I focus on YOUR vision. From Abbey Road to Pinewood, from Massive Attack to Ed Sheeran, from BBC to NPR radio, I have the experience, credentials and chops (& Royal Academy training!) ... but creating the violin sound, style, energy and emotion that's best for YOUR music is what it's all about! Let's talk!
Lots to say here - I'll update this soon!
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Interview with Simon Hewitt Jones
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Yes! Happy to make recommendations :)
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Aside from practical questions, it's mainly questions about what's possible - answer, pretty much anything! If you're clear about what kind of emotional energy, sound and style you want, everything else will flow from there :)
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Have a clear brief if you can, but don't be afraid to ask questions (I'll do the same). We're always learning from each other as musicians ... building a good rapport and getting clarity from the beginning of a job will always lead to a better outcome!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I can't think of anything else that demands such a perfect balance between a) intellectual and physical engagement, and b) social collaboration and isolated deep-work. I just love the variety and the challenge.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The violin is way more versatile than most people realise. It's not just about slow/beautiful classical / cinematic / soundtrack / 'bring out the violins' moments - the violin can be a truly amazing creative tool for all sorts of styles and genres (particularly with a good understanding of how it fits into the harmony, voicing and texture of the overall music).
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: The practical stuff first - spec, timing, budget. Then, whatever questions lead to a good understanding of your overall vision. The better I can understand what the final product looks like for you (and how much creative input you need from me to get there), the better the end result!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Since I was about 2 years old :) ... I'm a third generation working musician and count over 20 (25?) blood relations as musos - it's ridiculous. Kind of inevitable that I'd wind up doing this!
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Lots of client work. Personally? I have a couple of albums and live shows in the pipeline, including some awesome Christmas tracks for next year. Very excited about those!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A violin is all I need! And maybe a pizza oven. And superfast internet :)
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Eclectic? Omnivorous? The love child of Niccolò Paganini, Antony Bourdain, Hugh Grant and Joshua Bell? Hmm. But above all, a succulent, sumptuous string sound that fits in anywhere :)
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: My mate Dave, and my brother Tommy. David and I met at college and bonded over the absurdities of undergraduate music theory assignments whilst drawing stupid cartoons for each other at the back of class. He went on to be a 1st violinist in the London Symphony Orchestra and we've collaborated on and off ever since. Thomas trained as a composer at a posh university and can pastiche anything with about the deepest harmonic understanding I've seen from anyone. He's worked ever since as a super successful composer (commercial and classical), and also wrote a very famous viral hit that you've probably heard ... :) The intellectual and musical growth I get from working with these guys is absolutely second to none, they are both creative geniuses with ears to match. They're my benchmark for musical relationships.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Here are a few! 1) Be prepared. Once the studio light is on, every second is precious. 2) For in-person recording, perfect the art of 'stand by' - active listening even when you're 'not doing anything'. I learnt more this way than any degree ever taught me! 3) There are no stupid questions. I can't count the number of times I've clarified something thinking it was obvious and that I'd missed something, then another musician has chimed in with 'oh I was wondering that!'. That's why I'm really careful to take the time to understand your brief properly before we start. 4) Check your ego at the door. Zero attitude, ever. Being professional = getting the job done, whatever it takes.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Ahhh many, but a couple stand out because of the way in which I had to learn to innovate on the job, and come up with creative solutions that were outside my existing comfort zone, whilst also delivering professionally (on time, on budget, on spec). I'll add a few stories here!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Philosophically, that's a very big question! But practically, for sessions, what the client needs is what the client gets! That said, it's really important to remember that everything has its unique benefits / drawbacks. So it's really important to understand the answer to a question like this in terms of what each specific project needs.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Once we've agreed and finalised a clear brief, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Notated music: literally anything! Improv/composed: flexible, will consider anything, but see comments above about my expertise in specific styles.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Passionately unrelenting musical and creative flare (or subtle background tones, as required!) ... combined with super detailed care and attention to delivering the brief ... whatever it takes to realize your creative vision! More specifically, I think it's really important to get a nuanced feel for the ROLE of violin/strings on any track. I have a lot of leadership experience in live music making, but a big part of that is knowing when to get out of the way and let things flow. And it's the same with recording - if you're looking for string section backings, that's totally different to a stylised lick or a featured solo. EVERYTHING has to change accordingly - nuance, phrasing, style, texture, volume, tone quality ... you name it, it's a factor. I think that experience over time is what gives a good sense of how to INTUIT this stuff so that it's quick to deliver (ideally without too much discussion!).
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Violin, violin and more violin! (and viola/cello if you need). Most commonly, soundtrack and pop-style work from printed notation, but I can also provide improvised or composed tracks too. No brief is too weird! I'm a stylistic omnivore / high-level generalist (!) and can tackle pretty much anything :-) My deepest expertise is classical, folk and some jazz styles, but I'm a musical gypsy at heart and I can make things zing (or swing!). There are a few fiddle genres where I'm NOT an expert improviser (such as bluegrass/country/Americana) but I'll always make this clear to you upfront, and refer you onwards when I think more specialist knowledge is needed. That said, anything notated is generally fine - I'm used to very high level sight-reading at London session level. I'm good with whole pages of tied whole notes, but love to tackle a 'roast' as well!
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Left-field creative solutions. Empathetic collaboration. Very fast dead-in-tune virtuosic four octave arpeggios. OK, that's 3 to start with ...
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Unless our first contact is an urgent rush job (it happens!), I like to put in as much time as I can to thoroughly understand who you are as a musician and as a person, and then scope out your vision for the job until I feel I completely get what you're looking to achieve. The first time I work with a client, I like to properly familiarise myself with your existing work, so that I understand what you mean when you describe a particular sound, style, or emotional energy. The ideal for me is that I begin to intuit those things just from your overview ideas and descriptions - that for me is the basis of a fun, friendly professional relationship that gets the best results every time.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I usually use an Audio Technica AT2020 with Apple equipment. I have a recording booth at home for remote work, and a podcast studio at our workspace in Central London (Piccadilly Circus) where I'm happy to work in person with clients. I usually play/perform/record acoustic, but I also have a Yamaha Electric violin available.P
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Insatiably curious musicians! Menuhin, Bernstein for starters.
- Several great violins
- all with different personalities!
