Session players

[Endrik]

I've always loved session guitarists, even more than most of the famous guitar heroes because their playing is as tasty as David Gilmour's but they also have the chops of a fusion shredder. Most of 'em don't sound very unique but they always come up with fantastic and memoriable leads.

Things I've noticed about great session players:

*amazing tone
*great sense of melody
*perfect note choice
*great vibrato
*versality
*chops

To bad that most of them are unknown for most of the people.

Some of my favourites are

Steve Lukather
Rick Difonzio
Darryl Stuermer
Larry Carlton
Keith Scott
Tommy Girvin
Tim Pierce
Mike Landau

share your thoughts

[SEEGERMANY]

If you ever get the opportunity to visit some of the studios in Nashville, check out some of the session cats and I promise, you'll want to throw your shit in the Tennessee River.

[Endrik]

yeah dude, Nashville is the meka of recording studios and session players

[horns666]

Oops..I posted on the wrong thread..

well while I'm here..

Reb Beach and Steve Stevens did alot of session work..back in the day..

Steve did Michael Jackson's Dirty Diana and the Top Gun soundtrack..

Reb is on TSs "love is for suckers"..on Hot Love.

[Endrik]

Neal Schon did some great session work too.

[horns666]

Neal Schon did some great session work too.

Eddie did some soundtrack stuff..for his Ex Wife's movie..don't remeber the name of it tho..

He did most of "The Wild Life" soundtrack..there's the "Good enough" riff on there..years before that song came out on 5150..

I liked "Donut City"..

[kmanick]

It's cool you guys are mentioning the session players in Nashville.
someone I work with just came back from there (she is an amazing keyboard player herself) and she said the session players that she saw down there just blew her away. The talent level down there is amazing.

[lefty]

How 'bout:


Al Pitrelli
Reeves Gabrels

[Dave L]

Jay Graydon, Dann Huff, Bret Garsed.

[Endrik]

all the world's greatest country, country-rock and country-pop is born in Nashville. I'm not talkin' about the old cowboy tunes, Willie Nelson or Dolly Parton. I'm talkin' about high quality pop and rock music wich roots are from country. Sheryl Crow is the best example. Everything that comes out from that place is genius-like. The production is just amazing. Evertyhing sounds so fresh and natural, very dynamical and acoustical.

Nashville has the best studios in the world. Huge rooms made of high grade wood. The acoustics there are amazing. Also they have impressive collection of vintage/analouge recording gear. API, SSL etc. boards, 2" tape recorders etc.
If you listen to some of the stuff, you can hear a lot of room ambience.

They don't use any machines or computers to make music. No loopers, drum machines, orchestration programs, guitar simulators etc.
Everything is played by musicians who use some great vintage equipment. Ludwig drums, Hammond organs, vintage gibson and fenders, vintage amps etc.

And if you have so amazing gear then you also have amazing players to use all that stuff.
TALENT is the word to describe those players. They know how to play perfect tracks for specific songs. They know what works and what doesn't work for the song. Their skill is just unbeliveable.
If you want some orchestraion then the producers get some badass cello and violin players to the studio, if you want some bluegrass vibe, they get you some badass banjo players, if you want some delta blues licks, then they bring in some badass slide guitar player. Everything has to be REAL.

I tell ya', there's a lot of magic happenin' in that place

[MBreinin]

Well, you already mentioned the greatest session guy of all time...Larry Carlton, Mr. 335.

The unsung heros of the music biz.

I love that scene in "Coalminer's Daughter" where Loretta Lynn is cutting her little record and they hear how good she is and say, "Get us some more pickers!"

Great stuff.

Mike

p.s. didn't Vince Gill do alot of session work? That guy is fucking amazing.

[GodOfRhythm]

Session players are monsters. They have to be ready to go into the studio and do just about anything. They get slapped in the face with some new Christina Aguilera song that needs a 'blistering guitar solo' that fits the hip/hop background of the song, he better be able to pull it off!

So I always feel they have complete control over the instrument!

[dinkyjacksonman]

Michael Thompson is da man.
He is my favorite.
He played on bunch of records and his playing on "Power of Love" by Celine Dion kicks ass.
And Dann Huff is killer as well.

[yard dawg]

Brent Mason plays on everything from nashville. nuff said

[SEEGERMANY]

It's funny how several people mentioned Dan Huff, yet I remember Dave Mustaine being pissed at not only Dan's production skills, but his guitar work as well. For someone so bad, he sure did produce a great CD called Cryptic Writings.

Speaking of Mustaine, he's been recording a lot in Nashville. I'm pretty sure he just recorded some shit at Blackbird Studios owned by Mr. and Mrs. Martina McBride.