135
"Musicians work in three-hour blocks, tens,
twos, and sixes, with one hour breaks
between," explains Harry Stinson. "If you're the
singer, you can be called in at any
time. You might go in at 11
a.m. or 12:30 p.m., whatever works for the
producer.
They might bring in two or three other
co-singers for different sounds. We usually
work for about an hour and a half to two hours
on one song, getting the parts right
and making sure the intonation is good. When
you're the singer, you're in the studio
working throughout the session. You get your
water, hit the bathroom, and work
some more. I've sung all day many
times."
POINTERS FOR THE JOB SEARCH
"When you get involved in the arts, music,
painting or whatever, I think it chooses
you; you don't choose it. I think you need to
have a sense of the business and then
have a real frank conversation with yourself.
For someone starting out I would advise,
`preparation, preparation, preparation.' You've
got to have a good ear and be able to
sight-read music. Most session singers are good
enough that when someone tells you
to take the bottom or top part, you just know
what to sing. You can listen to the
melody and you just know how to harmonize.
You've got to develop those abilities.
Session work is very competitive. There are
thousands of people that want the same
job that you want. The more you're prepared and
the more you have developed your
craft and artistry, the better your chances of
getting a job."--GM
GENE MILLER, SINGER
Shy about his voice, Nashville native Gene
Miller had never performed publicly
until a friend coerced him into singing at a
high school function. "I performed about
ten songs, just my guitar and me, for about 300
people. I was hooked from that
moment on." He sang and played guitar in bands
and got involved in high school
CASE STUDY:
THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT THIS
JOB:
"Certain producers expect you to be a
chameleon. Sometimes their inter-
pretation doesn't feel right. Most people I
work with allow me to be not
just a singer, but an artist. They allow me to
bring in my own heart and
my own interpretation to the
session."--GM
THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS JOB:
"The diversity of things that I get to do. The
part I like about being in the
studio is that you're not tied down to one
specific style of music. If I had
been an artist making records, I would have to
do a specific style. Instead,
I've gotten to do a broad range of things and I
really love that."--GM
VOICES
OF
EXPERIENCE
User Comments Add a comment…