Alan Kulka

Guitarist, Singer & Songwriter

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13 Reviews (10 Verified)
Alan Kulka on SoundBetter

Need a guitarist, singer, or songwriter who's performed at Carnegie Hall, toured the UK, worked with major label and indie artists and has been featured on award-winning records? How about someone who's easy to work with, open to trying new ideas and who enjoys collaborating? Well have no fear—SOLUTION MAN™ is here.

Hey there, I would love to hear more about you and your project but in the meantime, here's a little bit more about myself:

I'm a guitarist, singer and songwriter based out of Toronto, with more than 10 years of experience and a Master of Music from Yale University. I always go into every project with an open-heart and an open-mind, attempting to listen twice as often as I speak, and speaking only when I feel strongly about something.

If an idea that I have doesn't resonate with my collaborators, I'm okay with letting it go and trying something else. I understand that the creative process is constantly evolving and ultimately, my goal as a writer and performer is to serve the song—not my ego.

I love collaborating with other producers, songwriters and artists to create music that we can all be proud of. If this resonates with you, then send me a message and let's get to work, shall we?

K u l k a—:::

Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Alan Kulka
  • Maddy Rodriguez
  • Maddy Rodriguez
  • Maddy Rodriguez
  • Maddy Rodriguez

Languages

  • English

13 Reviews - 2 Repeat Clients

Endorse Alan Kulka
  1. Review by Daniel M.
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    Alan never disappoints!

  2. Review by Micky
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    by Micky
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    Alan was pleasure to collaborate with! He worked extremely quickly and produced a professional and high quality piece of art. Thank you :)

  3. Review by Kevin Martin
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    The experience of working with Alan was great. We talked a lot about music. Of course, his performance and recording quality are also great! Cheers,My friend!

  4. Review by Daniel M.
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    Alan’s guitar playing is next level, highly recommended

  5. Review by Steven R.
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    Alan is a very talented musician and singer and is a joy to work with. Looking forward to more projects with him!

  6. Review by Nick P.
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    Alan is a great talent I had the honor to work with! He is an amazing guitar player, very professional, knows his craft and delivers!! He is very kind and I felt comfortable during the entire process!! 100% recommendation!!

  7. Review by Sara S.
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    Alan created a cool song and video using Mixed In Key's Captain Plugins. He did a great job singing and playing the guitar in the project. Alan's communication was good. I recommend working with Alan on your next project!

  8. Review by Rachel G.
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    I hired Alan to make an arrangement of a piece for string trio based off of a Youtube video I liked. He delivered the sheet music arrangement quickly and without issue. Alan also was flexible with his fee for the arrangement because I live in Canada and paying in USD is more expensive for me.

    Easy to work with, professional, and friendly - I love his arrangement and I will definitely hire him again!

  9. Review by Rachel G.
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    Working with Alan was a breath of fresh air. I needed an arrangement for my cello duo, and he was quick to respond to my request, understanding exactly what I needed for my project. He was professional and flexible when I requested a change to the song, delivering the sheet music without any delays. It was such a nice change to work with someone who genuinely cares about his work!

    I will definitely be hiring Alan again the next time I need an arrangement. Highly recommended.

  10. Review by Vanessa V.
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    Alan is incredibly talented! His ear for sound is really sharp, and due to his flexible skill and what appears to be really extensive experience he is able to adapt very quickly to the different styles I have requested. The guitar elements he added to my song took it to another level and he was able to bring about great emotions through his playing. I’m very impressed with his work and will definitely work with him again in the future.

  11. Review by Electra L.
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    Alan is an excellent vocalist, highly professional and an absolute pleasure to work with. I'd be very happy to hire again and would most definitely recommend!

  12. Review by Anthony
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    by Anthony

    Alan is one of the most proficient musicians I’ve worked with. He has such an insane amount of musical knowledge and uses it to the advantage of everyone in the room. We worked on several demos together and the energy and excitement in the room was palpable. He was able to elevate the music beyond anything I could have dreamed of. His ability to hear through what’s there and sense what’s missing is unparalleled. I highly recommend checking him out and working with him before this guy books up his whole year.

  13. Review by Melisa
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    by Melisa

    During my trip in Toronto, I was given the opportunity to work with Alan for a demo and I couldn’t be happier with the result. He’s such an incredible musician who possesses many ideas to make the end product even better. He is very passionate about what he does and most importantly, he’s very friendly and welcoming. I highly recommend working with Alan :)

Interview with Alan Kulka

  1. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  2. A: They'll usually ask me something like, "Can you come up with something that sounds like this: 'wah-wee-wah-wee WOW WOW!'", or, "I really like the chord progression and style of guitar playing on (insert song): can you do something similar?", or, "Can you make it sound moody and dark?" My answer is always, "1000%—let's do it!"

  3. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  4. A: A wide range ideas for different parts, including guitar lines, and coming up with melodic/rhythmic hooks.

  5. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  6. A: I bring my creativity, imagination, knowledge of songwriting/music theory and a unique style of guitar playing to every song. Most importantly however, is that I bring a good attitude and willingness to try things!

  7. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  8. A: I'm proud of the work that I did on my single Special (feat. Cat Bernardi) because in addition to the songwriting, I played all the instruments, sang and co-produced the record. We also shot a video on a tight deadline and the whole thing just seemed to come together very serendipitously.

  9. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  10. A: Just continuing to write regularly with different artists/producers while also working on my own solo material.

  11. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  12. A: Both are valuable for different reasons and the choice depends on what you're optimizing for.

  13. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  14. A: I can't promise anything but love—I love what I do and put my whole heart into every project ❤️

  15. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  16. A: I like that I'm always learning about myself through others and that the creative process is always changing and continues to be a fascinating mystery.

  17. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  18. A: That being a musician is all fun and games.

  19. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  20. A: Who are you listening to at the moment? What's your favourite song and why? How do you think I can help you?

  21. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  22. A: My advice? Be as specific as possible and if possible, have answers to the following questions: 1) what is the song about? 2) what are some key words you'd use to describe the mood and overall vibe of your song? 3) if you'd like your song to be in a certain style or sound like a certain artist, can you provide some reference tracks that I could listen to?

  23. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  24. A: Uh...is there power on this island?

  25. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  26. A: I began classical guitar and theory lessons around age 11, and continued doing so while going to an arts high school to major in guitar. Along the way, I ended up playing bass guitar, singing in choirs, playing in jazz bands, musical theatre pit bands and writing my own music. I made the decision to continue studying music at the post-secondary level for 6 more years and ended up with a Master of Music degree from Yale University.

  27. Q: How would you describe your style?

  28. A: Alternative, Emotional, Raw and Simple.

  29. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  30. A: Max Martin. I'm fascinated by his entire catalogue of music—from the memorable melodies to the incredible productions—and would just love to see his entire process of creating a song from scratch.

  31. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  32. A: Silence is golden.

  33. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  34. A: I usually work on some combination of Pop, Singer-Songwriter, Hip-Hop, R&B and Rock/Alterative, and of course, always open to exploring new types of music!

  35. Q: What's your typical work process?

  36. A: In regards to songwriting, my typical work process involves sitting with my guitar and jamming out/improvising a song on the fly—just trying to feel it out in the moment and improvising some melodies and lyrics without overthinking it. Hopefully, I remembered to hit 'record' and get a voice memo, which I can then use to listen back to and refine my ideas. In regards to session guitar work, there's usually some homework involved; this means listening to the song and/or specific reference tracks in advance, as well as communicating with the client to understand what they are looking for. Again, I'll typically improvise and try out a few different ideas that can then be refined as the creative process evolves.

  37. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  38. A: My personal setup is very simple: I currently use a Focusrite Scarlett Solo and a Shure SM 7B/Neumann KM 184 mic into Logic Pro X.

  39. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  40. A: I'm inspired by a wide range of music; I grew up on classic rock, loved hip hop and was classically trained before going to an arts high school where I learned about jazz, sung in choirs and played in concert band. I'm a big fan of Max Martin, Ryan Tedder, Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Hans Zimmer, and many, many more!

  41. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  42. A: The most common type of work I do at the moment involves communicating directly with the producer and artist to gain a better understanding of their vision for the song. They'll usually come up with a few key words that describe the overall vibe, theme, or emotion of the song, which I then use to improvise some ideas that I think could work well. The client will then usually offer some guided feedback (example: "Can you do more of that?", "It's a little busy—can you try holding the notes out a bit longer?") which I can use to modify my approach because and better align myself with their vision for the song.

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Special (feat. Cat Bernardi) by Alan Kulka

I was the Guitarist, Male Singer, Songwriter, as well as Arranger, Co-Producer and all other instruments in this production

Terms Of Service

up to 2 revisions, turn-around time can be anywhere from 2-7 days depending on the project, same day turn-around (i.e. 24 hours or less) available upon request and may be subject to additional costs.

GenresSounds Like
  • Alan Kulka
  • Bryan Adams
  • John Mayer
Gear Highlights
  • Main Gear*: Boss/Line 6 effects pedals
  • Custom Epiphone Les Paul
  • Gibson Advanced Jumbo Acoustic
  • Orange Dual Terror Amp | Logic Pro X
  • Neumann KM 184
  • Shure SM7B | *Special/additional gear available upon request
More Photos
More Samples
  • Listen to my latest single 'Now Is The Time'Sep 28, 2020

    ffm.to/nowisthetime

  • Follow me on Instagram!Nov 19, 2019

    @itsalankulka