session guitarist
Hired studio player
A session guitarist is a professional guitarist hired to play on recordings or live performances without being a permanent member of the band or act.
Session musicians are valued for versatility and reliability—they sight-read charts, adapt to different styles, and deliver polished takes quickly: The album credits list three different session guitarists.
Some become legendary figures in their own right despite working in the background.
- studioCreative professional's workspace
- sidemanSupporting band member
- hired gunPaid outside specialist
- tracksMarks showing passage
- overdubAdd audio layers post-recording
punch in · recording · licks · riffs · tone · chops · versatile · quick study · gig · backing · rhythm · lead · Nashville · anonymous · paycheck · headphones · click track · scratch track
- guitaristsJimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen
- musicianspianist, bassist, vocalist, singer-songwriter, drummer
- session musicianssideman
- folk musiciansfolk singer, folk duo, folk trio, fiddler, balladeer
session guitaristbandleader
Director of musical ensemble
songwriter · composer · artist · solo artist · frontman
session, sessions, guitarist, guitarists, guitar, guitars, sitting, sitter, seating