Vaguely Music

Rieko Tanaka was born in Shizuoka, Japan. Her passion for the piano began when she started formal lessons at age three. She has distinguished herself as a classical pianist and jazz musician. She can play anything, including blues, rock, and the American Songbook. According to Tanaka, variety is the spice of life and is what makes each person uniquely themselves as a teacher, performer, and artist. Join Ryan, Kelsey, and Rieko as they discuss how variety in learning, performing, and collaborating can give you a unique perspective and understanding that other people can learn from or appreciate in your unique musical voice. 

For more on Rieko Tanaka:

http://www.riekotanaka.com/ 

All podcasts mixed and mastered at Railroad Park Recording Company.

Space. In a constantly moving world, it's something we've become increasingly uncomfortable with and yet it plays such an important role in the development of musical ideas. In our Season 2 premier episode, Ryan and Kelsey break down the role of space and silence in musical arrangements and how absence can be the most important element in creating power and meaning in sound. (Hint: life lessons might ensue...) Welcome back to Vaguely Music Season 2!

Audio Mastered by: Railroad Park Recording Company

Follow on Instagram and Facebook:
@railroadparkrecordingcompany

Everyone knows the music they like and the music they don't like. What do you see when when you look at the history of your musical preferences - where did they start? What were you surrounded by as a child, young adult? What did your friends listen to? Ryan and Kelsey take a look at their musical tastes and history, and make the connections between musical taste in the here and now and what brought them to this place. We'd love to hear yours!

Time to discuss what every artist hates to discuss: the human ego. How does it affect your relationships as you negotiate the music industry? Ryan and Kelsey explore the fine line that separates a confident musician versus an egoic musician, and how moving too far into "over confidence" can cause artistic stagnation and isolation. Check it! 

Join the journey as we discuss the power of soundtracks: musical texturing, the juxtaposition of one part against another, and dynamic evolution. Vocalist and violinist Brianne Vieira discusses her experiences as a solo instrumentalist on both violin and voice, and how her love of classical music has led her to deeply connect to movie, video game, and anime soundtracking. 

Everyone ends up in this situation: what do you do when creativity and inspiration fails? You're set up ready to play, and you're unmoved. It doesn't feel bad, it just doesn't feel... like much of anything, really. Ryan and Kelsey share some of their personal tips and habits that get through a long gig, day of teaching, or songwriting that might help others when they face a similar situation. Here's a hint: KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Marcelle Gauvin is voice faculty at Berklee College of Music, faculty at the Contemporary Commercial Institute at Shenandoah University, a multi-album recording artist, vocal health re-trainer, and deep believer in creating change through vibration. Here, she talks about her experiences working with the human voice - both technical and spiritual - and discusses with Ryan and Kelsey why authenticity is so important to the artistic process.  

Time to talk about something that is the crux of Double Bar Music: teaching. The relationship between teacher and student is a strange blend of personal friendship and hierarchical leadership, and walking the line between friend and teacher is tricky. Ryan and Kelsey share their experiences, mistakes, and recommendations to new teachers and relatable stories for those who have been teaching for some time. They would also love to hear your experiences and teaching tips, so share them with us on FB or Instagram! @doublebarmusic

The first time Ryan and Kelsey went on this finance journey they ended up diving into a completely separate (although wonderful) discussion about the value of original music. That being said, they've finally come around again to talk finances. What are things you should be prepared for in the 2019 gigging world? Is it "under the table" just because it's cash? How do you know what to save for Big Brother? It's also important to talk realistic financial expectations when it comes to studio recording (when you give up on doing it yourself), and fair expectations about being a private instructor, from the mouths of a teacher and music school owner. Check it out!

We've moved! This our first podcast from our new location, and today we're talking growth as an entrepreneur. Everyone wants to succeed, but most businesses fail because they try to expand too quickly. How do you know when expansion is right? Ryan and Kelsey use their recent experience at Double Bar to paint a picture of the process and what determined if the business was ready to expand. We also dive into the role of professional (and personal) relationships, and how they can make or break the success of ambitious business endeavors.

Self care... one of the most taboo words in the world today. Either people feel like their being sold a load of #$%#, or it's seen as weakness. But the problem remains, how do you sustain through a high-stress time? Right in the middle of our big location shift, Ryan and I thought it would be appropriate to talk about our own experiences (good and bad) with stress management and maintenance. What works for us, what we thought worked (and in fact doesn't), and what we know to avoid. We'd love to hear your thoughts on how you maintain balance in your life!

The age old mantra of older generations: modern music is trash. You can't even play it live, it's just studio wizardry. Well, we disagree. You can play it live, but it takes a new approach to how you learn your cover material. The simple copy and paste guitar part is gone. In this episode, we're going to boil down the conceptual steps of how to approach covering new music, electronic influences and all, whether you have electronic instrumentation or not. Enjoy!

Fear rejection? Afraid of hearing no? Take Lindsey's advice on how she built her career and business, Level Exchange, from her first attempt at organizing a show (who needs microphones anyway?) to successfully becoming tour manager for Warped Tour. 

https://www.levelexchange.co/

Let's talk music school. It's a conversation we inevitably have with our students and their families as they approach the end of their high school career, but does it makes sense for everyone? We'll give you our thoughts (we have plenty to go around) as well as our personal experiences and insights from working in the music industry. Things to keep in mind: finances, career goals, time constraints. Tune in to hear more!

Teacher, performer, and songwriter David Alves joins us to discuss his journey through music: how the process of songwriting starts and develops, words of wisdom on how to market yourself as an artist, and more!

http://www.davealvesmusic.com/

Featuring guest guitarist and Double Bar staff member, Jack Pasternak. 

Jack discusses when he decided music was a serious commitment, the slow growth of learning the instrument, and the benefit of the world of tabs for a developing musician.

Songwriting experiences, different approaches and editing tips. Also, the uncomfortable act of self-promotion with Strumpfler surprise to close it out!

Anecdotes about first attempts at forming a band, gear preferences, and as always... a fun fact to close out the night.

Our pilot episode explores two concepts that affect EVERY musician:

• The inherent "play to please" mindset that inhibits musicians from taking the next step in their careers, whatever that may be. 
• Collaborate? Go solo? What is your mindset, and have you explored the right playing situations that support your approach to music?
• Plus, a bonus fun fact at the end to get to know your hosts, Ryan and Kelsey.