When working with players who do LOTS of live performances, I find that they are sometimes surprised to find little things that are revealed in the studio that they weren’t aware of in their playing. There’s a simple explanation for this. In a live performance, as we pass any given moment, we and our listeners are instantly on to the next part of the music. The experience is very much wrapped up in the whole musical presentation. That overall experience is what we hang on to. However, in the studio, it’s a bit like taking the performance and putting it under the microscope. We get to revisit every single moment of the performance, again and again; every tuning of every note, every word of a vocal, every transition, every timing coordinated between every player. That’s why the studio experience can be the best thing that ever happens to your live performance. It’ll make your playing better – every time.
