How to test the tune?

April 11, 2015 by Soumya Radhakrishnan

Did you just make a new tune? How would you test whether this song would spread and make an impact on the listener?
Try this simple test: Use a pitch pipe or a Shruti box and sing along. Record it and make yourself, your friends and relatives listen to it. Through this activity, you are essentially packaging the music in its simplest form. If this version clicks, it’s likely that your music will have an impact on the listener.

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What do you look for when you listen to a song?

April 04, 2015 by Soumya Radhakrishnan

A few days ago, I was having a conversation with a friend about our tastes in music. He loves metal music as it helps him burn more calories when he's working out in the gym. Very understandable and a definite point of view, isn’t it?
In my case, I always tend to look for the inherent melodic pattern in the song I listen to. The reason I go after melody is I believe if its music there has to be some sort of a tune. If one cannot find that melody, then that song is probably not worth listening to. Even though the meaning of melody differs from person to person, we can still unanimously say that it is the backbone of any piece of music. According to me, melodic pattern in music is something that still appeals to the listener even when the song is played with just a pitch pipe or with minimal acoustic arrangement.
What do you look for when you listen to a song?

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Discovering new role models in the era of micro-celebrities

March 28, 2015 by Soumya Radhakrishnan

One of the common subjects in my blog posts is the internet and how it has inspired and has given hopes to many people. This marvelous life-changing discovery has helped many of us, including me, to get over certain fears in lives and has made us believe in ourselves. Internet has changed the traditional definitions of teacher, guru, celebrity, artist, and a professional and has made us students and role models. Yes, all of us could be role models in our right. But, how?

By telling ‘right’ stories, by sharing our beliefs, experiences and art and most importantly, by doing something in real life that is worth sharing with people. Who knows, it could inspire or even save a child, out there in a far away land, who is looking for some hope in his or her life. But, where do we begin?

For starters, here are some resources that could inspire you to share your art and stories with the world.

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Celebrity Redefined

March 21, 2015 by Soumya Radhakrishnan

Until a couple of years ago, the image of a celebrity we had in mind was someone who is attractive, wealthy, and being often interviewed on the TV. But, now, if you think about it, all of us have the power to be a micro-celebrity in our own niche. That's something internet has done to us and this realization is so humbling and promising.
I have a few friends/acquaintances who are micro-celebrities in their own areas of expertise by doing things, they believe in, that have changed lives for better.
Who's your favorite micro-celebrity? What is their area of work? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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What is your niche?

March 14, 2015 by Soumya Radhakrishnan

The other day I happened to meet a visualizer who agreed to do an artwork for one of my songs. He asked me what my niche was in the music scene as it would help him convey the story in the best possible way. I had never explicitly mentioned on my website about it yet, and this got me contemplative. For the records, here’s what I think my niche is at the moment.

I’m a trained vocalist, and my competency lies in Indian classical music especially, in Carnatic music. I’m good at rendering romantic, meditative and devotional genres, and I would like to specialize in the inspirational genre as well.

This list will evolve but, for now there's something to work with.

What’s your niche?

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