Becoming a Session Musician

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Greg Hansen, and we've been talking today about becoming a music producer and some aspects of the music industry. And this question is how to become a session musician. Well, a session musician is someone who's hired to come in and play music on call -- an expert at his craft -- and is able to play a number of different styles very competently -- an all-around expert in a particular instrument. And to become one is really an art form in itself. You have to really pay your dues in practicing. You have to learn multiple kinds of styles and licks within those styles, have them ready at your fingertips instantly, be able to record without doing it too many times over, create on the spot, and be infinitely good at what you do. It...to be a great session musician, you really just have to put in a lot of practice time, have good people skills, and being able to work with producers and musicians and clients and really know your craft inside and out. So that basically comes down to a lot of work. And the fun part about being a session musician is being involved on so many great, different projects and being an expert at what you do."