James Lee Stanley

For those of you who are following this epistle, you know that I have been recording a new CD, Backstage At The Resurrection, and last week and the week before, had guitar players coming in.

I’d like to talk about what I think is the best way to get the best out of your musicians. All musicians, like all people, don’t ask of themselves what others would ask of them. It’s human nature. No matter how much we push ourselves, it is usually someone else that pushes us to further greatness.

That being said, I am a guitar player and always have a million ideas for any song I hear. For me the trick is to try them all and weed out the caca.

And I frequently play all the parts on the first generation of a recording, but I want to hear what other people have to contribute; I want to hear things that I wouldn’t have thought of; so when I have someone come into the studio, I like to give them free reign to try anything they can think of.

I can always refer to my own contributions if there is something that I want to hear; but initially I like to have another musician give me their take on what they feel ought to be there.

There is nothing more frustrating for a creative person than to show up and be told exactly what to sing or play. If the producer/artist/arranger already knows that, then what are you doing there?   Let them do it themselves.

Anyone can regurgitate your idea for you. What kind of a contribution is that? It’s just the producer/artist being the puppet master and giving the attending musician a complete vote of no confidence.   Yeah, that makes for great recordings.

My feeling is that I can always play what I want to hear. Let’s hear what you think ought to be there. And I usually give my guest musicians three to six passes at their own ideas.

If everything they are doing is interesting, then I don’t say anything but, “huzzah!”, but if they are not coming up with what I like after six takes, then I begin to direct them. But, and this is a big BUT! I keep all the takes.

After they are gone and I am in my studio alone (so there are no hourly charges except for energy), I put all of the takes up and listen to them in their entirety, going thru and clipping the things that I really liked and muting what I don’t like.

Frequently, by the time I have gotten through their sixth take, I have almost all of the part there. Predictably, the part they were having trouble with, they frequently have trouble with in all six takes.

But I also have the take or two that I directed and…I have what I played before they ever got there. Between all those takes I can usually find exactly what I am looking for.

That doesn’t mean it will make your toes curl, but it does mean that it made mine do so.

And remember that this is only one way to get an instrument or voice track that does what you want it to do.