An excerpt from "35 simple ways of being beautiful"

Written by Lori Deschene 

There are times when, like Alexander, I’m having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Times when it seems like I might get swept into the tornado of chaos around me. Times when the voice in my head is unkind, and I interpret everything that happens through a negative filter. When I think the worst of people and complain about it; when I expect the worst of my day and lament it.

This admission might seem like the biggest possible acknowledgment of hypocrisy, but I have nothing to give if not my honesty. And the reality is I am imperfect. We all are. We all have moments of weakness—but they’ll only define us if they far surpass moments of kindness, compassion, love, and strength.

Being beautiful doesn’t mean adhering to some picture-perfect fantasy, or living every moment that way. It means realizing this moment is a new opportunity to be who you want to be, and making the effort to seize it.

"My kids r my teachers now. I learn Patience, Gentleness, New Songs & Trends, Unconditional love, Impudence & to Laugh without reason from them." -Shahrukh Khan

"To do something crazy and to be amazing, to achieve something crazy, you have to do something crazy. You have to sacrifice and do something that's not normal, because you want to become not normal. To become a great champion, you can't do what the average Joe does. Because you're not going to get there." 

In response to someone who has asked for the chords for Bhinni Rainariye, I am posting this.  But I want to post a little more than just the chords, so it can help future composers.




When I started composing music in my pre-teen years, I used to compose using very simple chords I had learned from my friends in school. When I did my composition training at Berkeley, I moved on to very complex chord progressions. But lately I have gone back to the roots. Most of my compositions use very simple chords and progressions.

Bhinni Rainariye is not any different. There are just two 4 bar chord progressions that are repeated in the shabad:

1. "Chamkan Taare": Eb Eb Bb Bb
2. All other phrases: Bb Eb Bb Fsus

If you use a different key than Bb, you can use:

1. IV  |  IV  |  I  |  I  |
2. I  |  IV  |  I  |  Vsus  |

In general, if you use I and IV, you are reigning in Raag Asa!  And the classic resolution of Asa is from IV to I.  The classic Tunde Asraje ki Dhun can be sung using (1) IV IV I I ... just in 6/8 instead of 4/4.  Try it!  And notice how you can repeat it again and again and then focus on the words.

Repetition is essential.  Most popular music has repeated chord progressions.  There is a reason for it.  Not only does the repetition make it simple, it also  makes it beautiful ... and approachable ... and meditative.  All these three aspects are very important for kirtan.  Beauty, in addition to truth, has been considered to be the connection to Godliness ... Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram!  Approachable makes it easier for everyone to sing and play along.  And meditative makes it catchy.  It stays with you longer.

Most importantly, repetition helps in subtracting out the music, which in the end is only the instrument to connect to the highest consciousness.  You can even say it is noise.  The human brain has this remarkable capability of canceling out noise.  If everything else is being repeated, it tends to focus on what's changing. With the repetition of chords, you tend to focus on the words -- which are the only thing that is changing. 

This goes to the central aspect of gurbani.  It makes it shabad pradhan.

Happy singing and composing!

I often get this question. And I am happy to inspire you as I have been inspired by so many. But I cannot teach you music basics or have discourses about spirituality or gurbani.