Recently, I’ve begun some session guitar playing with a studio called Score Concept here in the city. In the 2 sessions that I’ve had, there have been some very enjoyable and rewarding musical experiences and I thought it was important to outline what I think is a great way to prepare yourself for situations like this.

Practice. This is probably what some might call a no-brainer, but it’s true. I think there are many guitar players that don’t even know how to practice. There must be a goal, and therefore a regimen. If you don’t have a practice regimen or goal, there won’t be any progress; and that’s the most important.

Find people to jam with. Doing this is probably more important than practicing. Although if you’re not practicing, doing this will not provide you with enough skills or material to intelligently participate. If you’re anything like me (I hope not!) then you’ll probably just be playing the same thing over and over again.

Know the major scale. If you don’t know this, you will never master any instrument. From the major scale comes every other scale in the world. It’s just another way of relating the same notes relative to a pedal tone or harmonic progression. Guitarists: LEARN THE MAJOR SCALE! Every improvisation I do is based on my knowledge of this one scale.

Following these three steps will not make you a master of your instrument. But it will enable you to become a well-versed, intelligent musician who is capable of holding their own in a jam-session with friends or a recording session with professionals. If you happen to find yourself in such a lucky opportunity, I would like to outline a couple of rules that will help you maintain a professional image:

1. Know chord voicings. Pianists use extensions to chords. Most guitarists (unless they are playing jazz) do not use as many. Therefore, if there’s a G9 chord in the song you are playing, you need to know at least how to build it.
2. Know every note on the guitar. Just know the note names. You wouldn’t drive a car without knowing which is the gas and which is the brake, would you?
3. Do not play if nobody else is playing. You should have practiced before you got there. Warm up before beginning and make sure you have extras of everything.
4. LISTEN. Again, sounds like a no-brainer. But if you’re not listening, the music will suffer.
5. Have fun, and put your practice to good use. There’s nothing more satisfying for me than having a real pro tell me they really liked what I played. It puts the icing on the cake.