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Interviews
The following text has been duplicated
thanks to Mel Bay Guitar Sessions (Oct. , 2000)
In the annals of studio guitarists there are really only a few
that stand out in my mind: Tommy Tedesco, Howard Roberts, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tony
Mottola, Mitch Holder, and Tim May. If you are not familiar with these
names it wouldn't surprise me; but I guarantee you are familiar with their
sound. These gentleman are the cream of the crop and are definitely the unsung
heroes of the music industry.
Tim May has been one of the "first call" L.A. studio guitar players
for over twenty years and has worked on recordings with: Celine Dion, Baby Face,
Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, the Pointer Sisters, Ray Charles, Patrice
Rushen, Toni Braxton, John Williams, Michael Feinstein, Regina Bell, Jerry Lee
Lewis, Arturo Sandoval, Les McCann, Debra Harry, David Foster, Herb Albert,
Whitney Houston, George Benson, Johnny Mathis, Eddie Rabbitt, Randy Crawford,
Tom Jones, Donna Summer, Amy Grant, Carol Bayer Sager, Leon Redbone, Peabo
Bryson, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Janet Jackson, Quincy Jones, the Carpenters,
Stan Getz, Lalo Shiffrin, Al Sylvestri, Lionel Richie, Cher, Tiffany, Bill Medly,
Pat Williams, Linda Ronstadt, James Horner, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations,
Louie Belson, Gladys Knight...you name it! Additionally, he has performed on
hundreds of TV and radio commercials as well as motion pictures and television
shows including: Back to the Future, Practical Magic, Austin Powers, Amistad,
Forrest Gump, Melrose Place, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Beverly Hills 90210, King
of the Hill, and Dawson's Creek. He also composed and performed the score for
the movie Neon Signs.
Tim was presented with the "Most Valuable Player" award from NARAS
(National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) four years in a row and was
voted into Tune-Up Guitar magazine's Hall of Fame in 1998. I had the honor of
sharing a concert with Tim May at the 2000 NAMM show and found him to be a
friendly, outgoing professional who graciously agreed to take time out of his
busy schedule to share his thoughts on music, the industry, and a little of his
personal history with the readers of Mel Bay's Guitar Sessions.
Guitar Sessions: As with most studio players your name is never in the
limelight so consequently many readers may not be familiar with your back
ground. Please fill us in on a little of your early history ?
Tim May: I was fortunate to be born into a musical family [in Cleveland,
Ohio in 1953]. My father Tony played bass primarily, but also played piano, sax,
clarinet, and flute. My uncle, Frank May, played in the Cleveland Orchestra for
40 years. This was a tremendous help, not only for what I could learn from him,
but for the total support I received in seeking a career in music! I started
piano lessons when I was eight, but I really wanted to play guitar, so my dad
hooked me up with a great teacher (Carl Poliafico) and I started guitar lessons.
I loved it, and soon started various garage bands, and played "Battle of
the Bands", etc. My father took me to a NAMM show, and I met Bruce Bolen who is now with
Fender (We have been friends ever since). Bruce was very encouraging, and he
told me about Johnny Smith holding a guitar clinic in Colorado Springs. I was 15
years old, but my parents let me fly there to attend. That is the kind of
support I'll always cherish. It was an incredible event, and it was there I met
Howard Roberts and Dr. William Fowler, who headed the jazz department at the
University of Utah [where I ultimately went to college]. I went to Howard
Roberts' clinic the following year. In the meantime, I was always working lots
of "casuals" -weddings, clubs, etc. and the occasional recording
session, or show. All that was extremely educational. As far as getting into
music, it happened so early, I don't think I ever entertained the idea of doing
anything else. When I was about fourteen, I knew I wanted to be a professional
guitar player. When I attended Howard's seminar, he let me come along the
following week to see a recording session in Hollywood. Well, that was all I
needed. I knew this was for me. I'll always remember the advice Howard Roberts
gave me when I told him I wanted to do session work. He said, "Move to LA
when you are 20 years old. No sooner and no later." Well, I don't know if
he realized how valuable that advice was. I did just that, and looking back, it
was the perfect age. I was old enough to take care of myself pretty well, yet
young enough not to be totally overwhelmed by how difficult it was going to be
to get started!
GS: Who or what inspired you to play guitar?
TM: As far as players, I listened to lots of different kinds of music,
and the guitar was involved in almost all of them. I also enjoyed listening to
piano players - Chick Corea, Herbie Hanock, Keith Jarrett. I love a lot of
guitar players for a lot of different reasons, but I would say early on it was
Howard Roberts who really gave me that "rush" the first time I heard
him. He played great, and was a wonderful influence on quite a few guitar
players. Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and George Benson were big influences too.
I'll never forget when I was in high school George Benson came to Cleveland with
an organ trio and burned. I went about 40 miles round trip to see him every
night, and on Saturday he invited me to hang with him at the hotel. I'm sure the
last thing anyone on the road would want to do is jam with a 16-year-old kid,
but George and I actually sat and played together for a few hours! I was totally
knocked out - what a generous thing to do - and I'll always remember that
George! I find guitar players generally to be helpful and supportive of one
another.
GS: How does studio work differ now compared to ten or fifteen years
ago?
TM: Studio work is not that different than it was when I started (I moved
to L.A. in 1974). I believe there was more work then because most sessions had
two, and sometimes three guitars and there was more live rhythm tracking - but
that seems to be the main difference. That makes it tougher than ever to break
in, but I still think guys that can play will get a shot. It just means there
are fewer times when someone has to try a new guitar player because everyone
else is busy. But the fundamental gig is the same. It's always a different
situation, and oftentimes adaptability is the key. There are many more
"home studios" than before, and some very good ones. Eddie Arkin
composed the score for Melrose Place for a number of years, and has a great
studio, and it was a total pleasure to work there and be able to totally focus
on the guitar. Sometimes the home studios have limitations that guitar players
have to deal with to get the right sound. Again, it's a matter of adaptability.
GS: With your extensive studio career, does any particular session
stick out in your mind?
TM: I think the most memorable sessions for me were the ones where some
player played an "incredible something" that knocked everyone out. I
heard Tom Tedesco play some things on film sessions that made me cry they were
so lovely. Once on a Lalo Shiffrin date, there were two or three of us "hot
guys" playing all day, and Tedesco was sleeping on the couch. Then late in
the session they woke up Tom to play his part. He wiped his face with his hand
and sat down in front of a 4-5 page nylon guitar solo, all alone with Lalo
conducting, and the entire orchestra sitting all around the Warner Brothers
scoring stage. Well, the red light went on and he just nailed it the first time.
The rest of us guitar players got a real good guitar lesson that day. He was a
brilliant guitarist and is sorely missed in this business. I think playing with
some of the incredible musicians I've had the opportunity to play with is the
biggest thrill for me.
GS: What guitar or guitars do you consider you mainstay instruments?
TM:
The mainstays for me are a John Carruthers custom "Strat" type
electric with Floyd Rose tremolo (very versatile) a Martin D-18 flat-top (early
'60's) a Yamaha nylon-string, (One of two high-end prototypes made in 1980; Lee
Ritenour has the sister guitar.) a big Guild 12-string flattop and a Guild
"Artist Award" archtop electric or jazz and acoustic. I also
frequently substitute a Tele or a 335 or Les Paul for the electric. After that,
there are all the Dobros, banjos, mandolins, lap steels, Weisenborns,
Rickenbacker 12s, bass guitars, sitars, tiples, high-string and all the ethnic
stuff like balalaikas, bazoukis, etc. The list is pretty long, but the
"staples" are what I mentioned in the first paragraph.
GS: What is your live rig like and how does that differ in the studio?
TM: My live rig is an Egnater pre-amp into an old Benson power amp. I
also use a Rane parametric EQ, and a Master Room Reverb. A 15" early 70s
vintage Altec-Lansing and sometimes a 12" same vintage Altec-Lansing
extension cabinet. My session rig is a rack with an Egnater pre-amp and a Rivera
M-1 amp with the Egnater and the Rivera I have six pre-amps to choose from. I
also have an Eventide processor, a DBX limiter, a Korg delay, a Roland
processor, a Cry-Baby, and a Roland volume pedal. I run this through a Rocktron
patch bay and Ground Control controller set up by Ralph Skelton at Pacific
Innovative Electronics. I use two, 12" Rivera speaker cabs.
GS: Have you ever owned or do you still own any guitars that you feel
are memorable?
TM: I own some wonderful guitars, some more "vintage or collectable
" than others, but the most unique one might be a Gibson that my friend
Mitch Holder got them to make back in the early 80s. It's one of 10 or 12 from
the factory, like a 355 with three single coils. Blond, and a real beauty! I
have been playing Guild's "Artist Award" guitar for my jazz
performances. I found a real good one in 1980, and the new one seems like a
great instrument. Bob Benedetto did some real nice things to the instrument.
Other than that I think I use probably at least one of every major brand of
guitar made.
GS: What strings, picks or any other accessories do you use?
TM: I like the Fender extra heavy teardrop picks, and Guild strings work
well. I use generally 9's on my Strats, and Teles, and a pretty heavy (15s-56s)
on my Arch top electric. I also use D'Addario, SIT, and John Pearse from time to
time. I use Shubb capos and various kinds of slides.
GS: What advice would you give a young guitarist wanting to make a
career in music, particularly as a studio musician?
TM: For players wanting to get involved in session work, it's all word of
mouth. I think that is the same as when I started-one guy likes the way you
play, and mentions it to another player, who recommends you to someone else and
on and on. So each time you play, you build that. I remember when I first moved to town, I would work with anybody once. One
more guy will know your capabilities and if the gig stinks, you don't go back -
but it could turn into a great gig. One of my very first gigs was when Freddie
Tacket asked me to sub for him in a John Davidson impersonator show! I did it
and it was pretty dumb, but I met five guys I didn't know before! Plus learn to
read music! For most of the mainstream session work, especially TV and movies,
you have to read - that's all there is to it! You never will get the chance to
showoff your totally new and exiting solo style if you can't also do the other
stuff that requires reading. The more you can do as a musician, the more work is
available to you. Professionalism is a must. Good equipment, attitude - it all
helps. I hate to see good players not work as much as they would like because of
a goofy reason like reliability problems! However, session work is not for
everyone. I can really understand how some musicians are only interested in
playing what they want to play, when they want to do it.
I'm still doing my session thing in L.A. and I really still dig it. As
guitarists, we are in all styles of music, and probably allowed more personal
"input" in the parts we play, and I love the variety. From
"There's no chart, and we don't know what we want" to "this chord
solo has to be rendered exactly as written and played with a 90-piece
orchestra", and everything in between. I also love the idea of rehearsing a
piece of music until it sounds really good, recording it, then moving on and not
playing it again ! In my group, spontaneity is very important. We never play
anything the same way twice!
GS: Could you fill us in on upcoming projects, gigs etc?
TM: The new thing for me is playing live in L.A. with my group. I've been
writing forever, and it's fun to get the music played. We have been playing a
great jazz club here called Rocco's, and a few others. Abe Laboriel, Ray Pizzi,
Mike Lang, and Bob Zimmitti, and I have been playing my original stuff and it's
been lots of fun. I released my first solo album "One Piece of the Big
Picture" on Miramar Records last year, (available at many record stores,
and on-line from CD NOW and Amazon.com) and we started playing around town after
that. It's been something I kind of didn't do much of for a number of years and
feels great to get back into it!
I will be putting together a web site that I hope to get up and running very
soon. In the meantime I can be contacted at mayzing@aol.com
. I have a good catalog of solo guitar pieces with music and tab, some ensemble
recordings and quite a bit of educational material that really focuses on every
aspect of professional guitar playing- styles, technique , reading, improvising,
studio work; the real "working guitar player in the real world" kind
of instruction. and the Internet is a great way to communicate. I also am
planning on-line seminars as well as one-on-one instruction.
GS: Thanks, Tim!
Recent Interview with
Vintage Guitar Magazine (Nov. 2000)
Why guitar?
I was lucky to grow up in a family of musicians, and my dad had just about one
of every instrument in the house EXCEPT guitar!
I started with piano lessons at 8, but wanted to play guitar, I guess
because of the Beatles and all the pop radio stuff.
That was probably my very first attraction to guitar. It was the cool
instrument!
Music Training
As a little kid I remember fooling around for hours with drums.
Clarinet, piano, bass, and sax. I got my Stella "Singing Cowboy"
guitar, my pick, Mel Bay book 1, and started guitar lessons with Cleveland
teacher Carl Poliafico at the same moment. I loved it, and soon started playing
with the "LOUIE LOUIE" garage bands, school dances, parties, etc.
Looking back, it was a wonderful way to learn - playing fun music, and
copying records. We really loved! I
studied with Carl until I was about 17. My Dad, Tony May was a bass player, and
exposed me to Miles, Oscar Peterson, Johnny Smith, Howard Roberts, etc., and my
uncle Frank played bass in the Cleveland Orchestra, so I was exposed to that.
I also attended Johnny Smith's guitar clinic in Colorado, and met Howard
Roberts there. I attended Howard's seminar the following year. Both seminars
were incredibly informative, and will always be some of my most exiting
experiences. I was a 16-year-old guitar player with two of my big time heroes! I
was in heaven! A big part of music education comes from going out there and
PLAYING MUSIC. Early on I started playing a lot of "casuals" -
weddings, parties, the occasional show or recording session, and THAT is where
young players learn a tremendous amount from the more experienced players.
I attended to The University of Utah (1971) to study with Dr William
Fowler. He had a wonderful music program, and I would become a "jazz
guitar" performance major; very progressive at the time.
When I was in Salt Lake, I would come to L.A. and take a lesson with
Barney Kessel and with Joe Pass. I'll never forget spending a whole day with Joe
Pass in his garage studio! What an educational day! After I moved out here in
1974, I studied with Warner Marsh (jazz saxophonist) for a while.
There are lots of different insights into music, and I like the different
things different players offer.
Early Studio Encounter
My first studio experience was in Cleveland.
Bob Fraser, a wonderful Cleveland
based guitar player -and I spent a lot of "guitar time" time together
in '70-'74. Bob was already doing a considerable amount of the session work in
Cleveland, and got me involved in a Maureen McGovern project.
It was a great start because Bob was able to hold my hand through the
whole thing so I couldn't get into too much trouble, and boy do you learn fast
on that FIRST playback! I moved to L.A. in '74 and was able to get through my
"inexperience period” without doing too much damage.
One of my first "big studio gigs" as at Warner Bros with Bill
Byers. I had a pretty complex bass guitar part in Cb, like Bill could write.
I was feeling pretty good about it, then the Calliope couldn't make the
high note. Suddenly Bill says "Let's take it down a half step...2,3,4. "!
Now I'm reading Cs and Gs and playing Bbs and Es! I got lucky and pulled
it off! It's the old saying -
studio work is 95% boredom and 5% sheer panic! That was a good lesson in not
panicking. Very important! Being able to play different styles, and read music
enabled me to get involved in TV, Movies and Records and that time there were
lots of 2-3 guitar players on dates so a new guy could really learn from the
"veterans". I was lucky to sit with and learn from
a group of great and totally different guitar players like Tom Tedesco,
Larry Carlton, Dennis Budimir, David T Walker, Louie Sheldon, Dean Parks.
Tools
I use a John Carruthers Strat, a Guild Artist Award, a martin D18, a
Guild 12-string, a Tele, Les Paul, 335 and a Yamaha Classical in my main
arsenal. After that I use a Lap steel, ukes, sitars,Ricky 12-string ,dobro ,bass
guitar, banjos, mandolin, Wiesenborn (lap slide), high string and all the ethnic
stuff (bazouki, balalaika, etc.) I like Egnator and Rivera amps, Eventide,
Lexicon, and some Roland outboard gear. A
Roland Volume pedal, and a Crybaby.
Memorable session
I remember doing the "Back to the Future" solo when Michael J Fox
plays
Johnny B Goode. That was one of those times when the producer and writer (Alan
Sylvestri) say, "Here's what it is - do your thing and have a ball!"
There's a funny story about that. After that session I got a call from a new
guitar player who wanted to see a session. I looked in my book and saw another
"Back to the Future" session coming up, so I figured that would
be a good one to see. Well this was for the scene when he plugs in a giant amp
and plays a huge chord, so the first thing they say is
"Tim, we need you to pull out your guitar cord and make some buzzy
amp sounds and noise and stuff. And shake your amp reverb.
An hour and a half later, this kid is thinking, "this is the big
time???" I had to try to convince him 'It's usually much more involved than
this”!
Thoughts on studio experience
Being a studio musician has been a great experience for me because of a couple
reasons. I'd have to say that my
favorite thing is working with, and in many cases becoming close friends with
players whose name I used to read on the back of records when I was growing up!
I love the variety of music I get to play - from Jerry Lee Lewis to John
Williams, and everything in between - each being equally valid. I love the
concept of playing and recording a piece then MOVING ON to a different piece.
I like playing with different players.
There are so many great musicians for SO MANY DIFFERENT REASONS. Being a
session player has given me an opportunity to play with some of the best players
in different styles. The classically trained, the rockers, the jazzers, country,
R and B etc. It's all music, and in
that context it's usually of top-notch quality.
Last week I worked a date and
there was a guy playing SAW ! And he was good! Plus by the nature of the chair,
we guitar players usually get to put a lot of "ourselves" into what we
play. In contrast I really enjoy going out and playing LIVE with my group! That
involves a whole different kind of chops, and is yet another aspect of music.
Present state of recording industry
I think just like always, first you have to play REAL GOOD. There are more means than ever to get music recorded and distributed, but the industry and
medium changes so fast I can only guess what might happen! I would like to think
that there is always a place for good musicians, but when it gets easier to get
music out and it's also more competitive. It's never been easy though.
Adaptability is the key.
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