"Pete has played on 43 of our songs and counting. Not only is he an extremely skilled and gifted player, his creativity has helped take many of our songs to a different level. I can't imagine recording a song without Pete playing on it. You won't find a better, more creative, and 100% reliable online session guitarist."
Dave Kelly - Songwriter/Mix Engineer (Baltimore, USA)
"...Pete is a great guitar player and a pleasure to be in the company of. Working in the studio with him is always a pleasure and his ideas are always in service to the project. Great guy!...
Alex Eden - Factory Street Studios (UK)
Session Guitar Services
I work as an online session guitarist recording guitar tracks/parts and instrumental arrangements for musical clients over the internet. This remote recording process helps avoid the need for the expensive and lengthy studio hire of past decades.
Remote audio recording also allows you to review session guitar tracks easily from the comfort and familiarity of your home studio and using your DAW of choice.
My online session guitar tracks are all delivered in industry standard HQ audio formats suited to your specific musical requirements. Dry and effected guitar tracks are supplied with all projects and sent to you directly via file transfer software such as DropBox and We Transfer
As every recording is unique, I don't charge a fixed project fee for online session work. I base my pricing on an hourly studio rate of £40 per hour and also reflect the complexity of the project in any quote.
*As an example, a single (non-complex) song with between 4 - 6 guitar parts (and up to two revisions) currently costs on average somewhere between £100 - £150 GBP)
I can quickly supply a no-obligation quote for your project via e-mail once I know your specific requirements. Feel free to e-mail me for more details. If you can initially supply a demo MP3 that is very helpful, although I will need full WAV files for the final recording with a sample rate of either 44.1kHz or 48kHz (24-bit)
I record all my online session guitar/instrumental tracks in Presonus Studio One and with high quality studio equipment. I have access to a wide range of guitars and amplifiers/amp modellers as well as a large sample library. Examples of the kind of session guitar and recording work I regularly undertake include, but are not limited to the following:
- Single or multiple guitar tracks for individual songs
- Audio examples for instructional guitar books (e.g. Fundamental Changes)
- Soundtracks or background music for video productions
- Demo recordings for music production/amp modelling software (e.g. S Gear)
- HQ Backing tracks for any purpose (personal practice, live accompaniment etc.)
Online Session Guitar Examples
Session Guitar Example Recordings
Posted below are some examples of the type of session guitar parts and tracks I regularly record as an online session guitarist. For copyright reasons, I have had to avoid posting some of the actual session guitar parts or final mixes on here, but rather emphasise the type of work I can do for different musical clients. Please note therefore that some of these recordings are not final mixes and were simply used as demos for clients.
Each of the tracks showcase different session guitar styles and techniques, covering Pop, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Ambient and Country genres etc. There are also some examples of brief soundtrack style backings I have worked on too. On some occasions I have also been asked to ‘play in the style of’ a particular guitarist and there are some examples here (most notably the Jeff Beck covers) which demonstrate that session guitar approach too. The track ‘Victim of Love’ features Leonard Pospichal and Thomas Blug with David Readman on vocals and was a number one rock track in Austria. I played rhythm guitar on the song.
My special thanks must go to Dave Kelly in Baltimore (USA) for his kind permission in allowing me to post full tracks from his band ‘Passionfix’. My thanks also go out to my good friend John Bruce in Edinburgh (UK) for letting me post the album track ‘Sure Hate Being Alone’ which I recorded with John and the band ‘Blues’n’Trouble’ back in 1989 at Chipping Norton Studios in England (produced by the legendary Mike Vernon)
Online Session Guitar Examples
Sample Guitar Tones
Here are some short guitar tone samples taken from actual parts that I recorded for recent online sessions. These were mostly played on either a Strat or a Les Paul and although they are presented here out of their normal musical context, you can hopefully get some idea of the tonal variety I can achieve for different guitar tracks.
All these stems were created with amp modelers and no real amps were used at all. Reverb and delay were added afterwards and there is no additional EQ or compression added. Much of my work now uses amp modelers most notably Scuffham S Gear, NAM software and Tonex. I also use York Audio and Ownhammer impulse responses for guitar cabinet captures.
My Experience and Styles
I have over 30 years industry experience working as a professional performing/recording session guitarist. I have recorded on numerous musical projects including full albums and singles, film soundtracks, advertising jingles, software demonstrations, corporate video compilations and library music to name just a few.
Stylistically, as an online session guitarist I can cover most popular styles of electric guitar playing including Pop, Rock, Funk, Jazz, Latin, Ambient, Folk, Hard Rock/Metal, Blues and New Age/World.
If however you have a particular (or unusual) stylistic requirement, then please just e-mail me to discuss the type of online session guitar player you might need for your project. I also read standard music notation/tab should you require me to work from printed/handwritten music or leadsheets.
Pete Sklaroff
Online Session Guitarist
Pete Sklaroff is one of the UK’s most sought after online session guitarists. In a career spanning over three decades, he has played on countless recordings. He has remotely recorded for clients in over 20 countries worldwide and alongside his recording work and guitar teaching, he is also the author of several best selling instructional books now available on Amazon.
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So what exactly is an Online Session Guitarist?
More and more musicians are now recording in their own home studios using DAWs (e.g. Pro Tools, Studio One, Cubase etc.) to produce their tracks rather than use the more expensive option of recording at a full sized studio..
Whilst this trend has enabled many independent artists to oversee the entire recording/mixing process themselves (rather than use separate producers, arrangers, mixing engineers etc.) it also requires a lot of work/specialist skills from one person, which can be potentially overwhelming if you are on a tight schedule or limited budget.
Unless you are a skilled multi-instrumentalist, you may also find that you need the services of other musicians for drum tracks, keyboard parts and session guitar tracks for example. As mentioned above, this can be especially important if you are working to a strict deadline in producing your music. This used to be one of the main reasons why producers employed session musicians. They got the job done quickly and to a very high musical standard.
In recent years, many musicians have turned their attention to offering session playing skills remotely via the internet. This enables them to supply high quality audio tracks directly to a client in a quick and efficient way. The process saves time and the extra expense of hiring the musician in person. Clients can also download and import the recorded files directly into their DAW and hear the results immediately. Using an online session guitarist can therefore be cost effective and time saving for you as you work on your project.
What you should look for in an online session musician
About Session Work
Putting any self-promotion aside for a moment, here’s what I think are some of the essential requirements you should seek from an online session guitarist and these criteria could also be adapted for any freelance musician you are thinking of hiring.
These criteria are what I believe you should look for if you are thinking of hiring a session musician for your new project.
- Musical experience built over many years in a variety of genres
- Ability to work to a deadline and produce parts that compliment and enhance the client’s song/instrumental
- Great sound and accurate rhythm and intonation in their playing
- If appropriate, sight-reading skills and ability to interpret lead sheets/musical charts.
- Deep knowledge of popular instrumental techniques and styles
- Ability to get sounds and tones to suit the musical vision of the client/artist
- Reliability, courtesy and dependability for the client.
- Reasonable rates and competitive pricing for the sector and the experience/skills of the musician
Testimonials
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"...I highly recommend Pete to anyone looking for an online session guitarist. He is a highly skilled, creative guitar player, and is very responsive and reasonably priced. He delivered exactly what I asked of him. I will be using him whenever I need a session guitarist.You won't be disappointed..."
Dave Kelly
Songwriter/Mixing Engineer
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"..One of my favourite aspects of this album is the superb playing of guitarist Pete Sklaroff. If proof were needed, just listen to Pete’s solos in “Let It Go” and “Yes I Do..." Fatea Records
Record Label UK
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“..great guy, great player, great partner…..” Music Entertainment, Austria
Music Management Company
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"...Pete is a great guitar player and a pleasure to be in the company of. Working in the studio with him is always a pleasure and his ideas are always in service to the project. Great guy!... Alex Eden
Factory Street Studios
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"...Pete's been recording hundreds of audio examples for my company www.fundamental-changes.com for the past four years. Everything is recorded to the highest possible standards and he gives me plenty of opportunities to check the music along the way. Wonderful guy, fantastic player and conscientious musician.... Joseph Alexander
CEO Fundamental Changes
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"Pete has played on 43 of our songs and counting. Not only is he an extremely skilled and gifted player, his creativity has helped take many of our songs to a different level. I can't imagine recording a song without Pete playing on it. You won't find a better, more creative, and 100% reliable online session guitarist."Dave Kelly
Songwriter/Mix Engineer
