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Simone Sello - Soul and Substance
By FP Maddlone

As a musician and writer, I often look at things from an artistic standpoint before I allow pragmatism to cloud the moment. After all, any creative endeavor will be short-lived unless it is supported by a way to market its treasures to as many people as possible. When we began to put together the concept for our book, Rhythm Riding: A Guide to Riding With Music, it became immediately clear to us that we would have to include some music for our prospective readers to use when following the process outlined in the book. Although we could have gone the route of using traditional standards (i.e. well-known Top 40 tunes or classical pieces), we felt that originality in both form and function would be the better choice. Given the daunting task and timelines involved in writing the book’s content, we chose wisely to delegate the musical portions to someone far better equipped in both talent and trends - enter Simone Sello.

Simone is a successful session guitar player, songwriter, studio engineer, and music producer for TV, movies, and sound libraries based in Los Angeles, CA. He began studying the guitar and violin when he was about ten, and embarked upon his professional career soon thereafter. Simone has played with many international artists from his native Italy, and was the guitar player for the internationally renowned Sanremo Festival Orchestra for four years, whereupon he had the honor of playing with such guest stars as George Benson, Pat Metheny, Toots Thielemans, Ray Charles, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, Nek and many others.

When I first approached Simone with the project, we were just adding the finishing touches to a children’s album we had written together for Fisher-Price. Understandably, the concept of writing music for horses was a bit out of left field for him, and a few video chats ensued whereupon I attempted to describe how horses “danced” to music during a prescribed set of choreographed moves. Although a bit confused at first (and rightfully so), Simone picked up on the notion and immediately ran with the idea.

CeCe, my beloved spouse, co-writer, and resident dance expert, stepped in to carefully design the varied BPMs (Beats Per Minute) that would be required in order to approximate the average gaits for each type of horse (small, medium and large). From there, we discussed the type of music we envisioned for each basic movement (walk, trot & canter), in order to provide a rider with sounds that would produce both a relaxing environment while helping both horse and rider to achieve a harmonious partnership of rhythm and balance. With his extensive background in producing soundtracks, Simone went to work on creating the perfect blend of acoustical guitar harmonies and digital accompaniment. The results were a collection of songs that invite both rider and horse to follow specific beats while enjoying soothing sounds and rhythmic patterns that are sure to put a smile on anyone within distance of these captivating melodies.

As we began to test market the album, we started to hear comments such as, “captivating”, “relaxing”, “fun”, and “catchy”. My favorite one was “soulful” - for that was exactly what I thought of when Simone first sent me the song tracks to review. Despite the rigid specifications under which he had to write, Simone was able to bring a simple soulfulness to each track through his incredible guitar playing. There is no doubt as to his mastery of this time-honored instrument, and the acoustic riffs he composed elicit a sense of introspection that help to enter that elusive zone where music and listener become one.

We’ve been very fortunate to collaborate with Simone on this project - it was a joy to incorporate form, function, and friendship into a book that is the culmination of our dream to share our process of weaving horses and music into a usable, fun-filled experience for riders of all disciplines. Simone’s contribution is an integral part of this endeavor, and we invite you to visit our site (www.EquiChord.com) and experience the soulfulness of this wonderful music first-hand.