Squareneck Dobro - Pedal Steel

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Between all the American songwriters and musicians I worked with, I was especially honored to make a Tour and play together with Eric Andersen. On that Tour there was also Scarlet Rivera (Bob Dylan violin player on the Rolling Thunder period). Eric was very impressed of how my dobro and mandolin fits in his songs, he didn't know about me before the Tour, and since that he is taking me into high regard. Our last show of the Tour was recorded live so now I also appear on this Album, with him and Scarlet Rivera, and me on dobro and mandolin. That was great.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on my new solo dobro square neck album. Then I often do video songs and lessons about the dobro on my YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/PaoloErcoli

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: A great professional bass player, his name is Craig Akin.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: The only stuff I use are digital, and I like them. Anyway I think they works great even against the high quality Analog ones.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise them to be as fast as I can and that I will do my best to meet their willing, even if it takes a little more time or more work from me.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like it because it gives me the possibility to know a lot of amazing wonderful people, and especially learn from them. And also I like to travel so I'm really happy when I go around because of music, and also travel open my mind a lot more, and the more I learn and see things, the more I can put them into my style of playing music and research. I'm always willing to learn and discover things.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: They want to know When I can do the job, and my answer is : Immediately.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: The fact that people, talking, speaking, about the Dobro, they normally think I have to play only Bluegrass or Country music. My goal is to make people understand, or at least know, that the Dobro is a very special and distinctive and "malleable" instrument, that can fits all kind of music, Funky, Jazz, rap, Fusion, Classical.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: If they are looking for a soft sound or anyway to tell me as much as possible what they have in mind, because then I can also suggest to insert other instrument like Pedal Steel or mandolin, like already happened before.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: As Jerry Douglas said about me : We as Dobro players can only try to teach tone, timing and taste. I've tried all my life to learn that and this is what I can offer. I will put all myself in order to reach this goal for everybody's project.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: A battery rechargeable record player, the James Taylor LP Greatest hits, my Dobro, a rechargeable stove with my coffee machine.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I always played music even if I had a job, so it was a part time thing, but anyway I was able to follow all the American songwriters that came in Italy for their Tours. Then I quit that job 10 years ago and I'm a full time musician now, since 2014

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is a mix of all the music I've heard and still listening to, that is Bluegrass, Irish, Funky, Jazz, Newgrass, New acoustic music, I absorb music from Sting to the Chieftains to Bela Fleck to Jethro Tull to George Strait to Bach.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Talking about big names, I'd like to work with my hero James Taylor, because he meant so much to me when I began playing guitar, and then because I like every song of this wonderful American Artist. There are a lot of Musicians that I adore, because of their musical skills and the voice and the songwriting, such as Tim O'Brien or Kevin Welch.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: May seems strange but, a "physical-mental" tip, instead of a technical one. I often hear about musicians that are not happy or fight with their producers, many times because of the stress and the long period of time we spend in the Studio and so on, so to me, apart the technical ability, it could be of great help to be very relaxed and well rested, because sometimes we have to spend hours together. Then another thing, sometimes Intuition may help, we must not underestimate it. And them, trying to catch an original sound, exploring.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Normally they ask me more about acoustic music, Bluegrass and Country, as I play also Pedal Steel guitar and Mandolin. Then for me I like to experiment also Jazz and Fusion, with the Dobro.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Open minded. I listen a lot to the Client's wishes. I also grew up listening to every kind of different music so I have a really open mind and also lots of ideas. I come from Rock and exsperimental Rock, going then deep into Bluegrass and New acoustic music and Funky and Jazz. In fact even if now I'm more into Country and Bluegrass, the song I did on my cd with Jerry Douglas is a Miles Davis's song, called "Nardis". So, I'm really into everything with the Dobro.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring my own ideas and suggestions, adding my own taste in order to please the song as clean and as smooth as I can, trying to be perfect for the project.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: As soon as I receive the song, I listen to it very carefully trying to catch the spirit and immediately putting my ideas, trying to give the Client as many options as I can. Then I send him what I've done and ask him if he likes it like that or if wants more or less fills, and depending on what he tells me, I can record again and again till I meet his need and till he is satisfied.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I use Logic X. Focusrite audio interface with 4 channels. I record with 2 microphones Ear Trumpet Edwina.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: There are a lot of amazing musicians that also produce records, and I like them also as producer, such as Jerry Douglas, Sally Van Meters, Alison Krauss. I am a musician so the main thing I do is play, with my own style and taste. My hero is Dobro player Jerry Douglas, and he played also on my CD, he also wrote this liner note you can find on the cd : To know there his a professional Dobro player in Italy is amazing! In the future when Dobro is brought up in conversation Paolo's name will naturally be mentioned. He is at the frontline of history. It's a great accomplishment. I appreciate what he is doing for the entire Dobro community and that he is totally capable to give trusted advice to those struggling to learn this crazy instrument. We as Dobro players can only try to teach tone, timing and taste. Paolo is proof of all that. Jerry Douglas.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I listen to the song many times very carefully, trying to catch the feeling of it in order to find the necessary notes that can help the song grow, playing with the right mood without bothering other instruments trying to do just what, in my opinion, is needed.