Music Intro

Hey Friends!

I love music. I have perfect pitch and perfect rhythm and spend a lot of my time practicing and creating music. Here's me playing on my organ!

I started my musical journey with my Mom and Dad, both avid musicians. I then learned from the late Conan McLemore who taught me piano and drumming, and got me into my first band, Indigo Dream. He also taught me composition and got me started with music theory, which I've now studied extensively.

I've since studied Carnatic Indian Music with Nalini Krishnan, Jazz Organ and Musical Production with Tim Kennedy, Piano with Megan Lee, Gospel Drums with Benji Demps, and sung with Lifted! Youth Gospel Choir under the direction of Crystal Hairston, collaborating with legends like Macklemore and Seattle Opera.

Currently I study Classical Guitar with Hilary Field and sing with Seattle Children's Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Jean-Marie Kent. We recently returned from a major international festival and competition in Wales, called the Eisteddfod, where we took 4th!

I will be posting music blogs that vary in level and hopefully be interesting to musicians from total beginner to seasoned pro.

Here's a quick music theory lesson for you.

ALIDPLM

Do you know what those are? It's an acronym for the seven diatonic modes, or types of scales. Here they are:

Aeolian – This is the same as the natural minor scale, e.g. A minor, which is A B C D E F G A, or WHWWHWW where W's refer to whole steps and H's refer to half steps (note that there are half steps between B and C (no black key in between on a piano) as well as between E and F (no black key in between on a piano). These scales tend to be somber and kind of intense.

Locrian – This scale is like the Aeolian in that it is minor but it has a lowered 2nd and 5th e.g. B diminished, so HWWHWWW, e.g. B C D E F G A B. These sound super wobbly and can be used to invoke tension.

Ionian – This is a Major scale, e.g. C Major, which is C D E F G A B C, or WWHWWWH. These give happy vibes.

Dorian – This is another minor scale like the Aeolian, e.g. D minor with a raised 6th, which is D E F G A B C D also known as WHWWWHW. This one is kinda like a jazzy minor sound.

Phrygian – Another minor scale like Dorian and Aeolian; e.g. E minor with a lowered 2nd, which is E F G A B C D E, so HWWWHWW. It sounds kind of like flamenco: intense, emotional, and moody.

Lydian – Another major scale like Ionian, e.g. F Major with a raised 4th, so F G A B C D E F, or WWWHWWH. The raised 4th really changes the color of this one, making it sound more dreamy.

And finally,

Mixolydian – Major scale again, e.g. G Major with a lowered 7th, which is G A B C D E F G or WWHWWHW. The lowered 7th makes it sound more bluesy and relaxed.

Next time you're listening to some music, think about these descriptions and guess what mode the song is in! It's a super fun game and you can always Google your guess to see if you're right!

I will be posting music blogs quite often about chords, scales, modern music, reviews and more! Definitely download Spotify while you can or get Soundcloud which are both very good websites to listen to your favorite music.

That’s all for now. See y’all next time! Sarang out.