power of song

this is a backposting about a wonderful community singing night i attended a few weeks ago, inspired by a mini jam i had a friend’s house yesterday.

edo and jo are two incredibly beautiful and talented kirtan singers who held a gathering when they were passing through singapore. community singing itself is already powerful, where people can reclaim their voices and sing without fear or self-imposed shame. where these people are friends along this journey of life makes the singing a lesson in the complexity and closeness of human-ness, in which touch and proximity are important, though often forgotten essentials in the soothing of our soul. where the songs we sing are in worship of the divine makes the singing profound. when we were singing a song for ganesha, i saw an image of an elephant in a forest, charging towards the light, felling trees in its wake, clearing a path for me to follow – akin to the dissolution of our fear-based ego and its replacement with love. suspended in the absence of fear and self-scrutiny, it’s possible to taste this elusive and fleeting feeling of what it truly means to love with your hands open. it’s like feeling the breeze on your face in that moment, not possessing, not grasping, just smiling.

yesterday was another instance of connecting through music. i had just met a, a few hours before, and invited her to come along to c&z’s house. at the end, after the guests began to filter off, the few of us sat around the dining table singing. where the tunes were forgotten, we burst out laughing; where we sang in tune, there was a sense of wonder that even across the oceans we grew up listening to the same music. in that moment, it felt like we had known each other from many moons before.

music, and its power to connect, both within and with others is increasingly finding its way into my life, and for that, i’m grateful.

 

making music

having struggled with wrapping small fingers around the too-big neck of a guitar for too long, i’ve caved and bought a ukelele.

the ease of playing a uke has made the process of making music far less intimidating than it appeared to before. beatles songs are making a comeback in my life, and it’s startling how many songs use the same chords, in the same progression.

given that music is always more of an intuitive thing for me, rather than a technical process, i know when the note i’m playing is discordant, but haven’t a clue what note it is. so here’s where the wonders of chordie come in.

chordie was introduced to me by a dear friend during one of our (too rare) night jam sessions. it’s a great site, where the sheer volume of songs and tabs make finding that elusive song easy. but its main virtue is the autoscroll function with adjustable scrolling speeds which let’s you jam in peace when you’re by yourself.

warning though, it can be quite addictive…

www.chordie.com

the pump room

now, i’m not normally a fan of clarke quay and most of its joints. but the pump room is something else altogether. the house band, jive talking, will get you jumping with their 90s songs and contemporary covers. the crowd too, is game to play along, headbanging, singing, and dancing along to the good music. there’s a great atmosphere at this joint, and it’ll likely put a smile on your face.

food here is not bad, though a little on the pricey side.

– Pump Room, Clarke Quay/ Tel no:6334 2628   http://www.pumproomasia.com/

bar stop

i first came here a year ago after googling for good music joints about town. it was a thursday night i think and rani singam was singing, bringing the house down. imagine walking along kiliney road, rounding the corner at a petrol station and suddenly being confronted with a luxuriant verdant haven of soft light, green shrubbery and good music. wouldn’t blame you if you thought it was a mirage of sorts.

inside, the shophouse (?) space has been thoughtfully redone, with open concept seating on the top, a mirrored slanting wall to add depth and bounce off the lights in the space, exposed brick walls to add warmth and a high ceiling to make the bar feel very airy.

i like coming here on weekday nights when there are fewer people and those who are there are there for the music. they sit, they listen, they show their appreciation to the singer– music takes centerstage. and rightly so, because the performers who do their thing at bar stop tend to be very good. i normally get an umeshu on the rocks and a slice of their decadent white chocolate cheesecake. mmm.

– Bar Stop, 6 Devonshire Rd/ Tel no: 67356614