As a musician we’re always trying to find our ‘voice’ or ‘sound’, that thing that sets us apart from everyone else in the world. We hone our skills and try different instruments, different cables, picks, bows, amps, brands, the list goes on and on and on….and this is great, we all have a voice and we all should share it…but…
What about when someone hires you to play on their tracks as a studio musician? Or maybe they didn’t pick you but the producer knows and loves how you play, so he hand picks you for the project. There are 2 things that are going to happen; you’re either going to play like you (not a bad thing) or your going to try and mould yourself to fit the sound that the artist hears in their head. As you can imagine, the second is very hard to do, but dare I say it’s the more rewarding.
You could always play with your own ‘voice’ and do just fine as a studio musician, but I feel that more doors open if you can become more of a chameleon and shape yourself to fit into the mindset of the artist that you were hired to work with. Now, I know there’s someone out there saying, “you can’t change who you are and you can’t change your voice”, and to a point I completely agree. What I’m saying is you have to really try and understand the project and the artist. As a good and easy example, anytime I work with the SOS Studio founder, Jordan, I know the sound that he prefers on most projects and, honestly, it’s usually in a very different direction to the one I would chose. That’s not to say I’m right or he’s right but we have different views and ideas. He trusts me enough to know that I’m not going to try and play a progressive metal solo over his acoustic folk song (trust me, I’ve tried!)
Which brings me to another point, don’t be afraid to throw your ideas out there if you feel strongly that they will help the song reach its full potential . Just don’t let it get to you if the artist says no. This is something I had to learn early on. Your idea could inspire another thought in the artist or they might just have a very solid vision of the sound that they’re creating.
So keep your ears and mind wide open, try to see where the artist is coming from, what his vision is, what he is creating, why does he drink coffee by the carafe and not the cup….things to consider.
Until next time SOSers
Cheers
Cory