How do you become a studio session musician? We get that question a few times each week from starry-eyed kids, just off the bus from Topeka or Des Moines or Salem, arriving in Nashville, ready to take the music world by storm, convinced they can make it in the toughest music scene in the world.
Let this article be a wake-up call. This article is from Kip Allen, studio session musician, songwriter, music producer, and session drummer in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as a Drum Workshop Artist. Call Kip when what you want for your next project is the very best.
From the very best session drummer Nashville has to offer, we present this realistic look at becoming a studio session musician.
Qualities a studio session musician must have
First, you need game, and by that we mean you better be able to play with the best. Your deficiencies will become apparent very soon when you are playing with the very best, or auditioning with the very best. It will take them about thirty seconds to determine if you have the chops necessary, to play with the best, or if you are just a wannabe with dreams bigger than your talent.
That may seem harsh, but it is also a harsh truth. We see far too many newcomers, stepping off the bus at the Greyhound station in Nashville, with huge dreams, ready to take the City by storm and dazzle the locals with their talents. Six months later, we see those same newcomers, waiting tables at a café, living off tips. And a year later, we see those same newcomers hitching a ride out of town.
Which brings us to the second quality you must have to make it as session players in Nashville, or any major city, and that quality is determination in the eye of the storm. You must believe in yourself. Your ego must match your talents, and that ego, and that belief in yourself, will need to fuel all of your efforts during those long months when you’ll wonder how you are going to pay your rent or come up with two or three meals per day.
A realistic appraisal for a would-be studio session musician
There are literally thousands of would-be session musicians in Nashville who are not working any gigs at all. That is the truth. It is not meant to frighten you. It is meant as a realistic wake-up call. Plan on the worst, and celebrate anything better than the worst, for at least a year. Plan on playing for free at open mike nights. Plan on playing on street corners, where it is allowed, and plan on knocking on so many doors your knuckles will be bruised.
And, learn to love Top Ramen!
Our advice on becoming a session musician
We are not going to advise you not to come to Nashville. We would never want to discourage anyone from chasing their dream. What we are going to tell you, our one vital piece of advice, is to work tirelessly on your talent, and work tirelessly on your self-promotion. Social media is your friend. Make it work for you. Many of today’s known names in the music industry got their big break on YouTube or Instagram. No lie! Social media is a powerful tool which you cannot ignore.
Bottom line: you can make it in Nashville, or New York, or Los Angeles, but it’s not going to be easy. Success can happen, but it happens through hard-work and not by luck. So, roll up your sleeves, and get to work.
A final word about Kip Allen
Kip Allen arrived in Nashville in 2008, and we went to work, slowly making a name for himself, slowly building his brand. Today, Kip Allen is a known commodity, a trusted pro who has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry. A call to Kip Allen is a call which will net you very positive results on your next music gig or projects.