Artist's Statement

​

"Over the past few years I have completed over 300 songs for producers and clients both in the studio and remotely. On this page you can find a handful of examples that I have selected that show my technical abilities as well as my musical sensibilities.

Many of the parts that I record in the studio are seemingly simple, but I try to be selective in what I add so that every project ends up with a perfect part that does only what is required by the song.

​

I am a classically trained player with a degree in cello performance from Marshall University. This means that I bring a very high level of technical proficiency and traditional compositional/music theory knowledge to projects that I am a part of. I am also a multi-instrumentalist who has lead worship, folk, and R&B bands for years. This gives me a helpful perspective when arranging for modern styles and affords me the opportunity to view songs both from the viewpoint of a session player and a producer. I have been brought on to many projects in which the client hired me after a negative experience with another string player. The most common complaints I have heard were that the musician was either too "busy" in their playing, or they did not listen to instructions exactly. Through my experience as a session player, I have developed the ability to deliver extremely satisfactory results on the first try with a quick turnaround time.

​

When I record sessions from my home studio, I always strive to deliver tracks that are ready to drop in and mix with minimal or no editing. My typical recording process involves first listening through the song completely, planning out potential voicings to aid in dynamics, and then recording section by section (overdubbing as needed). After this, I comp each track, edit all of the punches so that there are no extraneous noises during silences, and then I usually run the tracks through Melodyne. I pitch correct the tracks myself because I am already familiar with the content that I recorded so it makes it very easy to make invisible nudges. My goal is to end up with a sound that it highly polished, but still containing the organic feel of real strings and no traces of artificial tuning. 

​

My goal as a session player is to deliver an effective set of tracks that require minimal editing and add exactly what is needed to a song. I treat every project as though it is my own and hold myself to high standards on anything in which I play."

 

If you are interested in contacting Steven regarding session work around Nashville or remotely, please feel free to reach out via the contact forms on this website or at his email:

Steven.a.schumann@gmail.com

​