Musicianship Mastery with David Lane

Dive into the essentials of music theory with a detailed checklist to assess your skills. Explore foundational concepts like rhythmic notation, scales, and chords. Discover the importance of tailoring your learning experience while fostering curiosity in music. Plus, learn about practical tools to streamline studio management and enhance your teaching efficiency. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your knowledge, this discussion has something for every musician.

Andrew Synowiec is a session musician, primarily as a guitarist, who has appeared on recordings of a variety of artists and bands, including The Who, Barbara Streisand, Megan Trainor, and M83.  He's also performed on the soundtracks of several films and television series, including Cobra Kai, Frozen, Coco, A Good Day to Die Hard, Little Fockers, and more!  Andrew talks about moving to LA from Miami, becoming a session guitarist, the process of working with a variety of composers, and...of course, the tools to be successful in this line of work.  He also talks about some of his other projects as a performer.  This is a great conversation that you won't want to miss! Find out more about Andrew Synowiec at https://andrewsynowiec.com/ Musical excerpts in order of appearance: "The Final Countdown" arr. Pinar Toprak (from The Lost City soundtrack) "Sam and Robby" and "Quiver" by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson (from Cobra Kai soundtrack) "Let It Go" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (from Frozen soundtrack) "Triple Vodka Rhapsody" by Marco Beltrami (from A Good Day to Die Hard) "Dia de Los Muertos" by Michael Giacchino (from Coco) "Triad Days" and "Late to the Party" by Andrew Synowiec Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Discover a treasure trove of apps every musician can benefit from! Explore essential tools like metronomes and tuners that elevate practice sessions. Uncover budget-friendly options alongside advanced software for composition and recording. The episode also dives into the impact of technology on productivity and offers advice for skeptics looking to integrate apps into their music-making process. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, there's something valuable to enhance your musical journey!

If you're not a harpist and wanting to compose, the harp can be a mysterious instrument.  It can play all of the notes of a chromatic scale, but only 7 in a time across all octaves.  It has a similar range to the piano with a similar 2-staff system, but the harpist uses fewer fingers and approaches the notes from a different angles.  There are pedal diagrams, pedal change instructions, special effects in tones, and so many other things to consider.  If you've ever thought about composing or arranging for the harp, it's very helpful to have someone like Danielle Kuntz to help!  Danielle is a harpist with a passion for new music, and her business is to help composers balance creativity with practicality to write great harp music with clarity. You can get in touch with Danielle at https://www.daniellekuntz.com/ The resource for notation programs and harp notation is here: https://mola-inc.org/resources/20141 Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

David Lane, an advocate for quarterly goals, delves into the art of effective planning. He highlights the pitfalls of ignoring long-term goals, which can lead to a cycle of daily tasks without progress. Lane passionately argues that quarterly planning helps maintain productivity while nurturing grand ambitions. He emphasizes the importance of quarterly reviews for continuous improvement, offering valuable insights for musicians on how to break down large objectives into manageable steps. Get ready to transform your goal-setting approach!

One of the tools every great musician should have in their toolkit is knowledge and experience of studio production.  If you use a professional engineer in your projects, you'll be able to understand the process and communicate better.  Often, you may be doing a DIY recording project, and want to get the best final product that you can.  This is a huge topic, and this episode is limited to just a few basics: choosing the right microphone, microphone placement, minimal gear requirements, planning a production session (even when it's just you involved), and a few finishing touches. Our guest, Liz May, is a professional audio engineer with a pianist background, is very active as a live sound engineer and also owns a recording studio called Soundlizzard Productions. Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

This is the 2nd of an epic 2-episode look at the genre of heavy metal, both in terms of music history and theory.  This 2nd episode takes more of a look at the history of heavy metal since 1980 through the lens of subgenres.  Leading us on this journey is Eric Schwartz, a classical musician and lifelong metal fan who is a co-host of the podcast Heavy Metal 101.  For the final segment of this episode, Eric and I each offer up 5 of our all-time favorite heavy metal albums.  Be sure to play this episode loud! If you missed part 1, we talked more about the origins of heavy metal and got more into the music theory side.  You can find that episode hereL https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit/episode/7e14ef9d/heavy-metal-101-part-1-with-eric-schwartz Eric's podcast, Heavy Metal 101, can be best enjoyed here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1tjsy3NgM063tlvMOv9PQR?si=4cba8bafc3f84dd4 The top 10 albums that we discussed, and 10 more we considered, can be heard in their entirety here:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0zrwEkboZKE5eLcikCdxdg?si=84415f3fa70a4d77&pt=e95433e2fc7ed6227c31035d7374dd5a These are the musical examples played in this episode: 04:39 Iron Maiden: The Prisoner 05:51 Van Halen: Runnin' with the Devil 06:34 Motorhead: Overkill 06:57 Metallica: Master of Puppets 08:31 Death: Scream Bloody Gore 09:51 Emperor: Toward the Pantheon 10:24 Helloween: I'm Alive 11:02 Pantera: Walk 12:02 At the Gates: Cold 12:44 Dream Theater: Pull Me Under 13:51 Black Sabbath: Supertsar 16:41 Mastadon: Crack the Skye 18:12 Zeal & Ardor: Children's Summons 20:13 The Prodigy: Firestarter 22:16 Nine Inch Nails: Heresy 24:47 Def Leppard: Rocket 27:01 Queensrÿche: Speak 27:18 Queensrÿche: Spreading the Disease 27:51 Queensrÿche: Suite Sister Mary 29:18 Black Sabbath: Symptom of the Universe 29:58 Black Sabbath: Megalomania 30:43 Black Sabbath: The Writ 32:07 Megadeth: Sweating Bullets 32:32 Megadeth: Foreclosure of a Dream 33:39 Beetlejuice the Musical: The Whole Being Dead Thing 36:23 Slayer: Angel of Death 36:42 Slayer: Raining Blood 38:23 Anthrax: NFB 39:01 Anthrax: Got the Time 39:20 Anthrax: In My World 41:47 King Diamond: A Mansion in Darkness 42:15 King Diamond: 7th Day of July 1977 44:42 Avenged Sevenfold: Unbound (Wild Ride) 45:21 Avenged Sevenfold: Dear God 48:07 Judas Priest: Painkiller 48:40 Judas Priest: Hell Patrol 49:02 Judas Priest: A Touch of Evil 50:22 Nightwish: The Poet and the Pendulum 51:03 Nightwish: The Islander 51:22 Nightwish: 7 Days to the Wolves 54:40 Death: Spirit Crusher 55:08 Death: Voice of the Soul 56:09 Death Painkiller   What's your favorite heavy metal band or album, and why that choice?  Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

This is the first of an epic 2-episode look at the genre of heavy metal, both in terms of music history and theory.  This first episode compares how heavy metal came to be and developed throughout the '70s and into the early '80s, and then compares its attributes with Baroque through Romantic era concerti, as well as what metal offers that distinguishes itself as a genre.  Leading us on this journey is Eric Schwartz, a classical musician and lifelong metal fan who is a co-host of the podcast Heavy Metal 101. Be sure to check out part 2 next week when we dive into heavy metal since 1980, the variety of subgenres, and our own personal favorite albums. Eric's podcast, Heavy Metal 101, can be best enjoyed here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1tjsy3NgM063tlvMOv9PQR?si=4cba8bafc3f84dd4 These are the musical examples played in this episode: 9:40 Black Sabbath: The Wizard 11:24 Judas Priest: The Ripper 12:10 Judas Priest: Deceiver 18:37 Soundgarden: Loud Love 19:41 Alice in Chains: Man in the Box 20:05 Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit 22:31 Black Sabbath: Iron Man 28:12 Van Halen: Eruption 29:02 Vivaldi: Summer (III: Presto) perf. by I Musici 29:40 Vivaldi: Winter (I: Allegro Non Molto) perf. by I Musici 30:15 Van Halen: Eruption 32:30 Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath 33:06 Gustav Holst: The Planets (I. Mars) Montreal Symphony; cond. Charles Dutoit 33:47 Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath 36:42 Spinal Tap: Hell Hole 38:30 Deep Purple: Lazy 41:02 Judas Priest: Tyrant 47:12 Metallica: Battery 50:08 Tool: Schism 51:56 Meshuggah: Bleed   Let me know your thoughts on this episode at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.

Celebrate graduation with insights from three decades of experience! Discover essential advice on personal investment and financial strategies for a stable future. Learn to embrace rejection and stay flexible in your creative pursuits. Prioritize income while maintaining physical fitness. Relish the importance of connection and aligning actions with your values. Finally, find joy in life’s simple moments and the beauty of mindfulness. These life lessons resonate with both graduates and anyone seeking growth!

On this episode, we take a look at composing the score for a big-budget documentary series such as Prehistoric Planet, currently streaming on Apple TV+ with a 2nd season due to come out soon.  Series composers Anže Rozman and Kara Talve talk about working at Bleeding Fingers Music with Hans Zimmer, collaborating with each other in creating the score, and everything about the process from spotting the episodes, to deadlines, to preparing the score to be recorded by a live orchestra, in addition to commissioning and learning to play some of the custom-built instruments for this score such as the Raptor Violin, Hadro Cello, Petrified Wood Xylophone, and many more. All music clips in this score are from the Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack for Prehistoric Planet, Season 1 - available for streaming or download on all major outlets. Check out these two videos about the unique instruments for this score: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrkE-r2uV9N/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrcFJ9HsIVt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Do you have any comments on today's topic?  Let me know by telling me directly at https://www.speakpipe.com/MusicianToolkit or you can send me a written message at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/contact  You can find this episode and links to this show on all podcast apps from https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ . If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice.  You can also now find the podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1 This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial.