Guitar Tricks Insider August/September Issue | Page 44

COVER STORY SANTANA SPEAKS pt. 1 For all of his well-spoken stories about music, Carlos Santana knows how to get these melodies, these feelings embedded into a recording. And while the words are lofty, the process is absolutely down to earth. This is part of a conversation we had, which started with preparing for the recording studio. Is there something you can do in the studio to get there? Because I can say “Carlos, tomorrow I want you to go in and record something for me.” You say, “Yeah, John. I’ll go.” And that day is going to be on a record. You want to be able to express yourself. Preparation. Preparation. The preparation is to teach the engineer what my sound is. I relate to Vernon Reid. I relate to singers more than I do guitar pl