over 10,000 songs in which she has tracked bass on (Berkley College of Music, 2006). There are several skills that set these musicians apart and allowed them to be so successful and leave such an impression on the session industry. Carol Kaye was remarkably quick to write catchy melodic bass lines that often ended up being a defining characteristic of the song once completed.
In a standard session, the session musician is likely to be given either sheet music, a lead sheet or a chord chart. Typically, they will have never seen or heard this music before and will be required to quickly learn it on the spot and be able to execute it flawlessly. Studio sessions can vary greatly, sometimes the recording artist will have a very clear vision of what they want from you, even potentially requesting that you simply record in the same as the demo track with a real instrument compared to the MIDI demo. Other times you will be given more creative freedom and expression to interpret the track in your own way. This allows you to not only serve the song and complete your role but also feel what would enhance the track by offering unique ideas. This is why having a creative mindset is so important so that you are always ready to write interesting parts but also able to handle criticism and adjust your part in accordance with the artist or producers wishes even if you don’t like it. Different artists handle working with session musicians very differently. Some like to be in the studio with you and involved in every little detail while others will leave it to the producer to ensure that the session musician is given the proper guidance and produces an appropriate part. Some session work is done as a live recording with a full band, so it is essential that you can use your ears to react to the musicians around you and know your part well. Other times it can be a solo studio session where you are simply recording your part without the rest of the band present, in these scenarios you must make sure you play your part well and find the right spot for you to sit in the mix.
There are many important personal attributes required to have a successful career as a session musician. Firstly, you need to be nice and easy to work with. You also must be punctual, well prepared and well equipped. You must ensue you meet all your deadlines and have good management skills for remote session work. It is essential for session musicians to have a strong sound, good rhythm and a clean technique. A strong understanding of music theory to apply to any scenario and the ability to work under pressure is also crucial.
Bringing appropriate equipment is also to ensure you can deliver the right sound for any project. This includes considering what bass to bring to fit with whatever style music you will be playing. It is important to think about the pickup configuration which is why having a sizable array of basses which are tonally versatile is important as a session musician so that you can fit any song. Deciding what pedals if any are necessary is also important as tone is a huge part of your sound and effects can contribute heavily to your bass part. You should also consider the strings on your bass; some sessions might require the bright sound of roundwounds combined with a jazz bass while others want a more old-school feel which can be achieved by flatwounds on a P bass. Being proficient in using synth bass, double bass, fretless bass and acoustic bass can also increase your work opportunities. Being fluent in a variety of instruments can help increase your work opportunities as well.
There are two routes session musicians tend to go. You can either specialise in 1 genre and become so good at it that you create your own distinct and universally recognisable sound. Then people come to you specifically looking for your sound on their track. This can open a lot of opportunities within a niche. Another common direction for session musicians is to become an all-rounder. This requires extensive knowledge in many genres and a strong understanding of the role of the bass within each. You should be able to add your stamp to anything but always serve the song no matter what genre it is (ACM, 2019).
Promotion
As remote session work becomes more common websites such as Fiverr, Musiversal, Supreme Tracks, Soundbetter and Airgigs have become popular ways of finding work as a session musician. By offering your services on these platforms, clients can easily find you along with many other musicians which is why your self promotion is so important to ensure they choose to hire you. A concise description of who you are as a musician and what you offer along with a list of equipment you have available is a perfect start. Having your own website where you can display your digital portfolio including all your notable past projects and experiences that would make you appealing to potential clients as well as more detailed descriptions of who you are. Having contact details clearly accessible from the moment you click on your website is crucial to streamline the process for clients. Word of mouth can also be a great promotional tool for session musicians which is why it’s important to leave lasting good impressions with everyone you work with. Future jobs and opportunities can come from session work as the artists you work for may call you back again or even offer live performance work with them on tour.
In recent years, social media has become a huge asset for musicians so having a strong online presence will help direct more clients to you. Even posting little behind the scenes from each project you work on can catch people’s eyes and when they have a similar project going, they will think back to you and potentially hire you to play on their track. Posting videos of you playing over tracks and reminding people that you are still available for hire as a session musician can also keep consistent work coming your way.
Delivering above and beyond on every job is a great way to build a good reputation. High quality results invite more opportunities as your reputation will start to precede you bringing the work to you instead of needing to look for it yourself. Offering multiple takes, different variations and creative approaches to each section of a song for the producer to choose from is a good way to achieve this.
Adding videos if working remotely and providing fast delivery speeds is a great way to improve the quality of your work. Good communication is also essential, having strong back and forth conversations with the artist providing feedback that you can act upon to produce exactly what they are looking for will make artists eager to work with you.
Recording artists
While professional training is not necessary if you have sufficient musical talents, it will make you appear more reliable to potential clients. A degree can help improve your improv and composition abilities which are essential skills for session musicians. Being familiar in studios is also helpful and knowing what a producer or sound engineer wants from you so that you can make their job easier helps build a good reputation and relationship with other professionals. Understanding mic placement and signal flow can help when working in a studio and having the production skills required to utilise a DAW for home recording is also crucial.
It is essential that you conduct suitable research into a genre and style of music before each project to ensure you can fit the style and bring the artists vision for the song into reality. Artists often provide a reference album or a list of songs with details about which aspects they want you to draw inspiration from or replicate. Most session musicians are independent contractors so work is usually short term. This means that a session musician is usually working with many different clients at once. There are many people who would hire session musicians such as record labels, production companies, contractors, orchestras, big bands, MDs and solo artists. All of these come with different requirements (Uk Music,2020) .
When travel is required, it is usually considered the responsibility of the artist to cover transport expenses as well as accommodation, but it is important you discuss these terms before accepting the job.
Artists will often make you sign a Non-disclosure agreement when working on unreleased material to ensure that you don’t leak any details about their upcoming work. This is a safety measure… research
Session musicians must also fight with irregular hours and unstable workflow meaning you must be flexible and work your life around the job sometimes. Until you make a name for yourself, being a session musician brings with it a lack of financial security. You are also required to manage all your own taxes as a self-employed freelancer. This means it’s essential that you also have a good business head, this will come in handy when ensuring you get fair renumeration on all your work. To achieve this, you need to understand composition and performance rights as well as royalties. However often with session work you are treated as “work for hire” and get a flat rate for the work rather than royalties for the song (Indie Music Academy, 2021). However, if you can argue that your additions had significant and meaningful contributions to the song and its success then you should consider requesting some composition rights so you can claim royalties. The session industry can be hard to break into as you have to manage how much you charge for your work. You need to offer competitive and enticing prices so that you get work, but you can’t undersell your talents, or you will be overworking for little pay. Friends and family will often ask for favours or to play for free, but you must balance that with your need of an income. Eventually once you’ve made more of a name for yourself there will be more demand for your work allowing you to charge more for your services as people know your reputation and will be willing to pay more for the quality. This gives you more freedom to pick and choose which jobs are worth doing compared to the beginning where you pretty much have to accept every job that comes your way or you won’t be making enough money to live. Having a personal recommendation from an established session musician is a great way to kickstart your career. Cold calling and reaching out to local studios is also a great way to get your name out there (Indeed, 2022). These studios can then direct artists to you when they need a session musician. Being professional and building long lasting relationships is a great way to solidify your place in the session scene.
Session work can be a solid source of reliable income once you’ve built up a strong foundation of contacts and a good portfolio of past projects and experiences making you a reliable and enticing option for any client. This can be useful in conjunction with another source of income such as teaching.
Bibliography:
Paterson, I. (2024) – Personal Interaction – Zoom Call
Indie Music Academy. (2021) Music Royalties Explained – Accessible online https://www.indiemusicacademy.com/blog/music-royalties-explained
Berkley College of Music, (2006) – Berkley Welcomes Legendary Studio Bassist Carol Kaye. Available online: https://web.archive.org/web/20060910211751/http://www.berklee.edu/opi/2000/1018.html
Savona, A (2005) – Console Confessions – Accessible online – https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KIfrupI2_qsC&q=new+york+recording+scene+1960s&pg=PA36&redir_esc=y
Uk Music. (2020) – Session Musician – Available online: https://www.ukmusic.org/job-profiles/session-musician/
Fiverr. (2010) – Freelancer Site – Accessible online: https://www.fiverr.com
Musiversal. (2018) – Session Musician Site – Accessible online: https://musiversal.com
Supreme Tracks (2012) – Music Company – Accessible online: https://www.supremetracks.com
Sound Better (2013) – Session Musician Site – Accessible online: https://soundbetter.com
Airgigs (2014) – Session Musician Site – Accessible online: https://www.airgigs.com
Indeed. (2022) – Step By Step Guide on How to Become a Session Musician. Available online: https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-session-musician#:~:text=Becoming%20a%20session%20musician%20typically,and%20marketing%20one’s%20services%20effectively.
ACM (2019) – How to Become a Session Musician – Available Online: https://www.acm.ac.uk/how-to-become-a-session-musician/
