Classical guitar sessionist

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

A: My main personal project at the moment is Duo Lamy Sanchez, an instrumental duo featuring classical guitar and flute. I'm the guitarist and principal arranger. We've had good results in the PreCosquín competition and at the Biennial of Young Art at the National University of the Littoral. With this project, we've already recorded a three-song session at a prestigious Buenos Aires studio called Romaphonic, and we'll soon be returning to record five more tracks. Our repertoire is based entirely on popular Argentine folk songs, for which we compose arrangements that fuse elements of jazz, classical music, blues, flamenco, Brazilian music, and much more. I'm truly very proud of the results with this project.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently in post-production on my first solo album of original works for classical guitar and a small ensemble of percussion, bass, and flute. It's an album of Argentine folk music with many influences from jazz and flamenco. I'm also working on eight songs for an instrumental duo of classical guitar and flute, which are being recorded and mixed in Buenos Aires and will soon be released on all digital platforms. I'm also currently working with a producer who composes musical arrangements for solo singers from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, and I'm responsible for recording the classical guitar and bass on those arrangements.

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

A: This is my first time on the platform so I don't know anyone, but I'm totally open to meeting people here and recommending them if their work is good.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both are excellent options. These days, digital is better simply because it's easier to work with multiple people in different locations without the hassle of physical formats when sending files. Digital makes remote work much easier, with files arriving instantly and workflow only interrupted by human time.

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

A: I would like to assure everyone who requests my work that I will not stop accepting reviews or criticisms until my work genuinely satisfies them.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love creative freedom and finding the unique personality of each song. Especially when it comes to covers, my work philosophy is to achieve a genuinely new version of the song, while deeply respecting the original composition.

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

A: In my case, since I work a lot with live solo singers, the questions are usually about repertoire, the correct key for singing, or recommendations on which other musicians to choose to create a good ensemble. In my session work, I'm mostly asked about the genres I can play. Generally, I can accept almost any job that comes my way where classical guitar can be played.

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

A: First, I think people think of the guitar as merely an accompaniment or simply a virtuoso solo in the middle of a song, without considering that the instrument can bring other brilliant nuances to a piece, such as arpeggios, reharmonizations, voicings; it can even be played as another percussion instrument. The possibilities are truly endless. Second, I think it's overlooked that even with pre-existing arrangements or a clear idea from pre-production, it's an instrument that requires a great deal of skill and inspiration to be played to its full potential. It takes time to achieve the optimal result for each piece, and it's not always on the first try, or in a first take with just a few chords.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What style would you like the song to have? Even if it's just naming a couple of guitarists, or even choosing a couple of albums that sound similar to what the client envisions for their song. Then, would you like the arrangement to adhere to the chosen style, or are you open to hearing my ideas and artistic changes?

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

A: Have a clear idea, even if it's just choosing a song to cover. Have an idea of ​​the style you'd like the cover to have, so you can start working. If you don't like the style you initially chose, you can easily change it, but working without a clear idea from the beginning only creates more problems in the process.

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

A: Laptop, Interface, Condenser Microphone and a classic guitar.

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

A: I have over 10 years of experience working as a guitarist. I began by accompanying local Argentine folk groups, and then specialized in accompanying solo singers for performances in theaters, competitions, and recordings. For the last three years, especially since winning the title at the Pre-Cosquín competition (the most important in Argentina) as a solo guitarist, I have been working extensively as a musical arranger for various projects in folk, tango, and other genres.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My musical style is my own language, where I constantly strive to deliver what best enhances the song. If necessary, I can play clean and clear, with defined harmonies, but I can also play loud and raw to give the song more power. If needed, I can work on complex reharmonizations. I consider myself quite pragmatic.

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

A: I would love to work with Lito Vitale, a prominent Argentine producer and arranger who primarily produces songs for various artists I greatly admire. Internationally, I'd like to collaborate with creative singers like Rosalía.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: I like to work with the least amount of technical equipment possible. If I have to record a classical guitar, I always prefer to work with a single, well-placed microphone, rather than with many microphones that record frequencies that are unnecessary in the mix and make the task more difficult.

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

A: I primarily work with Argentine and Latin American folk music, such as tango, chacarera, zamba, bolero, and many others. But I also perform well in genres like jazz, flamenco, and classical music.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I think I'm a pretty good improviser, and my strength is improvising guitar harmonies and voicings. I'm quite creative, so it's easy for me to come up with four or five different arrangements for the same song, which means I adapt very easily to the requirements of each project.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I always strive to ensure the musical arrangement perfectly suits the song and provides a solid foundation for the singer to shine. If it's a solo, I like the melody to be paramount, without resorting to virtuosity simply to demonstrate technical skill. In instrumental pieces, I enjoy working extensively with melodies accompanied by a finely crafted harmonic arrangement.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: If the musical arrangement is already done, I take one or two days to thoroughly study the sheet music and the song to be recorded. If I have to do the arrangements myself, I take two or three days to listen to the song multiple times and produce demos of at least three different arrangements so the client can choose the one they like best, and then we record it professionally.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a complete guitar recording setup, whether it's classical, electric, or bass. It includes condenser microphones for recording acoustic guitars, an audio interface, and multiple guitars with nylon and steel strings, electric guitars, etc.

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

A: Luis Salinas, Juan Falú, Marcelo Dellamea, Al Di Meola, Steve Lukather, Paco de Lucia, Steve Vai, Carlos Moscardini, Lito Vitale, etc.

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

A: I primarily work as a live guitarist, accompanying singers and creating musical arrangements for them. I've been a guitarist for many years, specializing in Argentine and Latin American music. Currently, I'm working as a session guitarist with an Argentine producer, creating guitar and bass arrangements for various solo artists and recording them for their albums.