Some of the most famous parts in popular music were played by people whose names most listeners have never heard. The Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles in the 1960s - Hal Blaine on drums, Carol Kaye on bass, among dozens of others - played on hundreds of hits credited to other bands. Motown had the Funk Brothers. Alabama had the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Guitarist Adrian Belew's playing runs through records by David Bowie, Talking Heads, Frank Zappa and King Crimson.
Session musicians are hired to play on other people's records. As a producer, knowing how to work with them is as much a skill as programming.
What a session player brings
A good session musician brings three things you cannot get from a sample library:
- Feel. Timing and dynamics that come from thousands of hours on the instrument.
- Vocabulary. They know how a part is normally played in a genre - and how to break the convention tastefully.
- Ideas. Ask for a bassline and a great player may give you three, each better than what you wrote.
Questions to answer before you book
- Can they read music? Some sessions run from charts; many modern ones run from a demo and a conversation. Know which yours is and hire accordingly.
- Do they write their own parts or play exactly what you ask? Both are valid. Tell them up front which you want.
- How are they paid? Usually a session fee - per hour, per song or per day. Rates vary enormously by city, player and union agreement. Remote players often quote per track.
- Do they receive royalties? Normally no songwriting or master royalties: a session player is paid for their time and is not a writer unless they genuinely co-wrote the song, which should be agreed in writing. They may still be entitled to neighbouring-rights income as a non-featured performer - through PPL in the UK, or the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Fund in the US for certain digital radio uses - so make sure their details are registered with the release.
- What skills matter for this session? Reading, improvising, a particular style, owning the right instrument, and - for remote sessions - recording well at home.
Where to find them
- On records you like. Credits on streaming services and Discogs name players. Many are reachable.
- At gigs. The bassist in a local function band may be a session regular.
- Through other producers. Most session work comes from recommendation.
- Online marketplaces. SoundBetter and AirGigs list players by instrument, style and rate, with audio samples and reviews. Useful for remote sessions in particular.
Briefing a player
A session goes well or badly before anyone plays a note. Send:
- A demo with your programmed parts, so they hear the song, the feel and the arrangement.
- The tempo, key and structure. A simple chart - even just section names and bar counts - saves expensive time.
- References. Two or three tracks that capture the sound and the feel you want.
- What is fixed and what is open. "The bass riff in the chorus is the hook - keep it. The verses are yours."
- Technical requirements for remote work: sample rate, bit depth, dry DI and/or amp, file naming, and whether you want multiple takes.
In the room
Be clear and be decisive. Musicians want to know what you want, and they will judge you by how quickly you can say it.
- Give feedback in musical terms when you can - "lay back on the 16ths", "shorter notes in the verse" - and in emotional terms when you cannot: "it needs to feel more urgent".
- Record everything, including the warm-up. The first pass is often the loosest and best.
- Do not over-direct. If you hired a great player, let them play.
- Keep the session moving. A player who waits for twenty minutes while you edit loses energy, and you are paying for that time.
Contracts and credit
Even for a friend, put the basics in writing: the fee, what is being delivered, that the producer or artist owns the recording, and that the player is not a co-writer unless agreed. A one-page session agreement or a clear email confirmed by both sides is enough for most sessions.
Credit players properly in the release metadata - instrument and name. It costs nothing, it is how they get their next job, and it is how royalties reach them.
Do this now
- Find the credits for a record you love and identify one session player on it. Look up two other records they played on.
- Write a one-page brief for a bassist on one of your own tracks: demo, tempo, key, structure, references, and what is fixed versus open.
- Browse SoundBetter or AirGigs for your instrument of choice and note the price range for a single-track remote session.