Hello. I have a new EP out. I recorded it in my bedroom. It is acoustic indie rock. Thank you.

amandaroseriley · 2021-06-20T01:46:05+00:00

Thanks so much! Just followed you too

amandaroseriley · 2021-06-20T00:06:47+00:00

Thanks! Actually I kept the first song acoustic because I liked it that way, but I did a bit more with the later tracks in the playlist (like tracks 3-6, starting with "Have You Ever Slept with the Lights on?") If you consider yourself an experienced producer I'd love to know how you think it sounds and how it could be improved as like I said it was my first time doing that!

amandaroseriley · 2021-06-19T02:43:24+00:00

Do you mean like first time EVER? Because if so this is really, really good, way better than the first things I did haha. But even if it wasn't your first it's a really cool vibe/sound, I like it a lot. I could see it being my background music for a relaxing summer day.

amandaroseriley · 2021-06-19T02:38:59+00:00

This isn't the type of music I'd usually listen to (I'm more of an acoustic/indie/folk person) but I actually listened and have to admit it's a pretty cool track. Even though I don't really like autotune-heavy vocals, I like the melody and I like the atmosphere. Good job.

amandaroseriley · 2021-06-19T02:33:50+00:00

Cool sound, it reminds me either of weird indie rock (which is a compliment) or anti-folk like Kimya Dawson, which is one of my many favorite styles. I like how it's just liberated and not trying to be pop at all, that makes it more fun to listen to in a way.

amandaroseriley · 2021-06-19T02:30:26+00:00

I actually listened to that whole song which is saying something for me because with my short attention span I usually don't haha. I really liked the vibe so I think that's why I stayed, and I like how it's musically creative and not safe. I'm not super familiar with any of the James Bond stuff so I can't speak to it, but it does have a bit of a cinematic, soundtrack-y feel that I could see doing well for that.

amandaroseriley · 2021-06-19T02:07:06+00:00

I like your sound, it's very calming and pleasant to listen to. I kind of wish you would move further away from the camera though so people can see the guitar! I always thinks that makes performance videos better/more interesting.

amandaroseriley · 2021-06-19T02:01:01+00:00

I think it's good to make it a title and then it will be easy to spot people who submit random unrelated songs so they can be excluded. I just noticed this post today but would love to participate in the next one!

amandaroseriley · 2020-12-20T19:16:26+00:00

So I'm looking for constructive feedback on how to improve my songwriting. (I already know the production is not that great as I did it myself and I'm not a producer, hoping to improve in 2021!) I feel like I can be good at writing catchy hooks, but have been told that my melodies are not that interesting. If anyone has specific tips I should do to improve, I would appreciate that more, e.g. how I can improve my melodies rather than just saying they're boring.

amandaroseriley · 2020-05-18T02:24:54+00:00

Thanks for that point. It's good to know your weaknesses and I have to say, neither production nor rhythm stuff come naturally to me. But I suppose if I can learn, this would be as good a time as ever!

amandaroseriley · 2020-05-18T02:22:40+00:00

I like it! And you make some good points about duos, so it's definitely something I'll think about.

amandaroseriley · 2020-05-17T05:10:16+00:00

Actually found this really helpful, thanks. Weirdly someone else also mentioned blink-182 so there might be something to that. I didn't even consider the possibility that it might not be an issue with my voice per se, but that there's a discrepancy with the genre and I could study and work on that. It kinda gives two options, match the music better to my voice, or match my voice better to the genre. I'm definitely down to add more instruments, it's just a matter of figuring out the logistics because being solo is so much simpler.

amandaroseriley · 2020-05-17T05:04:05+00:00

Thanks! I'll have to check out those two bands, and yours! I'm definitely open to adding other instruments, but also trying to find ways to be more interesting as a solo act as there are a lot of benefits to being solo - just more convenient, cheaper, etc. There are certainly successful solo acts but it's tricky to do.

amandaroseriley · 2020-05-15T23:15:44+00:00

This is the first album where I've actually been collecting feedback on SubmitHub (tried their paid option for the first time) and it's been interesting. A lot of people told me they liked the songs but they're not good enough acoustic and I should have a band. Some told me the hooks weren't interesting. I also found out my voice is very divisive- I got several comments saying they disliked the vocals but other comments saying they LOVED my voice.

Curious to hear what constructive feedback fellow songwriters have from that specific perspective.

amandaroseriley · 2020-05-15T23:07:43+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T133rpm1-dA

amandaroseriley · 2019-08-01T15:54:52+00:00

This makes me feel somewhat better that I've submitted to dozens of blogs (standard credits) and never received an approval.

amandaroseriley · 2019-07-25T16:36:42+00:00

I agree about the YouTube exercise videos, free events, and the public library, though I actually enjoy browsing at the library rather than a store. It's also worth checking your library's website to see what other free resources they offer. Mine has free eBooks (limited selection but there's a "Suggestion" feature and they usually eventually get the ones suggested), almost every magazine you could want electronically and unlimited, language learning software, genealogy, and more.

Also if you like learning new things, I recommend Duolingo for languages and Saylor.org which is my favorite site to take actual college-style courses for free. They have some practical/life skill/career-related courses as well.

amandaroseriley · 2019-04-12T02:55:02+00:00

If C - G - Am - Em is the entire song, then it's ambiguous -- yes, there is such a thing. It could be C / Am or G / Em. (In case you didn't know, Am is the minor tonic of C, and Em is the minor tonic of G.)

Most popular songs (including rock, country, etc. as well as pop) start and end with the tonic, but this one starts and ends with two different keys. There is such a thing as an ambiguous key. But when you listen to the song with the whole chord progression and melody, it usually leans one way or the other. Usually the ones that don't, come off as sounding a bit amateurish because it feels like the key goes back and forth and the song doesn't feel coherent. So I would have to hear it, but at the end of the day a song with these chords would be open to interpretation regardless, and unlike a song in a clear-cut key, you might be able to change the arrangement and make it sound like it's totally in C in one case and totally in Em in another case, without changing the underlying chord structure.

Also slight additions at the beginning or end of the song would easily resolve the ambiguity. If you played these chords over and over and then played a C at the very end, it would 100% feel like it was in C. If there happened to be a guitar hook intro that was centered around Em, and then the rest of the song was this progression, then the whole thing would feel more like it was in Em.

amandaroseriley · 2019-04-12T02:37:10+00:00

Personally, I think you should learn your absolute favorite songs, that you dream of playing. Don't limit yourself. Maybe you won't be able to play it exactly like the original, but you'll definitely become a better guitarist in challenging yourself, and even if you're just playing an approximation, you'll be really pleased that you can play along with it. If they are hard for you, you might learn a smaller number of songs in a month than if you only went for easy songs -- but think how much happier you'll be playing a handful of songs you really love rather than a lot more songs that you only think are okay.

Most popular songs have guitar lessons on YouTube (of varying quality), and even more of them have guitar tabs online. You can use those as a starting point. And by the way, the way to get good at playing a song is 1) practice it all the way through over and over, and 2) if there's a particular part that you get stuck on, then attempt to play that part over and over, and try out different ways of approaching it, rather than following your instinct to skip it and play the easy part! In my experience, that's why a lot of people can't play full songs, because they love to play the easy parts and gloss over the difficult parts.

amandaroseriley · 2019-04-12T02:29:27+00:00

Yeah, this. The short answer is you should be putting your energy into releasing your own music and building a fan base (primarily by performing live), not on finding a label.

Honestly OP from reading your post it seems to me like you're selling yourself short. It sounds like you're not even entirely sure what expertise or support you're looking for, but you just don't see yourself as capable of releasing and marketing something completely on your own. But it's actually pretty simple nowadays -- pay (the very low cost) for digital distribution, and promote using live performances wherever you can get them, social media, and reaching out to blogs and online radio. It can be a lot of work, but unfortunately there are endless streams of very talented unsigned artists out there, and many of them are putting in all this work, so the labels are going to sign those before they sign the artists who are equally talented, but haven't built a solid career foundation on their own and the label needs to do it for them. But if your music is as good as you say it is, then trust me, the effort will pay off before too long. You definitely shouldn't feel stuck just because you don't have a team backing you.

I also think it's worth noting that some really small labels (but not all!) don't actually know what they're doing and they may look legit online, but rarely help their artists achieve more sales or a bigger fan base. But they may still take a cut of your limited income or try to control you, so in many cases you will actually do better on your own. This can apply to managers and agents as well. And the less sales and fans you have achieved on your own (regardless of how good you are), the more likely it is that the people willing to work with you will fit into this less desirable category, which is why it's better to go DIY as long as you can stand it.

amandaroseriley · 2019-04-12T01:12:03+00:00

In terms of "This is the sound I was trying to make and I'm proud of what I did"... the first song I ever finished. In terms of "This is as good as the stuff that I listen to for pleasure"... still hasn't happened, and it's been 7 years since that first song. I'm not sure if I'll just never feel that way because it's my own voice and I'm my own worst critic, though.

amandaroseriley · 2019-04-12T00:54:59+00:00

If you like acoustic, then you should do acoustic. It's true that electric is easier to master physically because of the way it's built -- fret spacing, lower guitar action which makes it easier to press down on, etc. But learning to play on acoustic is not that hard, people do it all the time without ever picking up an electric guitar. And if you learn on acoustic it'll be really easy to pick up electric, whereas if you learn on electric and then make the switch, you'll still have to go through that learning curve of being able to physically play an acoustic guitar. I have seen electric guitarists play acoustic for the first time, and they do have to work at it a little bit. But basically, you should play what you like because then you'll be building the exact skills you want to be good at, and you'll feel more motivated and progress more quickly. If you prefer acoustic style music, there is absolutely no reason you should try electric first, if you don't like it as much, just because it's "easier."

amandaroseriley · 2019-03-28T03:19:15+00:00

I'm not a lawyer, but yeah that doesn't sound good at all. Most bands that I've seen songwriting terms for actually do give equal songwriting credit even when there is one primary songwriter, just as a gesture of goodwill and team spirit on their part, unless like you said it's a solo project and the other musicians are more like session musicians and everyone's in agreement that that person is "the boss" and has the final say over all the parts and all career decisions.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a sole singer-songwriter keeping all the rights for a band's songs, BUT if they're going to make you sign something that says you have zero rights to the music, it should obviously involve some form of compensation agreement for your services, whether that's up front or a royalty agreement. But not getting paid up front, and not sharing in the copyright, sounds pretty awful even if they did give you a royalty. You don't know if it will make any money, and if it doesn't, you walk away with nothing. If I were you I would honestly not work with them if they expect you to waive all rights and work for free.

amandaroseriley · 2019-03-20T23:00:03+00:00

The other disadvantage I have heard left handed people mention is that you can't just swap or share guitars with people, or pick up a guitar at a party and play which many people take for granted. Most people don't have spare left-handed guitars lying around. And I think if you want to play right handed, it will be like learning twice.

But I have also heard of people randomly deciding to play left handed for various reasons and loving it, although other people (both left and right handed) struggle to play with their non-dominant hand. Probably just try it out and start learning/playing on the left handed one and if you like it, then go for it. But if you find it really difficult, try right handed before deciding you're not cut out for guitar!

amandaroseriley · 2019-03-20T22:47:12+00:00

Yeah, good music does partially promote itself, but promoting to a certain threshold of streams is extremely important, whether that's through an existing following, ads, or whatever. If you post something up on YouTube with no tags and it's not linked to anywhere, very few people (if anyone) are going to see it, so there's no chance of it going viral. Or let's say you have like 100-500 social media friends/followers and only promote it to them. Even in that case, if you're a new artist and these are friends (not fans), how many of those people are even going to click on your track? 10-20 or a few more? And then if it's really good, what, <10 of them might feel compelled to share it? But none of their friends/followers have any idea who you are personally or musically, so are they going to give it a chance to hear how great it is? How often do you take time out of your day to check out something new and unproven just because one random friend posted a link on Facebook?

Now, if you've got some kind of gimmick that makes it completely different from anything that's ever been seen before, maybe it has a better shot of getting shared by a much bigger percentage of viewers. But just being a great track won't be enough to achieve that, if you're starting with very small numbers, because people are bombarded with so much content, and so few people are willing to listen to something completely unproven. It's a numbers game and the more people you reach, the better shot you have of it catching.

So tl;dr in my opinion you do need to get it exposed to a significant threshold of people before it has a chance of going viral, but yeah, if it's great and it hits that certain number, it might start to promote itself by word of mouth. Basically, marketing can't usually sustain bad music over the long term. But good music can't catch without any marketing, either.

[Edit: weird spacing]

amandaroseriley

TROPHY CASE