🧬 Sonic DNA: A Self-Work Exercise to Explore Your Musical Roots

—Uncovering the 'True Nature of Your Sound' through your musical preferences, influences, and background—

This is a self-analysis exercise designed to help you face these questions and explore your own 'musical roots.'
It brings deep insights to everyone who learns, teaches, creates, or performs music.

🎯 Purpose of this self-work

• Discover the origins of the sounds, rhythms, and melodies you prefer

• Articulate the musical elements that influence you subconsciously

• Organize and redefine your musical identity

• Clarify the core of your future creative work, performances, and learning

🧭 How to proceed with the exercise (Duration: approx. 30–60 minutes)

All you need is paper and a pen, or a PC/smartphone.

[Step 1] Draw your musical life map

📝 For each of the following periods, try writing down the music, artists, and songs that influenced you.

[Childhood (0–6 years old)]
Music that was often playing at home, music your parents liked, nursery rhymes, etc.
→

[Elementary to Junior High School years]
The first artists you liked, musical experiences at school, TV/game music, etc.
→

[High School, University, and early 20s]
Music you started choosing to listen to yourself, bands, clubs, lessons, etc.
→

[Recently (within the last 5 years)]
Genres you listen to often, playlists, favorite performance styles, etc.
→

💡 Note: If you can remember countries, cultures, languages, or instruments, write those down too.

[Step 2] Extract your 'Sound Keywords'

From the list above, try to find common characteristics that apply to you.
🔍 Example:

• Strong rhythm / Soft / Bouncy

• Melody-oriented / Harmony-oriented

• Mostly minor key / Mostly upbeat songs

• Focus on vocals/lyrics / Instrumental-centered

• J-Pop fan / Western music fan / Lover of multinational music

• Acoustic / Electronic

👉 As you write these down, your "sonic DNA" will gradually emerge.

[Step 3] Let's create your Sonic DNA card (Verbalization)

Try to express "What kind of musical roots do I have?" in a single phrase.
🎴 Examples:

• 🌊 "Wave-like grooves and melodies that smell of earth"

• 🚀 "A pop lover with the DNA of 90s R&B and anime songs"

• 🌌 "An improviser who loves Brazilian rhythms and Nordic atmosphere"

• 🎭 "A composer drawn to theatrical expression and the beauty of chords"

👉 This is a form of verbalization that acts as an "amulet," ensuring that "with this card, your music selection, composition, and performance will never waver."

[Step 4] Pose questions for the future

• Are your old roots still alive in your current music?

• What kind of sounds do you want to incorporate from now on?

• How can you add more diversity to your "sonic DNA"?

🎧 It is also recommended to share the musical DNA of others that inspires you within the salon!

💡 Applied ideas

These are applications you can try in lessons, workshops, or recitals.

• ✅ Create and share a "Musical Roots Encyclopedia"

• ✅ Host a "One Song Created from My DNA" recital

• ✅ Learn new genres from others' musical DNA (exchange workshop)

🌟 What you can gain from this self-work

• Become able to verbalize your musical "unconscious"

• Develop a consistent musical decision-making framework

• Rediscover your own unique "seeds of expression"

• Cultivate a perspective that finds joy in musical differences with others

Summary

How was it? Looking back like this, don't you find that the emotions born from events at that time are still firmly etched in your memory? Perhaps the way we enjoy music is a blend of those memories and emotions.