Lots of people love the idea of becoming a session drummer and it’s a great choice. Many of us start playing drums and get in a band with our mates.

But some of those mates follow other career paths, or musical tastes change, or the band gets a deal and then gets dropped. We all go through our own journeys and only a tiny number of those bands develop to the point of making an income from it.

So then we start to look at the option of become a session drummer. And in many ways this is more appealing because we get to enjoy the diversity of playing different music rather than being stuck in the same band. But it’s not an easy thing to do and is far from being a ‘safe’ career choice.

But when the passion is strong, being safe is not the highest priority.

But how do we learn how to become a session drummer

When we talk about session drummers you might think of names such as Vinnie Colaiuta, Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, J.R. Robinson, Ralph Salmins, Ash Soan, Josh Freese or Bernard Purdie, to name just a few. These are all awesome drummers but they also have some very important common skills.

Which skills do you need to become a session drummer?

In a 1982 Modern Drummer article Vinnie Colaiuta said that a good session drummer is, “Somebody who has real good time, is an excellent reader, whose drums sound good, someone other musicians are comfortable playing with, and who can assimilate a variety of styles.” So let’s look at those and other necessary skills of a great session drummer. Here’s a video to talk you through it or you can read the main points below.  

Great feel 

A lot of what a session drummer plays is the simple stuff. You can forget those crazy odd time grooves and the double bass drum  16ths at 200bpm. Learn to play the simple stuff and make it feel amazing.

Great timing

A majority of studio work is done to a click and an increasing amount of live shows involve a click or backing tracks. Therefore you need to be at one with the click and totally at ease making it feel good whilst locking it down. Practice with a click, percussion loops or songs at different tempos. This timing course will develop your timing to a great level.

Vast knowledge of music

Musical knowledge really helps. I’m often asked to ‘Get a Bonham feel’, or give it a ‘New Orleans feel’, just to give you two examples. Having a rich depth of knowledge, wide appreciation for all styles and the ability to capture these different feels is really important to achieve the right result quickly.

Play for the song

Super producer Trevor Horn once said, “Some drummers don’t seem to have a clue about the song, they play the wrong thing and are all over the place because they’re not listening to the singer or how the song moves. To be a really good drummer you’ve got to be listening to the singer and you’ve got to make sure that what you do helps them rather than hinders them.” Forget playing the thing that makes you sound cool, forget that lick you just learnt. Listen to the song, the meaning of it, the mood of it. What can you do to enhance that sound?

Command of many styles

Just as it’s important to understand different drummers as discussed earlier, you should also get comfortable with lots of different styles. You never know when you’ll have to throw in some jazz playing, or a reggae section for a song. Be ready to go into whatever style is required.

Sight reading

There are plenty of drummers that do well without reading of course, but this skill can open so many doors. And even when you don’t have to read, being able to write in the musical language means you can quickly chart new songs out and then play them straight away rather than having to listen to them 50 times to learn them by ear. If you want to build this skill check out this sight reading course.

Great sounding drums

You might be the best drummer in the world but if your instrument sounds bad so will you. Learn how to achieve different sounds quickly so you can capture that perfect snare sound, or dampen the toms quickly to fit each song. If you don’t know how to tune the drums properly you should check out this drum tuning course.

Fun, stress free personality

No-one wants to hang around with someone who brings stress or problems. Be the person that finds solutions, lightens the mood and keeps things fun. Be a nice person to be around and you will get hired just as much for your personality as for your playing.

Ability to work fast 

We keep talking a bout achieving that sound or feel fast. In the studio time really is money so being able to work fast is essential. Find the right part, learn the song, get your drums sounding great and do it all quickly and people will love working with you.

No ego

As a session drummer it is not about YOU. You are being paid to provide a service. Leave you ego at the door and enter the situation ready to serve. If that isn’t the way you operate then maybe being a session drummer is not right for you.

How to make it as a session drummer

So we’ve look at the skills you need to be a session drummer but how can you actually make that happen? Here are some key actions you can take when considering how to become a session drummer.

Be in the right town

Where are the sessions happening? If you live in the back end of nowhere then you probably won’t have as good a chance of getting a gig than if you were hanging out in a musical hub. Obvious right? If you’re really serious you might want to consider a move to the likes of London, LA, New York or Nashville.

Work your contacts

I personally hate those ‘networky’ type people. It can all feel a little shallow and dirty. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it to some degree. You need to let people know you’re out there and you want gigs. Reach out to people you know, have met, have worked with, have connected with on social media. Let them know who you are, point them to your website, tell them you want session drumming work. Who knows when they’ll need a drummer and think of you.

Get in with local studios and music shops

Local studios and music shops are a great hub. Get to know the owners and staff. Make sure they know what you do and that you are actively seeking work. You never know who they’ll be talking to tomorrow that might need a drummer.

Befriend local labels

If you have a record label near you, connect with them. They might need a drummer for demos or one of their bands might need a drummer for some gigs. One thing leads to another so take on whatever work they might offer you.

Get known on songwriter forums

Find places where producers, other musos and songwriters hang out. These are the people that need drummers so make sure they know who you are.

Create an online presence

These days you need an online presence so make sure you have a place where people can check you out. If you have a website make sure it has videos of your work, lists your experience, gear and images. This is your ‘shop window’ and you can direct people back to it wherever you meet them.

You can check out a TV session I did here.

I hope this article gave you some ideas and helped you think about whether you want to become a session drummer. If you want to think more widely about earning solid income from music you might want to check out the make money from music course. You might also like to read this article on how to become famous