[Harp-L] Re: Harp preparation for studio recording?

[Ken Deifik <kenneth.d@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gary Foster, one of the most skilled and beautiful saxophonists in the 
world told me that he practices for three hours before ANY gig.

This means that if he has a 7AM call at MGM he gets up at 3, cleans up, 
practices for three hours and heads off to Culver City.  He ALWAYS sounds 
beautiful, really beautiful, and never seems to have an off day.  He gets 
alot of studio work.

You might not have time to practice for three hours before live gigs, or 
even before record sessions, but record sessions are about as close to 
forever as we ever get, so you have to ask yourself, Do I want to play at 
my absolute peak?

Practice for at least an hour, preferably with a metronome, before any 
recording session, no matter how well you know the material.

I've A-B'd it in my home studio many times, unintentionally.  When I 
practice for at least an hour before recording I work with far greater 
facility and my sound is way better than when I roll 'em cold.

Paul McCartney was a famous stickler for getting rid of small flubs on a 
recording.  He said that if there is something bothering him on a recording 
it'll be the only thing he hears after a few listens.  Well, you don't have 
McCartney's budget, and the project may not even be yours, so if it comes 
out and you hear it and you KNOW you could have done alot better, you'll 
always regret that recording.  But if you put in some serious practice 
time, if you don't like the final result at least you can't beat yourself 
up for not working hard enough.  Frankly, you're far less likely to be 
unhappy with parts you record after an hour of practice in the first place.

A final note on this matter of flubs that might be relevant to you: on my 
very first recording session, back in the 60's, I hit a serious clam in my 
performance.  I knew perfectly well that I could ask for a re-take, but I 
was shy about doing it, so the clam stayed.  Recently, someone sent me a 
copy of that recording and the clam was the only thing I heard.  It's an 
ear-buster.

So prepare with some serious practice, and don't be shy about asking for 
retakes.

Ken