*Composing Back Ground Music*
He doesn't actually sees the entire movie , he makes the director explain
the entire script 100% and in every details and then asks for a demo.
However the first version of BGM he gives is modified and re modified
numerous time after seeing the film. The BGM for the movie Guru was modified
just a month before the public release. Rang de Basanti BGM was actually
purely on script. Some parts of the movie was modified as per the BGM.
Remember the scene when the rebels walked into the radio station and the
music that comes behind it. The scene was actually pretty different but
according to the music it was modified and the modifications came in their
walking style, check the scene carefully you will find their feet falling on
the ground as per the music tune. Rahman composed this music for a period of
two years. If he really took two years to compose the films music then see
his dedication. Amazing.
*Rahman's recording and mixing*
Not just Rahman, about all music composers use loops or samples which they
buy from distributers like Sony or Apple. Its like instead of calling a
performer like a guitarist to perform for his/her song a composer buys his
recorded piece and uses it. These pieces are royalty free its like the
guitarist sells it to Sony on an agreement and Sony distributes it through
out the world. That is why you find same sound effects in two different
songs of Rahman some times. Loops are not necessary to be only a single
note. It can be chords or even a piece or a scratch.
How many of you have noticed this in Rahman songs especially those who are
musicians. All his songs irrespective of the mood has a constant 'pads' or
'strings' backing. The chords played with the pads and strings is also not
conventional. They are the 7ths, 11ths or Diminished chords. They give the
song a 'feeling', a 'soul'. Quite Technical
A classic example is the song "Thirupachi Arivalaa" from Taj Mahal. Check
out the pads in the songs. Another is "Aye Udi Udi" from Saathiya. Remove
the pads these songs become soul-less and very plain.
The only other person who uses this same method is Harris Jayaraj. And for
sure he learned it from Rahman .Wonder if more music directors should do the
same.
A R Rahman started learning Indian classical and Carnatic classical in 1992.
Since almost all his songs are Raga based just wanted to clarify that he
learned classical before or after 1992.
How does he compose a new tune. Does he play it in his piano or does he
write the swaram or how does he go about conceiving a song out of nowhere
and create a master piece.
Its a fact that no softwares in the world can create a tune. The people who
learned music will laugh their stomachs out if someone tells them that Tere
Bina or any song is a product of a software. Now what can a software do.
What does Rahman do in his studio with all those softwares. Why does he
always updates his software. It is very simple. Just a brief concept.
1. Rahman records a songs over a period of 10-15 days. A singer sings one
song perhaps innumerable time till Rahman gives a hands up. Once that signal
has been got the singer realizes that his job is done . Now rahman sits over
his singing and edits the bad parts and couples all the best parts and after
another day of hard work the singers work is ready. The singer never sang
that song continuously but his best parts are selected and sampled .
2. Rahman then records music or what you call as BGM. After that he mixes it
with the vocal part. Then suddenly he may realize that both of them don't
gel well in frequency. And then frequency division modulation takes place.
Its a huge process friends which very well packs the music and vocal part.
3. Let us take an example of Shreya Ghosal. Rahman needs Shreya Ghosal to
sing in track 15 ie the Highest. But Shreya can sing only till 11. So what
can Rahman do. Let her sing in track 8 -9 in which she is comfortable and
then simply phase modulates the vocal to appear as if she sang in track 15.
This is a very costly process and risky too so Rahman has done it only 5-6
times.
So A R Rahman is a genius , not a technician. He uses softwares but doesn't
use to "produce" tunes. Instead he use them so effectively to "edit" tunes.
And that is why perhaps he is the best. He uses Technology but his
originality is maintained in each song.
A software has no brains. It will do what you tell it to do. So if anyone
program his software to sing "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa" then yes, you are right.
Software can produce tunes. And everyone is pretty sure Rahman uses custom
made softwares. The bottom line is Softwares Do Not Produce Tunes.
will be continued..................
Monday, June 30, 2008
how rahman composes music for a film-part 2
Mixing songs*
He does all programming on Logic and also mix in Logic then he makes some
pre mixes, like all choruses in two tracks, drums in two tracks, bass in one
track if stereo then in two tracks and then he bounces all the tracks to
EUPHONIX to give some analog warmth. But Rahman uses all Logic plugins FX.
Everyone is using Logic from Salim Sulaiman to Shankar Ehsaan and Loy. Logic
is just like a Pen and Paper for a Poet. Rahman doesn't need any Logic even
he can use any other software cause he has music in his mind.
*What is Logic?*
Logic is an audio recording and mixing software. Most of Indian composers
use this software. For more details check www.apple.com/ logic/ . You can buy
and download it if you have an Apple Mac Computer.
Rahman also uses or used Absynth. You can hear one preset from Absynth in
Kannathil Muttamital title song. The flute kinda sound with a rough string
sounds behind it in the intro. Most of the songs, especially in the last few
years feature many synth sounds, probably from absynth, or some other
softsynth. The beeps, filtered sounds etc in many songs like Yeh Rishta,
Meenaxi and a couple from New, Kangalal Kaidu Sei etc can be done in
Absynth. For more details check out www.native-instrume nts.com/
*Audio Samples
*
Have you guys ever heard about audio samples. Well Rahman is the first
person who used a lot of samples in his songs and the second person is
Ranjit Barot. Ranjit used to work with Rahman. Ranjit programmed drums in
Humma Humma.
And now everybody is using samples in Mumbai like Salim Sulaiman, Sandeep
Sherodker, Jacky, Inderjeet Sharma, Ram Sampat & Sandeep Chowta. If you guys
think that how can Sandeep Chowta make sound like A R Rahman, those are
samples.
Here are some instances for Samples
1. Shabba Shabba with African voices. Those are samples not real Africans.
2. Spanish claps in Jumbalika. Samples again.
3. Chinese vocals in Latka. Its a Chinese Sample from the CD ( Spectra
sonics Heart Of Asia)
4. Background beat in Latka song from Indian. Later Anu Malik and many other
used the same loops in many of their songs eg: Mehbooba song from Ajnabee.
5. Killer drum beats in Rangeela songs. Drum samples from the cd (Best
Service XXL 1500)and its a long list.
6. Final beats of Mukkala Muqabla sounds like Dr. Alban Africa. That is too
a sample. It is not composed by Dr.Alban either. Same beats used by Sandeep
Chowtha in Kambath Ishq song.
7. Main Background beats in Mangta hai kya from Rangeela.
8. Early bands like Deep Forest and some Euro techno bands used this concept
a lot. Thats why title bird sound of Thillana Thillana from Muthu sounds
like Deep forest songs.
There are many other samples Rahman used in many of his songs. It is not
copying but just using a commercially available sample.
When Rahman was recording for "Jaage Hain" the Sound Engineers told him that
lets record the song in a low mod ie Track 5 and later FDM it to a higher
track but Rahman sing it singularly in track 15. It is his original however
Madras Choral sound was probably modulated.
will be continued tomorrow ................
He does all programming on Logic and also mix in Logic then he makes some
pre mixes, like all choruses in two tracks, drums in two tracks, bass in one
track if stereo then in two tracks and then he bounces all the tracks to
EUPHONIX to give some analog warmth. But Rahman uses all Logic plugins FX.
Everyone is using Logic from Salim Sulaiman to Shankar Ehsaan and Loy. Logic
is just like a Pen and Paper for a Poet. Rahman doesn't need any Logic even
he can use any other software cause he has music in his mind.
*What is Logic?*
Logic is an audio recording and mixing software. Most of Indian composers
use this software. For more details check www.apple.com/ logic/ . You can buy
and download it if you have an Apple Mac Computer.
Rahman also uses or used Absynth. You can hear one preset from Absynth in
Kannathil Muttamital title song. The flute kinda sound with a rough string
sounds behind it in the intro. Most of the songs, especially in the last few
years feature many synth sounds, probably from absynth, or some other
softsynth. The beeps, filtered sounds etc in many songs like Yeh Rishta,
Meenaxi and a couple from New, Kangalal Kaidu Sei etc can be done in
Absynth. For more details check out www.native-instrume nts.com/
*Audio Samples
*
Have you guys ever heard about audio samples. Well Rahman is the first
person who used a lot of samples in his songs and the second person is
Ranjit Barot. Ranjit used to work with Rahman. Ranjit programmed drums in
Humma Humma.
And now everybody is using samples in Mumbai like Salim Sulaiman, Sandeep
Sherodker, Jacky, Inderjeet Sharma, Ram Sampat & Sandeep Chowta. If you guys
think that how can Sandeep Chowta make sound like A R Rahman, those are
samples.
Here are some instances for Samples
1. Shabba Shabba with African voices. Those are samples not real Africans.
2. Spanish claps in Jumbalika. Samples again.
3. Chinese vocals in Latka. Its a Chinese Sample from the CD ( Spectra
sonics Heart Of Asia)
4. Background beat in Latka song from Indian. Later Anu Malik and many other
used the same loops in many of their songs eg: Mehbooba song from Ajnabee.
5. Killer drum beats in Rangeela songs. Drum samples from the cd (Best
Service XXL 1500)and its a long list.
6. Final beats of Mukkala Muqabla sounds like Dr. Alban Africa. That is too
a sample. It is not composed by Dr.Alban either. Same beats used by Sandeep
Chowtha in Kambath Ishq song.
7. Main Background beats in Mangta hai kya from Rangeela.
8. Early bands like Deep Forest and some Euro techno bands used this concept
a lot. Thats why title bird sound of Thillana Thillana from Muthu sounds
like Deep forest songs.
There are many other samples Rahman used in many of his songs. It is not
copying but just using a commercially available sample.
When Rahman was recording for "Jaage Hain" the Sound Engineers told him that
lets record the song in a low mod ie Track 5 and later FDM it to a higher
track but Rahman sing it singularly in track 15. It is his original however
Madras Choral sound was probably modulated.
will be continued tomorrow ................
Saturday, June 28, 2008
how rahman composes music for a film-
1.Rahman gets an offer from the director , and he studies the script&
everything . If he likes it then he agrees else he drops the offer.
How Rahman composes a song-
2. Then he sees the actor/actress and accordingly to that he determines the singer.
3. Rahman asks the director to give the exact situation of the song and he asks why
it is needed.
4. If he is satisfied & then Rahman sits and composes the song on his own and in his voice
records every song.
5. Calls the singers after 12 am in the night [ Mark it only after 12 am ]
and makes them to hear the tunes.
6. Then the Recording starts . He never modifies the song as per the singer but he
modifies the singer as per the song .
7. Every sound in the studio is recorded even if a singer sneezes or coughs
it is recorded and it is edited . If u remember in Kadhal Virus there is a
song by Mano( O Kadhale). There he coughs at one part. He had coughed it in
the first day and then Rahman never got any realistic cough after that so he
simply included the original cough.
8. A song recording goes upto 3-4 days . Sometimes male and female singers
are separately recorded and then successfully mixed
9. After the vocal part is over, music starts . He gives his idea to his musicians
and then the musicians suggest the background tune . 90% times Rahman
doesn't like them and then he himself gives the notes and the musician have
to play them. Few songs however had tunes inspired by his musicians like his
flutist Naveen and drummer Sivamani. The musicians love ARR since he gives
them freedom and helps them grow their talent .
10.Later the vocal is added to music or vice versa and then comes the
technical part. Every interfaces start working , every part is edited ,
reedited and software are used and lets not get much into it ,but by the
time a song is finalized it is one month and the best version is out. Some
say he uses technology, but come to his studio you will know he uses
technology only to polish stuffs.
will be continued tomorrow ................
everything . If he likes it then he agrees else he drops the offer.
How Rahman composes a song-
2. Then he sees the actor/actress and accordingly to that he determines the singer.
3. Rahman asks the director to give the exact situation of the song and he asks why
it is needed.
4. If he is satisfied & then Rahman sits and composes the song on his own and in his voice
records every song.
5. Calls the singers after 12 am in the night [ Mark it only after 12 am ]
and makes them to hear the tunes.
6. Then the Recording starts . He never modifies the song as per the singer but he
modifies the singer as per the song .
7. Every sound in the studio is recorded even if a singer sneezes or coughs
it is recorded and it is edited . If u remember in Kadhal Virus there is a
song by Mano( O Kadhale). There he coughs at one part. He had coughed it in
the first day and then Rahman never got any realistic cough after that so he
simply included the original cough.
8. A song recording goes upto 3-4 days . Sometimes male and female singers
are separately recorded and then successfully mixed
9. After the vocal part is over, music starts . He gives his idea to his musicians
and then the musicians suggest the background tune . 90% times Rahman
doesn't like them and then he himself gives the notes and the musician have
to play them. Few songs however had tunes inspired by his musicians like his
flutist Naveen and drummer Sivamani. The musicians love ARR since he gives
them freedom and helps them grow their talent .
10.Later the vocal is added to music or vice versa and then comes the
technical part. Every interfaces start working , every part is edited ,
reedited and software are used and lets not get much into it ,but by the
time a song is finalized it is one month and the best version is out. Some
say he uses technology, but come to his studio you will know he uses
technology only to polish stuffs.
will be continued tomorrow ................
Friday, June 27, 2008
A.R.Rehman on Ada…a way of life
On Ada and the kind of music he has given for it, Rahman explains, "I chose
Ada because some people have great intentions of doing something and Tanvir
Ahmad sahib (director) showed that. Through his cinema he wanted to tell
good things which I liked too and over a period of time we developed a
friendship."
Rahman reveals that the film has been a seven years journey with Tanvir. "I
had recorded some of the songs in 2001, others in 2003 and some more in 2005
as well. Then Meherbaan was recorded this year itself. So although the
recordings have been done over a period of time, the songs have been
produced this year itself. That's the reason the music still is sounding
fresh at least to my ears.
The narration of the film has been done in very abstract way so I have made
a conscious effort to use the music in an interesting way rather than a
boring one," adds the music composer.
On what Ada means to him, Rahman comments, "Ada could mean a lot of things -
it can be style, a way of life, attitude… basically anything. This is movie
is particularly close to me because of the melodies."
Speaking about the idea behind introducing Ayaan Ahmad, he says, "Since, I
am the senior most person associated with the film, Tanvir sahab felt that I
was the perfect person to introduce his son to the media and it's my first
time too. I am personally open to promote anyone deserving and have no
reservations - be it a singer or any actor."
Ada because some people have great intentions of doing something and Tanvir
Ahmad sahib (director) showed that. Through his cinema he wanted to tell
good things which I liked too and over a period of time we developed a
friendship."
Rahman reveals that the film has been a seven years journey with Tanvir. "I
had recorded some of the songs in 2001, others in 2003 and some more in 2005
as well. Then Meherbaan was recorded this year itself. So although the
recordings have been done over a period of time, the songs have been
produced this year itself. That's the reason the music still is sounding
fresh at least to my ears.
The narration of the film has been done in very abstract way so I have made
a conscious effort to use the music in an interesting way rather than a
boring one," adds the music composer.
On what Ada means to him, Rahman comments, "Ada could mean a lot of things -
it can be style, a way of life, attitude… basically anything. This is movie
is particularly close to me because of the melodies."
Speaking about the idea behind introducing Ayaan Ahmad, he says, "Since, I
am the senior most person associated with the film, Tanvir sahab felt that I
was the perfect person to introduce his son to the media and it's my first
time too. I am personally open to promote anyone deserving and have no
reservations - be it a singer or any actor."
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A.R.RAHMAN HONORED
A. R. Rahman has been conferred a Lifetime Achievement Award for his services to Indian music by the Rotary Club of Madras on the 24th of June in Chennai. The event had a question and answer session in which a humorous A. R. Rahman spoke about his favorite music and his experiences working in movies.
Lifetime Achievement at age 40. Indeed a terrific achievement.
Director Vasanth on ARR
Dear Rahmaniacs,
Director Vasanth has been credited with introducing Actor Surya, Jyothika, Simran to Tamil Film Industry. He was associated with ARR for his film Rhythm. He was an Ast Director to Balachander, Maniratnam.
It was an unforgettable experience working with Rahman for Rhythm. I met him first during IR's recording in Prasad Studio of Punnagai Mannan. The computerised song. He was in a standing in a corner with a keyboard , with his head down. We didnt know each other that time. Rahman Sir is little bit younger than me . Then I listened to Chinna Chinna aasai in Mani Sir's Venus Colony , when the intial recording was done. That was at the very initial stages. Then Balachander Sir played the same song to me later. The magic of the song, created an impact in me. Many a times, I have felt many songs to have created impact on me.
Oh La La song in Minsara Kanavu was another song which created an impact in me. When I heard it for the first time., I felt as if the song was going on for long time. I didnt like it first time. Then, after hearing the song repetitively, it became my life, and I couldnt stay away from it. Initially, I liked Thanga Thamarai Magale song from the same film, and later got hooked to Ooh La La .
About Songs in "Rhythm"...
ARR improvises a lot with the songs... Consider Nathiye Nathiye song (Dheem Thananaa) song for example. "Dheem Thana naa" was never meant to be the pallavi (antara) of the song. It was a refrain that was used in the middle of the song. Since it was catchy, he made it as the opening. The entire song did not stick to the usual format of 1 antara and two mukhda - there were lot of variations in the song - just like how the flow of a river is never uniform and varies throughout... Since each portion of the song was so different, we decided to make the "dheem Thana naa" refrain as the common link for each part, and thus we finalised the opening of the song.
Nathiye nathiye which was supposed to be the actual pallavi (antara) of the song, was made to appear only once or twice in the song!!
About ARR as a person
ARR is the only Indian composer, who is successful in the regional, national as well as the international arena... There may be many who are successful in the regional level. You can even find people who are successful in the regional and national level. But, he is the only one who has succeeded in all 3 levels... Be it Nagercoil (a small town in Tamilnadu) or New York - he is a success everywhere!
He is the pride of Tamilnadu and India..
When you consider only the film compositions, I see him as the major composer in Tamil and hindi film music. In Tamil, he is of the lineage following G.Ramanthan, R.Sudharsanam, KV Mahadevan, Viswanathan-Ramamoorhty and IR.
If you look similarly in Hindi, he follows the lineage of people like Anil Biswas, Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishen, SD Burman, C.Ramachandra, Madan Mohan, Kalyanji Anandji, Lakshmikant Pyarelal, RD Burman...
He is one of the Titans in Indian Film music.
According to me, there has been no TITAN music director after the arrival of ARR, in India in any language. He is the latest arrival.
In this lineage, I include only those who bring a totally new style of music. There are new composers who follow his style. They may also do some good music, but they have not created a new style of music.... not until now...
The most important aspect of his music according to me, is his technology + music. It is not technology alone or melody alone.. This is something that he pioneered. we have heard lots of melodies.. we have heard technology being used... but he put both of them together in the right mix and composed music.... He follows this in all styles of music - be it hindustani or carnatic or sufi or soft rock.
If ARR had been around in 1960s or 1970, I think, he would have given songs which are 100 times better than what he has given now!
Even now he gives the best songs, but what I'm saying is that, "story" had lots of importance in movies back then... Important aspects of ARR's music - like the melodic nature of his music, the depth of his music, the ability to show different perspectives, the ability to transport us to a different world - all these would have had more importance back then. But now, there are not many stories which can fully utilise these aspects of his music. Sotry-telling has decreased these days!
About ARR's simplicity
His simplicity is what I admire the most. I had once read about what composer Pyarelal of Lakshmikant-Pyarelal fame, had to say about ARR.
According to Pyarelal, Roja is his fav album, but the most important work in ARR's career is Thiruda Thiruda. ARR had met Pyarelal at a party, which was their first meeting. ARR himself went and introduced himself to Pyarelal, saying "I just wanted to meet you and get introduced to you... I'm A.R.Rahman". Pyarelal says that he had never seen anyone being so simple and modest, that too being a composer of international fame!
Rainahah: Usually ARR is very introverted and would not go and introduce himself to people... but since Pyarelal is a composer whom ARR respects a lot, he probably would have gone and spoken to him!
As a Director, what's your role in the music creation process?
According to me, a director's role is to create an environment or a situation for the composer to create a good song - mainly to inspire the music director... The director should strive to inspire the composer to reach greater heights... The director's intervention should not pull the composer down!!
(Raihanah ma'am interrupted here saying "Those are golden words... You should say this everywhere sir... You should say this loud and clear! It would be great if all directors understand this!!!!
Vasanth retorted saying "You seem to be really affected by such instances" (Laughs))
The director should try to bring out the best from everyone.... The director should identify what's the best aspect of the composer and bring out the most creative stuff from them.. and should never give up till the best output is produced!
Raihanah: You have explained it brilliantly, sir.. When we talk of this, the first song that comes to my mind is Nenje Nenje from Ratchagan....
Vasanth: Definitely.. Definitely... Similarly, I like Thoda Thoda Malarndhadhenna (Indra) How do I say... I'm at a loss of words...
I think ARR is the only composer who has given his heart and soul to each and every song and each and every movie. Not jus for one or two songs in a movie, but for every song.... That is why he takes more time... He has never compromised on quality any of the songs - ever! He takes each and every song seriously!!
About directors/producers asking for tunes similar to another song
That's usually done to communicate the mood that's required for the song - we sort of give examples... For some composers, you can get the best only if you communicate this way... It's more about convenience.
About asking to compose a song similar to another song - i won't comment whether it is right or wrong... but, it is wrong if the composer creates the "same" tune, instead of creating a similar mood!
In case of a big composer like ARR, we need not give any examples. If we give examples, he'll stay as far away from that tune as possible!! That's why he is in such a great position now!! He understands that it just for easier communication!
Some other composers would assume that we like that particular tune of a old song that they can satisfy us only if they use that tune, and would end up giving the same old tune!!
About Re-recording (BGMs) of ARR
Silence is as important to re-recording as the actual BGMs. In many instances, silence, after the actual BGM, creates the required impact - IR sir taught me this...
For instance, if there's a long BGM and it suddenly stops when a guy opens a door, all your focus shifts to what's behind the door. silence creates an impact there...
The composer should know when to have music in the scene and when to stop. I think Rahman is one composer who knows this and handles this beautifully!
He gives what's required for a scene, rather than playing music continuously!
Another important aspect of ARR's re-recording is his ability to use various different styles of music to elevate the quality of the scenes. For instance, in Rhythm, in the scenes involving the relationship between Arjun and the kid, he had brought an italian feel in the BGM... In the same movie, he had used a very Indian sound, for the scenes involving Lakshmi....
I think he can do this with ease as he listens to and enjoys all types of music - from carnatic to hindustani to western, pop and rock...
He brought a new style in re-recording. His re-recording gave a new dimension to the film. Even for ARR, Rhythm is one of his favourites in terms of re-recording, and he keeps mentioning this to me...
Fav BGMs in other ARR movies, apart from Rhythm:
I love everything that ARR has done for Mani Ratnam's movies, especially Bombay and Iruvar. According to me, Iruvar is Mani sir's best movie.. Iruvar's re-recording is ultimate!!
In the scene in Iruvar where it is shown for the first time that Mohan Lal has got 1000-s of people behind him, the Background score is brilliant. The BGM has "spoken" this exactly. If you just listen to the BGM without looking at the scene, you can visualise that scene in your mind - even without listening to a single dialogue!
Favourite Songs
How many songs has he made till now? About 100? So, at 5 songs per movie, there would be a total of 500 songs? so, my favourite would be all 500!!
I love every one of his songs...
Let me quote just a few songs, which come to my mind at this instant...
Pudhu Vellai Mazhai - I love this song because it does something to me... I love this song because I love it very much!!! It creates an ambience.. The rendering, the freshness, the music, the composition - everything was great... The sound was totally new - when I heard it in 1991, I knew I hadn't heard anything like this before!! The sound was so new, so emotional and so real..
love chinna chinna aasai a lot, but somehow my favourites are Pudhu Vellai Mazhai and Kadhal Rojave, with Pudhu Vellai Mazhai getting 100 points and Kadhal Rojave being a close second at 99.5!!
Similarly, I love "Minnale nee vandhadhenadi" from May Madham... I'm quoting this song specially, because of the sorrow in the song beautifully conveyed by the tune, SPB sir's voice.. above all - the intricate violin opening and interlude.... It doesnt happen often that the instrumental interludes get registered in our minds as much as the main song itself - but this violin interlude did.... I always used to hum that violin bit and my ears always long for that violin bit!
Snegithane - What do I say about this song,... This is one of the finest creations of Rahman. This is the ultimate song to portray a man-woman relationship!
(Raihanah: Sadhna's voice is so sharp - as sharp as the soung of glass breaking!)
Vasanth: I am usually not enamoured by the sweetness of a voice, for me it is always the composer who captures my heart! The emotions in the song are what attracts me!!
But if there's one voice which has attracted me a lot, it is ARR's voice... Listen to vellai pookkal... it will just make you cry!!! You dont hav to do anything else... The voice, tune, the lyrics - everything about the song is perfect - and it is as though the song conveys the entire sorrow in Sri Lanka...
I'm a big big fan of ARR, and I admire him as a human being also.. I am delighted and honoured that I got this chance to share my views about ARR, and his songs!!
Director Vasanth has been credited with introducing Actor Surya, Jyothika, Simran to Tamil Film Industry. He was associated with ARR for his film Rhythm. He was an Ast Director to Balachander, Maniratnam.
It was an unforgettable experience working with Rahman for Rhythm. I met him first during IR's recording in Prasad Studio of Punnagai Mannan. The computerised song. He was in a standing in a corner with a keyboard , with his head down. We didnt know each other that time. Rahman Sir is little bit younger than me . Then I listened to Chinna Chinna aasai in Mani Sir's Venus Colony , when the intial recording was done. That was at the very initial stages. Then Balachander Sir played the same song to me later. The magic of the song, created an impact in me. Many a times, I have felt many songs to have created impact on me.
Oh La La song in Minsara Kanavu was another song which created an impact in me. When I heard it for the first time., I felt as if the song was going on for long time. I didnt like it first time. Then, after hearing the song repetitively, it became my life, and I couldnt stay away from it. Initially, I liked Thanga Thamarai Magale song from the same film, and later got hooked to Ooh La La .
About Songs in "Rhythm"...
ARR improvises a lot with the songs... Consider Nathiye Nathiye song (Dheem Thananaa) song for example. "Dheem Thana naa" was never meant to be the pallavi (antara) of the song. It was a refrain that was used in the middle of the song. Since it was catchy, he made it as the opening. The entire song did not stick to the usual format of 1 antara and two mukhda - there were lot of variations in the song - just like how the flow of a river is never uniform and varies throughout... Since each portion of the song was so different, we decided to make the "dheem Thana naa" refrain as the common link for each part, and thus we finalised the opening of the song.
Nathiye nathiye which was supposed to be the actual pallavi (antara) of the song, was made to appear only once or twice in the song!!
About ARR as a person
ARR is the only Indian composer, who is successful in the regional, national as well as the international arena... There may be many who are successful in the regional level. You can even find people who are successful in the regional and national level. But, he is the only one who has succeeded in all 3 levels... Be it Nagercoil (a small town in Tamilnadu) or New York - he is a success everywhere!
He is the pride of Tamilnadu and India..
When you consider only the film compositions, I see him as the major composer in Tamil and hindi film music. In Tamil, he is of the lineage following G.Ramanthan, R.Sudharsanam, KV Mahadevan, Viswanathan-Ramamoorhty and IR.
If you look similarly in Hindi, he follows the lineage of people like Anil Biswas, Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishen, SD Burman, C.Ramachandra, Madan Mohan, Kalyanji Anandji, Lakshmikant Pyarelal, RD Burman...
He is one of the Titans in Indian Film music.
According to me, there has been no TITAN music director after the arrival of ARR, in India in any language. He is the latest arrival.
In this lineage, I include only those who bring a totally new style of music. There are new composers who follow his style. They may also do some good music, but they have not created a new style of music.... not until now...
The most important aspect of his music according to me, is his technology + music. It is not technology alone or melody alone.. This is something that he pioneered. we have heard lots of melodies.. we have heard technology being used... but he put both of them together in the right mix and composed music.... He follows this in all styles of music - be it hindustani or carnatic or sufi or soft rock.
If ARR had been around in 1960s or 1970, I think, he would have given songs which are 100 times better than what he has given now!
Even now he gives the best songs, but what I'm saying is that, "story" had lots of importance in movies back then... Important aspects of ARR's music - like the melodic nature of his music, the depth of his music, the ability to show different perspectives, the ability to transport us to a different world - all these would have had more importance back then. But now, there are not many stories which can fully utilise these aspects of his music. Sotry-telling has decreased these days!
About ARR's simplicity
His simplicity is what I admire the most. I had once read about what composer Pyarelal of Lakshmikant-Pyarelal fame, had to say about ARR.
According to Pyarelal, Roja is his fav album, but the most important work in ARR's career is Thiruda Thiruda. ARR had met Pyarelal at a party, which was their first meeting. ARR himself went and introduced himself to Pyarelal, saying "I just wanted to meet you and get introduced to you... I'm A.R.Rahman". Pyarelal says that he had never seen anyone being so simple and modest, that too being a composer of international fame!
Rainahah: Usually ARR is very introverted and would not go and introduce himself to people... but since Pyarelal is a composer whom ARR respects a lot, he probably would have gone and spoken to him!
As a Director, what's your role in the music creation process?
According to me, a director's role is to create an environment or a situation for the composer to create a good song - mainly to inspire the music director... The director should strive to inspire the composer to reach greater heights... The director's intervention should not pull the composer down!!
(Raihanah ma'am interrupted here saying "Those are golden words... You should say this everywhere sir... You should say this loud and clear! It would be great if all directors understand this!!!!
Vasanth retorted saying "You seem to be really affected by such instances" (Laughs))
The director should try to bring out the best from everyone.... The director should identify what's the best aspect of the composer and bring out the most creative stuff from them.. and should never give up till the best output is produced!
Raihanah: You have explained it brilliantly, sir.. When we talk of this, the first song that comes to my mind is Nenje Nenje from Ratchagan....
Vasanth: Definitely.. Definitely... Similarly, I like Thoda Thoda Malarndhadhenna (Indra) How do I say... I'm at a loss of words...
I think ARR is the only composer who has given his heart and soul to each and every song and each and every movie. Not jus for one or two songs in a movie, but for every song.... That is why he takes more time... He has never compromised on quality any of the songs - ever! He takes each and every song seriously!!
About directors/producers asking for tunes similar to another song
That's usually done to communicate the mood that's required for the song - we sort of give examples... For some composers, you can get the best only if you communicate this way... It's more about convenience.
About asking to compose a song similar to another song - i won't comment whether it is right or wrong... but, it is wrong if the composer creates the "same" tune, instead of creating a similar mood!
In case of a big composer like ARR, we need not give any examples. If we give examples, he'll stay as far away from that tune as possible!! That's why he is in such a great position now!! He understands that it just for easier communication!
Some other composers would assume that we like that particular tune of a old song that they can satisfy us only if they use that tune, and would end up giving the same old tune!!
About Re-recording (BGMs) of ARR
Silence is as important to re-recording as the actual BGMs. In many instances, silence, after the actual BGM, creates the required impact - IR sir taught me this...
For instance, if there's a long BGM and it suddenly stops when a guy opens a door, all your focus shifts to what's behind the door. silence creates an impact there...
The composer should know when to have music in the scene and when to stop. I think Rahman is one composer who knows this and handles this beautifully!
He gives what's required for a scene, rather than playing music continuously!
Another important aspect of ARR's re-recording is his ability to use various different styles of music to elevate the quality of the scenes. For instance, in Rhythm, in the scenes involving the relationship between Arjun and the kid, he had brought an italian feel in the BGM... In the same movie, he had used a very Indian sound, for the scenes involving Lakshmi....
I think he can do this with ease as he listens to and enjoys all types of music - from carnatic to hindustani to western, pop and rock...
He brought a new style in re-recording. His re-recording gave a new dimension to the film. Even for ARR, Rhythm is one of his favourites in terms of re-recording, and he keeps mentioning this to me...
Fav BGMs in other ARR movies, apart from Rhythm:
I love everything that ARR has done for Mani Ratnam's movies, especially Bombay and Iruvar. According to me, Iruvar is Mani sir's best movie.. Iruvar's re-recording is ultimate!!
In the scene in Iruvar where it is shown for the first time that Mohan Lal has got 1000-s of people behind him, the Background score is brilliant. The BGM has "spoken" this exactly. If you just listen to the BGM without looking at the scene, you can visualise that scene in your mind - even without listening to a single dialogue!
Favourite Songs
How many songs has he made till now? About 100? So, at 5 songs per movie, there would be a total of 500 songs? so, my favourite would be all 500!!
I love every one of his songs...
Let me quote just a few songs, which come to my mind at this instant...
Pudhu Vellai Mazhai - I love this song because it does something to me... I love this song because I love it very much!!! It creates an ambience.. The rendering, the freshness, the music, the composition - everything was great... The sound was totally new - when I heard it in 1991, I knew I hadn't heard anything like this before!! The sound was so new, so emotional and so real..
love chinna chinna aasai a lot, but somehow my favourites are Pudhu Vellai Mazhai and Kadhal Rojave, with Pudhu Vellai Mazhai getting 100 points and Kadhal Rojave being a close second at 99.5!!
Similarly, I love "Minnale nee vandhadhenadi" from May Madham... I'm quoting this song specially, because of the sorrow in the song beautifully conveyed by the tune, SPB sir's voice.. above all - the intricate violin opening and interlude.... It doesnt happen often that the instrumental interludes get registered in our minds as much as the main song itself - but this violin interlude did.... I always used to hum that violin bit and my ears always long for that violin bit!
Snegithane - What do I say about this song,... This is one of the finest creations of Rahman. This is the ultimate song to portray a man-woman relationship!
(Raihanah: Sadhna's voice is so sharp - as sharp as the soung of glass breaking!)
Vasanth: I am usually not enamoured by the sweetness of a voice, for me it is always the composer who captures my heart! The emotions in the song are what attracts me!!
But if there's one voice which has attracted me a lot, it is ARR's voice... Listen to vellai pookkal... it will just make you cry!!! You dont hav to do anything else... The voice, tune, the lyrics - everything about the song is perfect - and it is as though the song conveys the entire sorrow in Sri Lanka...
I'm a big big fan of ARR, and I admire him as a human being also.. I am delighted and honoured that I got this chance to share my views about ARR, and his songs!!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
A.R.Rahman named best music director at IIFA
Bangkok, June 10 (IANS) A.R. Rahman was named the best music director for his score in “Guru” at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2008 awards here Sunday night, while the Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Om Shanti Om” swept a number of technical awards. Shreya Ghoshal won the honours for the best playback singer (female) for “Barso re” from Mani Ratnam’s “Guru”, which film also bagged awards for the best background score (Rahman) and best song recording (H. Sridhar).
Music that Rahman loves to hear!
Being a Rahmaniac, isn’t it always curious for us to know what songs Rahman used to hear. Now, its the time to list down the favorite tracks of A R Rahman in different genres. From International Pop to Ghazals and from Fusions to Own compositons, here comes the Musical Mantra of the Maestro.
In Indi Pop, Rahman’s all time favorite is Breathless. According to him “The song is well sung by Shankar Mahadevan and also beautifully composed”. Next comes Rabbi’s Bulla Ki Jaana in the list. Rahman adds ” The song sound different to the ear’s…..nice”. Then in the list comes his favorite Sufi singer Kailash Kher’s song Saiyyan. “Kailash is a good artiste and this is one of his better works.”
In International Pop, Bohemian Rhapsody of Queen is an all time favorite of Rahman. Then Rahman often listens to the sweet, hummable track “Time to say good bye” by Sarah Bright man and Andrea Bocelli.
Kate Bush track “Oh to be in Love” makes Rahman for great listening, anytime, every time.
When it comes to Fusion, Colonial Cousins first self titled album tops Rahman’s list for its compostion. Then comes the album Conversations “A Brilliant effort by L Subrahmanium” he adds. Rahman is addicted to IR’s album “How to name it” and according to him its a must hear for all IR Fans and even if you are not one
GHAZALS
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo : A classic master piece by Farida Khanum
Beyond time : Its a fantastic album by Jagjit Singh, hard to pick just one song
Reflections : I like Hariharans Voice
LOVE
If I fall in love it will be better : A nat king kole kopper, you need to listen to the lyrics carefully. They are loaded with meaning
Where do i Begin : This song from Love story was scored by Francis Lai and penned by Carl Sigman. Its one of my most loved songs.
I’ll always love you : I adore Whitney Houstons Voice.
BOMBAY MOVIE COMPOSTIONS
Kal ho naa ho : It was beautifully rendered by Sonu Nigam and composed by Shankar Ehsan Loy. Fantastic !
Tum se hi ~ Jab we met : I love Mohit Chauhan’s voice and Pritam’s compostion. It touches the soul. I like humming it.
Ankhon mein teri ~ Om shanti Om : Well written by Vishal Dadlani and fabulously composed by him and Shekhar together.
OWN COMPOSITIONS
Munbe Vaa’s complete sound track in Tamil
Khwaja mere Khwaja ~ Jodha Akbar
Naina from Water..............
In Indi Pop, Rahman’s all time favorite is Breathless. According to him “The song is well sung by Shankar Mahadevan and also beautifully composed”. Next comes Rabbi’s Bulla Ki Jaana in the list. Rahman adds ” The song sound different to the ear’s…..nice”. Then in the list comes his favorite Sufi singer Kailash Kher’s song Saiyyan. “Kailash is a good artiste and this is one of his better works.”
In International Pop, Bohemian Rhapsody of Queen is an all time favorite of Rahman. Then Rahman often listens to the sweet, hummable track “Time to say good bye” by Sarah Bright man and Andrea Bocelli.
Kate Bush track “Oh to be in Love” makes Rahman for great listening, anytime, every time.
When it comes to Fusion, Colonial Cousins first self titled album tops Rahman’s list for its compostion. Then comes the album Conversations “A Brilliant effort by L Subrahmanium” he adds. Rahman is addicted to IR’s album “How to name it” and according to him its a must hear for all IR Fans and even if you are not one
GHAZALS
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo : A classic master piece by Farida Khanum
Beyond time : Its a fantastic album by Jagjit Singh, hard to pick just one song
Reflections : I like Hariharans Voice
LOVE
If I fall in love it will be better : A nat king kole kopper, you need to listen to the lyrics carefully. They are loaded with meaning
Where do i Begin : This song from Love story was scored by Francis Lai and penned by Carl Sigman. Its one of my most loved songs.
I’ll always love you : I adore Whitney Houstons Voice.
BOMBAY MOVIE COMPOSTIONS
Kal ho naa ho : It was beautifully rendered by Sonu Nigam and composed by Shankar Ehsan Loy. Fantastic !
Tum se hi ~ Jab we met : I love Mohit Chauhan’s voice and Pritam’s compostion. It touches the soul. I like humming it.
Ankhon mein teri ~ Om shanti Om : Well written by Vishal Dadlani and fabulously composed by him and Shekhar together.
OWN COMPOSITIONS
Munbe Vaa’s complete sound track in Tamil
Khwaja mere Khwaja ~ Jodha Akbar
Naina from Water..............
Sakkrakatti Track Listing...
Sakkarakatti (2008)
Music: A.R.Rahman
Lyrics: Na Muthukumar, Vaali, Pa Vijay
Studio: V Creations
Producer: S. Thanu
Director: Kalaprabhu Thanu
Stars: Shantanu Bhagyaraj, Ishita, Devika
Label: Sony BMG
Tracks:
1. Taxi Taxi
Singers: Benny Dayal, Blaaze, Viviane Chaix and Javed Ali
Lyrics: Blaaze, Na Muthukumar, Viviane Chaix
2. Marudaani
Singers: Madhushree, A R Rahman, Hentry
Lyrics: Vaali
3. I Miss You Da
Singers: Chinmayi, Indai Haza
Lyrics: Na Muthukumar
4. Chinnamma
Singers: Benny Dayal, Chinmayi
Lyrics: Pa Vijay
5. Elay
Singers: Krish ,Naresh Iyer
Lyrics : Na Muthukumar
6. Naan Epoudhu
Singers: Reena Bharadwaj
Lyrics : Pa Vijay
Credits:
Chinnamma and Yeh Rishta, courtesy: Owais Hussain
Guitars and Mediterranean Strings: John Themis
Additional Vox for Marudani: Darshana, Shwetha, Janani
Vocal Supervision for Marudani and Naan Epoudhu: Shreeni and Srinivasa Murthy
Indian Rhythms: Laxminarayan, Raju, Vedachalam, Neelakandan, T.Raja
Additional Programming: Krishna Chetan and Hentry Kuruvilla
Additional Programming for Chinnamma: KJ Singh
Recorded at Panchathan Record Inn and A M Studios, Chennai.
Mixed by K J Singh at Panchathan Record Inn
Mastered at A M Studios, Chennai by S. Siva Kumar
Musicians Fixer: R Samidurai
Co-Ordination: Noel James
Music: A.R.Rahman
Lyrics: Na Muthukumar, Vaali, Pa Vijay
Studio: V Creations
Producer: S. Thanu
Director: Kalaprabhu Thanu
Stars: Shantanu Bhagyaraj, Ishita, Devika
Label: Sony BMG
Tracks:
1. Taxi Taxi
Singers: Benny Dayal, Blaaze, Viviane Chaix and Javed Ali
Lyrics: Blaaze, Na Muthukumar, Viviane Chaix
2. Marudaani
Singers: Madhushree, A R Rahman, Hentry
Lyrics: Vaali
3. I Miss You Da
Singers: Chinmayi, Indai Haza
Lyrics: Na Muthukumar
4. Chinnamma
Singers: Benny Dayal, Chinmayi
Lyrics: Pa Vijay
5. Elay
Singers: Krish ,Naresh Iyer
Lyrics : Na Muthukumar
6. Naan Epoudhu
Singers: Reena Bharadwaj
Lyrics : Pa Vijay
Credits:
Chinnamma and Yeh Rishta, courtesy: Owais Hussain
Guitars and Mediterranean Strings: John Themis
Additional Vox for Marudani: Darshana, Shwetha, Janani
Vocal Supervision for Marudani and Naan Epoudhu: Shreeni and Srinivasa Murthy
Indian Rhythms: Laxminarayan, Raju, Vedachalam, Neelakandan, T.Raja
Additional Programming: Krishna Chetan and Hentry Kuruvilla
Additional Programming for Chinnamma: KJ Singh
Recorded at Panchathan Record Inn and A M Studios, Chennai.
Mixed by K J Singh at Panchathan Record Inn
Mastered at A M Studios, Chennai by S. Siva Kumar
Musicians Fixer: R Samidurai
Co-Ordination: Noel James
Thursday, June 19, 2008
'Sakkarakatti' audio release on July 11
The much awaited audio release of the movie 'Sakkarakatti' with music by one of India's finest talents A. R. Rahman is slated to take place on the 11th of July.
The Tamil film industry is abuzz with excitement with the fact that extensive graphics are being created for the movie's song sequences, which is literally running close to a year.
Reports also suggest that a crore of rupees have been spent for picturizing just one song. The intensity and effectiveness of the songs composed by A. R. Rahman is said to be the reason behind the filmmakers' going through such an effort.
Another interesting piece of information is that A. R. Rahman has hummed for a song titled 'Maruthanni' which has been rendered by Madhushree. It can be recalled that all the songs that have the musician's humming have gone on to be huge chart toppers like 'Chinna Chinna Aasai' in 'Roja' and 'Sanda Kozhi' in 'Aayutha Ezhuthu'.
'Sakkarakatti' has Santhanu, son of writer, director, actor K. Bhagyaraj as hero and yet another film personality's (Kalaipuli Dhanu) son Kalaprabhu as the director.
A. R. Rahman begins composing for 'Robot'
A. R. Rahman has begun composing songs for the Rajini starrer 'Robot'.
Sources close to the music composer say that work has already begun in earnest as director Shankar is keen to start filming this August.
The director is on a location hunting spree while Rahman is busy composing the tunes. With Rajinikanth having completed the shooting for 'Kuselan', it looks certain that 'Robot' will begin this August.
'Robot', produced by Ayngaran International, will have Aishwarya Rai playing the heroine. The mega-budget movie will be shot in various locations across the globe.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Third day at blogging
hi , this blog is developed especially for the die hard fans of A.R.Rahman.In this blog you guys can know the information about biography,can also discuss about his album,and also his forthcoming projects.If you see the blog there is a music player widget in the sidebar. You can listen to the best tracks of A.R.Rahman in this widget.
A.R.Rahman's Childhood
A. R. Rahman was born to R. K. Shekhar, a composer, arranger and conductor for Malayalam-language films. His father died when Rahman was nine years old, and his family rented out musical equipment as a source of income. Rahman is a adherent of Sufism. He converted to Islam from Hinduism.
During these early years, Rahman served as a keyboard player and an arranger in bands such as "Roots" and "Nemesis Avenue" with friends including Sivamani, embracing numerous music genres. He played the keyboard and piano, in addition to, among others, the synthesizer, the harmonium and the guitar. His curiosity in the synthesizer in particular increased because, he says, it was the “ideal combination of music and technology.” He began early training in music under Master Dhanraj. At the age of 11, he joined, as a keyboardist, the troupe of Ilaiyaraaja, one of many composers to whom musical instruments belonging to Rahman's father were rented to. Rahman later played in the orchestra of M. S. Viswanathan and Ramesh Naidu, accompanied Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and L. Shankar on world tours and obtained a scholarship to Trinity College of Music in London, where he graduated with a degree in Western classical music.
During these early years, Rahman served as a keyboard player and an arranger in bands such as "Roots" and "Nemesis Avenue" with friends including Sivamani, embracing numerous music genres. He played the keyboard and piano, in addition to, among others, the synthesizer, the harmonium and the guitar. His curiosity in the synthesizer in particular increased because, he says, it was the “ideal combination of music and technology.” He began early training in music under Master Dhanraj. At the age of 11, he joined, as a keyboardist, the troupe of Ilaiyaraaja, one of many composers to whom musical instruments belonging to Rahman's father were rented to. Rahman later played in the orchestra of M. S. Viswanathan and Ramesh Naidu, accompanied Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and L. Shankar on world tours and obtained a scholarship to Trinity College of Music in London, where he graduated with a degree in Western classical music.
A.R.Rehman-The legend
Hey guys,everyone of us know the popularity of the greatest Indian Music Director of all times Mr.A.R.Rahman. Even the world knows him.But this blog will take us a bit closer to Rahman himself. We will devote our time in listening to some of his best songs and start reading about this legend in India. We will also try to track his activities and get a glimpse of his personality. Not many people of his stature are humble like him.well everyone of us hope that he continues his best work forever. Let this legend of ours live forever. If you do not know anything about a.r.rehman and wish to listen to his songs,then this is place for you. We will soon instert gadgets so that you could listen to his songs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)