Welcome to my music blog - The Soundtrack of My Life!

Many of you have asked me “What’s with all the music, Dr. Weiss?” Well, as I’ve told some of you:

I personally call every surgery patient on the evening of surgery just to make sure they are doing well and have no questions that need answering. Occasionally, I would be at the piano and play a song that we had listened to that day. I gradually realized that I wanted to go through all the music that I had played during my life and at least start making a list of the songs that I had recently played.

Well, there are now about 600 songs on the list and I realized that it in a way it represented the ‘soundtrack of my life’! And that’s how I got the idea to record these songs and share them with my patients, friends and family. After I record them they will reside here, for easy access.

Music is truth. It’s honest. It’s really the first social media, where in a way, people could share their souls directly. And isn’t that what the purpose of social media is and why it’s so popular - trying to share who you really are, as completely and directly as possible?

Finally, it has been (and will continue to be) a genuine pleasure sharing these different songs with you and I really appreciate all of your positive feedback!!

Musical Genres

Weiss Music Minute - I'll Be Home for Christmas

I'll Be Home for Christmas

December 19, 2018

I'm beginning our Christmas countdown today with the classic, "I'll Be Home for Christmas."  The song was popularized by Bing Crosby, who first recorded the song back in 1943, and was written to honor troops away from home.  The composer, Walter Kent, was also responsible for another popular Christmas song!  Kent also wrote "The White Cliffs of Dover", a song that was popular with British troops during the war much like "I'll Be Home for Christmas" resonated with American troops. I'd like to dedicate this song to any of our family of patients who are serving or have served - we appreciate all you do and we're wishing you the beginnings of a very merry Christmas!
An image of Dr Weiss' hands on the piano. Above the hands are the words "Weiss Music Minute" and beneath is the title of the Music Minute, "Danny Boy".

Danny Boy

December 7, 2018

Today's Weiss Music Minute is Today's Weiss Music Minute is a cover of an old Irish melody. "Danny Boy" lyrics were written by Frederic Weatherly, but the melody comes from an older tune called "Londonderry Air". If you've just stumbled upon this entry, you might also be interested in one of our latest features - Photo of the Week, where I share what I feel are particularly representative examples of the work that I perform.
A word cloud of popular music genres such as rock, rap, jazz, etc.

Music in Western Civilization in 24 Seconds!

November 29, 2018

This short bass part (which in this instance you may recognize as the basis of Boogie Woogie) lasts only 24 seconds but is immediately recognizable to all of us. It contains the five main chord relationships upon which very much of all music in western civilization is based upon, from Gregorian chants to Rap. Chordal relationships (based on notes of the scale) are notated with Roman numerals I to VII. A  song with one chordal relationship pattern sounds the same in any  key (e.g., A or C.) in which it is played. The chordal relationship pattern for this ‘Boogie Woogie’ pattern is I-IV-V.  There is a turnaround at the end introducing VI and II. This is basically a combination of the two most common contemporary patterns: I-IV-V (Twist and Shout and Amazing Grace) and I-VI-II-V-I (Blue Moon and Heart and Soul.) Here are some other songs almost completely based on only these five chords and their relationships: Just about all Blues and New Orleans Jazz Imagine We Are The World Ebony and Ivory Homeward Bound Home on the Range Don’t Fence Me In Thunder Road All That Heaven Will Allow - Springsteen Have I Told You Lately That I Love [...]