Tune Shed

Was John Cage the first meme-artist? Or something more? Marty and Blake explore the history of the prepared piano and John Cage as an icon who shaped music as we know it today. Marty reveals a very interesting piece of music he wrote at the end. To hear some bonus music that we discuss see this link to our YouTube playlist .

The Tune Shed hosts very special guest Brian Funk from The Music Production Podcast. We learn a bit more about his music, experience touring and creating a great band with his good friends. We break down the exclusive song 'Being With You' from Brian's band Some Good Evil. We talk about their creative process, recording vocals, writing lyrics with "the gibberish method" and also hear how Brian mad...

Blake and Marty uncover what it takes to make a sample pack, and listen to a beautiful prepared piano along the way. It can be as complex or simple as you make it, and it is definitely worth it in either case. Enjoy!

John Cage started it and now you're hooked too. Marty completes the history and shows off a bunch of free-source prepared piano sounds. These are something you have never heard before. Then he discloses a sneak peak into how he made his own prepared piano sample pack.

Get some or make some! Marty said it best, sample packs are the producers "bread and butter." He details some free sample packs to get you started and demos a handful. You can have the piano Phillip Glass has in his home or even the sounds of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Welcome Emmy nominated TV star Eli Engelbert to the Tune Shed! We get to sneak peak song breakdown on the his track named "Uploading". Listen for discussion on cyber punk synths, using randomness and NASA sounds to inspire, song development and vocal training.

After writing lyrics, Blake and Marty sit down and record vocals. Learn Marty's process, hear him write melodies on the fly, double and triple tracks and fine tune the final result. While all that happens, Blake finally realizes how effective it is to describe a desired vocal character with playfully ambiguous analogies.

Ever struggle with lyrics? Before jumping into recording, Marty and Blake sit down and write lyrics on the fly. Marty shares quite a few tricks for making it through this journey and being satisfied with the result.

Buy one. Produce with it. Learn to circular breathe. Why not? Blake and Marty make a beat and add didgeridoo as a sub, a pad and more!

Kk let's get it over with. What's a formant? Blake and Marty break it down with demos and then discover a crazy effect! Stay tuned for a sneak peak of Marty applying forments to his own work.

Know a guy? Want to bring in the big boy bass player? Here's how to prepare, what to think about and how to have the most fun when bringing people in to help you with your music. If you have never hired, you are like Blake! Give it a try and see what happens.

Major with a raised 4th baby. A higher plane baby. Debussy whirlpools and flowers baby. Feelings of realization and wonder baby. Marty makes a beat that sounds like its from a musical and then turns it Lydian and it completely transforms. Blake loves it.

Raise the 6th baby. Piano salon music baby. Gregorian vibes baby. Feelings of mist and hope baby. Marty makes a beat and compares Dorian to minor.

Learn the very basics of Music theory in 20 minutes, featuring special guest Antonia Duble!

How do we talk about music and what do all these descriptive words really mean? Thin. Warm. Broodish. Bright. Woofy. Wubby. Warbly. Doesn't suck. Nudder go. Pumps. Slaps. Banger.

Marty and Blake finally add enough layers to their song Instinct Cringes. Now they start to cut, arrange and then add more layers. They sample paper, matches and a toothbrush to add texture.

Special guest David Magumba joins to share his musical journey and his single Wooden Monarch, that he wrote with Marty Gray. Tune in to this episode to hear how a first grade choir audition can lead to a wonderful musician.

Marty and Blake continue to shape and form a song they started in high school, but abandoned for a number of years. This episode the two get into adding more layers and arranging the song.

In this workshop Marty and Blake recreate (from memory) a song they started in high school! In part one we lay out what we remember and make plans to add many many layers to build a full and beautiful song.

"Let's do another one, but this time pretend you are a smooth pad of butter." Marty breaks down how to be comfortable in front of your mic, be it singing or playing an instrument. He also talks though his entire method for recording to get a great result every time. How many takes? When to preform conservatively? When to go wild? When to listen back? Blake also shares a psychology tip to help you...

Jokes on you! We have no advice. Lyrics are hard to 'get better at' because they are so subjective. Poetry is tricky even before you add the musical element and start text setting. Marty brings up tips and tricks, like subbing words, playing with tense and changing syllabic stresses to bring out quality. Blake then argues with Marty about Taylor Swift before unifying to shout out Phoebe Bridgers a...

Me too. Everyone (literally everyone) hates their voice. This episode dives deep into the methods you can use to circumnavigate this phenomenon. Marty makes the good point that making and judging your performance is a lot to ask all at once. First we get into the details of Marty's recording set up which maximizes his comfort, then we get a demo from one of his songs and how he produced the vocals...

Even if you have perfect pitch, turns out there is still room for error. What's the smallest margin of "detectable pitch change"? As it turns out, you can train your perception. Marty shares some neat exercises near the end. Marty and Blake also discuss musical memory, amusia, orchestra tuning tricks and the physical length of low notes. 

We break down beat basics and build our own live. Marty shares his rare shaker collection. We talk about making beats three dimensional and how anything can be a drum.

Do I have to use standard tuning for my guitar? No! First we get distracted and talk about what we are listening to: Rosalía, Amnesia Scanner, Oneohtrix Point Never... then Marty teaches the coolest guitar tunings artists use and some that that can make playing guitar easier. Marty wraps it up by sharing his facial hair pattern and Blake shares the beauty of being a beginning guitar player. This e...