SESION shenanigans
The studio guitarist’s guide to happiness and personal fulfilment, as related by session ace Mitch Dalton. This month: “An axe, an axe, my kingdom for an axe!”
A“n axe, an axe, my kingdom for an axe! (with apologies to William Shakespeare). Or if you will, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent having the right guitar in your hands at the right time”. And let me assure you that in the wacky world of rock and roll, that ostensibly simple task can often take on the complexity of solving Rubik’s cube while hang gliding.
And so it came to pass that one dark January day, five instruments, a flight-cased amp, pedal board and accessories box left John Henry’s rehearsal studios in London’s deeply unfashionable Kings Cross industrial estate, and travelled to Birmingham. This in preparation for another round of Strictly Come Dancing 2019 - The Live Arena Tour.
A relatively straightforward exercise to be sure, having followed on from a week of less than straightforward “getting it together, man”. Which in my case translated into attempting to perform Brian Setzer’s charming punk reinterpretation of Malagueña. And throwing money (£375) at the problem of recreating the guitar sound on Bowie’s Let’s Dance (if you’re at all bovvered, it’s two separate digital delays programmed in 1/8 and 3/16 notes. In stereo).
And them learning ‘The Chic Medley’, five of Nile Rodgers’ finest grooves, transcribed with laser-like accuracy by David Arch to include every chord, every inflection and every ghost note that the Stratocaster Titan ever funked a fret with. However, you’ll be delighted to know that I intend to gloss over further descriptions of The Lonely Goatherd, The Trolley Song, Cotton Eye Joe and other hoof-tastic hilarities that litter our modest multi-arena entertainment, and come slightly to the point.
Which is that while my delightfully orange Gretsch 6120 with retro Bigsby whammy bar, Clapton Strat, Banjo and two Taylor guitars (acoustic and classical) were wending their independent way to the West Midlands, I remained behind to devise a method of recording the entire show without them. “Is this joined up thinking?”, I hear you cry. But that’s just the way it’s done.
Each year, we spend a day in Soho laying down rhythm tracks. The brass section then appears on the following morning and overdubs its contribution, to be used in conjunction with the live performance. I then record the various guitar parts that can’t be physically played in concert, not being a a plectrum owning octopus. The rhythm tracks are then discarded, leaving the click track and overdubbed parts on ‘tape’, to be run simultaneously with the live band. In essence, it’s a live show but with a little help from our technological friends.
The challenge is that I also have to appear at 10am in Ad-land with an electric guitar for rock effects (PRS Custom), another for funky stuff (Parker Fly), a jazz guitar
if you can play the guitar to an acceptable standard you may as well own a shed full of the things
(Vanden Cadenza), another acoustic guitar (Takamine), another Spanish guitar (ditto), a mandolin and a bouzouki imitating a mandola (problem solved by detuning the higher octave on the lowest string and gaffer taping it to the neck!).
And therein lies this month’s learning. If you can play the guitar to an acceptable standard you might as well own a shed full of the things. Then ensure that said shed is built to an acceptable standard. It may weall repay you in the end. And always keep a pack of paracetamol handy.
Meanwhile, back to practising my punk flamenco contribution to the art of the paso doble...