What is it like studio playing?

I've been playing for 35 years. At an open mic the house band guitarist was joking with me to the audience asking, "Didn't I hear you on Austin City Limits the other night?" and later "You're really a studio musician, aren't you?"...

Off to the side, he told me he really admired my playing and told me I should always play my guitar "clean" because I have a great touch and tone through the amp.

I've wondered since then what it might be like to play in the studio. Anyone out there mind relating their experiences and observations of what that world is like, what it takes to do well, any details to consider, or recommendations for how to find a studio and get started? Just what does a studio expect the guitar player to be able to do? What's important and what doesn't matter?

I didn't like the fact that 1.we had to wear headphones & 2.being In different rooms was very awkward?:wah:

It's been twenty years for me since I was last in a real studio. I'm sure things have changed dramatically since then, but I'm sure some of the basics remain the same.

The first key element to remember is, you're there to take advantage of their experience. Don't be upset or take offence to the sound engineer wanting to tweak your tone. Or the recording engineer telling you to play it again, even though you thought you nailed it twenty times before. Aside from those things, try to relax. Forget the fact that things are being recorded. So many people, even experienced ones, tend to freeze up or play more tense when they know they're being recorded.

Also, it's important to understand the studio's role. Just because you pop in and record a few songs don't mean they're going to give you a shrink wraped CD complete with album art ready to sell in a store two weeks later. Recording is only one facet of the entire process. There is mixing, mastering, producing yet to come.

As a session player, things can be even more daunting. Someone might hand you sheet music for something you've never heard before, and expect you to play it flawlessly the first or second pass through it. Or they might play you a rough track and suggest that you come up with something (right now) to lay over top of it. Then they'll tell you to tone it down a bit because an actual band member will have to reproduce it later. The ironic part is that you were hired because that band member couldn't play it to begin with. If they're paying you by the hour, you may not even get credit for your contributions. Even so, it can be a rewarding experience.

If you've never been in a studio, but want to prepare yourself for that type of experience, start out by recording yourself at home. Equipment is not as expensive as you might think, and the fact that you're posting on the Internet means that you probably already have most of the hardware you'd need to get started (a computer). Most basic home recording setups today outclass the majority of professional studios 20 years ago. Back then, most everything was cut on 1 inch tape, and real fancy studios could copy from one tape to another, while less fancy ones were still hand splicing tapes together (or letting the flaws pass through anyway).

I do a fair amount of studio work for other folks.

You need to have a collection of gear that can cover a lot of ground. For me that's one single-coil style guitar and one humbucker-style guitar. I always take my regular rig, mainly because the folks who hire me have heard me play live and they're clearly okay with my sound.

However, I always take a few extra pieces too, usually a couple extra OD pedals or a modeler. You can't imagine how many times I've finished my track and heard the guy running the session (or the producer if there is one) say, "Ooh, y'know what would be good here? Another track of HUGE guitar power chords!" (Or some such unexpected statement).

Secondly the gear you take needs to work. Keep your amp(s) in proper working order, take a spare set of tubes and extra of everything else--guitar strings, cables, etc. Time is ALWAYS an issue, and you don't want to be the dude eating it up... someone else is paying for it.

For my calls, it is imperitive you know how to read music--usually sight-reading. However, there are other guitarists who get plenty of calls who may not know how to read music. It's just that reading is on my resume, so I get those calls. However, if you can't at least read a chord chart or Nashville Numbering, I'd definitely brush up on that first.

Finally, I'd advise leaving your pride at the door. It's relevant that I mention most of the calls I get are from folks who have heard me play and know my style, because many times I'll show up and do my track just as pc would play it live if it were my own song or a cover my band does.

Then they'll say, "That was nice and all, but can you redo the track more like [enter famous guitarists name here]?"

"Uh... sure."

Again, the key is that you're on their dime. You're brilliant artistic visions may help, but most likely will have to take a back-burner.

(Oops, sorry Meso--didn't see your post b/c it took me 20 minutes to write my post after getting interrupted with a phone call and a couple emails. I said a lot of the same things but don't want you to think I didn't think you said it well enough, because you did! :smile:)

take everything you know or do and put it under a microscope...that should get you close to what it's like.

i don't care for it, studio playing that is, i don't have the patience for it. that may a hang up i have, and i know i'm pretty lazy when it comes to playing.

all this to say is that it is nothing like playing live, nowhere close. give a shot though, you might really like it.

I love playing live AND studio work.
Completely different animals though.

I like the fact that in the studio, you can hear (or not) whatever you choose to have piped into your headphones. I sweat WAY too much singing & playing under lights onstage to wear in-ears or anything remotely like that, but leaning on a stool in a nice air conditioned studio lets me really get lost in one little thing at a time. To me it's kind of like when you first start getting good on guitar and you can just close your eyes and let it rip without having to think about what might go wrong.

Many experienced players (myself included) sometimes forget what we went through to get to where we are now in our playing, and studio work tends to remind me of being in a place in my playing where everything is comfortable, but still fresh, new and exciting. In some ways it's more 'fly by the seat of your pants' than playing live. In other ways it's like surgery where precision is the name of the game. Just depends on what kind of studio gig you have, they're extremely varied.

If you're looking to do it for others, I'd recommend getting good at sight reading & charts. Strangers who are paying you don't want to go over it 'one more time' to help you get it. They want you to at least start driving your own part in just a couple minutes. You usually get a few moments to go over stuff and ask questions about parts that might not make immediate sense to you, but not a half hour while you figure out what piano chord is in the background.

Like others have said, maintain your gear well, string up with fresh (but broken in) strings & bring spares, a couple different kinds of guitars. Bring a tuner & spares for pretty much everything else you can think of. Be well rested and hydrated. Eat a light meal a couple hours before the studio appointment. Wash your hands after you load in and before you start recording. Bring water or juice (not carbonated stuff that makes you burp). :glug
Maybe too obvious to mention (or not), but don't bring liquor. If they're OK with booze in the studio, let them provide it. Beer spilled on a powered up 50 year old Neumann U47 is not something you want to pay for! :confused:

DON'T touch the mics or stands in the sound room unless the engineer tells you to - not even a little bit. Let them do it. Those mics are probably more expensive than you are. :wah:

And always remember to Have Fun. :band

Cheers,
- JJ

imagine crawling naked through broken glass, while being sprayed with vinegar and lemon juice.:wah:








Its nothing like that.:Banjo: :bluesbros

Thanks for the observations. I was in the Sugarhill studio once here in Houston about 15 years ago to make a demo with an old band. Since we all knew each other and were playing songs we knew well I imagine that was quite unlike what you all describe in many ways.

I have an excellent ear for picking up new songs and understanding the music. I love to hop up on stage and play songs I've never heard with people I've never met.

I think I might give this a try. I have my '88 Strat Plus and my archtop jazz box both of which sound good with my DRRI, and my old very nice sounding D28.

It will freak me out a bit if I discover that I can actually get paid to do what I love so much.

What is it like studio playing?

Like being thrown to the wolves. It's no longer about playing good, it's about the money being spent.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fezz parka

It's work, and it's fun at the same time. I love it.:D

---

And HOW! lol
I haven't done a ton of studio work, but I've done enough to hang I think, & to me it is very different than playing live. Playing live all the time you never think about how much embellishing you might do.
Once during my first sessions, the producer (who was very supportive) said, "I really mean it- all I want you to do is go 'dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig...' " I couldn't believe that it would sound any good. But when all the parts came together, it was like BAM! He knew what it would sound like. From then on I just trusted him & played whatever he told me to.

OK, now to resurrect an old thread...

How exactly does one get into this line of work?

For me it was just college and post-college networking. I went to a music school, so I got to know a lot of the pro musicians in town.

Secondly, my music school had its own (small) recording studio, from which I produced & engineered a radio program for the local NPR feed for two years my junior & senior year. So studios were no mystery to me.

Third, as part of my music degree I had to attend a summer session "The Recording Workshop," an independent school based out of an enormous recording studio complex in Southern Ohio. I got to know all the engineer/teachers there and became friends with a few.

The upshot was that when I got called to do a session by one group of musicians (usually a group of horn players) and I did well, word of mouth spread from those horn guys to their other musician friends. At the same time, during the constant influx of sessions at The Recording Workshop, if someone needed a guitarist for a last-minute session, my name eventually moved to the short list.

From there it builds. However, because I live in Columbus Ohio and not some major market, "a lot" of studio work for me in a year would be peanuts to someone in L.A., Nashville or NYC.

It also goes in waves for me. I really didn't have too many calls in 2007--probably three or four. I had easily five times that in 2006. Same with 2005 and 2003, but not 2004. It just kind of goes up and down.

Ah, see, networking is where it's at. Alas, I am just now getting back into contact with other musicians after a 5 year or so hiatus concentrating on a day job. And of course you trip over it, Fezz, you grew up in it! If I'm recalling your story right.

I can read music, albeit S-L-O-W-L-Y, and have actually taken a recording technology class myself. That was almost 10 years ago though, so I'm sure everything I learned is now obsolete, same goes for the Music Business class.

I'm just curious, as I've been recording and analyzing myself since I was 13 or so, and feel confident I can passably emulate any style likely to be thrown at me, emphasis on likely. It sounds like it would be fun, as Fezz stated earlier, to do what I love for a living. I may have a ways to go though, since again I haven't focused that hard on music for a few years now.

So I guess get my chops in order and learn what the heck Nashville Numbering means would be a good start, then start networking! :D Thanks gents.

The Jamzone could be a good place to start Paul..
Good luck to ya..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

What is it like studio playing?

Like being thrown to the wolves. It's no longer about playing good, it's about the money being spent.

---

That's pretty inaccurate, OA. Studio playing is MUCH more about playing "good" than playing live in bars is.

Yes, money is being spent, and that means you have to play "good" right now. If that's what you mean about being thrown to wolves, then, yes, it's true, the pressure goes on when the red light does.

I did a lot of local session work - jingles and albums- in the late 70s, and never found it to be high pressure because I was being hired to do something I did really well (rhythm acoustic and background vocals), and the rest of the band that got the first call at this studio were equally good at "that thing you do." We used to knock out entire country albums in three days of tracking, and had fun doing it.

As for my work now, well, it doesn't really count as studio work... it's my studio, my production, so I have all the time in the world to nail it. :D But what I expect from the guys I hire is:

a pro attitude
a willingness to try what I ask for
a relaxed competence

It's not "that guy couldn't play the flyspecks I charted for him on the first take... I'll never call him again." It's more like, "that guy thought he was rock star and blew me shit about how I wanted it played... I'll never call him again."

Exactly Jim.

I think sometimes people confuse their experiences recording with their own band(s) in a pro studio, running up against the clock to finish within the time they can afford, versus being a session guy who called in and is paid to play.

When I'm paid to play, it is most definitely about playing well. Like I said above, I don't subsist on studio playing (you can't here), but it sure is a nice chunk of extra income for me.

If I don't play well, the word of mouth cache I have can reverse itself and I don't get called again. Thus, no more session money.

In this context, "playing well" is a big-picture thing. I have to be well versed in a lot of different styles and it really helps to be able to nail stuff on the first take. Like I said before, being able to sight-read chord charts is a 100 percent must, and being able to sight-read melody lines is pretty important too.

One of things I get called to do the most is pretty much exactly what Jim does. Someone is scoring a commercial DVD and has a whole bunch of musical cues to be recorded. In this sense I mean "commercial DVD" as like a 20-minute or so presentation that some company is using to promote themselves.

One cue will be a two-minute funky groove that probably gets laid over a montage of people working. Another cue will be a very minimal jazz piece for the "donut" type area where the voice talent is describing the company. Another cue will be an up-tempo rock type thing to go over the end credit/montage thing.

My directions:

1) On the funk thing, do James Brown comping, then on another track, double the melody with the sax.
2) On the jazz thing, do open comping on the verses, but make sure you play the rhythms as written on the choruses. Then on another track, do some very minimal soloing on the bridge section.
3) On the rock thing, do one track of Keef-type comping, then another track of power chords on the choruses.

Familiarity with various styles is necessary, and playing well in each is the key to getting called back.

In NYC the Guitar Club had everyting locked up (literally!) for a long time. Around these parts it's pretty much dog-eat-dog for quality studio work. Way more players than work, so it usually goes to the lowest bidder out of the pool of guys that can get it done in a few takes. That or we have established relationshipos that go way back. You get comfortable when you work with people you know.

The dynamic is really changing fast due to technology. In the day, we had an engineer and a Neve console, and lots of really expensive equipment that was hard to operate. So studios where rare and elite, with a premium placed on getting it done quickly.

Home studios and ProTools has changed the game completely, as has direct-to-board modelling.

The real trick now is not getting a good recording and mix as that can be done cheaply, and it's child's play to punch in and out of solo to tweak it, but having it mastered properly.

Please fezz, don't get me wrong. It still has to be done right, but it's not as hard to get access to good studio time now. I remember when the studio rooms where set on sand to insulate them! 20 years ago there were only one or two decent studios in town here. Now there are many that can do a pro job. And I've seen a few great mixes that were butchered in the mastering process. That's what decides how "alive" the result is coming out of the stereo speakers.

Playing in studio gigs is something that a good player will fall right in to if he's good and knows the right people. that's the networking part.

I usually don't find it all that difficult because as mentioned above, I'm called in to do what people have heard me do. I'm invited to come and "be myself". I've got a lot of different gear that will accomplish a wide range of tones, but the attitude of my playing is why it's me in the chair, and not somebody else.

About reading, that's a no biggie for the right player/producers. Jimmy Page was pretty busy in the mid 60s and I don't think he can read.

Besides, many producers don't have but an outline of what you are to play. Sometimes you have to listen to a tune and then play along.

Recent technology has changed a lot about how it can be done. With non-linear editing and click tracks being all the rage, you can play one each verse, chorus, bridge and the whole song can be built by cutting and pasting it around to fill in the other sections. Whether old style studio, or home set up, it's still the ears of the producer that makes it sound good or bad. Mixing and mastering can make some fine engineering sound like ass.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fezz parka

So...reading isn't necessary, but it can move things along...:dude

---

Spot on. I've said those very words to singers in a first audition:

"Can you sight read?"
"No, I can't... does that mean you won't hire me?"
"No, you sing great. It just means you'll have to work a lot harder for your money."

There was a time where I could get through a chart pretty well. Not doing ti much has left me far beyond rusty.

I don't record a lot, but when I do there have never been more than a rough sketch on a notepad.

Most of the time it's been original music. One session where I did my usual improv of hooks and such I was actually credited part songwriter. because the artist felt the value to the songs.