eThics...

nOw that I am a little amazed by a confusing show (another one, as some say) by the famous Indian music composing pair (Vishal Shekhar, that is), I sit down writing the following blah.
mOst of the people, who went through my last Facebook status message, couldn't get the feel behind it. And that is what the reason behind my posting this entry is.

tHis has nothing to do with the Department dealing with organizing this particular show during our college's cultural fest. Those people, probably, had no idea as to what would happen once the duo and their band was on stage.

bUt what delivers me a hard shock, is looking at people's responses, even after they realize that they are cheated by the trusted musicians. They throw facial expressions saying, "So what! We had a lot of fun! Is that not all that was wanted!"
I get you, people! But, are you, seriously, not moved by the fact that you were damn cheated?!

iF dancing and singing along was all that your soul needed, don't you think there were better options than paying a sum of Rs. 750 (I'm sorry, I couldn't find the new sign for our currency :P)? Don't you think that Sonic Stampede (the war of DJ's) was the same product for no price? In short, we all payed 15 Lacs for just having a go through Vishal-Shekhar's and their band members' real faces.

a lIttle light on what was happening---

1. There were pre-recorded tracks played (as some say, on an i-pod), and the duo was singing along with the recorded vocals. Not all the times was this the scenario (as in the Jhankar Beats song), but most of the times, it was. 
2. The moments they sang on their own, were the moments they screwed it up badly (not to forget the beautiful song of Dil Haara).
3. Warren Mendosa, the well-known Zero guitarist, was playing something that was not reaching the audience's ears.
4. The drummer proved to be a great actor, except for the fact that he played stuff that never existed in the then-played song.
5. Vishal's mic went off, just for a series of seconds, that Shekhar looked at him. It was just for one line that it happened. Vishal made a brilliant come-back, and nobody could notice the transition of sounds of voices of the on-stage singer and the off-stage one :P.
6. Shekhar played high Piano notes with his hands on the lower side of the keyboard. And when he realized that the difficult part was over, he resumed with playing the audible chords of the song.  

nOw that all is past---

yEah, we can do nothing about it now. But, the followings things are crystal clear---

• There is a difference between a composer and a stage performer. Not all, who compose well, can be equally good in front of dancing lots of people.
• Audience is easy to make a fool of. All depends on how ethical you want yourself to be. It is like you have the dagger in your hand; but the murder on your will.
• If people have a belief in you, don't let them down. They're hurt if you're caught. (And this reminds me of the time when I was extremely excited about Vishal-Shekhar coming to the village).

I admit that I, myself, am not a very great performer. But at least, my throat (or stomach :P) leaves the same sound that is amplified by the not-as-good-amplifiers-as-in-Prof Shows amplifiers, and that reaches the innocent people's senses.

I respect the bad but genuine performers after this, for they try.

hAve nice days... :)

<bad onstage>

nIshant Sharma 

jUst a soul, it requires...

"cAn a deaf, seriously, be a drummer?" this is the question I asked myself, as I went through an article on Shawn Dale Barnett, and was about to go through his biography.

tHe man, as stated by himself, has the ''natural rhythm''. He just goes by the feeling the drum vibrations in a way or another.

hE was born deaf, and his arms had a lot of tumors, that weakened them. Still, that could not prevent his playing with two drumsticks and a drum-kit. He, presently, runs school for teaching the deaf as to how can one understand and reproduce the vibrations and rhythms of music. In all, he is the biggest example for those who can't hear but sense.

nOw what goes on in my brain---

hEre stands the biggest question in my mind- "Do I actually need a pair of ears to 'receive' music?"

aNd my soul says, "No!" Now, you might be thinking as to how is it justified.

tHe justification is as follows---

There are two possibilities- 1. You are born with music; 2. You are not.

1. You are born musician-- In such a case, those who say you can't grasp music, are shit-speakers. If you go by what they say, you are wasting yourself. Because, music has nothing to do with the two all-cartilage organs on the two sides of your face. Close your eyes and there's it. You are into a music piece.
   Touch a vibrating drum skin, and you get what emotion it produces. Just sit and let somebody hit a drum bass; you get the 'bass'ic sense. Just follow it, and you are a musician. You don't have the power of listening to extremely small vibration waves. So what? You have got the inner ''thing'' that is all of a requirement for having an ''ear'' for it.
2. You are not a musician-- There is no possibility that you can listen to a piece. You can still close your eyes and get ''into'' that piece; but that you can't reproduce it, is inevitable. You can still cry, while virtually listening to a sad tone (only if you know that it exists). You have the same emotions as a deaf musician has, but you can't express it. You can still touch a drum skin and feel it; just that you can't tell, by beating a skin, whether you are happy or you are not.

bUt one thing is for sure- ''You have no ability of not-being-able to taste music. You are born with internal sensors. Use them well. Lie on your bed some day, and close your eyes, try minimizing the intensity of light in your room. You are not listening to the sweet flute; but it still rings. You were happy today; and happiness it shows. If you were down today; depression it carries. And feel the external organs on both the places. Have they not slept long before? :)"

tHis was also the case with Beethoven (the God of classical music).

sOmeone once said to him, "Your deafness has a lot supported the fact that you have been original. History says that biggest of the genius can't keep themselves from copying while listening to pre-existing good pieces of music. But, you can't possibly listen to them."

nOw, in response to this, Beethoven said something that is not known, and of which, most of the historians are not sure.

aNd that it is not known, helps my point get stronger. I sincerely hope he agreed to the point raised by the man  (who used to be his nephew). And I win then. :D

hAve nice days :)

<deaf>

nIshant Sharma 

sAch keh raha hai deewana...

gRand echo, the mesmerizing voice of Kay Kay, and a harmonizing vocalist; and begins the song from Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein. It is called (the title of the article).

After this ''harmonic'' start, it stops for seconds, and enters the percussion along with the Sitar piece. And with a roll on keys, appears Mr. Krishnakanth again (KK, that is). The first stanza is full with good vocals, soulful keys, terrific beats, claps, and a damn good bass. The man is describing his pain, as his beloved betrays him (but, my work, here, is not to have a say on the lyrics of a song).

As the first stanza ends, an overlapping flute piece takes over, in a Rahmani style. And I am serious when I say that it sounds very AR Rahman'istic. The notes' loops are in the same way. But, the song doesn't belong to Mr. Academy Award; it does so to an ex-partner of his. Harris Jayaraj, the composer of this elegant song, used to program scores and percussion, and play keyboard for Rahman. After assisting him, and many other Tamil composers, Jayaraj went on composing Tamil songs for himself. He has got National Awards for Tamil songs. But by now, he has just two Hindi movies' musics to his credit, of which, RHTDM's is the only one, with which most of us are familiar.

Getting back to the song-in-the-limelight, as the loops end, the Sitar re-enters, with a high flute-note fading out. The second stanza takes off with a sootheing keys' backing. The lyrics are, still, saying the same story.

As the second verse ends, there's that Opera style chorus of female singers. Abruptly halts this part, and a ticking sound gives way to the softer vocalists. A piano takes us to the stanza number 2. The same-way-backing exists, this time with an added piano (and as we all do know, Piano rocks!). As the stanza dies, vocal harmonists show their mettle (might be a wrong word, but still...my way, you see :)) by giving a totally new feel to the song. There is nothing very special about the climax of the song, except for the same keys' roll, as was in the beginning.

cOnclusion---

Harris Jayaraj has created a song that has everything that a hurt lover requires to depress himself; on both the lyrical and musical parts. So, if you have had a bad love life, don't go through this song, as you might waste a lot of your time after listening to this :P.

hAve nice days :)
(not hurt ;) )
nIshant Sharma

tHe piano theme...

a pLain start on piano, another one in a typically 'Rahmani' manner; and begins the small piece called Piano Theme (1947 The Earth).

tHe music has, to many, not a lot to say; but to the remaining lot, it speaks a hell lot more than a heavy bunch of instruments played. It merely consists of a flute and a piano; and both are exceptionally well 'used'. I, seriously, don't have words to describe the feeling you develop (mentally) while you are listening to it at 1:30 in the night; when you realize that the crickets are singing on the harmonic scale of the 'spotlight'ed song.
tHe piece has three things adding to its elegance-
 
1) As I mentioned in the very begining, a cold take-off with some notes played. Although the same piece is played for the rest of the instrumental, it does not bore the listener to any extent, courtesy the variations the song has.

2) The song comes to a halt (a really small one; 2 seconds, i guess), and enters the handsome instrument of flute. The flute, technically speaking, has added nothing on the musical notes' part; but it adds, to your heart, the intensive feeling that a change is required badly (though it might not be :P).

3) It ends with a set of notes that gives you a feel that the stuff is left incomplete, which actually is not the matter. It was created that way. It was, as I presume, ''built'' to ''musicify'' the emptiness of the atmosphere. It sort of started with the continuity (the three dots, you see) and ended with the same continuity.

sO, the Piano Theme is a link between the two consecutive times, when you are not blank. In case you have never gone through it, do listen to this Rahman workpiece. It might depress your depressing feelings when required...

tHe power of music, you see..
hAve nice days :)

nIshant Sharma