Today we’d like to introduce you to Teddy Transou.
Hi Teddy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I moved from Tallahassee, FL to the Mayport area in 2021 and quickly fell in love with the Jax Beaches. I am an active fellow and this area is great for that, whether it’s surfing, rock climbing, running, kayaking, swimming, hoops, pickleball, tennis, martial arts – Jax beach has got it all. I also found a lot of live music opportunities around town quickly, which is what lead me to guitar playing as a source of income.
I have been playing the guitar since I was 8 or 9 years old, maybe earlier, and now could not imagine a life that isn’t in some way attached to playing the guitar. I didn’t go to school for music, but Youtube-learned (and am still Youtube-learning) quite a lot of stuff, both on the guitar and on music in general. I, however, have never been drawn to the performative side of music. Or performative side of anything for that matter. I really don’t like when the attention is on me. This led me to focus on booking private and wedding events, where my role as the hired musician would be complementing the event with music, not being the event itself. I also believe that social media, despite the positive effects it has produced, has a profoundly negative effect on society and the everyday mindfulness of human beings. I was relieved to not feel the need to promote any of my gigs with this new focus, although I still do feed the beast that is Instagram to create work for myself. It’s just less now 🙂
Thus Teddy Transou Guitar was born in 2022, for all of your corporate, wedding, and private event entertainment needs!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think any road to success is smooth really. I definitely was not happy doing the bar / restaurant gauntlet of gigs, and was stubborn enough to stick out that career path for longer than it served me. If anything, that struggle-some time of bar / restaurant playing logged a lot of hours of guitar-in-hand, which is essential!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a fingerstyle Guitarist first and foremost, specializing in recreating whole songs with every part (melody, harmony, rhythm, and percussive elements) all onto a single guitar. I frequently am tasked with learning new material for weddings, and take pride in delivering a song that the Bride or Groom will remember forever. To witness a pure stoke emerge from a Bride or Groom walking up the aisle when they hear the song they requested is really the coolest part of this job. A lot of moments I will not soon forget!
I also have put a lot of time and energy into releasing music under the name “goodmorning.” on all streaming services. “Goodmorning.” is a pure creative outlet for me and I have pledged to never use Instagram or any other promotional engine to “foster engagement” with the music I release (I guess except for this). I use a whole bunch of unlicensed samples as well, so realistically would get pinched if I did promote anything. Nonetheless, “goodmorning.” means a lot to me and I am really proud of everything I have released.
What matters most to you?
I will always pride myself as a skilled guitarist. That will remain true until my time expires on Earth. However, my releases under “goodmorning.” do mean a lot to me. When I produce music in this way, I try to have zero thought of “will people like this?” or “will this get streams?”, and commit fully to creating something that excites me. With guitar playing / arranging music, it’s a little different, because I certainly am trying to appeal to listeners or the requester of any given song. With “goodmorning.”, if I like what I made, it’s dope. That’s it. It really makes the creative process a lot more fun and depressurizes the whole operation. If nobody were to ever hear what I made, would I still make it for the sake of making it? This is a question that I intentionally revisit. It keeps music pure for me.
Pricing:
- all case by case but $300 minimum
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.teddytransouguitar.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teddytransouguitar/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@teddytransouguitar
