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Currently, there are over 157,000 people working as professional musicians in the United States. Using your musical gift to pay the bills is more difficult than you probably realize. One of the best ways to generative a decent income by playing your saxophone is booking sessions with reputable musicians. When a musician is trying to bring the sound in their head to life, they will seek out the help of the best players in their industry. 

Popular musicians like Jimmy Page and Glen Campbell started their careers as session musician. If you want to hit the ground running in your new career as a session saxophone player, then consider the great tips below. 

Booking time in a professional recording studio is extremely expensive. In most cases, the artist and producer booking your session will want to get your parts recorded and mixed quickly. The worst thing you can do when trying to impress someone in the music industry is showing up to a session unprepared. This lack of preparation might offend the artist or producer you are working with. If word gets out that you make a habit of showing up to sessions unprepared, you run the risk of losing future jobs. 

Generally, you will be provided with sheet music before your session. Learning how to read this sheet music is a crucial component of being a successful studio musician. Practicing your parts and perfecting them before you enter the studio will show the producer that hires you that you are serious about doing a good job. 

Producing sweet sax tones during a live recording session is not easy. As time goes by, the various components on your saxophone will start to wear out and will need to either be replaced or repaired. Before you arrive at a session, you need to give your saxophone a thorough inspection. This inspection will allow you to discover problems and fix them before they get in the way of making money on a session. 

Getting familiar with how well your mouthpiece is operating is vital. If you feel like your existing mouthpiece isn’t performing like it should, replacing it is a good idea. At Westcoast Sax, you can find quality mouthpiece replacements that are priced reasonably. 

Developing a good reputation is something you need to focus on when attempting to become a successful session musician. Being hard to get along with or arrogant can result in your reputation taking a hit. This is why you need to be as professional and polite as you can when attending a session. 

Being punctual and open to the ideas of the artist is a great way to show everyone at the session you are a team player. If word gets around the industry about your professionalism, you should have no problem booking lucrative sessions. 

By using the tips in this article, you can accomplish your goal of becoming a successful session saxophone player.