I recently did a Skype interview with Will at Filthy Amplification where he asked me some questions about what it takes to be a session guitarist. Most of Will’s questions were aimed at what skills are required to be a professional guitarist.

The first thing Will asks is how well do you have to play to be a session guitarist. I explained that most of what I play is simple but has to be performed perfectly. A lot of it might even be considered technically easy, but a big part of my job is to deliver what the client is asking and to it precisely. I think recording puts your playing under a microscope and you soon realise where you need a bit of work. A metronome was one of the most important things I ever bought, and I talk about the time I spent practising with one to make my timing solid.

We also talked about how critical music production skills are in the current music industry. The more you know how to do the more useful you can be, which should translate to work.

The discussion turned to using gear like amps, guitars and pedals and how you need to understand how those things work well. We touched on the plugins vs real amplifiers debate, and I give my perspective including where and why I use one of the other. In particular, I detailed some of my single chain when working on movies.

The last thing we covered was the business skills involved in playing music for a living including rates, negotiating and some of the generic skills necessary to be self-employed. With the business side, we talked about my work as a composer and how I earn income via royalties.

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