Lance knows a thing or two about being a musician. He’s built an entire career out of it. And it’s safe to say that music pretty much fills his calendar 24/7. Notably, he does make sure to take some time to do things outside of music (that’ll be important later, when we talk about burnout).
Lance splits his time between session work, touring with different bands, and teaching guitar and music classes at Front Range Community College in Colorado. He’s been playing guitar most of his life, and he talks about his career as a “spiderweb” made of teaching, gigs, sessions, and long-tail income from lesson content, rather than just one job title.
For people who are considering a full-time career as a musician, or who are already full-time musicians and are experiencing burnout or considering a career change, here are the key takeaways from Lance’s career (so far).
The New Reality of “Making It” in Music
Early on, Lance noted that almost nobody makes a full living from one music job anymore. Older players he knows talk about the ’80s and ’90s, when you could live off just touring, just teaching, or just studio work. According to Lance, that world started fading in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
So he built what his teacher called a “spiderweb” career instead:
- Teaching guitar and music classes at a community college
- Touring and gigging with different bands
- Doing session guitar work for artists and producers
- Selling guitar courses on a lesson platform
Because of that, his money comes from several strands, not just one. Session work is only one piece of the web. Yet he says it is the piece that excites him most now, so he keeps investing energy there.
If you want to be a session musician today, you probably need your own spiderweb, too. You can still focus on sessions. However, you’ll likely stay saner and more stable if you treat them as a core part of a wider music life, not the whole thing.
Why Session Work Feels So Good
When I asked Lance why session work is his favorite strand, his answer was simple. It lets him be both creative and precise at the same time.
On many gigs, he either plays parts that already exist, or he improvises inside a fixed style. That can be fun. However, he says session work hits a sweet spot. He might get a call that says, “Come in next week and record some solos.” Sometimes he gets the tracks early. Sometimes he hears them for the first time in the room.
Then the job looks like this:
- Listen fast and understand the song’s mood and shape
- Come up with parts or solos that fit that world
- Lock them in so they sit in time, in tune, and in style
Because of that mix, he feels challenged in a good way. Sessions push his ear, his taste, his timing, and his nerve. If you crave both spontaneity and discipline, session work can feel very satisfying.
Two Main Types of Sessions
So how do sessions actually work in practice? Do you write at home, then bring ideas in? Or do you create on the spot while the clock runs? Lance said he sees two main setups.
In-Studio, Real-Time Sessions
Sometimes the artist or producer books a physical studio. They hire Lance to show up, plug in, and track parts right there. In those sessions, time is money. Therefore, he needs to:
- Understand the direction fast
- Try ideas quickly and commit
- Take feedback and run with it
Remote Sessions from Home
The second type grew fast during COVID: remote sessions from a home studio. Lance has built a focused setup that lets him record electric and acoustic guitar at a professional level. Notably, he’s invested heavily in a high-performance guitar setup. Drums, vocals, or full band recordings are generally out of the picture. But he can deliver great guitar parts.
For remote work, he usually:
- Gets notes or a brief from the client
- Records three different versions of a part or solo
- Sends them over, then waits for clear feedback
Because he sends options, clients can pick what fits. Sometimes they even ask for a blend: “We like version B, but end it like version C.” That clearer direction lets him nail the final take with much less stress.
These days, if you want to be a session player, you will probably need to prepare for both scenarios: moving fast in a live room, and building a lean home setup that lets you deliver high-quality tracks.
How to Get Clear Direction from Clients
One of the biggest lessons Lance learned came from a nightmare session. The client kept saying, “I don’t know, man, try again.” No clear notes. No examples. Just endless takes.
Finally, he hit a wall. He told them, “I’m going to lunch. While I’m gone, find some solos on Spotify you actually like.” When he came back, they had examples. They said, “If you could play it like this guy, we’d love that.” He listened, understood the exact vibe, and got it in one take.
Now he does things differently. When someone calls him for a session, he gently “quizzes” them up front. He asks for:
- Artist references – “Do you want more Carlos Santana or more Jerry Garcia?”
- Song references – “Send a track where you love the tone or solo.”
- Style detail – “When you say ‘bluesy,’ what kind of blues player do you mean?”
He notes that genres are nebulous and contain a multitude of different stlyes. For instance, “bluesy” can mean B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, or Jerry Garcia — all of which sound very different from each other. Clear references save everyone time, money, and frustration.
If you want to do session work, it’s important to remember that you are not only a player. You also need excellent communication skills. This way, you can turn vague feelings and fuzzy words into actual musical choices.
Setting Boundaries Around Time and Revisions
Lance notes that there is no HR department in music. There are no default rules. Therefore, you have to create your own guardrails.
Lance said many of his boundaries grew out of bad experiences. After a rough session, he would step back and ask, “How do I stop that from happening again?”
Here is how he handles it now.
In-Studio Sessions
When he gets hired to come into a studio, he:
- Agrees on a clear rate and a clear block of time
- Tells them, “I’m here until this time, then I have to go”
- Gives them whatever they want within that block
If they want more time after that, they can book another block. Because the time has a clear end, he doesn’t get trapped in an endless, unpaid “one more take” cycle.
Remote Sessions
Remote sessions need even firmer limits. For those, he usually:
- Sends three versions of the part or solo
- Invites detailed notes on those three
- Delivers a final take that folds in their feedback
- Treats extra rounds as new work, not “free”
He tries to make the three takes different enough that clients can either pick one, or combine elements. Often they love one version as-is and need no revisions at all.
If you do session work, consider writing these limits into your emails, offers, or contracts. Clear rules protect your time, your energy, and your respect for the project.
Avoid Burnout: Name What You’re Actually Tired Of
Whenever I discuss careers, I like to cover the topic of burnout. And Lance had a lot to say. You could tell it was something he’d been personally impacted by before. Indeed, he mentioned how, at one point in his career, he was almost literally working 24/7 on music. He managed for a single semester before he had to pump the breaks and re-evaluate things.
Even with that shift, he still teaches most days. He often starts around 10 a.m., and then plays gigs at night. That means a guitar sits in his hands almost all day.
He mentioned that too many people simply say, “I’m burned out on music” and don’t bother to investigate further. But what he’s noticed in his life and the lives of his students and colleagues is that most people burn out on something smaller, like:
- A specific set of songs they have to learn
- A particular band’s demands or schedule
- One repetitive teaching topic
Because of that, his first step now is to zoom in. He asks, “What exactly am I sick of?” Once he spots the real problem, he sets limits around that piece.
For example, if working on a new band’s set fries his brain after 30 minutes, he caps it there. He practices their songs for 30 minutes, then moves to something else. Maybe he returns to it later, maybe not. But he no longer pushes past the point where his brain and hands feel cooked.
If you feel done with music, try this yourself. Instead of quitting everything, identify the precise task that drains you. Then shrink it, reshape it, or move it so your love for music can breathe again.
Avoid Burnout: Don’t Let One Thing Be Your Identity
As someone who has written a bit on athletic careers and athletes, I noticed that the same things that plague athletes really plague musicians. In particular, I saw a lot of overlap in the ways music can consume a musician’s identity and a sport can consume an athlete’s identity.
Research shows when people wrap too much of their identity into one thing, it can cause fragility in one’s sense of self. This is particularly true if that thing comes under attack (e.g. criticism from external sources) or becomes a source of friction in their lives (e.g. an injury forces them to stop doing that one thing).
Lance agreed. He described how scary it felt when he started burning out on music, because music isn’t just his job. It is something he has done since childhood. He went to school for it. His whole adult life revolves around it.
When that starts to feel heavy, it can feel like you are failing as a person. However, he slowly realized music is a big part of who he is, but not the whole thing. He is also:
- A husband
- A dog owner
- A friend and mentor
- A person with interests outside of music
Because he invested in those other parts of life, burnout in one area now hits less hard. It still hurts, but it does not erase his sense of self.
He likened it to the stock market: If you put all your money in one company and that company crashes, your finances are screwed. When you spread investments across many assets, one bad year hurts less and life goes on. Building a well-rounded life and identity works the same way.
So if you want to build a long career in music, keep nurturing parts of yourself outside of music. That way, when something bad happens to you within the realm of music, you still have other things you can lean on and find fulfillment in.
Which Gigs You Should Take? Try the Triangle Test!
I asked Lance if he ever turns down work because it feels like a future burnout bomb. He lit up and told me about his favorite gig test, borrowed from legendary session guitarist Tommy Tedesco.
The test is a simple triangle with three points:
- Is the money good?
- Is the music good?
- Is the hang good?
Then the rule under the triangle says: “Pick two.”
Lance has basically lived his career by that rule. For example:
- If the music and hang are great, he might accept weak pay.
- If the money and music are great, he might tolerate a quiet hang.
- If the money and hang are great, he might accept music that is just okay.
However, he tries not to take gigs where only the money is good, but the music bores him and the people drain him. Even if that gig could help him financially, the emotional cost is usually too high.
You can use the same triangle for sessions, teaching, tours, or, really, most anything in your life. If at least two corners feel strong, the work probably nourishes you in some way. If only one feels okay, or none do, you might want to walk away.
Musicians are Athletes, So Act Like It
It might not seem like some musicians are athletic — or that music is an athletic career. But in the same ways that athletes train to hyper-perform one or two things (running, swimming, hitting a tennis ball, etc.) musicians really do the same sort of hyper-specialized training.
As a result, musicians really need to pay attention to the same physical burnout concerns that athletes do. I asked Lance how he keeps his hands, shoulders, and back working with such a heavy schedule (I sometimes get sore just playing bass a few times a week!).
He said part of the answer is simply volume. Because he plays every day, his body stays used to the demands. However, he also sees the flipside. When he takes a break for a big life event, like a honeymoon, then jumps straight back into his full schedule, he almost always gets hurt.
To manage that risk, he:
- Warms up before gigs, especially now that he is older
- Uses physical therapy stretches for hands, wrists, and arms
- Uses a massage gun on his arms and hands when needed
- Ramps back up slowly after any forced break
He basically treats a return from injury like an athlete would. You do not go from zero to full-speed games overnight. Instead, you build back up in stages.
If you want a long session career, you cannot ignore this. Whatever part of your body you’re using to play the instruments you do are your core tools. Because of that, it is critical to invest time and probably even some money in keeping them strong and flexible.
Protecting Your Hearing (Without Killing the Music)
We also talked about ear health. Almost every older player Lance gigged with warned him early: always wear hearing protection. Cymbals, loud amps, and the like can wreck your ears faster than you think.
Foam plugs do help, but they also muffle sound and kill detail. He used those for years, but always hated the fact that he was spending money to get great tones, just to stuff it behind a proverbial pillow.
Luckily, Lance has managed to find some awesome wireless in-ear monitors. Showing me a small wireless pack you connect to a digital mixer, he mentioned that these newer products are cheaper, smaller, and honestly superior to the giant rigs of yesteryear. You can even run your in-ears from your phone.
That means each member of a band can individually:
- Log into the mixer from their phone
- Build a personal in-ear mix
- Hear the band like a record, not a muddy stage
Good in-ears also block outside sound just like high-end earplugs — all while feeding you a safe, clear mix at a healthy volume.
For bar gigs or smaller shows, he also likes custom-fit or moldable earplugs. The key is simple: find something that protects your hearing and still lets you enjoy the sound. Because once your hearing goes, it does not really come back.
What Happens When You Get Hurt Anyway?
Injury still happens, even to careful players. I asked Lance how he handles that with clients and bands.
First, he said that a simple honest message usually goes over well. If he tells someone, “I’m having tendon issues in my hand and should back out,” most people understand. It is not like saying, “I double-booked myself.” It’s a real health issue.
Second, he tries to look ahead in his calendar. When he knows a big session or tour is coming, he treats the days before like prep time. He stretches more, uses his massage tools, warms up well, and makes sure his body feels ready.
Third, he keeps a Rolodex of other players he trusts. For teaching, he has teachers he can recommend based on style. For gigs, every band he plays with has multiple drummers or guitarists they can call. There’s the main person, the number two, and the last-minute hero.
Because he can offer strong referrals, he doesn’t feel like he is leaving people hanging. He is helping them solve the problem, even if he cannot personally play the job.
If you are a session musician, building this network is huge. It helps you care for your body, without burning bridges, when life forces you to slow down.
Building Your Own Spiderweb Career
We ended our conversation by talking about next steps for people who either want to get into session work, or want to rebalance a music life that feels heavy.
Here are the core moves I’d pull out from Lance’s story:
- Build a spiderweb, not a single rope.
- Mix sessions, teaching, gigs, writing, and other strands.
- Get good at direction and feedback.
- Ask for artist and song references, not vague adjectives.
- Set clear limits on time and revisions.
- Decide what you include in your fee and what costs extra.
- Treat your brain and body like an athlete’s.
- Warm up, stretch, pace your practice, and protect your ears.
- Guard your identity and build a well-rounded life.
- Let music be part of who you are, not the whole thing.
- Use the triangle test for decisions.
- Look at money, music, and hang, and shoot for at least two.
- Keep a referral network.
- Know who you can call when you need to say no.
These components, working together, will allow you to build a strong and resilient career — as well as a strong and resilient mind and body.
How to Connect with Lance (and Support My Work)
If you want to connect with Lance, the easiest way to study with him is through his video courses on TrueFire.com. He also has a personal website where he posts live performance clips and contact info, and he’s on the usual social platforms under his own name.
Because he’s “one of very few Lance Rubys,” you can usually just search his name to find him. Hire him for a session, catch a show, or learn from his playing!
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