studio guitarist

[Compact Diss]

or session guitarists. What do you think of these, any of you doing this right now? Does this mean a person works strictly for a studio and works for whatever band comes through? Do you get album credits? OK, the big one-do you get paid good? Good meaning-say $150.oo for four hours-what I got paid to DJ--do you get point or royalties from sales? Thanks--

[Fingerstyle_Jim]

Where I live, near a mid-size city in Canada, there are no full-time session players. I get a few jobs a year on other peoples CD's, as do some of the other locals. As far as I know most session work is in the big cities and involves recording commercials and, where the industry is present, TV and movie soundtracks.

Times may have changed but the last I heard is that session players were paid a "rate" that excluded them from any royalties or credits. Going waaayyyyy, waaayyyyyy back, I read that the people who added licks to songs in the capacity of "session player" were responsable for such gems as the repeated riff in "Suzie Q", the intro to "Pretty Woman" and others. Maybe there is some more up-to-date info among the members of this group here.

 

My big claim to fame as session player: I played lead guitar on one song of a CD in 2001 that featured Avril Lavigne on two other tracks. I never met her, we were in the studio on different days, not to mention different songs, oh well,

 

Jim http://www.jimgraham.ca

[fantasticsound]

I'm no expert on the subject, but my impression is that only the creme de la creme in Nashville can survive on sessions alone.

 

Most non-A list players end up recording demos, as well as playing in live bands.

 

Session players are not employed by a studio. At least, not if they want to make a living! Although they may work a lot at one or two demo studios, they have to go where the work is. That means networking with lots of musicians and sound engineers, impressing them with your playing, attitude, and ability to make a song your own in a short period of time.

 

If you plan to do this in your spare time, concentrating on one or two studios is prudent. If it's to be your sole source of income, you'll have to be in the studio or in the local bar scene, networking with musicians, to keep busy.

[Sylver]

If you live in a large market with a lot of players, you have to really have it together to be a studio player. Especially if you play guitar. You need to be able to read and be able to come up with parts on the spot from charts(The ability to improvise is a big plus) in a wide variety of styles. Your equipment must also be top notch, no hums or buzzes, perfect intonation, and the ability to get many different sounds. It also would help if you are in a city that doesn't have a large musician presence(Which would be difficult to find, considering the studio centers such as NYC, LA, Nashville, Memphis, etc ARE big musician towns). Having a degree in performance can go a long way too, especially from a good school. You live in Boston? How many Berkley students do you figure live in the area? How many suppliment thier tutition with studio work(Not to mention the grads who choose to stay in the area)?

 

Musicans are almost never under contract to a certain studio, it's almost all freelance. A "normal" studio player gets scale according to what the going union rate is for that town. To command double or triple scale, you really need to be at the top of the food chain(And have been there for years). The markets I listed above probably have the highest scales rates in the world, especially NYC and LA. I don't know what they are at the moment, but I think they might be in the $20-$25/Hr rate for recording sessions, but that's a guess.

Points or royalties? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Not unless you wrote the song. Or perhaps god. It's a paid work for hire, and you get paid at the end of the day and that's it. Maybe if you are already a household name you might get royalties for a guest spot on a friends album.

As said in a post above, most studio players only do that on the side, people good enough to do it usually have regular live gigs that most of the money comes from.

[D_dup3]

To add:

Most players don't get credits; you're performing what's called "work for hire".

This same thing applies to writers/composers of certain works---such as jingles, soundtracks, etc.

At some level, though, certain "premium" players may work out separate deals that give them added perks from eirher certain performers or producers.

 

It's a very demanding position to try to hold. Unless you're a champ at a certain genre* or work in an region where there aren't a lot of players (but then there wouldn't be much studio activity) you have to be a real master of your instrument, be a skilled sight-reader, & have a lot of gear that you can dial-in the requested sounds with, too, though some studios (& producers) have their own, preferred gear

 

[*Actually, being a "champ" at some genre probably doesn't do much good any more. That was really only pertinent in Nashville, Memphis or Mussel Shoals in the past...today most active studios deal with all sorts of genres]

 

GPlayer once had a regular column* by Tommy Tedesco, an L.A. player who regularly gave the skinny on what really went on at sessions.

It was not only instructive but hilarious.

 

Wish they had something like that now!

 

[*The also once had a string of columns by jazz/pop sessioneer Howard Roberts, though his was devoted to playing technique rather than studio work]

 

There are alternatives to going to large scenes like LA or NYC; you might connect with a small producer doing work locally.

 

Ultimately it's much more difficult than being in a band, etc.

Go to a record shop & look at any 50 discs; could you (either technique-wise or style-wise) play on those recordings?

Would you want to?

[Compact Diss]

It's not something I was really interested in pursuing I just wanted to hear some inside stuff like everyone posted--thanks--there will be a movie coming out about the session musicians of Motown I believe it was advertised but I didn't get the chance to see it

[fantasticsound]

A side note. I'm acquainted with a multi-instrumentalist who has been an A list fiddle and mandolin player in Nashville for about a decade. I was invited to a party at his father's home, but I had no idea they were related. When I was introduced, by the player's wife, to him, I repeated his name with, "The ___ ____?!?" His wife indicated that, despite the name recognition and numerous album credits, he still could use all the work available.

 

I concluded that even some of the top session players still don't scratch out a living commensurate with their recording credits of fame.

[PBBPaul]

I have a friend who does a lot of session work. He is a monster at many different styles, sight-reads, has two major label CDs of his own out, does a bunch of jingle work, is a clinician for Fender, performs about 10 gigs in a typical month, and he does OK. It's a lot of work and takes a lot of resourcefulness.

[fantasticsound]

Originally posted by PBBPaul:

I have a friend who does a lot of session work. He is a monster at many different styles, sight-reads, has two major label CDs of his own out, does a bunch of jingle work, is a clinician for Fender, performs about 10 gigs in a typical month, and he does OK. It's a lot of work and takes a lot of resourcefulness.

Is your friend Greg Koch? He was present for Fender's clinic at the Nashville MARS that I mixed several years ago. They were re-introducing Sunn instrument amps and he absolutely killed during his Model-T demo. Great amp, as well. (I ask because we spoke about living up north. I thought he mentioned Chicago, but maybe it was Milwaukee. )

[roy d]

Another observation about studio work... it is craft, not art. A good studio player is not there to express themselves but to meet the requirements of the producer. At the best times it is doing one's craft well. At other times, it is not terribly unlike factory work. A good friend of mine was a very successful session drummer (read, he programed drums rather than actually played them after drum programs came into being)and he HATED it. He worked with top notch producers who would say things like - I want the drum sounds you used on ________'s album with a rhythm here like on ____________ and then go into _______ here..." He was an incredible, inventive drummer who ended up hating what he did and eventually gave up drums because he was so burned out by that experience. In the late 80's, early 90's he was making well into 6 figures with his "factory" work.

Other session players that I have known supplimented ther session work by giving lessons, writing jingles, producing, and playing gigs in every genre they could.

It is possible to make a good living with all of those irons in the fire but it is not easy to keep it all going and it takes a lot of hard work and organization.