Being a session guitarist is a vastly different gig than being a member of a band in the studio. Session guitarists are a great breed of musicians that can be very helpful on a project if asked.
Essential traits of a great session guitarist
Being a session guitarist is a vastly different gig than being a member of a band in the studio. Session guitarists are a great breed of musicians that can be very helpful on a project if asked.
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Also, thanks for sharing wonderful content like you do. I will be revisiting this site frequently.
I’m thinking Tommy Tedesco and the Wrecking Crew…
Great article! Those traits alone or modified would be good for any profession.
Another good reason to watch the documentary about them, especially for non-musicians like me.
Yes, I own it, watched it so many times I’ve lost count. I also own the history of Atlantic Records (Ahmet Ertigun) and many more.
Thanks for that recommendation. I’ll have to hope it appears on Netflix or Prime at some point.
I’ve never seen the Dowd video or the Atlantic one in either place but you never know. The Atlantic one was a PBS special many years ago, you might find it up there, maybe American Experience or one of those.
Tedesco is probably the world’s most-recorded guitarist. Theme from Bonanza? Tedesco played the signature guitar lick. Theme from the original Batman TV show? Tedesco. Etc. You have heard him.
How about that low E-string guitar lick from the theme from “Peter Gunn”? Nope. That was Duane Eddy. He played the reverb-heavy “Broken Arrow” theme too. But he wasn’t really a studio musician.
Then there’s Booker T. & the M.G.’s…. playing behind everyone the Wrecking Crew wasn’t (well, not everyone but a ton of groups). Cropper was a pretty decent guitar player as well.
Great piece. For session heads check out Pete Thorn and the great Tim Pierce. Both have great websites and youtube channels that are just full of great stuff.
Session guitarist Adam Levy…”Recording, for me, usually isn’t about considering all the possible things I could play on a particular song. It’s more about finding a few very specific things. It’s about niching. It’s about staying in character. Sometimes I’ll set boundaries for myself—playing only on a few strings, or only in one area of the fretboard, or only using certain types of rhythms.” https://blog.airgigs.com/2015/07/q-a-with-top-session-guitarist-adam-levy/