studio psychology

[2dark]

I'm in a bit of situation with I band who wants to get some
demo tracks done and one of the 2 guitar players isn't that
good when it comes to recording.
Live they stand almost like a wall but when recording ....

How do you tell that guitar player it would be better that the
better guitar player does all of the guitars, so that he doesn't get
pissed off?
I talked to the other band members about that and they think
about that the same way. No one wants to screw the other guitar
player over but the job needs to be done and it has to be done good.
But also none of them wants to be the one who tells him.
So I guess I have to.

Does that ever happened to you?
And what I am curious about, does that happens with big names in metal
business too?
I know from engineers who do pop/rock productions that is very
common to bring studio musicians in when the artist is beginning to waste
studio time.

 

[Barth]

It happens at my place many times. Its not that one player is better than the other, but they have a different style of playing. Somethimes I do it 50/50 but al rythmguitars done by the same player. But its just what the goal is. There recordings when you must hear 2 different players!
If there's an egoproblem, (what never happens of course! Haha) make a take of the two guitarists. Let them hear themshelves! And....case closed!

 

[ThomasT]

If the argument - one player should play all doubled guitars - not works, record a dummy track of him. So he thinks he has played on the CD. It's not very honest but if he did not accept the truth...

btw. often enough it's the player with more knowledge in musical theorie. And the one who is a perfect entertainer on the campfire. The player everybody thinks he is the best musician in the band. And the other one, who has no idea what notes he play (he simply playes third fret in E-Stirng, fiths fret etc...) and what a 1/8th note is, plays them like a machine.

 

[Cooperman]

If there's an egoproblem, (what never happens of course! Haha) make a take of the two guitarists. Let them hear themshelves! And....case closed!

But the bad guitarist may not hear the difference... as is sometimes the case with musicians critiquing their own performances.

You could go behind his back and have the other guy record his parts but I don't think that's a very healthy situation for the band to be in. But he'd obviously be cut if he was told he wasn't good enough. But saying that, if he can't hack it, he really has no business being in a band. The band and the producer/engineer really need to sit down together and break it to him... the band need to let him know he's still a valuable member and they all want him in the band etc, but in the studio the guitar tracks need to be done by the other guy.

 

[2dark]

If it would be the old ego issue I would be straight forward, no big deal.

But this time I have someone who's not really a beginner, because he made more
progress with his playing than I did in the last 6 years, but has major lack of self confidence.
So I need to find a way without making frustrated, more something to encourage him.

The idea of making a take of both and let them decide is quite good.
Keeps me out of it.
I probably should bring enough beer in for the guitar player who will be jobless
for a couple of hours ;-)

Some psychology training would be nice to have sometimes ....

 

[NathanSoulfracture]

it will be nerves, im the same except im a bass player so we cant get the other bass player to play instead, but when i sit down in a studio to record i get nervous because everyones watching me, i dont mind playing gigs or anything but its different when theres only a few people there watching you, try getting him to go into a room on his own and record there so people cant see him.

 

[Andy Sneap]

well, make sure everyone else is out the studio, maybe the other gtr player is around.

I'll usually sit down with both players and get them to decide who plays what parts better, that's if we need to do this. Sometimes its already decided that one player is doing rythms. Hell, I even end up on alot of albums, managed to get a solo on the Exodus album haha!! Gary on wah, me on gtr! Though that wasn't because of any lack of talent there!

At the end of the day, it's costing money, put the time to good use, if it dents someones ego, sorry, maybe they'll practice before booking the studio next time.