Who are the best studio musicians in your area? How do you find the best studio session musician in your area? What do the best studio musicians cost? We will answer those questions in this informative article, information supplied by Kip Allen, a leading songwriter, music producer, and studio musician in Nashville, the Music Capitol of the U.S. When what you need for your next gig or recording session is the best, call Kip Allen, studio drummer extraordinaire.
Who are the best studio musicians in your area?
This is a bit like those arguments about the Best Rock Bands of the 60’s and 70’s. Every list is going to have some different names on it. The Beatles? The Stones? Led Zeppelin?
Having said that, every list will, most likely, have some names which will appear, names so obvious they cannot be denied a spot on those lists, and that is how it is when looking for the best studio musicians in the U.S. or in your area. The cream always rises to the top, an over-used bromide, for sure, but also an accurate one. No matter where you are, no matter whether you are looking for the best locally, or the best nationally, there are some names who will be mentioned no matter who you ask.
How do you find the best studio musicians?
And in asking you will find those names. Go to music venues and ask around about a session player they can recommend. Go to recording studios. Compile a list of those names which are continually mentioned by the locals, and contact them. Ask to hear them work, or watch them play live if at all possible.
Having done all that, marry your musical style, or the musical style you are looking for, with their skills. Do they have the skill to blend in with the genre/style you are looking for? Have they played your “type” of music before? And how are they to work with? Are they a pro’s pro, a person who can work with practically anyone, or do they have a reputation as a lone wolf, extremely-talented but also difficult to work with?
There are some extremely-talented musicians, session musicians, tour musicians, studio musicians, who are not highly-respected in the music industry because of their attitudes. There is no doubt their skills would be a benefit for any project, but working with them is a royal pain in the . . .
Just things to consider as you go about your search, and things to consider if you are trying to become a respected studio musician.
What do these musicians cost?
This question falls under the category of Mission Impossible. It is impossible to answer this question because the pay scale is affected by so many variables and factors. It is possible to find outstanding studio musicians, just starting out, who will work for a couple hundred bucks, whereas big names in Nashville will put in a few thousand for a studio gig.
The best answer we can give to this question is it will cost what it costs, and that final cost will depend upon what you are willing to settle upon, or what you are willing to play for, if you are the musician looking for a studio gig. If you are just starting out, working clubs in Topeka, Kansas, you might be more than happy to just get a studio gig, and you might work for fifty bucks, or for free just to get your name out there. If you are established in a big city, you can pick and choose your next project, and pretty much name the pay you are willing to perform for.
A final word about Kip Allen
Since 2008, when Kip Allen, studio drummer, first unpacked his bags in Nashville, Kip has worked his way up the ladder in the music industry, working with the best, learning from the best, establishing himself as one of the best. Call Kip the next time your project needs a pro, one who has paid his dues, one who is generally regarded as one of the best studio musicians in Nashville and, by extension, the U.S.
