The LyPhyS Music Blog

On being a musician and being genuine... Disingenuous "fanning," "liking," and "commenting" - it's a tactic used by enough musicians to be considered excessive by my standards.  I don't just mean following on generic social networking sites either.  I mean vague, false comments about music and songs or "fanning" on music/sound-specific sites (Reverbnation, SoundCloud, etc). I get mostly real and genuine comments and "likes" on my music and some fantastic fans that I wouldn't trade for the world.  But I also get some comments and "likes" and "fans" that I know have not listened - and have absolutely no intention of listening - to my music.  For example... I can tell if a song has been "liked" more times than it has been listened to recently (this often happens upon first uploading a song on SoundCloud - no listens yet and 2 likes within the first minute).  I often can see which users listened

On feedback... I can't begin to describe how much I've learned in the past few months.  And I thought I had learned a lot in the prior year!  I'm constantly learning...  not just about music composition and software, but about my own music. I thought I'd had my sound defined.  I thought I was classic singer/songwriter.   Then I got a little brave this summer.  I started sharing more and reached out for feedback from an "unbiased" source.  I got more than I bargained for and got challenged on my compositions.  "Try this...  Did you ever consider...  You'd sound great with...  Try to tame that left hand...  Let's remove some of the vibrato and polish from your voice..." Yikes!  My head was spinning... Some of it I nearly took offense to; some of it was empowering.  Regardless, I considered every single note given, even ideas that really challenged my own aesthetic.  I kept some suggestions and tossed others, often surprised at the differe

On lyrics and listening... I love talking about and analyzing lyrics to a degree, letting them sink in, seeing myself in them.  I enjoy the discussion that can come about from good ones.  I enjoy the cadence of well placed words and phrases.  The right alliteration or a mellifluous word in a hook can push a song from good to catchy.  Emotional words with the right rhythm and melody can allow for simple chords as support, giving the singer the reigns. So I am constantly surprised, perhaps even disappointed, when a fellow musician or a friend tells me that they don't usually pay attention to lyrics.   Especially if much of the music they listen to has words.  I often then challenge them to go back and try to understand the lyrics to their favorite songs.  Caution though...  This might make some songs less appealing.  Then I might suggest the following artists/bands, each with a different lyrical style but each with their merits:  Andrew Bird, Snow Patrol, Imogen Heap, Collective

So I figure I will give this another go tonight.  So...  Music.  Where to start?  How about another angle? Courage.  Gumption.  DRIVE. I think that is what I lacked when I started music.  I did not believe in myself enough to write with any real seriousness.  It actually took a couple of devastating, life-changing events for me to get off my duff and move.  Something I never knew I wanted more than anything in the world.  Sure I played in a couple of odd bands briefly.  And of course I always wanted a rock / punk band of my own and name it Fuzzy Pink Bunny Slippers.  (Silly girl...Never got that band.)  But I never thought of really writing music...  Owning and growing a song like a child... To really write and perform and/or put it out for the world to hear takes commitment and courage.  The writing came naturally.  The molding and polishing and tweaking to something worthy takes time, especially when you want more than a single instrument plus a voice.  Now maybe you don't

I actually garnered the nickname the Lyrical Physicist from a dude who studied social science.  Sharing lyrics, waiting for a meeting to start.  And he realized I wasn't just an engineer, I was an engineer with a physics degree too. Yes, I'm blogging.  As if a full time job, a family, and trying to finish my first album isn't enough...  I really have a passion for music.  Not just creating and playing it, but listening and understanding the creative process.  And so, here I am.  Sitting in the living room, squinting because I wasn't smart enough to put curtains on those blasted windows and too lazy to move. Okay, I'm moving.  I couldn't see anymore. So, I don't quite know what I'm doing.  I've never blogged.  More to come I suppose.  For now I'm happy thinking I'm just going to write about music and why I love it.  Maybe talk about a few of my favorite bands and songs here and there.  Stay tuned Loves.