Session musician

A professional musician hired for specific recording or live-performance engagements, usually without becoming a permanent member of the hiring artist’s group.

Session music: Music performed by hired musicians for recordings, broadcasts, or live engagements. The broader practice encompasses the project-based work session musicians perform.
Sight-reading: The performance of written music without having rehearsed it beforehand. The ability to read unfamiliar parts quickly helps musicians meet tight session schedules.
The Wrecking Crew: A group of Los Angeles studio musicians who played on many popular recordings in the 1960s and 1970s. Its members exemplify how a recurring pool of session players could shape many artists’ records.
Touring musician: A musician hired to perform with an artist or group on tour. Touring musicians may work project by project, but their main setting is live performance rather than recording.
Studio musician: A musician specializing in performances for recording sessions. Studio work is a central setting for session musicians, though the roles can also include live engagements.
Click track: A steady audible timing signal used to keep a musical performance at a chosen tempo. A click track helps session players synchronize takes and overdubs.
The Funk Brothers: The studio musicians who played on many Motown recordings from the late 1950s through the early 1970s. Their performances show the central role of house musicians in a label’s sound.
Band member: A musician who belongs to an established musical group. Permanent group membership usually carries a different creative and organizational role from session hiring.
Backing musician: A musician who supports a lead performer or group without taking the primary musical role. Session musicians often provide instrumental or vocal support for another artist.
Overdubbing: The process of recording new sound over or alongside previously recorded audio. Overdubbing lets musicians contribute separate parts to a recording at different times.

Linked from 12 pages