I feel the best part of bollywood is the music. We have seen stalwarts like Shankar Jaikishan, R.D.Burman and others who have popularised music and have made a lasting change in everyone's lives. A sad song makes the masses sad and a happy one makes them happy.
It must be interesting to know that R.D.Burman was called "Panchamda" because most of his songs began from "Pa", the fifth note. Consider "Sun sun sun didi tere liye","Lakdi ki kaati","Gum hai kisi ke pyaar mein" etc. All beginning from "Pa". Interesting isn't it?
Well, I have discovered that most of Shankar Jaikishan numbers begin from "Sa". Consider "Awaara hoon","Kisi ke muskurahaton pe ho nisaar","Sajan re jhoot mat bolo".
This blog is about interesting bollywood music news and titbits. Roll up your sleeves and share your viewpoint and observation on bollywood music.
Some quiz competitions play a film song and ask the participants to identify the raag.
ReplyDeleteOne method for identifying the raag would be to identify the beats.
Raag Pahadi, Raag Bhairavi and Raag Kalyan have different beats.
The above three raags are the most inspiring ones for bollywood music directors.
The Bollywood music flag is kept high by music directors of today.
ReplyDeleteVishal-Shekhar uses high electronic sounds, high sound mixing and low orchestra.
Pritam uses electronic organs and is low in orchestra. The vocal is more prominent in his music.
Salim-Sulaiman are more of orchestra type and low sound mixing.
Shantanu Moitra tries to keep the bollywood flag flying by making a more traditional approach.
Comments earlier made in Eminent Jains - Kalyanji-Anandji
ReplyDeleteKalyanji-Anandji are really one of the greatest music directors of bollywood.
I find their songs having this characteristic."Line of song";Music;"Line of song"
Consider these
"Arre Diwano";Music;"Mujhe Pehchano"
"Apni to jaise taise";Music;"Koi aise ya waise"
"Tujhpe qurbaan meri jaan";Music;"Mera dil mera imaan"
Even their older numbers have this characteristic though subtly.
I am a big fan of theirs. In fact I love film music absolutely . . .
Comments made in Politics to Fashion - Laxmikant Pyarelal
ReplyDeleteLaxmikant Pyarelal have a wide range of styles of music and they have demonstrated it. Karz had a style of its own. Hero too. And so was Ek duuje ke liye.
One characteristic that they had was that the first line of Antara of their song ended in "Sa Re".
"My name is Anthony Gonsalves". "salves" is "Sa Re".
"Saajh dale gagan thale". "thale" is "Sa Re".
"Chal chal chal mere haathi"."haathi" is "Sa Re".
The duo shall be remembered for their sheer stamina and quality of music they made.
Bollywood music zindabad . . .
Indian music concentrates more on sur or tune, unlike western music.
ReplyDeleteWestern music stresses equally on all aspects of music like rhythm, beats and song.
To appreciate Indian music one must know the mood and listen to the type of song that suits one.
Western music is more of timing and the overall effect the words of the song, beats and the rhythm brings about.
Fusion music is a very interesting area in Indian music scene.
ReplyDeleteIt tries to combine Indian music with western music and also allows musicians to experiment.
My favourite is Rahul Sharma. Very well balanced.
Bollywood music has not used chorus much. I have heard chorus only in doordarshan.
ReplyDeleteChorus makes music out of differences.
Three more examples of Kalyanji Anandji style.
ReplyDelete"Rafta rafta dekho aankh meri ladi hai";Music;"Aankh . . ."
"Yaari hai imaan mera yaar meri zindagi";music;"Yaar . . ."
"Jo tumkho ho pasand wahi baat karenge";Music;"Tum ..."
Three more examples of Laxmikant Pyarelal style.
"Dafli wale dafli baja." ends in "Sa Re"
"Lambuji, lambuji bolo Tinguji" ends in "Sa Re"
"So gaya yeh jahan" ends in "Sa Re"
O P Nayyar can be identified by the simple beats of his compositions.
ReplyDeleteIn the comments for Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the notes should be "Sa Re", because it ends with the "lowest frequency second lowest frequency" for the whole sthahi of the song. "Salves" has to be "Sa Re", being in the lowest category of frequency.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie "Mausam", Madan Mohan composed two different tunes to same lyrics. "Dil dhoondta hai" was sung by Bhupinder alone(sad)and in the second instance by Bhupinder and Lataji. Probably the only instance I can recall.
ReplyDeleteOf course slowing the tempo of a happy song and making it sad is common.
In the movie "Paa", Ilayaraja composed "Mudi mudi"(2 songs, 1 male and another female), "Udi udi". These three songs had same/similar lyrics, same tune for songs. But different background music. Also probably the only such instance.
ReplyDeleteConsider the song/s "Ek Do Teen" by Laxmikant Pyarelal for "Tezaab".
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful song/s for three reasons.
1. Song/s was/were popular.
2. Two versions with same/similar lyrics, same tune but different background scores.
3. The duo geniuses composed to simple lyrics like hindi names for numbers.
I shall write more on composition to lyrics and other such points.
In this topic of same lyrics but different tunes, Hanuman Chalisa, Vande Mataram have been composed by many artistes. I have heard Hanuman Chalisa by Hari Om Sharan and also by Anoop Jalota. Both of them have different tunes. Also Vande Mataram has many compositions.
ReplyDeleteLet's come back to bollywood. In the movie "Gharonda", we had songs "Do diwane shahr mein" and "Ek akela is shehr mein" composed by Jaidev. These songs had similar lyrics but different tunes.
"The hero plays the character of a south Indian and is trying to impress the heroine, a north Indian. The only words the hero knows are names of Hindi movies. I want a song based on this situation". K Balachander must have told Laxmikant Pyarelal thus.
ReplyDeleteAnd then emerged "Mere Jeevan Saathi". A brilliant song. A perfect song.
A tough task brilliantly executed. Aptly assisted by musicians. Truly a gem . . .
Beethoven's 19th century symphony composition technique blatantly copied by 21st century bollywood music directors.
ReplyDeleteBeethoven's technique was
Same notes
Different notes 1
Same notes
Different notes 2
This technique is copied by all the music directors of today.
Pee loon
tere neelay neelay nainon se shabnam
Pee loon
tere geelay geelay hoto ki sargam
Pee loon
hai peenay ka mausam
and
Naina lageeyan baarishan
Te sukke sukke sapne vi pijj gaye
Naina lageeyan baarishan
Rove palkan de kone vich neendh meri
Naina laggeyan baarishan
Hanju digde ne chot lage dil te
Naina laggeyan baarishan
Rut birha de badlan di chaa gayi
There are so many songs composed using this technique. Most are not so obvious because the same notes part have different lyrics.
My music skills bio-data
ReplyDeleteTalent: can play beats and sing both at the same time. can do for 3 beats. Skill level:high
Singing: SPB songs. Skill level:medium
Casio: Skill level:average
Part time formal training for 2 years.
Interested only in the 3rd from last name of film titles. (Music Director!)
Tune Bank - Possibly a cassette or CD of tunes
ReplyDeleteSD Burman taught RD Burman composing skills and asked him to compose 5-6 tunes everyday.
RD Burman continued this trend and made a tune bank later in his life.
The fact that tune bank exists is confirmed. Though of Madan Mohan's. "Veer Zaara" had compositions from the tune bank of Madan Mohan.
During my schooldays, I was a big fan of RD Burman and enjoyed listening to all Hindi songs.
ReplyDeleteBut then I went to Coimbatore,Tamil Nadu for my engineering and found it difficult as listening to Hindi songs was difficult. The technology was also not so advanced and copying songs were difficult. But it was a blessing. Because in a few months time I began to like Ilayaraja songs and became a big fan of him.
Recently listened to KennyG and Rahul Sharma album "Namaste India". Excellent music. Worth downloading from Net.
ReplyDeleteRead in the newspaper that Alisha Chinai and Vishal Dadlani are having war of words. Sad for music lovers. It would have been exciting to hear Alisha singing to Vishal's music.
If some of the youngsters want to listen to older music of 60s,70s,80s and 90s then how should they select which song?
ReplyDeleteI feel music directors are inspired the most by the producers and directors. Good producer/director insist on good songs and some of the big banners have good songs. So blindly listen to songs of films by Raj Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt, Subhash Ghai, Yash Chopra and others. The songs will be good.
Come Sunday and at 12:00 noon on RadioCity is the interview by Amin Sayani of famous Bollywood music industry stalwarts. Thanks to Amin Sayani for this most outstanding program.
ReplyDeleteI listened to interviews of Rajesh Roshan, Shamshad begum, Pyarelal and today to Yogesh( lyricist associated with Salil Chowdhury, S D Burman and others).
What strikes me is the personality of all the big music bosses. So much down to earth and so much talent.
Some audio CDs you can buy because all the songs are good and I am sure it will appeal to all the age groups.
ReplyDelete1. Bobby Laxmikant-Pyarelal
2. Ghar R.D.Burman
3. Teesri Kasam Shankar-Jaikishen
4. Bhajans Hari Om Sharan
Please add some more . . .
Some more audio CDs you may buy
ReplyDelete5. Don Kalyanji Anandji
6. Gharonda Jaidev
7. Pudhu pudhu arthangal Ilayaraja(Tamil)
Many of us, especially the older generation are aware of Kishore Kumar, Rafi and others. Play a modern song and ask them to identify the singer and they will be clean bowled. The problem is mainly due to the present radio jockeys who do not announce the artists nowadays.
ReplyDeleteListen to Mohit Chauhan, Sonu Nigam, KK among male singers and Mahalaxmi Iyer, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal among female singers. They are some of the singers I can recognize by their voices. Maybe you can add more to this list.
The song "Ik Junoon(Paint it red)" kept playing in my mind. I did not see Zindagi Mile Na Dubaara full. I saw parts of it when my kids were watching.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard it in radio, I was able to recognise Vishal Dadlani's voice. And I thought he has sung for his own music direction.
I was amazed to see that though the singer is Vishal Dadlani but the music is by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. It came as a surprise!
I rate "Pal pal dil ke paas" as the best Hindi film song.
ReplyDeleteThe above song touches all the seven notes as far as my sargam goes.
ReplyDeleteThen it also has a Bach effect(Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer).
I guess comments on composition is not liked by North, East and West Indians.
ReplyDeleteI am sure such blogs will be a hit in South India.
NO COMPLAINTS !!
The song "Why this Kolaveri,Di" is the recent rage. It is not only popular in Tamil Nadu, but was played in Delhi FM stations too.
ReplyDeleteThe song is in Tanglish (Tamil + English). It is an extremely simple song and has a very casual feel to it.
Probably Shankar-Jaikishen were the most adored music directors in bollywood history.
ReplyDeleteOne will not be wrong if one says Shankar Jaikishen is to bollywood music what Rajesh Khanna was to bollywood screen.
A few words meaning explained in "Why this Kolaveri di?" song.
ReplyDeleteKolaveri - kola + veri - murder + rage
Mama - Elder friend
Apadiye - Right now
Eduththukko - take it
Bavvu - Up yours
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is a great singer. This is the least one can say.
ReplyDeleteHe has sung "Teri Meri" in two pitches. Shreya Ghoshal on her part maintained her composure and gave a great contribution to the song.
A good song overall. Not much to write about the simple lyrics. But a memorable one for the singers.
Pritam and Vishal-Sekhar have established themselves in the bollywood music at par with legends. They have proved their mettle at every opportunity.
ReplyDeleteA R Rehman was a bit dissappointing in Rockstar. Should have done "masala" rock.
Punjabi songs are a rage here in Delhi and you bet they are damn good.
Why this Kolaveri Di is also liked by Delhi. Most of Delhiites know the Surangini song and songs with similar beats will get popular.
(I have stayed in east India, south India, central India and north India for considerable number of years)
The worst thing a blogger on music has to face is eat his own words.
ReplyDeleteA R Rehman has done well in Rockstar. The songs are good.
The song Tum Ho is good in Rockstar. The music pieces Tango for Taj and Dichotomy of fame are good.
ReplyDeleteThe comments on swars are all wrong. Errors are regretted.
ReplyDeleteIt might be that most of R D Burman's composition were in G major chord. And most of Shankar-Jaikishan composition were in C major chord.
ReplyDeleteAnd the first line of some of Laxmikant Pyarelal songs ended in the lowest category frequencies.
Bappi da gave the music for "ooh Laila" from "The Dirty Picture".
ReplyDeleteIt was such a wonderful feeling when I heard this song for the first time in radio. It was obviously Bappi da. Bappi da I respect music of other music directors. But I love the music of yours.
One of the most intriguing point is "Kahan se aaye bhadra" of "Chashme Baddoor". The male singer is Jesudas. And the female singer?
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing in an interview that the female voice was given by Raj Kamal (music director). Is it true? Shall google for correct answer.
The female singer was Hemanti Shukla.
ReplyDeleteMust be Raj Kamal showing his prowess as a female singer in that interview.
Some superlatives in bollywood music.
ReplyDeleteMost successful comeback - Anu Malik in Baazigar
Most unsuccessful attempt at comeback - R D Burman in 1942 A Love Story
Most successful experimentation - Laxmikant Pyarelal in Karz
You may add some more . . .
Most outstanding beginning by a music director - Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy with Dil Chahta hai
ReplyDeleteA difficult song easily rendered - Udit Narayan sung "Woh taara" in Swadesh so well
Most outstanding disco/pop music - Bappi Lahiri for Disco Dancer
Most number of musical hits by a banner - Yash Chopra banner.
ReplyDeleteMost successful classical music adaptation - Laxmikant Pyarelal in Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Most successful background music director - A R Rehman.
Most regarded music director of bollywood - Shiv-Hari
ReplyDeleteSomewhat least regarded music director of bollywood - Anand-Milind
Saddest moment in bollywood music - Death of Mohammed Rafi
ReplyDeleteHappiest moment in bollywood music - Birth of Rahul (R D Burman)
The Sound of Music is such a good musical movie.
ReplyDeleteForeign musicians have more knowledge than Indian musicians. Even Indian classical musicians.
Indian musicians keep stay put in beauty of raag. Foreign musicians use time very well and are balanced.
This is my personal opinion.
Identifying Khaiyyam
ReplyDeleteKhaiyyam is a very famous music director of bollywood. He was, if my memory serves me right, was in military. He took to composition later.
He had a style of his own. His songs had highest number of matras of taal.(Do not ask me how I can say that. Just observe whether it is true and you may give feedback.)
Consider "Aaja Re O mere dilbar"
"Aye Dil-e-nadaan"
"Dikhai diye yun"
All the above has many matras in a jhap.
One line for one song.
ReplyDeleteBadi sooni sooni hai. S D Burman's last song before being hospitalised and dying.
Jab chaha yaara tumne. A gem from R D Burman, undescribable, unique.
Mehbooba mehbooba. A classical cabaret number sung by RD Burman.
ReplyDeleteJiska mujhe tha intezaar. A Kalyanji Anandji song sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
Saawan ko aane do. Rajshri and Raj Kamal gives a folk for all you folks.
ReplyDeleteSunainaa, sunainaa. Love is blind and you can feel it !!
O mere Sona Re Sona re. R D Burman took the challenge of Shankar Jaikishen/Shammi Kapoor combo.
ReplyDeleteMere Sajan hai us paar. S D Burman's voice reminding one that looks/voice and talent are unrelated !
Bollywood music was used as advertising for lot of sites. I welcome comments to get your attention too.
ReplyDeleteOne line for one song . . contd..
ReplyDeleteSona kare kaise. The best rain song, beats all rainy raags.
Mard Taange wala. Anu Malik song for Manmohan Desai's Mard.
Quiz competitions generally had an audio round. And in that round they will play an audio clip and ask to identify raag, identify music director of film song, identify composer of western classical piece.
ReplyDeleteI do not know whether we have such quiz contests in TV nowadays. The latest I saw was Bournvita Quiz contest by Derek O' Brien.
My blog in bollywood music is to help men prepare for such quizzes. It is like condensed Malayala Manorama of music helping men with film music, raag and even western classical.
One line for one song. . contd. .
ReplyDeleteJadoo Teri Nazar.
Wondering why no comments? Can't comment on work of masters !!
O Mera dil tha tera. Special one from Anu Malik topping the chartbusters.
Tere chehre se. One of the many Kishore Lata song but one so different.
ReplyDeleteJadoo hai nasha hai. A fine number by a new comer MMKreem.
I did not know who M M Kreem is. Hey, he his Maragadha Mani. Heard his name while in south.
ReplyDeleteMere Hathon mein.
ReplyDeleteNeed a paragraph. My masters.
Is there a better marriage song? Can there be? Absolutely the best marriage song. Lata ji at her best.
In hindustani music, Taan is a stage of singing when vowels are rendered at a fast tempo by the artist. Sometimes the artist may utter the notes from sargam. There is 100% chance that instead of Sa the artist may sing Re. It is so fast that mistakes are 100% likely. Also people ask whose sargam?
ReplyDeleteThese are the reason why western musicians have a dislike for our music.
One line for one song . . . . contd . . .
ReplyDeleteTu mera Hero. I am talking of the hit from Desi Boyz not the old Hero song.
Jaanu meri jaan. An attempt by RD Burman to recreate Koi haseena jab of Sholay.
O Maria O Maria. R D Burman song for fishermen in Saagar.
ReplyDeleteDil ki yeh aarzoo. Mahendra Kapoor's voice for the music of Ravi.
Dafli waale dafli bajaa. A good song, good support from musicians, good use of taal.
ReplyDeleteLadki badi anjaani hai. The best ever dance, happy love song by Jatin-Lalit.
Music composition is difficult. Lyrics writing is easy. Normally, music director instructs lyricist and ask him to write lyrics in a particular way.
ReplyDeleteYoutube videos on Ilayaraja-Vali composition sittings are available. You may watch it if you want.
Music arrangement is very difficult task. I bow my head to music arranger technicians.
Kyon chalti hai pawan? A masterly song from a music director with difference,Rajesh Roshan(uncle of Hrithik Roshan).
ReplyDeleteAaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera. RD Burman outperformed Shankar-Jaikishen in every way musically and in popularity.
This is the 70th comment. 7 swars into 10 thaats. Lucky!!
ReplyDeleteTo identify raags you must identify tempo and draw a line on the alphabet which separates. Consider two songs. If both the songs have similar pattern then their raags are same.
We have read that Shankar-Jaikishen would compose on Raag Bhairavi. Let us assume that "Sajan re jhoot mat bolo" is in Bhairavi.
Using above method, the song is
Sajan Re Jhoot mat bolo. Sajan Re is slow tempo. Mat Bolo is fast tempo. So this how Bhairavi is.
Now consider "Aisa Pyaar Baha De Mayya" of Hari Om Sharan.
This song is
Aisa Pyaar Baha De Mayya. Aisa Pyaar Baha De is slow tempo. Mayya is fast tempo.
If you look at the pattern the tempo becomes fast at the end of a line.
So Aisa Pyaar Baha De Mayya is also Bhairavi.
Consider the following two songs.
ReplyDeleteThey have been marked for change in tempo.
Tere Mere Hothon Pe and
Dekha Ek Khaab Tho Yeh Silsile Hue
The tempo patterns are similar. I guess both of them
are Raag Pahadi.
Dil Chahta hai. A fine song from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
ReplyDeleteGhazab ka hai din. A fine song from Anand Milind for QSQT.
One line for one song. . . . . .
ReplyDeleteAapke pyaar mein. A haunted love song from Nadeem Shravan.
Jism se rooh tak. Another haunted love song but this one by a newcomer, Chirantan Bhatt.
Aaj din chaddaya, a Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song.
ReplyDeleteAasman se aur shayad, a Shankar Mahadevan song.
A person sings a song to express himself or as a profession. Both are acceptable.
ReplyDeleteBollywood music has a history of professional music. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is easily defeated by professional approach to music. Still, I would say "Teek Taak gatha hai par film music cheez hi kuch aur hai".
Choo kar mere mann ko, a Rajesh Roshan song for Yaarana.
ReplyDeleteChodd do aanchal zamaana kya kahega, Kishore classic of yesteryears.
Jaikishen's statue is in Gujarat. That is the amount of respect people have for music directors.
ReplyDeleteShankar Mahadevan has sung Breathless so well.
ReplyDeleteI remember SPB's breathless attempt in the song "Mannil Indha Kaadal". South India is breathless crazy till death. So to say.
Justin Bieber is a child wonder. So much of talent in such a young chap. Excellent songs.
ReplyDeleteOne line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteYaara Sili Sili, a Lata Mangeshkar and Hridyanath Mangeshkar song for Gulzar's Lekin.
Dil Hum Hum Kare, Bhupen Hazarika the Assamese legend gracing bollywood.
Some songs are played more often in Delhi Red FM (my default radio station) than others.
ReplyDeleteTere Bin by Sonu Nigam for Pritam is one. Uff Teri Ada by Shankar Mahadevan for their own music is another. There are so many others. These songs are good and have contributed to the growth of Bollywood music. The post 2000 phase has been very good for Bollywood music.
Red FM is good because it highlights the post 2000 era only.
But now of course Big FM is capturing the attention of audiences by playing 70s-80s-90s songs. It has got back the audiences of Delhi.
Sa - Pa - Sa are natural frequencies. This is because a person has a natural tendency to find the mid point when the boundaries are known. So Sa (the starting point), Pa(the middle point) and Sa (the end point) are natural frequencies.
ReplyDeleteEven today, I am happy that I made the comment on Shankar Jaikishan. I stand by in what I blogged. I am like a Rajput who stands by his word even with a enemy.
Identifying Ravindra Jain
ReplyDeleteIf the female singer is Hemalata the music director is Ravindra Jain.
Consider,
"Tu jo mere sur mein",
"Aksar mera mann kehta hai"
The above are accompanied by Hemlata. Hence Ravindra Jain is the music director.
I consider the above comment on Ravindra Jain to be fairly accurate though covers a less range of songs.
ReplyDeleteIf a quiz master plays a song according to the above logics and asks to identify the music director, I am sure you will score high marks.
One line for one song. . . . . contd.
ReplyDeleteRoop tera aisa darpan. An extremely beautiful song, so different, so rhythmic from O P Nayyar sung by Kishore Kumar.
Zindagi, zindagi, zindagi. A hatke song from a less known music director, Ajit Verman.
One line for one song. . . .
ReplyDeletePallo Latke. A Rajasthani folk type song from the movie Naukar.
O Sheronwali. A Gujarati dandiya type song from the movie Suhaag.
Life is worthless for an Indian music lover without knowing about one song completely.
ReplyDeleteI would like to learn about the song "Kesaria Balmaa Padharo Mharo Des" in this lifetime.
It is a Rajasthani folk song. It is a classical song. It is the spirit of Rajasthan. It outlines the slogan of Rajasthan Tourism "Padharo Mharo Des". It is in Raag Maand. It is an afternoon raag.
Many Hindi movies have adopted this song.
Pyarelalji is coming to Delhi and performing here with 50 piece orchestra on 10th August.
ReplyDeleteBought the ticket.
The Pyarelalji concert was excellent. Javed Ali sang very well. Soft like Rafi saab. But strong. Pyarelalji has become old and was moving his hands up and down.
ReplyDeleteI sat in the hall vicariously playing dafli in the orchestra. I played well. And at the end of the show, Tata on behalf of all the sponsors gave Rs.100 to each of the orchestra players. I was given Rs.65.
I vicariously consoled myself as to why Tata gave me Rs.65. Some of the thoughts that I went through are:-
ReplyDelete1) Tata is an astute businessman.
2) Though I had deep regard for Pyarelalji respect alone does not matter.
3) Though my understanding is accurate, my volume is less.
4) Timing issue. Hindu thaat or 12 time or muslim zero.
I thought Tata, you and the deepest thought in you (the deepest ever) are very business like.
I remember seeing a comment on the song "Yaari hai imaan mera yaar meri zindagi" from the film Zanjeer.
ReplyDeleteThe comment was something like "A song with two different taals".
It seemed to be a great comment.
I have composed a song on the names of music directors.
ReplyDeleteIllayaraja
Sa Sa Re Sa Ma Ma Ma
Laxmikant Pyarelal
Sa Sa Re Sa Ga Ga Ga
Kalyanji Anandji
Sa Sa Re Sa Ni Ni Ni
R D Burman
Sa Sa Re Sa Dha
Theoretically music arrangement is harmony. It is a western concept.
ReplyDeleteIn digital world, you do not need to know any instrument. Composing technique is enough.
Chance to new singers.
ReplyDeleteAnuradha Paudwal was given a break by Nadeem Shravan(Incidentally, Pyarelal family arranges music for Nadeem Shravan).
Vani Jayaram was given a break by S D Burman.
Two music directors make harmony.
ReplyDeleteOne line for one song.
ReplyDeleteHaari baazi ko jeetna hume aata hai. A Jatin-Lalit song for Mansoor Khan's Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar.
Raja ko raani se pyaar ho gaya. An Anu Malik song for Mansoor Khan's Akele Hum Akele Tum.
One of the most amazing quality of Ilayaraja was that one never realises that he had many tracks of music.
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciated his folk based tunes, he was also composing Rajnikanth songs.
Another point is the musicians seemed to have excellent coordination. Not just the music per se but also which instrument with which instrument. This is amazing.
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteHar Haseen Cheez Ka. Kishore Kumar put a lot of effort for this Ravindra Jain's number.
Ik Baat Kahoon Agar Maano Tum. Lata Mangeshkar was so much at ease that she laughed innocently in this R D Burman's number.
Vishwaroop.
ReplyDeleteThis is the new movie by Kamalahaasan. I did not know that this is a multi-language movie. When I came to know that it is being made in many languages then I became curious as to who will be the music director.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy it is. A wise choice. Kamalahaasan is a big guy on all aspects of film. And music too. SEL have a wide appeal and over the years have managed to create their own style. But at the same time the three individuals make their own mark in their songs.
In Vishwaroop, SEL have maintained their style. They seem to be confident and are not deterred by the size of the project.
The song Vishwaroop has a strong presence of Shankar. Jung Hai has the influence of Loy. And Shankar seemed to have blended well with the Kamalahaasan song Main Radha Tu Shaam.
Nokia's "Slow Coffee" tune reminds of Ilayaraja.
ReplyDeleteThe flyTe free offer was exciting. I came to know about it from www.realityviews.blogspot.com. Thanks. FlipkarT made it more exciting by changing the free albums every day.
ReplyDeleteI downloaded Ilayaraja, Bach, Mozart and Kraftwerk(those that are difficult to get in Delhi).
Downloader is a professional way to download things. Believe me, I always believed that Downloaders are friendly necessity(after C# desktop applications) and its utility was realised fully while using fLipkart free music.
A R Rehman beats everyone. In parliament he has sung Vande Mataram. A song which is prewritten. A song already composed in a film. He has changed tune and sang in parliament.
ReplyDeleteNokia Music is doing a lot of good by allowing music downloads from their site at a very nominal cost. My Nokia-Windows phone has Nokia Music app.
ReplyDeleteBut there are a few mistakes in their sites. One of them was a carnatic violin album was called as Maharajapuram Santhanam album. Sri Santhanam is a vocalist.
Identifying S D Burman
ReplyDeleteS D Burman is one of the most famous music directors. He was a popular music director during 1950s, 60s and was father of R D Burman.
If you say "Turu Rak" at the end of a line of a song and if it feels rhythmic, then the music director is S D Burman.
Consider,
"Jaane Kya tune Kahi",
"Waqt ne Kiya",
"Dukhi Man Mere". All these songs feels rhythmic when you say "Turu Rak" at the end of a line of a song. Therefore the music director is S D Burman.
Laxmikant-Pyarelal can be identified by the use of dhol in their songs.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, Rajesh Roshan can be identified by the use of congo in his songs.
The above may be for identifying Rajesh Roshan.
Identifying Jatin-Lalit
ReplyDeleteThe rules said for R D Burman is more or less true for Jatin Lalit. The G chord base.
It makes me wonder why Anand-Milind had to copy Ilayaraja. They completely ruined their talent. They seemed to be fresh. Different. Popular too. I guess disharmony between the brothers.
ReplyDeleteAnu Malik that way was lucky. Being a lone music director he did not get affected by copying Ilayaraja.
Say Sa Re Ga Ma Dha Ni Sa. This is the avaroha for Raag Yaman. Now feel the chords for it. Ready!! Now listen to Madan Mohan song. Hmmm !!
ReplyDeleteYes, avaroha of Raag Yaman fits very well with Madan Mohan songs.
This leaves Bappi Lahiri. If the song does not fall into above categories then it has to be Bappi Lahiri.
I read the news that Yuvan Shankar Raja will be composing for a new Hindi movie. Before yesterday I had not heard his songs.
ReplyDeleteI was curious and downloaded songs from Nokia music. He is pretty good. I felt his music suited well in this digital age.
I dreamt of producers and directors inviting me to compose music in their films. I was telling them that I could only play dafli. One eager producer refused to hear anything I said and said that I was the only formula based music director. I blushed.
ReplyDeleteIdentifying Madan Mohan
ReplyDeleteMadan Mohan is easily one of the best music directors of Bollywood. He was well known for songs with Lata Mangeshkar.
To identify Madan Mohan take the help of internet. Get a list of movies composed by Madan Mohan. List the songs of the movie. Then memorise this list collection !!
One line for one song.
ReplyDeleteLo maine kasam li. A S D Burman song sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.
Maine Tere Liye. A very popular and trendsetting Salil Chowdhury song sung by Mukesh.
1 2 ka 4, 4 2 ka 1, my name is lakhan. A laxmikant pyarelal song for a lyrics to my liking.
ReplyDeleteBheege honth tere. A anu malik song for a lyrics which is straightforward.
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteBhor baye panghat pe. Probably the best Bhairavi song by Laxmikant-Pyarelal for Raj Kapoor's Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Husn Pahadon ki. Probably the best Pahadi song by Ravindra Jain for Raj Kapoor's Ram Teri Ganga Maili.
Suppose someone asks me, Can you categorise music directors?
ReplyDeleteI will say I wouldn't want to. But the situation demands it. So I will reply.
Music directors are of three types. Inspirational, at the center and the third harmonious.
Ilayaraja likes to be at the centre is my feeling.
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteSunn Raha Hai. A fine song by Ankit Tiwari for the movie Aashiqui 2.
Dil tu hi bataa. A Rajesh Roshan composed song for the movie Krrish 3.
Raag Keeravani
ReplyDeleteThis is probably the best raag. It is supposed to have originated in carnatic music.
From Sa to Sa if a song goes in the antara itself then it is Raag Keerawani.
Consider, "Ore Naal Unnai Naan Nila wil paarthathu". Or "Vettiveru Vasam". These songs were copied by Ilayaraja from Raag Keerawani.
Antara is wrong. Sthahi is correct. Sthahi and Antara has originated from Dhrupad style of singing. "Zindagi ik safar hai suhana" is sthahi. "Maut aani hai aayegi ik din" is antara. Sthahi and Antara are bread butter of filmy composers. If a song has antaras repeated three times; then the music director likes this composition. This is my hunch. "Pal pal dil ke paas" has antara repeated thrice. "Ek roz main tadapkar" too has antara repeated thrice.
ReplyDelete"From Sa to Sa if a song goes in the sthahi itself then it is Raag Keerawani" is actually my interpretation of Raag Kirwani of Hindustani music as applied to filmy music. I have taken the help of chandrakantha.com here. "Aanawala pal gaanewala hai" and others are Raag Kirwani.
Honey Singh
ReplyDeletePanjaab da puttar, the desi bandha has made it big in English style. :)
Lungi dance, blue eyes, party all night are some of his famous numbers. He blends well with famous names and generates popular numbers to his fans.
I already wrote that youngsters are good in heart numbers. The latest one being "Suno na sangemarmar" from Youngistaan.
I do dafli from heart. The beats. Not the song.:>
Will Pyarelal make a comeback ?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rediff.com/movies/report/pyarelal/20070205.htm
It will be 666th movie if he does. Great one !!
Eagerly looking forward to a comeback from Pyarelal.
The above is an old article from rediff.com. I did not realise it. Also Laxmikant-Pyarelal have composed 635 movies.
ReplyDeleteBut the eagerness in looking forward to a comeback from Pyarelal is true.
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteRaah Pe Chalte hain. A Kishore Kumar, R D Burman song with a Bengali touch.
Hai Tere Saath meri wafa. A Lata Mangeshkar, Madan Mohan classic which makes a statement, "Lata is at par with great male singers".
Attaullah Khan, A Pakistani has copied "Khabar mere marne ki" from famous Rafi Saab song "Yeh maana meri jaan".
ReplyDeleteOne line for one song . . .
ReplyDelete"Dil To Pagal hai" Uttam Singh composed song for Subhash Ghai .
"Main Nikla Gaddi lekar" Uttam Singh composed song for Gaddar sung by Udit Narayan.
"Gobind Jai Jai" Hari Om Sharan song for Gobind lallah.
If I had known Anand-Milind has directly lifted a tune for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, things would have been less maddening for me.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked at their guts and utter disgrace in copying a song to such an extent.
My hopes have been shattered. I had so much of liking for their song. And today my eyes have been opened. They have lifted a tune for their "Akele hum to kya gum hai".
I would have preferred suicide to copying.
Zaroorat - A fine song by Mustafa Zahid.
ReplyDeleteDard Dilon ke - A fine number by Mohammad Irfan.
You guys are great because you sing for the people. Democracy lovers, probably.
I am otherwise. I am an artist for myself.
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteAise na mujhe tum dekho. A typical RD number sung by Kishore Kumar.
Zindagi ki na toote kadi. LP song with Nitin and Lata contributing with their voices.
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteEk hasina thi. A revenge emotion song by LP sung by Kishore Kumar.
Ding dong oh baby sing a song. A fun emotion (Tamil?) song by LP sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy and Manhar Udhas.
Ravindra Jain was great as a Hindi film light songs composer.
ReplyDeleteLaxmikant Pyarelal were great for folk classical and experimental music.
Ilayaraja was great to give musical expression to Tamil folk.
R D Burman was rhythmic and gave the Bengali touch to Indian audiences.
Shankar Jaikishan were the first and the foremost music directors.
ReplyDeleteKalyanji Anandji were brilliant and gave a feel of Arabia in some of their songs.
O P Nayyar was a genius and was able to extract the best from his singers.
Rajesh Roshan was always different and some of his songs seemed to have a Bombay-Tata feel in them.
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteDil Ki Awaaz bhi sun. A Mohammad Rafi song for O P Nayyar's music.
Chain Se Humko Kabhi. An Asha Bhonsle song for O P Nayyar's music.
Blasphemous revelation:-
ReplyDeleteLaxmikant has composed "Ek Do Teen", while Pyarelal composed "Bhor bhaye panghat pe".
Blasphemous revelation :-
ReplyDeleteIlayaraja lifted tune of Ananda Shankar(Bengali) in "Yaar Pogum Vazhiyil".
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteKehti hai dil ki lagi. Kumar Sanu for Jatin Lalit music.
Jab kisi ki taraf dil. Kumar Sanu for Jatin Lalit music.
One line for one song . . .
ReplyDeleteAisi deewangi. Kumar Sanu song for Nadeem Shravan.
O mere Saajan. Kumar Sanu song for Nadeem Shravan.
Among R D Burman assistants,
ReplyDeleteTony Vaz was great because of the impressive bass guitar support. I saw his video. He was amazing !!
Manohari Singh was cool and so correct !!
I also saw Pankaj Kanth playing bass guitar. He is probably a big fan of Tony Vaz.
ReplyDeleteHe played very well and was rhythmic and regular. He has a bright future.
But he must never forget the fact that Tony Vaz was with R D Burman. And Tony Vaz was a master.
Pankaj Kanth is 95% good. He has 5% more to go the level of Tony Vaz. I admire Pankaj Kanth for the right step in putting his video in youtube.
Ramesh Iyer plays electric guitar so well.
ReplyDeleteFranco Vaz is great in drums and in Macher Kaanta.
Goodbye Tony Vaz…
ReplyDeleteJune 30, 2007 by N. S. Padmanabhan
One of the finest Bass players in India, Tony Vaz is no more.
He passed away on 29th June 2007. May his soul rest in peace…
A favourite of RD Burman (who saw him play in a hotel once and then never composed any songs without him), Bappi Lahiri and a host of other music directors including Vishal Bahrdwaj who used him for the film Maachis.
Tony Vaz was suffering from severe diabetes and after a paralytic attack forced him out of the circuit, his last days in bed were sadly miserable with no help from any of his friends or relatives.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=165973
This was an article published in The Times Of India on 4th September 2003.
I always respected Vishal Bhardwaj as a musician; after reading this article, I respect him more for the person he is.
Some of Tony Vaz’s cool bass lines:
Jaanejaan Dhoondta Phir Raha – Jawani Deewani (RD Burman)
This was the first time that the bass guitar was used as a frontline music instrument rather than just a background filler.
I Am A Disco Dancer – Disco Dancer (Bappi Lahiri)
Listen to this song just one more time and you will hear the best BASS LINES ever in any hindi song.
The bass is the life on that song! After this you can hear the other songs in the film too.
Doston Se Pyar Kiya, Pyar Karnewale, Janoo Meri Jaan, Yamma Yamma – Shaan (RD Burman)
All classics on jazz and double bass.
Jaane Kaise Kab Kahan – Shakti (RD Burman)
Listen to the 3nd interlude and verse.
Nisha – Sanam Teri Kasam (RD Burman)
Great bass lines and interludes
Aap Jaisa Koi – Qurbani (Biddu)
The classic Biddu intro bass
Har Kisiko Nahi Milta – Jaanbaaz (Kalyanji Anandji)
The intro of the song has a super bass line
Ghazab Ka Hai Din, Akele Hain – QSQT (Anand Milind)
Listen to the synchro-playing of bass and drums (Tony & Franco)
… there a thousand more gems like this.
Tony Vaz is not there anymore, but whenever you are listening to a classic from the 70s, 80s and 90s and hear distinct bass lines, chances are that he is standing right besides you and enjoying the song with you!
GOD BLESS YOU TONY AND THANKS FOR THE GOOD MUSIC!!!!
I guess it was R D Burman and Tony Vaz who brought this unique bass guitar usage in songs.
ReplyDeleteActually, when I played guitar, I liked bass strings a lot. But never knew it can be so effectively used.
As I wrote earlier, I learnt Hawaii guitar and Spanish guitar both due to my wavering mind.
Pyarelalji is too good in both violin and piano. He is amazing !!
ReplyDeleteIlayaraja played piano in western style.
I saw their videos in youtube.
Confessions
ReplyDeleteTo me Tony Vaz was 70 percent R D Burman.
The song Ek Roz main tadapkar spoilt me the most.
The song Madura Marikozhundhu is my most favorite song.