Session guitar playing

I've done session work, but never as a full-time session player. In most markets, producers have an "A-list" person (and often, just one) that gets pretty much all of their work. They'll only go to the B-List (anybody else they know of) if the A-lister isn't available for a date, and the date can't be moved. I'm on a few B-lists, but I've never made the big leagues :)

Producers want someone who can handle it all. That's why they generally have one A-list person. They've got a lot to do to pull a project together, so whether it's rock, jazz, punk, or whatever, they want somebody that can do whatever they need. If they call you in and you can't do whatever is on the docket for the day, you lose the A-list status, and probably never work for them again. As a result, most session players have excellent sight reading chops, whether they need them or not.

But 95% or more of session work involves no sight reading at all. There are exceptions - producers don't do everything that comes along. One will specialize in radio jingles, another works for a record label, a third is a music director for movie producers, etc. If you hook up with a producer who specializes in jingles or TV/film, you'll do a lot more sight reading.

Even there, charts may indicate just chord changes and you'll improvise. Almost all the studio work I've done was just that. Sometimes it's even more generic... I did a date a couple years ago where the producer's instruction for one tune was "I want it to sound like Harry Belafonte getting mugged by Green Day". It was up to me to interpret what that meant in terms of rhythm, melody, and tone.

Oh, and as far as the occasional sight reading goes - most composers don't play guitar. The few times I had to read for a date, the majority of the scores were not actually playable as written. The last time I had to read, which was about 5 years ago, the chart had a four-note chord in it with 1st space F as the highest note - can't be done in standard tuning. As I was looking over the chart, the producer said "can you play it? Because the last guy couldn't." Now I have no idea who wrote the chart - it might have been the producer for all I know. So I said sure, made my tone a little thicker, and played it as best I could.

Thanks Noteboat.... well I've never done session work - and I can't say that I can play all styles - pop/rock/blues/funk I can do but probably not technical Metal or any jazz.

I'd really like to try it, but I am scared of screwing it up and think that maybe I should learn more or be better before I try... I don't know.

Fleaaaaaa, Tommy Tedesco's book "For Guitar Players Only" has a ton of session-oriented playing tips & tricks, and some great war stories to boot.

Okay I'd like to read that :P The list of music books and music related books is growing :lol:

That is a good book. Another one is Ted Bruner's "How to Become the Complete Professional Guitarist and Versatile Studio Musician"

I'm on the "B-list" for some of the regional studios. Noteboat pretty much covered the basics in his post. I'll get the dates that the A-list guys can't make and the projects with a lower budget that can't afford the A-list guys.

We don't have many good recording studios here, and most of them have folded with the popularity of affordable home recording gear.

I was on the A-List for saxophone and wind synthesizer to a couple of local studios that have since closed. I was on the A-list because I was as they put it, "A One-Take Jake". Studio time is money, and if you can get in there, get it done in one or two takes at the most, you become gold plated.

I wouldn't be an a-lister in Nashville, N.Y. or L.A. but in this medium sized town there are only a couple of dozen working sax players and I'm very good at faking stuff.

I would advise that you would definitely learn how to read music. As Note Boat pointed out, it's not essential for every session, but if they put that chart in front of you, you will be expected to read it.

What would I consider the best prerequisite? Good ears. This can be developed. Play with recordings, especially unfamiliar songs, play with auto-accompaniment tools like Band-in-a-Box and/or music-minus-one/karaoke tracks. Once you have developed enough ear/hand coordination, go to jam sessions. Start with easy ones like blues/rock/country until you build your chops for more difficult genres. Play with different people, especially with songs you haven't played before.

If they call you for a jazz session before you are ready, tell them you don't do jazz and be honest up front (or whatever genre you can't do). Nothing will hurt you more than being booked for a session and not be able to do the job.

As a saxophonist I have had some cases where the rhythm track was already recorded and they just wanted to add a sax. In those cases I asked for a CD to take home and practice to. While I am good at being a "one take jake" I can do a better job if I have heard the material a lot and tried a few things out first. I don't charge for the 'homework' although I know others might. I figure if it makes my performance better, it's better for me in the long run.

Here is an excerpt I did on wind synth (guitar) for a client. No chart, no instructions just a key and everything but the synth guitar. The guitarist/singer didn't like his guitar solo, so they muted that track and played the song once I noodled around a bit, plugged in and did the one and only take http://www.nortonmusic.com/mp3/_personalchoice.mp3 - I have permission to post this from the copyright owner. I play better wind synth than I do guitar as it is sax-like and the songwriter/performer was familiar with my wind synth playing.

Here is another, an entire song, again with permission. I got to the studio, the backing track was pre-recorded, I was handed a list of chords in concert key (tenor sax is a whole step above concert) with no bar lines or any other indication and was asked to play bluesy. I could have done better if I had time to prepare, but it's not bad for a first and one-and-only take on something I never heard before - blues changes are easy to fake over http://www.nortonmusic.com/mp3/Cabaret.mp3

Both examples are pretty much pentatonic based for two reasons (1) when faking things you have never played before, pentatonics are your friends and (2) IMHO the music genres asked for pentatonics. Bop scales would not have been appropriate. You aren't in the session to show off, but to be true to the music.

Notes

Okay, that windsynth solo was way better than anything I could ever come up with, quitting time? :oops:

Okay, that windsynth solo was way better than anything I could ever come up with, quitting time? :oops:
Thanks. Some days you just get lucky.

And better than I can do on the guitar. But I've only been serious about the guitar for a few years. I've played sax most of my life and wind synth since the 80s.

One of the synth tone modules I use has a great Santana-ish sound (the patch is called "Carlos") and a great distorted patch (called "GuitarHero").