Buddy Jones, musician – B1 English Reading Test

Buddy Jones, musician

I’m a session musician, which means that people hire me when they need a musician, rather than me working for a particular band or on my own. It’s still important to me that I’m doing what I like and believe in, so I don’t accept all the work I’m offered. I’ve been doing this job for quite some time and I’m happy to consider the offers and then decide.

You need certain qualities to be a good session musician. One such quality is that you have to be able to fit quickly into a team. It’s no good if you go to the studio and have an argument with the trumpet player. It helps if you get along with people you’ve just met, as very often you play with musicians you’ve never seen before. Then of course there are particular musical skills you need. For example, you’ve got to learn parts very quickly and be able to play a lot of different musical styles. And of course, despite all your talents, you are in the background, so you have to be prepared to let somebody else be admired.

Another very important quality that you definitely need to have is flexibility. Some bands may have rehearsals at specific times and you need to be there when they need you. Sometimes a band or a solo artist may call you for a recording at the last minute because a musician hasn’t turned up, and it’s important that you can be there at short notice.

I’ve found there’s plenty of variety in this work. Sometimes I’m asked to play guitar for a top band at a big live concert. Or I might go on a long tour with a famous singer. But my main income has always been from studio work. I might do one short section of a song, or I could be asked to join a band for a whole album.

Most session musicians generally get paid the same amount. It’s fairly good money, but of course if an album I work on sells a million copies, the band make a huge amount of money, but nobody gives me a big cheque.

1    What does Buddy say that a session musician does?

      A   pays other musicians to work with him/her

      B   makes money with his/her own band

      C   earns money performing alone

      D   works for different bands for a payment

2    According to Buddy, what makes a good session musician?

      A   someone who’s willing to spend a lot of time learning

      B   someone who can play many types of music

      C   someone who admires many famous musicians

      D   someone who’s flexible about attending long rehearsals

3    What does Buddy say about his job?

      A   He doesn’t like being away from home.

      B   He’d like to record his own album one day.

      C   He rarely gets to work with famous musicians.

      D   He gets to do a lot of different things.

4    What does Buddy say about his pay?

      A   He gets paid extra if an album does well.

      B   Most of it comes from making recordings.

      C   He usually gets a large cheque when he’s finished.

      D   Different session musicians get different amounts of money.

5    What might Buddy say about his life as a musician?

      A   I like my job because I get to do a lot of different things in music and I’m not worried about being famous.

      B   I’m good at my job because I like entertaining people and appearing on television.

      C   I love being a musician because I get a chance to meet famous people and earn a lot of money.

      D   I enjoy my job because I get the chance to play a lot of instruments and try out different types of music.