Resistance or Audacity?

I have always wondered why Carnatic music, musicians, and concerts, despite the advancement of sound engineering, acoustics, and technology, have not completely embraced the application of these even in this era. That said, some Carnatic concerts make me believe that maybe the art form prefers to be more audacious than the rest of the genres by making less use of advanced technologies. Another reason could be the artists believe in the power of genre in its purest form. Even though this audacity could be confused with resistance to change, it’s hard to be conclusive about this, especially in case of Carnatic music.
Sou's Voice, to a certain extent, believes in the power of music in its purest form. The rendition of Mayasri raagam (mentioned below) with just a Tanpura in the background is an example of that. 

What do you think about technology's influence on various art forms? Have you seen where advancements in engineering and technology has enhanced/not enhanced the intended experience/outcome of an art form? Do share your thoughts.

Attempting Mayasri raagam for the first time in my life. Presenting an acapella rendition of the song, Pranathosmi Guruvayupuresham from the Malayalam movie, Sindhoorarekha, originally composed by Sharreth and sung by K S Chithra. Vocals: Soumya Radhakrishnan Subscribe to my blog at http://www.sousvoice.com/subscribe-for-free/

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Song of the Season [Summer] - Wilted - Video & Download

Here is the next song from the Song of the Season thematic series's summer special,  Wilted. It's an original composed in the raaga, Hamsanandi. 
Living in Wisconsin, summer is something to look forward to and cherish. However, this song has been inspired by my Indian summer memories. Summer in India is not a very pleasant experience especially, the humidity and the frequent power cuts. With global warming, it has gotten even worse now. I felt Hamsanandi would bring out the actual mood of harsh Indian summer and hence, the choice of raaga to express.
You can download this song for free from my SoundCloud account. You are free to use this song for your projects as long as you follow the Creative Commons Attribution license terms as mentioned in the song description. 
Check the music video I have created using the track:

You are free to use this song for your projects as long as you follow the Creative Commons Attribution license terms as mentioned in the song description.

Download the song for free from here:

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Can we give personality to melodic modes in music?

A few days ago, I came across this series called 'What raagam are you?' by IndianRaga and found it remarkably innovative. 
First of all, kudos to the founder who came up with this idea. Secondly, phrasing people's personalities by relating them to Carnatic ragas is absolute fun, imaginative and daring. I was amazed by the fact that each kid who took part in this exercise have a definitive point of view since it is not an easy task to give an abstract concept a concrete shape. 
I have always been a fan of IndianRaga's work and this exercise has only reinforced my belief in its mission.

Just like how ragas can be associated with personalities, music can also, be related to different aspects of life such as nature, emotions, time, and so on. Do check out the music videos on Sou's Voice's YouTube Channel to see how this is done. 

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How can we implement mindfulness in music?

In this post, I wanted to share how musicians can make use of mindfulness effectively to hone their skills and create better music. Here, musicians can include both listeners and creators. 
As serious listeners of music, we listen to a wide variety of music. But, how often do we stop and analyze a particular piece of music? Instead of listening to 10 songs, we could listen to just 2 of them and then examine those two pieces. Understand the whats, hows and whys of them and then move on to the next one. Odds are we would have benefitted more by these two songs than by simply listening to all the 10. This is called mindful listening. 
As creators of music, instead of making 5 songs, we can concentrate on one and know why we are doing it. Analyze the difficulties we encounter during the making process, document them and solve those problems. Mindfulness can help musicians excel and master in their dedicated areas of expertise. 

Sou's Voice created the theme-based music category to introduce more mindfulness in its approach to music-making. Do subscribe to Sou's Voice's YouTube channel and check out some carefully curated theme-based music. 

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Analyzing music the Aristotle way

The other day I read a piece of writing on Aristotle’s ethical theory. Aristotle used the concept of extrinsic and intrinsic values to explain how to be happy. I found the article extremely relevant in music and life, in general, and here’s why.
For some people, the very act of playing music brings joy and hence, music has an intrinsic value. On the other hand, some people consider music as a means to an end. They think that the act of making music yields something else. For example, music, when used as a form of self-expression, can be employed in the healing process, which in turn, would help relax people and bring peace to the world. In this scenario, music has an extrinsic value as it goes beyond itself and helps yield something else. These concepts can be extrapolated to every activity in our lives.
As far as Sou's Voice is concerned, music has both intrinsic and extrinsic values. I enjoy the very act of making and playing music and also, believe that music has the power to make a positive difference in the world. Do check out articles related to how arts and music play a huge role in our life and act as a catalyst in creating a difference to the community. 

What value does music add to your life?

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