Session Electric Guitarist

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: A series of instrumental versions of famous Brazilian songs.

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

A: No, not yet.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital for recording, partially analog for live gigs. Best of both worlds.

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

A: I will do my best to create something that will be meaningful to the song, in a way to make a difference but without distracting from the whole of the tune

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Being able to express myself through other people´s work and helping them to get the most out of their efforts.

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

A: If digital can sound as good as analog. The answer is definitely yes for recording purposes if one knows how to use it. For live applications, it will depend on many factors.

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

A: Some people think that guitar players are all about being the "latest guitar hero" and everything a guitar player does will gravitate to some Van Halen aspect. Despite Van Halen being undoubtedly an Icon, guitars have a far wider scope of sounds to be explored.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Usually about the general mood they want in the song, references to records and artists when it comes to the guitar lines and due dates,

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

A: My age has taught me to understand what one expects and I am fully committed to delivering what you want above anything else. If during our conversation I notice that I am not the right person to work on your music (let´s say you want a prog metal / djent guitar track or a complex 7 strings nylon acoustic track), I will let you know without any problem.

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

A: Telecaster, Acoustic guitar, Stratocaster, 15w Tube amp (EL34 tubes) with reverb, an analog delay, and a great overdrive.

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

A: Started as a kid, 35 years ago. Many bands, among authorial and cover bands. A sideman for years and also produced soundtracks for quite some time.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Simple, elegant, precise. Bold and powerful at times. Subtle and atmospheric on other occasions.

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

A: Ben Harper, Morcheeba, Loreena McKeennit, Jorge Benjor and so many more.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Sometimes Less is more. A recipe with too many ingredients may end up tasting like nothing at all.

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

A: Soundtracks, songs, and instrumental versions of famous tunes.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I consider myself a person of an elegant taste when it comes to create and place the guitar parts in a Song.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I try to fill the spaces in the song in an attempt to add interest without shadowing any relevant aspects already present in the tune. I do my best efforts to come up with a part that adds life to the song and is in line with the artist's conceptual vision of the song.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First of all, I aim to understand the artist's view, the context, and the application of a given tune. Only after that do I start to experiment with some lines that add to such context and once I have a structured Idea I fine-tune the tone choices and record. That is submitted for the artist's approval, and after reviews (if any) final version is delivered.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Nowadays with a pair of nice monitors, a good audio interface, and a couple of microphones, we can deliver a lot. I am a minimalist who tries to spend more time creating the lines and executing them. So, I go for what is practical and sounds good.

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

A: Creative guitar players such as Andy Summers (The Police), John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jack White (The White Stripes), Jimi Page (Led Zeppelin), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Carlos Santana, George Benson, Radiohead, Morcheeba, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Jorge Benjor, Stereolab, Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Tom Jobim, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, The Ramones, Dead Kennedys, and so much more.

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

A: My goal is to create guitars that fit into the context proposed by the artist. This helps to leverage the engagement with the music but is careful enough to avoid exaggerations of any kind. Being sophisticated and creative is the final goal here. In the end, it is about the music as a whole, and this is what I always keep in mind. What the music asks for is what needs to be recorded. Not less, not more.