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Although the life of working as a session musician may not be as glamorous as being a rock or pop star (you won't see your name in lights or have crowds chanting your name), it can be an excellent way to earn a decent living doing something you love. As a session musician, you will also be able to play and explore a wide variety of styles, meet and get to know music industry professionals and get lots of experience under your belt. If pursuing this type of musical career is something you're interested in, Mahalo's guide on how to become a session musician will show you what to do.
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Introduction
- Session musicians are those musicians that are hired to play occasional gigs and provide backup to other musicians. As a session musician, you may be hired to:
- Appear as a band member or musician on television shows
- Play backup music for radio or television advertisements
- Provide backup music to performing solo musicians
- Replace a band member who, for some reason, is unable to play a scheduled show
- Provide musical accompaniment for live theater productions
Step 1: Learn How to Read Music
- As a session musician, you will often get called in at short notice and asked to quickly provide whatever music the producer requires. You may have little or no time to practice, so the ability to read music and then play the required music flawlessly is key. You'll also want to develop a good ear for music, so that you can quickly adapt your playing to accompany different tones, pitches and harmonies.
Step 2: Record a Demo
- To get work as a session musician, you'll have to promote yourself. The best way to do so is by showing potential employers what you can do by providing them with a demo of your musical aptitude. Consider investing a few hundred dollars in professionally recording a short demo of your work. If you have done any previous sessions, include them on your demo. If you are just starting out, include a few samples of you playing different styles on your demo. Have your demo recorded as an MP3 so that you can either provide it to the producer electronically, or quickly create a demo CD if required.
Step 3: Create a Resume
- To promote yourself to potential employers, you'll want to create an informative and engaging resume. On your resume, be sure to include:
- Any musical education you have received
- Any and all work you have done as a session musician. Be sure to constantly update this section as you earn and complete more gigs
- A picture of yourself: For television work, you may be hired as much for your "look" as your playing ability
Step 4: Hire a Session Fixer
- As is the case in many industries, it may be difficult to start out as a session musician if you have little or no experience. Therefore you may want to introduce yourself and try to get on the books with a session fixer. Session fixers are somewhat like agents, in that they are hired on by people who are looking for session musicians, but do not have the time to look for a session musician themselves. If a session fixer helps you find a gig, he or she will take a percentage of your earnings as commission.
Conclusion
- Becoming a session musician is one of the few ways that proficient, yet unknown musicians can actually earn money playing professionally. Like any arts career, it may prove challenging to break into the industry and earn those firsts few jobs as a session musician, but the more you can prove your ability and professionalism, the more jobs you are apt to get.
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