Category Archives: musics

Music Review Of The Stand Ins By Okkervil River

Posted on by

Okkervil River is an indie rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya. Okkervil River consist of Scott Brackett (Trumpet/ Keyboards), Brian Cassidy (Vocals, Electric Guitar, Mandolin), Travis Nelsen (Drums), Patrick Pestorius (Bass), Will Sheff (Vocals/Guitar), Justin Sherburn (New Member) and Lauren Gurgiolo (New Member). Former member, Jonathan Meiburg (Vocals, Keyboards, Accordion) left the band to pursue as a singer and songwriter in his new band, Shearwater. The band has garnered positive critical reception, especially noted are each songs lyrics, intricate instrumentation, and thematic albums. 🙂 Okkervil River play songs that are heart-felt and all songs written by them are actually beautiful poems that ought to be remembered for a long long time. Clever lyrics combined with music that are full of emotions and touch everyones heart upon listen. They are as big as the Amazon River. 😀

The Stand Ins is such a matured album that even Adult and Elderly People will fall in love with it. It’s definitely a perfect album for my parents’ wedding anniversary. 🙂 It has 3 tracks which are pure instrumentals.

“Stand Ins, One” is just 48 seconds long and is the intro to The Stand Ins. It started off slowly and gradually picked up and got louder. Accordian can be heard throughout this song and at times, it sounded creepy to me. Nonetheless, this track will get you ready and build up the tempo and excitement in you for the next track. 🙂

What i love about “Lost Coastlines” apart from the awesome lyrics is its music. 😉 Patrick Pestorius’ playing of bass gets my head nodding each time i listen to this track. Not only that, the mandolin and trumpet also created an atmosphere as if i’m watching a big group of orchestra performance. As Will sings, “But we find the maps he sent to us don’t mention lost coastlines…”. He knows that they are lost on the shoreline.. And when it comes to the end, it will not be long when you finally find yourself singing along with Okkervil River.. “La, la, la…”

The beginning of “Singer Songwriter” resembles “Ain’t No Easy Way” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club”, and it tells the story about a girl who has everything that she could ever ask for.. But due to this very same fact, she failed in everything she chose to do.. And nothing’s gonna change her world.. It’s also one of the loudest track on The Stand Ins where various guitar playings can be heard throughout this track. Beautiful country rock song where you can imagine a group of elderly people enjoying and dancing to this power-pop country rock track. 😀 Love it!

“Starry Stairs” should have been the last track on this album. It just has the quality to end an album. 🙂 Will sings as if he is sad.. “If you don’t love me, i’m sorry”. It’s the most memorable moment on this track. As he goes on, he sings about how a girl that he loves, lied to him. He has no choice but to say goodbye.. All the Starry Stairs seem to be falling apart as he climbs.. Definitely a track to look out for on The Stand-Ins! Play this song if you found out that your girlfriend is lying to you or hiding something from you! 🙂 Make her know that you’re saying goodbye..

Clocking in at over 6 minutes long is “Blue Tulip”. The longest song on this album. Blue Tulip, again sings about a girl who lies.. “Hats off to my distant hope, a little lie, a puff of smoke…”, sings Will, and as he sings, i feel the pain he’s in. I feel sorry for him. Such a sad song that it’s impossible to ignore this powerful ballad which sings the way to your heart. And it’s one of the reasons Okkervil River is famous for! 😉

“Stand Ins, Two” is another instrumental. A slow guitar plucking and piano playing. As if Okkervil River is taking a brief break from this album. 🙂

As its title suggests, “Pop Lie” is about lies. A story about a man who lies in his pop songs. Thus, Pop Lie. 🙂 Damn, Okkervil River is good at it! They write songs that’s so complicated until i have to listen countlessly to Pop Lie before i could figure out the real meaning behind this song. A man who has so many fans, from kids to adults, lies whenever he sings. Is this the real world out there? You be the judge. Anyway, it’s a guitar-power-packed song that is so radio friendly! Cheers to Okkervil River!

“On Tour with Zykos” is specially written for Okkervil River’s past member, Jonathan Meiburg. Will wishes him all the best on his future undertaking… “Roll your crew on down the road, to the next sold out show… ” I really love the piano playing of this song. I can feel the friendship shared between Okkervil River and Jonathan. And it reminds me of the friendship shared between Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon. Incredible farewell song to Jonathan! 😀

“Calling and Not Calling My Ex” is a very radio-friendly track. At first listen, i already knew i would like this song. The beat and tempo of this song is just perfect that it’ll make you go on remembering this song, especially the beginning of this song. “God knows i’m feeling really stupid now, forever having said goodbye…” is the phrase that i always recall whenever i listen to this song. And another praise for the piano of this song. I just find it very appealing and infectious.. 😉

“Stand Ins, Three”, another instrumental. Violin can be heard throughout this track until it subsides where it jump to another track… More or less, it’s the prelude to the next song…

“Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 19793 is the track that closes The Stand Ins. Before ending The Stand Ins, Okkervil River managed to close this album on thematic and anthemic note. This song is a slow ballad that Will sings, “Pull down the shades, let’s kill the morning…”, as if he’s disappointed and despair in love. But like most closing song, it ended on a high note, high spirit, trumpet, guitar and drums all came in together to make this a memorable one. Okkervil River have done it again! 🙂

Rating: I’m speechless… I’m totally impressed with the lyrics written by Okkervil River. The have this ability to write songs with lyrics that are so cryptic that we have to think through the words in order to understand the real meaning behind those lyrics. Not only that, their music landscape and genre is so focused that they are becoming the pioneer in what they are doing. Beautiful and heart-felt songs all in The Stand Ins, i honestly give it 7.5 out of 10. Cheers!

Stand-Out Tracks (My Picks): Lost Coastlines, Singer Songwriter, Starry Stairs, Calling and Not Calling My Ex, On Tour with Zykos.

Indian Classical Music vs Western Classical Music The Classical Story

Posted on by

Indian Classical Music is all about ragas. A raga portrays a mood, a sentiment, expressed through a microtonal scale. There are a number of ragas, each with its own mood and its own corresponding microtonal scale that is based on the natural harmonic series – the natural law of vibrations.
Today, Indian Classical music is influenced by a foreign tonal system that is not based on the natural harmonic series. This is the Western tonal system that has had a big influence on Indian Classical music. Many Indian Classical musicians, nowadays, make use of Western instruments such as guitar and drums.
Most Western audiences find Indian Classical music to be quite exotic. Two major reasons are the differences between the two traditions in tuning and scales.
The subtle differences
Let’s straightaway delve into the differences between these two vast genres of music to get a better idea:
Indian Classical Music (ICM) is primarily homophonic, which means that it focuses on creating melodies using a sequence of notes, whereas Western Classical Music (WCM) is to an extent polyphonic, which means multiple notes are played/sung together, where the counterpoint, harmony, and texture created using multiple voices is very important.

WCM is composed, whereas ICM is improvised. WCM compositions are formally written using Staff Notation, and performers usually follow that. But in the case of ICM, the Teacher-Student tradition of learning leads to each performance being an improvisation.

ICM uses “Taal”, where Taal is a cycle of beats that is centered on “Sam” that repeats itself. In the case of WCM, there aren’t any complex beat cycles.

WCM is modal and so has a chord for each note of the scale. On the contrary, ICM is tonal and, hence, is based on a single scale (a single drone, chord, and key).
Fusion all the way
But then again fusion is a growing concept in India. So, their differences and some similarities make fusion music even more interesting and challenging. If we take a deeper look, we will actually find a number of similarities. Today, “guitar” has acquired prime position and popularity in Indian Classical Music with Indian Ragas being played on guitar.
There are two types of Guitars that is used for fusion in India: Spanish guitar and Hawaiian guitar.A wide variety and mix of instruments ranging from Guitar, Drums, and Saxophone to Sitar, Tabla, and Flute are used for fusion music/concerts.
My band, known as Kaivalyaa, is also a fusion band, where we fuse various western genres with Indian Classical music. The Western and Indian instruments we use include Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, Mouth Organ, Bass Guitar, Harmonium, Flute, Sarod, Tabla, and a number of percussion instruments. Some of the big names in the Indian fusion scenario are Indian Ocean, Avial, Advaita, Raghu Dixit Project, Mother Jane, Tabla Beat Science, and Bandish Fusion. With varied influences, experiments, scales, tones, and sounds, fusion is the next big thing. So, if you want to know more about the Indian Classical scales/Ragas, you are at the right place.

Guitar Solo Scales

Posted on by

Learning to play Guitar Solo Scales can be confusing at first, but once you learn some basic music improvisation techniques and guitar scales, you can solo to virtually any song. Before you try to become an expert at guitar solos, It is important that you have a basic music improvisation exercises understanding of guitar chords, guitar tab and music theory. Mastering the guitar can take years, so diligence is critical. When all else fails, consider taking guitar lessons; you can work one-on-one with an expert who can monitor your skill level and focus on your weaknesses. Here’s Tips On Guitar Solo Scales :
Find a slow song you enjoy that allows room for guitar solos or a song that already incorporates a guitar solo. A good example is “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton; it incorporates a repeating signature guitar riff and contains a very basic chord structure. A blues or classic rock song is probably best, as they typically follow standard structures and chords.
Determine the key of the Free Jazz Theory song. You can usually find the key of the song at the beginning of any sheet music or guitar tab. If the key is not noted, the key is usually the starting chord of the song. For example, “Wonderful Tonight” starts on G major and is in the key of G major. Remember, this is not true in all cases; however, it is very common in popular music. Learning this step by ear will take extra practice.
If the song is in a major key, locate the relative minor note. For example, “Wonderful Tonight” is in the key of G major, which has a relative minor of E minor. If the song is already in a minor key, for example, C minor (often written Cm or C-), you can omit this step. To figure out the relative minor of the song, refer to the major scale of the key; the sixth note of the major scale is the relative minor root. You can use this simple chart to get started.
Find the relative Guitar Solo Scales minor note on the 6th string (E string). This is your root note and starting point for the minor pentatonic scale. For example, if you are soloing over “Wonderful Tonight,” you would start in the open position or on the 12th fret. If the song was in A major, you would start on the 2nd fret. Keep in mind, this only relates to the first position pentatonic scale and you do not have to start in this position; it is simply a good starting point for beginners. As you advance, you can start your soloing anywhere on the neck.Attempt playing the notes of the Guitar Solo Scales over your song choice. The notes should sound like they blend with the song. The notes can be played in any order, but you will notice it sounds best when the starting note is played in accompaniment with the current chord.Practice the same technique over different songs in different keys and different tempos.Learn every note on the 6th string and attempt to learn all of the notes on every string; it will help you locate the root notes of the scales quickly, increasing your soloing range and speed. It will also help you understand how scales work.Master the first position of the minor pentatonic Guitar Solo Scales before moving on to other scales and nodes. The first position is used most often and it will boost your confidence. In addition, you could never learn another scale and still be able to solo to practically any song with this single scale structure.

Metairie Wedding Plans Choosing Wedding Music

Posted on by

Metairie Wedding Plans: Choosing Music for Your Wedding

The Metairie Wedding Plans guide presents this special look at choosing your music for your wedding. The ultimate goal is helping you plan the wedding of your dream!

There are two ways you can go for the music for your wedding. You can either have live music, or you can have recorded music. Traditionally live music has been the music of choice, but recorded music is becoming more popular. Live music has often been preferred because it seems more traditional and romantic. It may be seen as “cheap” to have recorded music at a wedding ceremony, and live music is often expected.

But sometimes the couple may not enjoy live music. They may have very specific taste in music that would be better suited to recorded music. In this case, the wedding will often hire a DJ to play instead of a live group.

If you’re going to hire live music, you should find an artist or group that can perform the kind of music the two of you both enjoy. If you both hate classical music, don’t hire an orchestra! It may seem like the “classy” thing to do, but the two of you should really enjoy the music at your wedding! If you are both crazy for heavy metal music, go ahead and hire that wild thrash metal band! It’s your wedding! You can always have some recorded music thrown into the mix.

If you decide on recorded music, you can discuss the songs you want played with the DJ well before the wedding. You might want to choose mostly romantic songs, or you might prefer having a few fun dance songs played to liven up the party. Remember, it’s your wedding, so choose the music the two of you enjoy.

If you have to buck tradition, go ahead and do so!

I do recommend choosing at least one slow song for the first dance. It’s traditional that the bride and groom share the first dance, and it may be videotaped for posterity. You will probably want to give the guests that one dance to a slow, romantic song at the very least. Then again, if you both hate mushy music with a passion, go for what you like! It’s your wedding, after all!

How Kids Music Influences A Child’s Personality Development

Posted on by

Among kids of the same age group and sometimes among the siblings, the personalities of the children vary considerably. The reason of such variation may be anything ranging from the socio-economic background to the environment the children are exposed to. However, it can be said that the way the kids are brought up has a great role in shaping their behavior. The child psychiatrists are of the view that the child personality development is immensely influenced by music. That is why personalized kids music has significantly been popular.

There are several different advantages for such type of customized music lyrics. However, one specialized feature of kids personalized music is that the CDs containing the customized songs are developed with the child’s name being pronounced in it several times. The verses in these discs are selected keeping in mind the interest of the kids who are going to explore the world through the knowledge that they gain from the rhymes.

As the foundation of the kid’s learning procedure has significant influence on their personality, the music for children with personal touches makes it a vital tool to develop their individuality. Hence, there is a growing awareness among the parents for such customized educational products.

Personalized Kids Music Improves Cognitive Behavior in Children

Studies have proved that listening to interesting songs can literally help the cognitive development in children. There is no doubt that music has a power to calm the mind and refresh it as well. It stimulates the cognitive function of the brain and touches the modalities that help the brain to process information.

Kids who are exposed to the world of knowledge through songs and rhymes are more likely to have developed cognitive behavior. The rhymes form one of the most relevant as well as meaningful processes of teaching the kids as well. The cognitive abilities of the children greatly influence the child personality development.

Kids Personalized CDs Influence Learning Ability and Creativity of the Children

Generally, the normal brain wave function of human being falls into the BETA category. But the ALPHA and THETA brain wave states of the brain are evoked by music that can enhance creativity as well as the memory of an individual. Therefore, many primary and play schools are paying greater attention to teach the students through songs.

These days, CDs are growing popular among teachers and parents as they are easier to teach the children in a melodious way. Learning through customized children’s music is more effective than the traditional form of learning because the songs and rhymes are compatible for the children’s brain and help shaping their personality.

Personalized Kids Music Help Psychological Development in the Kids

Of late, the modern science has come to know about the psychological influence of music on the human brain. The introduction of the verses to the education is due to the finding that they are able to touch the senses of the kids. Also, the psychological development from the very beginning of the learning is really important for child personality development.

Music has a universal language. The educational and development specialists are of the view that learning through music is more beneficial for the baby learners for it touches the senses of the kids. The customized rhymes and the songs are also more interesting for the kids as the names prompted in the songs makes them feel special. But, the most important thing is the kids personalized CDs with customized popular rhymes are fundamental for the personality development of the children.