“Never in a million years did I think that doing those once-a-month Friends sessions would turn into the highest-paying gig I've ever had”: Elton John bassist Matt Bissonnette looks back on one of his best gigs – playing on the Friends soundtrack

Matt Bissonette has played with the who’s who of the music industry – serving as a first-call bass player for artists such as Ringo Starr, Elton John, David Lee Roth, and Jeff Lynne, to name just a few. And for Friends fans, you can also hear his bass chops on the in-show music, which – believe it or not – ended up being his most lucrative gig.

“Never in a million years did I think that doing those Friday, once-a-month Friends sessions would turn into the highest-paying gig I've ever had!” he tells Bass Player with a chuckle.

Bissonette is more than happy to lift the veil on what typically went down while recording music for the ’90s and early aughts staple.

“I'd show up at 09:45, and we would start tracking at 10:00, going until 1:00, taking time to eat in between. We would just make up music on the fly in little five-second clips, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.”

He continues, “Our friend Michael Skloff was the musical director. All I remember was every time we would record, we would have tears in our eyes because it was just one big party, no stress, just a real blast to do. Doug Ryder is an amazing engineer, and he would get the sounds instantly.”

As for the gear used? “I would try a different bass every session, but usually what I do for stuff like that is come in with a five-string that I know the engineer isn't going to have to work with.

“It just sounds good right when you plug it in. I used my Music Man Stingray five-string a lot, and I had a Bossa five-string that I used a lot as well as my Bongo Bass. Truly one of the best gigs I've ever had!”

Stay tuned for Bass Player’s interview with Matt Bissonette, which will be published in the coming weeks.