Recording guitar solos in a studio environment.
I was in the studio last weekend to record a demo and had great trouble getting "in the mood" for playing a decent guitar solo.
The studio environment - as cozy as we tried to make it - is still clinical and dry. Nothing to hide behind, no band to react to and no audience to draw inspiration from. I found it VERY hard to get in the mood and felt like I ended up just stammering out a solo with no real flow or feel to it.
I'm a live player to the bone, and I really found it hard to play in that environment, and on cue like that. I never write solos, always just wing it by ear which means I have to "get in the zone" so to speak - and the zone was far far away in that studio. =)
Now I was wondering what other people do. Do you write solos specifically for recording, do you turn off all the light and light some candles or what do you do?
Any tips and advice would be appreciated, cause I can see this being a problem next time too.
The studio environment - as cozy as we tried to make it - is still clinical and dry. Nothing to hide behind, no band to react to and no audience to draw inspiration from. I found it VERY hard to get in the mood and felt like I ended up just stammering out a solo with no real flow or feel to it.
I'm a live player to the bone, and I really found it hard to play in that environment, and on cue like that. I never write solos, always just wing it by ear which means I have to "get in the zone" so to speak - and the zone was far far away in that studio. =)
Now I was wondering what other people do. Do you write solos specifically for recording, do you turn off all the light and light some candles or what do you do?
Any tips and advice would be appreciated, cause I can see this being a problem next time too.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Chad Nordhoff on -
It really depends on what the recording is used for. If it's a demo to get gigs then you can get by with a solo that simply doesn't suck. If the recording is for a more broad release, it may be best to go ahead and write a solo even if you don't always play it that way live.
Record solos as often as possible and listen back to them. Often when you hear a live solo played back it's not as hot as it felt at the time. That process will tell you a lot. You learn to take out unnecessary parts and focus on the substance. Over time you sort of build a mental catalog of licks and ways to tie them together. That makes your goals for recording a solo in the studio a little more specific instead of trying to make magic happen in a little digital box.
If I'm paying for studio time I never leave solos up to the imagination. I'll sit at my Fostex 8-track or PC and just bury myself in that solo for a day or two. Starting with spontaneous crap I'll just pick A or B, better or worse, building a framework then tying it all together.
I've never had any luck trying to achieve a mood in the studio. For what it's worth I'm just as well to be standing by a computer in a tangled mess of cords, pedals, and amps.
I had only performed this song twice when this video was taken. The week before I spent a day jammin' on licks to fit it. Between the rehearsed licks and the default settings it creates the illusion that I know what I'm trying to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-CgurEiAc
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Permalink Reply by Jake Green on -
Well in the end we went back last weekend and redid the guitar solo on the tune I had fumbled the most. I had been rehearsing it a bit by jamming at home, and playing the song live at a jam session at the local blues bar and was better prepared.
I'm guessing the real problem was that it was at the end of a 3 day studio stretch and I was simply worn flat. My fingers couldn't keep up with the tempo and I kept missing licks. It went a lot better the second time around and we got a usable solo down.
I would like to hear some more takes on how to get better solos in the studio.
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Permalink Reply by Carl Wyatt on -
Hi there.. I got the same problem as you and I really hate studios.. Therefor half of my albums are live recordings! You just got to wait for that magic moment where all falls into place.. It can be either within the first 15 minutes after entering the studio or after 8 hours playing and you say to yourself: oh well fu..k it, I'll give it another shot.. I don't think there are any rules.. I've seen John Lee Hooker recording with Van Morrison.. John was so pissed, he walked out of the studio and didn't return for two months.. Afterwards he just did what he did within one day and it was great!! But that was also due to the fact that Van wasn't around in the studio who got terribly on John's nerves!!
Have the right people around you whith whom you get on well.. that's also important!!
Cheers mate..
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Permalink Reply by Shad Harris on -
I agree with you Chad, I think ALL solos have a different significance depending on the circumstances. Your live performance was completely solo. I'm guessing you would have approached the song differently if you were performing it with a complete rhythm section.
I just recorded a four song session with three guitarists and we tracked each song twice. I noticed that only one of the guitar players played the same thing or a version of the same thing each time. That's because she didn't play lead though and she found rhythm parts that were comfortable to play and parts that fit the grooves.
The lead players on the other hand were "all over the place".
I like to "construct, study and review" (CS&R) a studio solo as well. Improv is for live performance, although it can work in the studio, and if I don't have the time or circumstances don't permit the CS&R method, then improv is essential.
Chad your advice to record and listen as often as possible is absolutely Golden! Getting in the mood or achieving a mood is a little bit overrated, I mean you're going to be in the mood that you're in regardless but between the actual performance and the final mix is a vast sea of variables that more often than not, don't take your mood when you recorded into account.
By the way, that live performance wasn't an illusion my man, you were RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDING!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Jake Green on
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Well, we got the songs finished now, and I put them up on http://www.myspace.com/jakegreenblues .
The solo's didn't turn out too bad - but I must admit we went back and did another take to get them decent.
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Permalink Reply by Chad Nordhoff on
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When you play live your solos are defined by the high points and the things you did right. The mistakes are forgiven or erased. In the modern studio setting, you're jamming into headphones while your band is out working their daytime job. As an artist, your work becomes defined by the lowpoint and the mistakes are amplified. I've seen Gov't Mule several times live but I don't own any of their albums. Go figure.
Jake,
Your band really had your back on these tracks. I was listening to the solos after hearing that they "didn't turn out too bad". I guess, being a blues guitarist, I can feel what you mean. The tracks sound good to me. You simply have good songs and now you have good recordings of those songs. It sounds like a job well done!!!
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Permalink Reply by Jake Green on
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Thank you. =)
Yeah I consider myself pretty lucky when it comes to my band.
Both the drummer and bassplayer are way better than me, so generally the outcome will be good or bad depending on me. The drummer has been a studio-pro for almost 30 years, so he didn't even flinch at the idea of recording the drums first with only me playing rythm guitar directly into his headphones and a clicktrack as guideline (because of time and space issues we had to record it like that in his rehearsal studio).
The solos were recorded last, so it was more like playing a solo to a song on the stereo at home than playing a solo with the band. Very weird, but I definately had good use of the points you guys made in this thread.
I'm gonna get my external soundcard setup again one of these days (finally got drivers for the new computer (64bit)) so I can practise recording guitar pieces. Studio recording seems to be a craft you need to practise and learn like anything else.
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Permalink Reply by Leon and the Reckless Allstars on -
I try to have everything else right before I track it because I have found that my First take is usually my best even though it will have the most flaws . So I try to make sure that the levels are cool and that everything is go -DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK THOUGH , and I end up using a take that has all the correct things but not the same vibe.
My other trick is that I try to use only 1 track ( lead and rythym-please forgive my spelling ) so I 'm already in the the tune when the solo comes (instead of try to punch at break and from a cold start) just like at a gig aand i run the same rig as at a show- Which I have found to be very useful. I do not use head phones either , I put the amp in a another room and listen through the studio monitors
Hope this helps ,
Waddell
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Permalink Reply by TheArtist on -
Lots of really useful-helpful notes on here!
I'm all home studio, haven't played live in many years, here's how I do it-
We start exactly the way you did; get those drums down right, I find it helps sometimes, if the drummer can hear a little bit of the "planned" solo because he will do certain little things based on what he's hearing. Also, on replay, when you hear him do his parts, you will remember, oh- here comes a cool accent and you can play with it!
But, like you, I always just wing the solo, BUT! Like you mentioned, sometimes it's hard to have the feeling or get in the flow.
Here's what I do, if you're on a schedule, which kind of sounded like you were on studio time-
I try to work out a few little bits, if you can get a few little beauties worked out, sometimes just knowing those sections, you can put them all together on the fly. That may help you get through those times when it's not all clicking, because we all know, sometimes we don't have it!!!
Good Luck Man, Have Fun!!!!!!!!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Robert Stanley on -
The following is more in line with if you booked studio time.
When I record, I always have my solos thought through and worked out. That takes off some pressure. I don't want to pay for winging it and crash landing. If you like the solo ahead of time and are prepared, you don't run into the "I don't like it. Let's do it again and again and...".
You don't need a lot of onlookers outside of the band. That way you won't feel like you have to impress anyone. They can hear it later when everything sounds like you want it to.
If you're not acquainted with the engineer, get to know him. You'll be a lot more at ease when you know he's a person too.
This is my own thing but I like to bring chips and salsa, hot salsa. It was just a little thing that helps me keep things in proper perspective.
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Permalink Reply by Sue Rarick on -
As someone that has had to come in and lay down tracks cold here is what I find helps. First I tend to use a V-Amp modeler that I have set up with a number of custom settings for each guitar I may want to use. When I hear the basic track and listen to what what style they want. I select a guitar and setting I think will work. And tweak the settings if needed.
I try to isolate myself. I will position the chair so that I don't notice anyone and make it more of a playing in the bedroom type situation. Basically I want to eliminate any distractions.
Stay within your comfort zone. Nobody wants to pay you to jam. Be as creative as possible using what you know you can play well.
Write a chart. Jot down on paper a quick chart of where you want to go with the solo. It doesn't have to be note for note. Just a simple roadmap of the solo. This way if it's a good solo except for certain section you can look at your chart and have a visual idea of how you can improve that part quickly.
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Permalink Reply by Gator Blue on -
I think it's a challenge for everyone. Many of the comments about planning the solo, practicing it, etc. are right on the button and I've done that many times--sometimes turning everything off, and repeating it myself, with no volume, 10-15 times, before doing the final recording.
But, I'll never forget one piece of advice. Jim Dickinson (producer of Allman Bros., Aretha, Ray Charles, among others) told me this one time. "Record everything. Always. Because, you only have to get it right once and you may stumble onto something you never expected." He explained that some of the best hooks and best songs in history came when someone was jamming on-the-fly. Sometimes, I'll record with the whole band, playing rhythm through the solo. Later, I may go in, play it back and just jam with the track, but recording as I jam--this gives you the relaxed feeling of playing live---you're not worried about a mistake, you're just playing.
Now, many would argue that you lose the live feel of the interaction between you and the rest of the band by doing this ---and that's a reality--it happens, but it also may keep you from screwing up the entire recording with a bad clam and making the rest of the band replay the whole song over and over while the pressure builds on you to get it right.
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