This was the initial days of the arrahmans fans group, when discusions like this one below used to take place, if you check the older posts dating from early 1999 you can see how much group this has evolved now! Even though I am not a musician, it was just so much intruiging for example to read posts like this one below from an old member named Ranojoy, some of the current senior members also used to post regularly and have healthy discussions regarding ARR's music and other musically inclined queries. There are many more posts like the ones listed below, might be helpful for some guys..check it out
Ryaaz http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/message/2191 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/message/1171 "That was a wonderful way to break the song down.. But it was meant exclusively for people with a background in Western Classical music.. If anyone read the document and didnot understand some of the terms relating to Western Classical music here they are.. This is only for people who donot have any knowledge at all about Western Classical Music.. A chord is a three of four fingered combination of notes on the piano.. a combination of three or four notes on any instrument.. In the case of the piano, it is the sound achieved when you hold down three keys at the same time, or four.. But not just any three or four of course.. There are two kinds of chords, major and minor.. the major chords are supposed to impart a sense of happiness, and the minor chords sound more depressing.. A break down of the keyboard would be as follows: starting with the left most key on the piano, and then moving to the right, going up or down with every key.. C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C.. This is remarkably similar of course to Indian Classical Music (a fusion of Indian and Arabic) with the only difference being that the C# is regarded as re(komal) or a Db if there was such a thing.. The only other sharp note is the F, which is the ma teevra in Indian Classical music, the only teevra note.. The purpose of the chords is perhaps to give the artist more freedom in terms of the notes.. In Indian Classical vocals, the singer sings accompanied by a harmonium or sitar which basically holds down on one or two notes.. a chord.. Coming back to Rahman.. The reggae rhythms in Dil Hai Chhota Sa.. used chords of course, because a rhythm on a keyboard is achieved by setting a beat to a chord and switching the chord around.. The best example of this is Oh Bhavre.. where Rahman uses a chord at the beginning of the song, and switches it in the lines "Apne hi dhun mein chale hain".. Hopefully you get the idea.. In case of songs that are more classic, the chords aren't used (in the Western Classical way), or if used, are greatly suppressed to give more significance to the voice.. A golden example is Kehna Hi Kya (which in my opinion is Rahman's best song) in which he uses very simple notes for the bass.. Kehna hi kya (holds down to the A note) ke nain ek An- (switches to F) jaan se (switches to Ab) jo mile (switches to E) and so on.. I really want to know what accoustic instrument is used at the end of the first verse that is played very fast.. faster than in Ramta Jogi (different instruments of course).. Similar techniques are used in Jiya Jale but chords are used in that song.. As for songs being symmetric, I think Mozart and Beethoven's pieces are pretty symmetric, although I doubt that computers were present at the time (this is a joke, I am not thaaaat ignorant).. If computers are used, they are used to combine different tones from different keyboards and instruments.. and as for rhythms, most are available on the Korg keyboards and they better be symmetric.. but comeon mistakes happen all the time.. In Ramta Jogi, in the verses, when Sukhwinder sings Saari Madhushaala pi aaya (or some thing along those lines) and switches some of the notes, there is a clear mismatch between the chord and the notes.. In the Tu Hi Mera Dil title song, the singer is completely off scale in the first verse.. Hariharan makes many mistakes in his songs.. In Tauba Tauba, in the first verse he makes many mistakes, and the tabla and the voice are a clear mismatch.. At one point, Rahman songs used to be perfect, beyond the reach of the common people's criticisms, but now he puts his music within the reach of the masses.. he is still in a league of his own, but he makes too many public appearances I guess.. Or perhaps it is just us who scrutinize his work. He needs to hide away for some time and come back with a surprise.. another Roja or Bombay.. or Dil Se.. whenever you hear Rahman's music in a Maniratnam movie, dont you feel that all those albums that were done between Iruvar and Dil Se.. or Bombay and Iruvar werent even by him? The music was excellent in Priyanka as well.. Maniratnam's presence again.. And Thiruda Thiruda is an album which Rahman or anyone else can EVER replicate.. It is simply out of this world.. SORRY FOR EXCESSIVELY LONG MAIL Ranojoy
