So You Want To Be A Session Musician?

Whether you are a virtuoso who can sight-read piano sheet music or you are a guitarist who can rock out by ear, there is a career out there for you if you want to be a session musician 

In this article, we’ll look at what you need to do to get a career as a session musician. 

Network, network, network

It cannot be said enough but networking is critical when it comes to gaining a career as a session musician. The internet makes things more challenging for hired musicians, with more players out there it can be somewhat of a crowded marketplace. It is often more about who you know. Get meeting other musicians and producers. 

Get a portfolio

Having a portfolio available online will be a great way for potential employers to find you. Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, and Youtube are all useful tools to create great demos or to use for showreels that will showcase all of your musical talents. Having a portfolio is essential when it comes to marketing yourself to potential clients. .

Advertise yourself

Get out there and shout about yourself! Opportunities might not often land at your door, so it’s important to market yourself wherever possible. Use every opportunity to promote yourself and your talents. 

Be good at almost everything, or be amazing at one thing.

To increase the chances of you finding any work, it is a good idea to make sure that you are able to play a range of different styles at a reasonable level. Having the ability to play in a number of different genres and to be able to play more than one instrument will put you in a greater chance of finding opportunities to perform and record as a session musician. Alternatively, you may want to become a specialist in one particular musical niche as this might improve your reputation as the go-to performer for one style. This is especially useful for more obscure instruments or styles. 

Improve your performance skills

When it comes to recording sessions, you’ll need to be able to nail your performance in just one take. Technical ability is a big part of session recording so you;ll need to practice lots. 

Be professional

In addition to musical ability, you need to have professionalism. This means being a reliable communicator, a good time keeper, and the ability to get along with others. 

Contact local studios

Get in touch with local studios and see if you can get in on any upcoming projects that they have going on. Studios can often let bands and musicians know where they can hire a good session player so it’s always in your interests to be someone that they can recommend to others.  

Have Patience

Just like with everything else in the music industry, getting into working as a session musician takes time. You may get small gigs here are there at the start, but once you have experience these will grow, you just need patience.