Sonaesthetics Studios - News & Musings

Art Gallery Launched! Select Prints Available For Purchase

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 07:00:00 GMT

Today we are excited to announce:

The Grand Opening of the Sonaesthetics Studio Art Gallery!

In this gallery, you will find select photography available for purchase in a range of print media such as: Stretched Canvas, Silver Canvas, Acrylic, Brushed Metal, HD Metal, Wood Print, Poster, and Canvas Roll.

These prints are available with Free Shipping throughout North America and we are currently launching with photography divided into two series:

Sacred Mirrors & Naturescapes

Sacred Mirrors: This is a special series of images created by applying a specific intentional mirror in the natural world to unveil more that we do not see with the naked eye.

Just as those around us serve as sacred mirrors to each of our own experiences in this life, images in the Sacred Mirrors Series offer you an opportunity to see yourself reflected in nature.

Naturescapes: These images are unique, colorful, and contemplative perspectives of the natural world.

Environmental Footprint:
We are excited to be able to lower our impact on the environment with the help of our partner: Trees for the Future, a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization, who promises to plant one tree for every print purchased.

Notes on Orders:

After you submit your order, someone from our producer's Customer Care Department may email you to confirm the size and quality of your order. Please watch for and reply to this email.
Free Shipping throughout North America!
Orders are processed and shipped Monday through Friday from our partner producer in Quebec, Canada.
Production and shipping times may be longer than usual, so we thank you in advance for your patience!

Additional Art:
More of our photography art can be viewed on our Instagram page at: instagram.com/sacred_journey

If you see an image on our Instagram page that you don't find in our Art Gallery that you would like to purchase as a print, some select images can be made available through our Private Collection.

Or, if you have your own images that you would like to have printed and sent to you through our producer, we can also arrange this service through our Private Collection.

Reach us at: sonaesthetics@gmail.com if you are interested in one of these images or services, or if you would like to arrange to have a custom print made from a photography session with us.

Yeon-Hee Yim (Yuns)
Creative Director
@Sonaesthetics Studios

Upcoming Changes & New DJ Mix!

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 01:32:09 GMT

Hello Everyone,

This is Yeon-Hee (Yuns) and I just wanted to announce that there will be some reorganization and exciting changes coming soon for our studio! This has been a long time coming and the details are still in the works, but I thought it was important to at least make it known!

Since 2014, Sonaesthetics has primarily been an audio production based studio, but there is more that wants to come forth, so moving forward we will be reorganizing and expanding our offerings to include more offerings, art, and expression for a more multi-sensory and elemental experience.

Sonaesthetics, which has been the central seed and root for these expressions, will now become the aetheric container creating space and cohesion for the other creative elements.

Here is a peek at our changes in motion:

AETHER - Original Audio by Sonaesthetics
Original music available for purchase on bandcamp!
sonic-healing.bandcamp.com

AIR - Artisan Photography Shop (coming soon)
Example imagery and writing available at: instagram.com/sacred_journey

[***UPDATE 7/20/21 ~ Art Gallery is live and prints available for purchase!]

FIRE - Live Events, Classes (to be dreamed into motion)

WATER - Inspired DJ Mixes by DJ Yuns
soundcloud.com/dj-yuns

EARTH - Sacred Witnessing, Energy Reading, & Journeywork (available now by request)
These are one-on-one nature-based sessions. Contact me for more info!
instagram.com/sacred_journey

It is unknown how long these changes and this process may take, and I thank you in advance for your patience and bearing with me as changes occur on this website and beyond.

And now, here is a gift for you!

Our latest inspired DJ mix: "Journey of Life"

Yeon-Hee Yim (Yuns)
Creative Director, Music Curator, Sacred Guide
@Sonaesthetics Studios

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The Threshold (song release)

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Sonaesthetics Studios is excited to announce the release of our newest song!

This marks the completion of a work that has been in process for over two years, and feels like an important milestone for our studio.
(click below to listen)

The Threshold

When in the threshold
We are in the familiar
And within the bounds
of our relative comfort

When on the threshold
We stand in between a place
And another place
In a liminal
s p a c e
Riding on the edge
of our experience

May we
Enter and Explore
the thresholds of our thresholds
and find and dance with our sparks of
courage and creativity

- Yeon-Hee Yim

Purpose

This track is a potent twenty-two iterations of a song with two parts that is meant to serve as a 'Musical Mantra' for personal process work.

Director's Note: Traditionally, mantras are chanted phrases that can be repeated for extended lengths of time to affect our biorhythms and neurobiology. This song is an example of how intentional repetition in music can create a mantra, even without words. // yhy

Theme

This track has a history that holds the theme of reclamation in its roots, and contains the essence of the wilderness, the desert, and deep and expansive titrated exploration.

It is an example of what we at Sonaesthetics call "process music"

Director's Notes: You may find several different definitions when researching this term, but for me, process music has to do with processes in which people are allowed to move through their own (or perhaps suggested) material, each at their own pace. // yhy

Use

Great for use in conscious dance, yoga, meditation, breath work, energy work, journeying, studying, writing, creative work, ritual settings, or any process with the intent of moving energy.

Timing

The length of this track is nearly 31 minutes, but may of course be used at an abbreviated length according to your needs. Below are some minute markers to indicate when certain changes occur in the body as they relate to the chanting of mantras.

You might consider the following time markers as checkpoints to achieve certain desired effects in your practice.

3 minutes: Affects the electromagnetic field and blood circulation.

7 minutes: Brain patterns start to shift from the static of beta waves, to calmer alpha waves and ultimately to deep relaxing delta waves. Simultaneously, the magnetic field surrounding the body increases in strength.

11 minutes: The glandular system and nerves start to change.
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems begin to accommodate the increased energy.

22 minutes: The three minds balance and begin to work together. The subconscious mind begins to clear.

31 minutes: Affects all the cells and rhythms of the body and all layers of the mind's projection. Endocrine balance is achieved.¹

Credits

I would like to acknowledge and thank my friends, teachers, the Olympia and Bellingham Conscious Dance Communities, Open Floor International, the production team at Sonaesthetics, Mother Nature, and the great unknown for all efforts, encouragement, and influence that have made this song release possible.

Sources:
¹ Kundalini Yoga School. Why practice for 3, 11 or 31 minutes & 40, 90 or 120 days?
"https://kundaliniyogaschool.org/2016/06/30/why-practice-for-3-11-or-31-minutes-40-90-or-120-
days/."
¹ 3HO Foundation Team. Meditation Guidelines. "https://www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga/meditation/
meditation-guidelines."

Yeon-Hee Yim (Yuns)
Creative Director, Music Curator, Sacred Guide
@Sonaesthetics Studios

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Major to Minor - A Musical Experiment

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 18:53:28 GMT

Hi Everyone!

Today I would like to spotlight Chase Holfelder and his
Major-to-Minor musical transpositions of popular and traditional songs.

I find this to be a wonderful musical experiment that in my opinion can expose the true nature of lyrics that may sometimes be couched or hidden underneath a happy melody (major key).

If you visit Chase's YouTube channel you'll find songs such as:

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
I Dreamed a Dream - from Les Misérables
Every Breath You Take - The Police
All I Want for Christmas is You
The Star-Spangled Banner
Blackbird - Beatles
Amazing Grace, and more...

Note: some of his videos begin with an introduction where he explains details about the song, and most end with a bit of him seeking funding, following, and support.

Here are a few songs that I've found particularly striking:

A Traditional/Folk Example

A Pop Music Example

A Christmas Music Example

A Disney Song Example

Brief Commentary

I find this major-to-minor experiment is very intriguing to the felt sense experience of music, because in some cases we may come to realize how creepy some lyrics are (such as in pop or holiday music). In other cases, we may find ourselves struck more deeply by the emotions behind lyrics that had been softened or that we had become numb to by repetition.

In listening, I have found for myself that in the case of spirituals or folk music, many of these songs, when turned minor become songs quite worthy of the "Spirit Sorrow" macro-genre of music. What is Spirit Sorrow?

Spirit Sorrow: A macrogenre of music encompassing authentic expressions of sorrow throughout a variety of sub-genres including but not limited to: folk music, spirituals, flamenco, yoiking, throat singing, folk-metal, and bossa nova.

See my other musing titled "The Mother of All Musical Genres" if you're interested in more on that topic.

Ok, that's all for now. I hope this has been a moving experience for you. Until next time!

Best Regards,
Yeon-Hee

Yeon-Hee Yim (Yuns)
Creative Director, Music Curator, Sacred Guide
@Sonaesthetics Studios

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When Love Doesn't Make Sense

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 16:16:11 GMT

I am generally not world's biggest fan of smooth jazz music, but there has been this one song I have loved for many years called "Bueno Funk" by Peter White.

Something was catchy about it for me--
the melody, the tempo...

Here it is for you:

This was a song that I had uploaded onto a picture collage back in high school, and even my younger siblings can still recall the tune.

Now for some reason, there was a moment when I let an off-hand comment by a friend diminish my love for this song, but after hearing a live jam version this morning, something has been rekindled and reaffirmed for me.
(And wow, the seamless quotes of other songs!)

Here's that version:

What my friend had said was something like,

"hey-- that song sounds like the music
you hear in the background
on the weather channel!"

and for some reason, that felt like a diss and I thought to myself, oh.. the weather channel? How lame...

The lesson here? On the surface it may be something like:

"music labeled as 'background music'
is actually really important for
creating a vibe or environment
that someone actually wants
to stay in for a while."

On the deeper level, perhaps something more like,

"Don't be afraid to love what you love,
even if it doesn't make sense.
Do use discernment, AND
your body knows what it loves."

Or
"Don't let your own likes and tastes
be negated by the opinions of others."

or simply...

Cheers!

Yeon-Hee Yim (Yuns)
Creative Director, Music Curator, Sacred Guide
@Sonaesthetics Studios

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Passion and Temperance - A Personal Journey Towards Balance

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Anyone who has known me for any significant amount of time is likely to have a sense for how deep my practice is. What follows is a personal story of passion and the lessons my body has been teaching me in temperance, to guide me towards balance.

--It runs deep.
a passion with roots
i often cannot see,
an undertow i am
slowly coming to know--

Musically speaking, I have gone to some rather extreme extents in attempts to reach higher levels in the past...

Like the time I basically locked myself in a small practice room with a friend, each with a marching snare drum, with the idea that we would not leave that room until we finished playing a double stroke roll together for an hour straight without stopping. And I, with the audacity to not wear earplugs for sake of being able to hear how cleanly we were playing the roll together.
Or the times I stood at home with my practice pad in the mirror and played a double stroke roll to myself for an hour straight, then carving a notch in my practice pad for each hour I finished. (And sometimes this would be with weighted sticks-- the "Ralph Hardimon Hammer Sticks" as they were called, which I would say are at least twice if not three or four times heavier than your average marching snare drum stick).
Or the time I went to a Mormon church camp for a week with some of my friends in high school to help encourage them to keep practicing because band camp was the following week, many of them were in the drumline, and I was responsible for the drum section.
Or the time I auditioned for a drum corps and stayed through the entire weekend to drum along in the background even after they decided to cut me.
Or the time I rubber banded my pinky down for the most part of a day, trying to train my left hand how to have proper traditional snare drum grip, as my finger went from red to purple.

With all of these experiences and more, I thought for sure-- the thing that would bring injury to these hands would be drums, but actually, those drums ended up bringing injury to my hip flexors instead-- from repetitive strain/trauma directly this hip flexor area because the harness I wore, even at its shortest setting was too big for me, and we were asked to make these pelvic thrust motions to each side quite often as we played our drums in college.

For my hands though-- it actually ended up being guitar that, as they say was the "straw that broke the camel's back." And before I go any further, here are some pictures to give you a sense of the time period of my very focused drumming.

These are from my time at Kennewick High School [KeHS], West Valley High School [WVHS], and the University of Washington [UW]:

Now, the guitar.

The guitar was something I picked up around 1995, to contribute to the church I was attending at the time, and I've been with guitar off-and-on ever since.

In 2009, I found myself living in Sweden and missing my instruments so much that I went out and bought myself a guitar. (I ended up playing drums in a band and also leading an acapella group there, but I'll focus mostly on guitar now for the purposes of this story arc). It was hard to really know how much I was spending because I was still adjusting to paying with Swedish Kronor, but it felt like a decent yet still budget acoustic/electric steel stringed cutaway guitar.

The trouble with it was that it had such a 'high action' (meaning the strings were so far off the fret-board) that it required a lot of force to press the strings down enough for a proper tone.

So, I resorted to removing the strings and using a knife to sand down the bridge of the guitar a bit. Even after that, it was not enough, but I was missing the feeling of playing guitar so much, and I was so into trying to learn some song at the time that I spent several hours a day for weeks upon weeks on this guitar.

My old habits of pushing through pain for the benefit of growth kicked in again and I strained past what was tolerable by my hands. I slowly yet surely accrued some damage, and at its peak, I was unable to do simple things like open doors or hold grocery bags. It was mostly my left hand at the time, but now I can feel it in both. And to add to that, I had a trip planned with my friends to go to Northern Sweden for dog-sledding right after my hands were at peak pain, and I decided to go anyway, despite the signals.

Perhaps it being the first time ever going dog-sledding, I didn't really know how hand intensive this experience would be.

It was like holding on for dear life as the dogs ran, because letting go or falling off would risk losing the dogs and the rest of the group, and being left behind.

Now, so many little connections are going off in my brain that are contributing to self-compassion and healing as I write this musing, so thank you for taking the time to hear and witness me as I tell my story! May I let go of the voice that says: "this isn't the right place for this."

It has taken me a long time to realize and admit to myself the implications of a lot of the patterns I built through my earlier experience in music.

Most recently, I have become very aware that I likely have nerve damage in my hands because I have been practicing my instruments more lately as I have become interested in getting back into practice for a little bit of performance again, after about 7 years of deciding to exit the music performance scene.

All of this has been hard for me to say out loud, mostly because of how scary "nerve damage in my hands" sounds to me and what that might mean for me as a musician, and how that could affect how others perceive me in my capacity to teach, perform, and otherwise do my work in music.

I am realizing that the embrace of it and the open sharing of my experience is actually quite important for my process and seems like meaningful information for those who are interested in this studio in any capacity.

So truly, at the roots of Sonaesthetics-- the audio production studio and center for musical exploration-- I can say with clarity that there is an enduring love of music, rich and deep practice, a journey through struggle and healing, infused with a lot of love and intention. <3

As I wrap up this part of the story, I give you the image of a nylon-stringed guitar that came to me as soon as I released the idea that if I played guitar, I needed to play a steel-stringed one because for some reason I thought they were "better" in my old mentality of

"pain = progress"
"martyr = glory"

So with these nylon strings, I mark the beginning of a path that takes 'extreme pain' off the pedestal, replacing it with kindness, love, gentleness, and temperance to go along with my surefire passion. May the sensation in my hands guide me with the wisdom to be able to identify and hold my boundaries to proceed forward on a sustainable path.

And finally, I leave you with some fun pictures of my escapades through Sweden! And a little audio recording from The Nowhere Orchestra, the pop/rock/funk/jazz/Carribean band I was in while over there.

It's an intimate little recording from an unplugged impromptu rehearsal we were having. The song and lyrics are by: Florian Seraul and I've transcribed the lyrics to the best of my ability below. The percussion you'll hear is a 5 gallon water jug. <3

Cheers and thanks for reading! Until next time~~

// yuns

Lifejacket

[Verse 1]
All around me
They're staring at me
I'm a curiosity~~
Some think I'm crazy
But still they love me
I'm a monkey on the stage
Ready to play!

[Verse 2]
Second kiss
You'll never get it
____ be incurred
guilty in the red.
Close to dreams
Freaking out
Seeing what used to be
but it's so exciting!

[Chorus]
Would you follow me?
If you disagree?
Would you come and save me
If I jumped in the sea?
Oh, life my lifejacket
Life a lifejacket
Life a lifejacket

[Verse 3]
Ooh-- the ever love
even in my heart
glean what i did
believe it was for yours
all of __________
second to nothing
living on the right side
it's all right by me [Chorus]

Yeon-Hee Yim
Nature Lover, Explorer, Audio Director,
Lead Composer, Master Music Guide
@Sonaesthetics Studios

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Call of the Wild

Sat, 17 Mar 2018 18:27:12 GMT

I heard this song, "Call of the Wild," by MILCK (aka Connie Lim)
for the first time yesterday, and it brought me to a pause.

--I held my breath
as my body absorbed
the fullness of feeling--

I was struck by the simplicity, yet complexity and range
and delicate touch that this song required.
So I found a guitar tab and started plunking through,
but then realized this was calling me to the piano.

Oh, the piano!

That thing I was forced to take lessons on for four years as a child, before finally deciding I'd tell my mom I didn't like my piano teacher and that I didn't want to do classical piano anymore. To my surprise, I was allowed to quit.

And as I sat down at the piano yesterday-- that's when all the voices set in...

"But that's your favorite key to play on the guitar~~"
"Look at all those sharps!"
"You're so out of practice..."
"That chorus is so high-- and you're a 2nd alto..."
"How will you ever play and sing at the same time up to your
standards enough to record and even think to post it online?"
"Posting your voice online? Way to feed your ego -__-"
"Come on, give it up... don't you have better things to do?"

So yes-- this song brought me back to that place at the once dreaded piano. This time with an authentic desire to want to practice and learn.

Thank you, Connie Lim, dearest soul sister who shares the ancestral family name of the forest with me. Lim, Yim, Lin, & Im--
as I understand it-- are Romanizations of
the same family name, which means 'forest.'

Thank you for speaking out, singing out,
and being the inspiration that you are.
May our voices be heard throughout the world
as we continue to seek and speak our truths
and inspire others, under what ever names we choose.

You-- MILCK, I-- Yuns / Sonaesthetics /
Winged Earth Sky Lotus Rising~~
I feel blessed to share roots and a name with you.
May my simple acoustic cover of your song be enough.

[Verse 1]
I did my best to tame
The beast that cries my name
Flicker into a flame
Into a raging fire
I can't contain

Your temples and your graves
Give weary souls their shade
I was meant to fly
With shadows in the sky
I cannot stay

[Chorus]
I can hear the call of the wild
I can hear the call of the wild

Holdin' out for me
I have to listen

[Verse 2]
I want to be erased
For darkness to embrace
Let nothing hold me back
Let the whole world collapse
There's freedom in that

The love of many years
Grows cold and now I fear
The mountains and the trees
Cry like a symphony (a symphony)

[Chorus]
I can hear the call of the wild
I can hear the call of the wild

Holdin' out for me
I have to listen

Holdin' out for me
I have to listen

Holdin' out for me
I have to listen

[Outro]
I did my best to tame
The beast that cries my name

Yeon-Hee Yim
Nature Lover, Explorer, Audio Director,
Lead Composer, Master Music Guide
@Sonaesthetics Studios

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The Mother of All Musical Genres

Sat, 24 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT

Introduction

There is a musical characteristic, a quality of sound I have noticed across cultures, that I have been trying to name and describe as long as I can remember.

For many years, I was left describing this sound as "sad music," "music that moves my soul," or "I like music written in minor keys," but it's really much more than that.

The concept was brought to the front of my attention recently while I was reading Brené Brown's new book, Braving the Wilderness, in which she mentions this "high lonesome" sound. This term comes from American Bluesgrass music, which was pioneered by Bill Monroe.

Purpose

In this article, my purpose is to present to you a number of examples of this "high lonesome" sound that can be found in music throughout the world, and also to present and coin a new term to represent this macrogenre of music.

So, it is my honor to present to you:

Spirit Sorrow: A macrogenre of music encompassing authentic expressions of sorrow throughout a variety of sub-genres including but not limited to: folk music, spirituals, flamenco, yoiking, throat singing, folk-metal, and bossa nova.

This genre includes musical concepts such as: high lonesome and saudade. Most music in the "Spirit Sorrow" genre includes a vocal element, so as to call the collective human spirit forward into our emotional bodies.

Examples in the 'Spirit Sorrow' Genre

[1] One great example of this high lonesome sound is the song "Man of Constant Sorrow," a traditional American folk song first published by Dick Burnett, and made widely popular by the Movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

[2] This sound is also be found in "spirituals" (mainly originating from the American South).

Here's a great example, an acapella version of: "Wade in the Water" by Sweet Honey In The Rock.

[3] In Brazilian culture they call this “saudade”

Example: Chega de saudade, composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, interpreted by João Gilberto

[4] In Korean culture, Spirit Sorrow shows itself through pansori music, which is Korean traditional musical storytelling usually performed by one singer or more, most often supported by one or more Korean traditional percussion instruments.

Here is an example of Jindo Arirang (beginning at 2:58), which comes from Southwestern South Korea, the region where I was born.

"Whenever I am sad or happy, I automatically sing this song. It comes out somewhat unconsciously. It makes me happy, but at times, I tear up. I tear up while singing."
- Kang Song-dae, Master Singer

[5] Korean culture has, in my opinion, maintained that sorrowful sound even in their more modern pop drama music.

[6] Now here's an example where the Spirit Sorrow sound from two different cultures is being blended together. Here it's a fusion of flamenco and pansori:

[7 & 8] Here's a couple examples from Scandinavian culture, where they seem to have retained a lot of the traditional elements of music in their more modern music and lifestyles:

[9] In Northern Scandinavian native Sami culture, there is a style called "yoiking." Here is a great album from Mari Boine, that demonstrates yoiking with jazz and funk elements.

[10] I will limit my examples to ten for the purposes of this article and lastly, present to you, an example of Finnish folk-metal-- this band is called "Moonsorrow." Here is their album: "Kivenkantaja"

From Braving the Wilderness

"Music, like all art, gives pain and our most wrenching emotions voice, language, and form, so it can be recognized and shared. The magic of the high lonesome sound is the magic of all art: the ability to both capture our pain and deliver us from it at the same time." (Brown 44)

"When we hear someone else sing about the jagged edges of heartache or the unspeakable nature of grief, we immediately know we're not the only ones in pain. The transformative power of art is in this sharing. Without connection or collective engagement, what we hear is simply a caged song of sorrow and despair; we find no liberation in it. It's the sharing of art that whispers, 'You're not alone.' " (Brown 44-45)

Spirit Sorrow Playlist -
A Carefully Curated Collection

And lastly, for your listening embrace of sorrowful pleasure, here is a carefully curated playlist of Spirit Sorrow songs.

goo.gl/YXdJw2

With Gratitude,
Yeon-Hee

Yeon-Hee Yim
Nature Lover, Explorer, Audio Director,
Lead Composer, Master Music Guide
@Sonaesthetics Studios

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Now offering Music Master Classes

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Dearest Music Lovers!

We are excited to share that our studio is now aligned with
two experienced Music Guides offering Music Master Classes!

See our list of current offerings

Who are these Sessions for?

Whether you feel new or advanced in your study,
we are here as a guiding presence to help you move towards
a deeper experience and towards authentic expression.

What are Sessions Like?

Sessions are guided explorations that can be described as:

- personalized
- trauma-sensitive
- challenge by choice
- transformative
- healing

As such, these are not your typical classical master classes.

Sessions will be tailored specifically to you, your goals, your learning style, and needs, and will be in a private one-on-one or small group setting to create a safe environment for learning.

Current Offerings

Our current offerings include:

- Sonic Sensitivity & Awareness Practice
- Foundations in Rhythm
- Advanced Rhythm Study
- Beginner Guitar Lessons
- Rudimental Percussion Sessions
- Custom Sessions

Availability

Our Music Guides are Available:

Through skype or zoom video conferencing

OR

with Limited Availability:

In-person throughout Western Washington: Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Bellingham, and more. (inquire about other locations)

Enter the Dragon

~ Click Here to Schedule with Us! ~

also, please complete our questionnaire prior to your
first session with us, so we can get to know you
and what you are looking for.

We will contact you before your first session
to determine the specifics together.

Thank you for your interest!
Please contact us if you have any questions.

Recognizing and Honoring the Music of my Ancestors

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 19:15:27 GMT

Sometimes, when I get a quiet moment to myself and I am feeling a certain intangibly inexpressible way, pansori comes into my mind.

If you don't know what pansori is, it is what I would consider to be Korean traditional musical storytelling usually performed by one singer or more, most often supported by one or more Korean traditional percussion instruments.

The term pansori is derived from:
  pan  meaning 'a place where many people gather' and
  sori meaning 'sound.'

It is thought to have originated from muga or shamanistic songs.
See <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pansori>
  for more about pansori.

Now, pansori is something that when I really let myself get into it, it gives me these deep-heart smiles because of the strength, grace, and sheer fearlessness in expression demonstrated by the singers and supporting musicians.

Digging through my things yesterday, I found this album of Korean folk music called 남도민요 2 (Namdominyo 2) – that is from the region I am from in Korea 전라남도 (South Jeolla Province). In revisiting it recently, I am realizing in deep ancestral ways why I might be drawn to the types of rhythms and vocal qualities that I am drawn to.

This song-- 새타령(Sae-taryung) is a song I remember so vividly from my childhood. Here is the Namdominyo version – plus a couple others.

As a child, my parents were part of the Korean church community where people would take turns hosting what were essentially karaoke parties that ran deep deep into the night.

The one song that always stuck out to me was this one. It was a song that a lady I remember only as “Jason's Mom” would choose to sing and I always giggled, but I also secretly thought this was one of the coolest things I had ever heard. The minor key, the natural lilting flow of the rhythm, and the striking bird calls were magical to me.

Here's the karaoke version of Sae-taryung:

Now in writing this post and realizing how often I come back to this, I am feeling the need to compile a pansori resource to share openly for those interested in this type of exploration.

Here it is for your perusing pleasure:
https://padlet.com/yim_yeonhee/10xsi6tbcrch

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this taste of Korean traditional music!

Yeon-Hee Yim
Nature Lover, Explorer, Audio Director,
Lead Composer, Master Music Guide
@Sonaesthetics Studios

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Sonaesthetics Studios - News & Musings

Art Gallery Launched! Select Prints Available For Purchase

Upcoming Changes & New DJ Mix!

The Threshold (song release)

Purpose

Theme

Use

Timing

Credits

Major to Minor - A Musical Experiment

A Traditional/Folk Example

A Pop Music Example

A Christmas Music Example

A Disney Song Example

Brief Commentary

When Love Doesn't Make Sense

Passion and Temperance - A Personal Journey Towards Balance

Lifejacket

Call of the Wild

The Mother of All Musical Genres

Introduction

Purpose

Examples in the 'Spirit Sorrow' Genre

From Braving the Wilderness

Spirit Sorrow Playlist -​A Carefully Curated Collection

Now offering Music Master Classes

Who are these Sessions for?

What are Sessions Like?

Current Offerings

Availability

Enter the Dragon

Recognizing and Honoring the Music of my Ancestors

Spirit Sorrow Playlist -
A Carefully Curated Collection