Manodharma sangeetham & the need for fresh themes in Carnatic Music

I was listening to a kutcheri on YouTube the other day. The main krithi was in Thodi raagam, which is arguably one of the very difficult raagas to render and to completely justify. After the main piece came a 'thukkada' in raagam, Charukesi. What a bliss that was! That's when I realized something - Charukesi appealed and moved me totally when compared to Thodi.  I wanted to dwell in Charukesi for a longer time. This made me wonder why Charukesi raagam was not considered as a main piece. Was it because, its against the conventional kutcheri format? 

This incident triggered me to think about certain questionable aspects of the Carnatic music scene. Why are the Trinity krithis being sung over and over again even after decades? Mainstream Carnatic musicians have been applying zillions of manodharma a.k.a improvisations on them and they have even made a career out of it. Isn't this analogous to cover versions of songs? I was amused at the numerous possible permutations and combinations of manodharma being used by different Carnatic musicians. At the same time, I wondered how musicians thrive significantly on improvised version of songs. One reason could be there's an audience who enjoys and is willing to pay for that. 

But, do we have an alternative? How about coming up with original krithis and newer themes? In that case, how do one compose new krithis with fresh themes? 

Here's one way it could be accomplished - understand the history and the context based on which the yesteryears' compositions were made. Play devil's advocate by analyzing the pros and cons in those compositions. Now, gradually change the context to the current/present state of affairs and see if those good things are still relevant. If yes, go ahead and include those aspects in the new pieces else, ignore them and find new ways that are relevant to the current context.

Wow, I guess the management consultant in me is talking now - being extremely process-oriented. Well, its easier said than done but, do we have better ways to accomplish this? I'm searching for an answer as well. 

On that note, here's my rendition of the Telugu Carnatic krithi, Emayya Raama in Kamboji raagam, set in Khanda chaappu thaalam and composed by Bhadrachala Ramadas. 

Readers, pause and contemplate - do you think there is a way to introduce fresh themes in Carnatic music? Share your thoughts either in the comments section below or via the contact form.

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An evening with Hariharan - Then & Now

It was in the year, 2006 that I saw Hariharan a.ka. Hari-ji's live ghazal performance for the first time at Christ College, Bangalore. Now, after eight years, I got to see him live again in Milwaukee at the Alverno College four months ago. Initially, I thought I would write a typical concert review including the details of the set list and the audience's response. But, I thought it would be much better if I write about how I felt about the concert then and now. So, here are the results of my introspection.

THEN - I sat at the balcony, far away from Hari-ji, as I was just into my first job and couldn't afford the premium tickets. It was also, the first time I had gone to a concert all alone. So, that excitement coupled with the joy of seeing my idol live had given me immense joy. 

NOW - I was able to afford a seat that was just four rows away from Hari-ji. However, I didn't feel the same euphoria I had eight years ago. 

THEN - I went to the concert to just sit in awe with no objective in mind. I thought less and felt more back then.

NOW - This time when I went to the concert, I had a clear agenda in mind - what can I learn from him as a live performer and as a vocalist in terms of presentation, body language and stage presence. I think more and feel less now.

From a learning perspective, I believe I am going in the right direction. However, from a blind music lover's perspective, I'm not able to listen to any good music without judging or observing anything. 

But, one thing that remained constant, THEN & NOW, is Hari-ji's melliflous voice, his aura and his effortless and ad-hoc musical improvisations. Here's one of my favorite ghazals Hari-ji rendered live. The song is Aadhi raat from the album, Kaash. 

Readers, have you observed any changes in you as a listener of music now and a few years ago? Do you know why that change happened? Share your thoughts either in the comments section below or via the contact form.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Sou's Voice and join me on Facebook and Twitter. Check out www.sousvoice.com for an alternate perspective on Indian music. 

5 reasons to rearrange existing songs

We rearrange our furniture, wardrobe, and kitchen shelves from time to time for a change in overall appearance or to just experiment with the look and feel of our homes. It enables us to check what went wrong with the previous arrangement and to find ways to organize things in a better way. 

In a similar manner, existing songs could be rearranged to produce refreshingly new tonal aesthetics and moods. Here are some of the reasons to rearrange existing songs: 

1. It extends the lifespan and shelf life of songs thereby, boosting the brand value of the artists involved in the songs' creation. It makes people revisit some great numbers in case they've missed checking them out when the songs were originally released.

2. It often, improves the production quality of old songs thereby, grabbing more attention from people.

3. Sometimes, it polishes certain aspects of the original songs thereby, displaying the actual potential of the musical construction of the songs. 

4. Change is good. It gives songs a new life and helps us appreciate them in ways we hadn't previously.

5. Sometimes, it simplifies the complex musical structure in the original songs. 

Here is a rearranged cover version of the popular Hindi song, Bhaiyya na dharo from the movie, Dastak I recorded a few years ago. The song is based on raag Charukesi and has employed Chromatics in it. 

What's your favorite rearranged cover song and why do you like it? Share your thoughts either in the comments section below or via the contact form.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Sou's Voice and join me on Facebook and Twitter. Check out www.sousvoice.com for an alternate perspective on Indian music. 

3 things musicians can learn from the FIFA 2014 champions

It has been exactly one week since we witnessed the finals. Congrats to the Germany team for winning the FIFA World Cup 2014. They totally, deserved the title. 

Facts apart, here are some takeaways from the champions for musicians: 

1. Art is more important than the artist - Even though Germany didn't have a magician like Messi or a 'rasputin' like Ronaldo, the German team worked together as a team towards a common GOAL. Similarly, in music, no matter how many accolades you win or how successful you are as a musician, the end goal should always be music and your music should speak volumes about you.

2. Leverage and take advantage of the variety - The way Germany leveraged the experience of veteran players like Klose and the energy and enthusiasm of younger players like Gotze deserves special mention. Applying this analogy in music, when you work in a music band or collaborate with other artists, identify the individual strengths and try to leverage them to make a wonderful piece of art. 

3. Embrace failure to succeed - Despite being just one step away from the title for more than 10 years, Germany never gave up. In such a scenario, many of us would have declared ourselves as failures but, Germany remained determined. Extrapolating this to music, never ever stop learning or sharpening your skills just because you are not getting the much deserved opportunity. You never know, you could be just one step away from receiving your break.

Here's the presentation ceremony video from last week:

What did you learn from the FIFA 2014 champions? Share your thoughts either in the comments section below or via the contact form.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Sou's Voice and join me on Facebook and Twitter. Check out www.sousvoice.com for an alternate perspective on Indian music. 

How certain preconceived notions about music bring positive outcomes

It has been proven time and again that preconceived notions could lead to performance problems and therefore, its better to keep an open mind in forming opinions about anything. However, here's an exception when certain beliefs can actually, help improve performance. 

With the FIFA 2014 finals just a couple of hours away, now is the appropriate time to explain this. You must have heard Shakira's FIFA 2014 theme song. Ever wondered why they play sport chants in stadiums while the game is on? 

The obvious answer would be sport chants induce a high energy in players and spectators. Surprisingly, its not just the energy but, the preconceived notion or the belief a.k.a the placebo effect, music improves team performance, that actually, helps players score during the game. 

Clearly, there's a correlation between sport chants and team performance even though the causation is slightly ambiguous. On that note, here's one of my favorite sport chants from the Hindi movie, Chak De India in the powerful vocals of Sukhwinder Singh and composed by Salim-Sulaiman.

What's your favorite sport chant and why do you like it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Sou's Voice and join me on Facebook and Twitter. Check out www.sousvoice.com for an alternate perspective on Indian music.