MEMORIES ▶️▶️ 🎼 AR RAHMAN 🎼

[MysteRy]

I was coming from Mysore to Bangalore. At that time, in the car, the driver was playing songs of Roja. The songs were being played, and I asked him whose film it is ?. He says that it is A.R. Rahman from Madras. I said, " ya ya. I have heard his name". So, I kept hearing those songs. So, it was two to three hours journey. So, I heard two three times. I could see a lot of talent, innovative quality because I have been trained under Laxmikanth Pyaralal for 20 years, and I had music sense from my childhood. So I had developed an ear for music. I talked to him; I love your music and am planning a film. I would like to have your services as Music Composer. So, he was quite excited and he said, " Even I love your Film " Hero", and I used to play Hero's tunes, while I was a keyboard player. So, immediately, we clicked with each other. It was a very mutual admiration for each other, and when I met him, I could see his clean and Divine qualities in this man.

I remember when he said, " Lets do a good job". I talked to him about money. How much money I should pay?. He says, " Lets do a good music. We shall talk about it later". So I understood his character, and that he is more passionate about his work. And i started blending with him, and we started to work on a film called SHIKHAR, which finally couldnt place. But then , it happened in TAAL.

In Hindi Music, there is always a Northern Music which is dominating. So, they were wondering, How I am going to justify ?. So, I told him, " Dont worry. YOu know the Indian Classical and Western Music well". And he really proved , while recording two songs . Ishq Bina Jeena Kya " was recorded first, which I later on recorded in Taal. This song initially did not belong to Taal. It was recorded for Shikhar. So, I could see the new kind of vibrations and growth in me, treating myself.

The First song that was recorded for Taal was " Kareye Naa", and he had a very tough time, because I had given him some very interior traits of a Punjabi song. Though, he did not pick up any note from that song. He just listened to it, and was quite disturbed But when he came out with that song, it was so brilliant. Actually, he had given me tune. I had given that tune to Anand Bakshi. Finally, when it came out, it was one of the most brilliant songs . Sometimes, he composes three four tunes for me, and then he leaves the studio, leaving the tape recorder with me, and I listen four five tunes. , and pick the ones, which matches to my story. All four tunes are good, but it has to match to my story.

Some tunes, I used to tell him to keep it for me for my next film, ( though it was not matching for that particular story at present) . Then he keeps smiling and says, " Sir. there are other producers too". I remember Taal song. For Nahi Sammne song, I told him that it should be a sad song, and I wanted something like John Alton singing, How John Alton sings. His kind of songs. he looked at me, " Ok I understand . What you mean ". So , he told me to give him the lyrics first. So I told Anand Bakshi to write the lyrics , and he took the lyrics and started singing in that style. That song had come out so brilliantly, and its my most favourite song in that film.

the tracks of Bombay shocked and amazed me, when I listened to the full track. I think Bombay is the best track, he has produced. So many other movies are there. But Bombay was a complete Album, including the Background Score. I still have the Background Score Album with me. He had given to me. He has always been brilliant with Maniratnam. Their rapport has been good always.

-SUBHASH GHAI.

[MysteRy]

Duet – Mettupodu Song

There is a guitar bit, a lengthy bit. He got the instruments from Bombay and had tried it. He also called a lot of people from Chennai for the same. Both styles were different. But Rahman was telling a style of keerthanam. It’s a typical veena style of notation, but he wanted the same in guitar. It’s very tough to play those bits on a guitar. Even professional guitar players used to call me and ask how I managed it.

The song is an acoustic guitar, just like a veena, and went on in full flow. He was very happy and told me to take double payment before leaving.

- Santoor Seenu

[MysteRy]

(“Adhisayam” from Jeans)

 I worked on Jeans. There was a Chinese instrument called Yangqin. Chinese usually use the Mogana Ragam, which is in the major scale. There is a humming that comes at the beginning of the song, and it has to be done in a Japanese style with this instrument. There is a small object that has to be worn on our fingers to play this instrument, and usually, the Chinese put it on and also bandage their fingers before playing. But after playing the instruments, the tape can be removed from the fingers using a solution.

I didn’t know all this and put the bandage around my fingers in my own style. After the recording was over, I wanted to remove it but couldn’t, and my nails started peeling off. I was feeling very hungry and didn’t know what to do, but somehow managed it, and the recording got over at 3:30 PM. It took me two hours to remove the tape from my fingers. He told me, “Don’t hurry. Go to the doctor and get it removed.”

Patiently, I got it removed, and the pain lasted for a day. The song (“Adhisayam” from Jeans) came out very well. Whenever the song is aired or I listen to it, I check all my fingers and remind myself of the song experience. Another important event was that the song was recorded on my birthday, July 13th. I left home only at 8 PM that day and slept with the pain.

But I am very happy that the song came out very well.

- Santoor Seenu

[MysteRy]

🎶 Maya Machindra 🎶

For the film Indian, he had asked me to get my own setup. One evening at 6 PM, he asked me if I had got something new. I replied that there was an instrument called Farz. It was a Turkish instrument. A friend of mine had given it to me. I couldn’t understand anything of it. I told him that if there was a cassette on it, I could hear and try to get some idea. Then, he gave me a cassette and told me to listen to one particular style. I heard it for some time and told him that the same could be used in a song. We put it as “Ni Sa Sa Ni Sa Ma Ga Ni Sa Sa Ni Sa.” He told me this is new, for which I told, “No sir, we can play this somewhere in the song.”

This came in the strings following the words “Maya Machindra Macham Paarka Vandeera.” (After these lyrics, the string comes.) It’s fully gut strings. Usually, it comes in two strings, but this came out in three strings. So, we need to fix the fingers well to listen to all three strings. Even if one string is not listened to properly, it becomes cacophony. The song became a super hit, and also the bit where those strings come.

- Santoor Seenu

[Abinesh]

Wow

[MysteRy]

Wow

[MysteRy]

Kuchi kuchi Rakkamma ♥️

The Bull Bull Thara is actually a qawwali instrument. On the left side, it would be like a typewriting instrument, and on the right side, the usage of the second and third fingers would be on a small clip, like that of a veena. When the right and left ends are simultaneously used, the noises would be high, just like when a typewriter is used. But he wanted those noises in that song.

Nowadays, sensitive mikes capture all sorts of noises and sounds. It was a challenge to play that instrument for the song. It was a speed bit. While pressing one finger and leaving it, the noise would come, and he asked, “Can something be done without the noises emanating?” I said it would be really tough to do anything without the noises. We tried pouring coconut oil into the buttons, similar to pouring oil in cycle chokes to minimize the noise.

The oil worked out, and the noise started reducing. Then he said, “This is okay. We will adjust this to the maximum.” Actually, the price of the instrument is Rs 75, but he paid me Rs 2500. I was very happy for it. The song became a super hit, and for about two to three years, wherever I went, the song used to follow me. It was a great hit in Tamil as well as Hindi languages

- Santoor Seenu

[MysteRy]

“Nenje Nenje”

I loved playing the guitar style in “Nenje Nenje” from Ratchagan. This I loved the most. The guitar style comes in the sarod style. There is a separate style for guitar and a separate style for sarod. One who can play both instruments can do it. He told me to get both instruments. In the second BGM of that song, in that classical guitar portion, he wanted a melody and, on top of it, the sarod style. That sarod bit was very difficult. He didn’t leave me till the last. Somehow he wanted me to finish it. I told him the range of the song was going very high and it would be very tough. The fingering would be very tough. We can play the instrument with a maximum of two fingers only.

He told me, “If you can’t do it, then who else is there? Try it. You will get it.” With his encouragement, we did it in the first take itself. I asked him if we could go for another take, to which he said, “No. You can’t play this bit for another take. Even if I give you a year, it won’t come.”

Even after some years, whenever the same raga is played with the sarod, I never used to get it. I realized the importance of his words.

-Santoor Seenu

[MysteRy]

“Oh ho Kick Yerudheee” (Padayappa)

In Super Star Rajni Sir’s song “Oh ho Kick Yerudheee” (Padayappa). The song was primarily prepared for the mandolin, and he asked me to prepare and bring it. During recording, he usually asks for about 10 to 15 instruments, but for this song, he told me to get just one mandolin. I understood that there was something special about this song. Many mandolin players had told me it’s a difficult bit to play. Many people have tried playing it in concerts and struggled. They often asked me, “How did you manage to play it?” I like the song very much as we strained a lot in playing it.

- Santoor Seenu

[MysteRy]

“Chinna Chinna Aasai”

Rahman  called me for Roja for the song “Chinna Chinna Aasai.” We had to play the santoor for the song, but it shouldn’t sound like a santoor. Instead of playing with the stick, he suggested we play with ten fingers. In the second BGM of that song, in the left hand, the chord progressions would be going on, and in the right hand, the melody would be continuing. That was the first time in my life that I played the santoor with my ten fingers, leaving aside the stick. The specialty is the usage of the harp at the beginning of the song. Mandolin is used at the beginning of the song itself. I played all three instruments in the song (viz. harp, mandolin, santoor). The song became a super hit.

-  Santoor Seenu

[MysteRy]

AARARAI KODI

Surya enjoys talking
abt that song. Actually, that was supposed to be sung by another singer, but
then ARR decided that he would sing that song himself. Lot of claps for that song in Theatres. He says he is confident that he will become bigger in future, as said in that song. In he beginning, the lyrics was " Naan Naan ( Myself
Myself )" . Then ARR corrected him saying " You should never boast of yourself. be Humble and changed the lyrics to " Adiyen ( humbly myself ) ".

[MysteRy]

ARR & Technology:

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Rahman demonstrated how the synthesised sound should be used. Prior to Rahman’s entry on the film scene, music directors harmonised the song with only the string section. Rahman introduced the synthetic pads and created a different effect for different songs with a different sound as harmony. Notice the sound of the pads in Roja, for instance; it created a warmth and also gave a big-screen feel to the sound. Among other things, Rahman’s music is really BIG. It justifies the Cinemascope screen. The use of available technology was always there. When microphones and sound recording on tape was the latest technology, it was also used widely. In fact, commercial music has to be credited with making the optimum use of technology in music. So, the accusation that Rahman uses an excess of technology does not really hold water. He rides technology; he makes sure that technology doesn’t ride him.

[MysteRy]

Modern Without Being Western 🎼

The rhythm that Rahman used was also unconventional to say the least. He could be modern without being western in his approach of treating rhythm which I feel is one of his extraordinary qualities. The song in Bombay – ‘Kucchi Kucchi Rakkamma’ is a good illustration of this quality. The rhythm is essentially ethnic and yet it is modern. There will always be surprises but rarely will they let you down. Sometimes for a song of a slow pace, he will use a rhythm that runs in double the speed. It has a strange but a dramatic effect on the outcome of the song. Two cases in point here are ‘Saawariya’ from Swades and ‘Tu Bin Bataaye’ from Rang De Basanti. In Chhainyya Chhainyya, he used the rhythm instruments to create the movement of a running train without using the sound of the train. Rahman is gifted with the quality of saying things between the lines with the use of orchestration.

- Kaushal imandar

[MysteRy]

When I was first popular on TV I never used to get feedback from anyone. All I used to hear was “Look it is the same kid.” Only after I got into the film world that I started receiving a varied range of feedback. I used to see several articles in magazines, letters from fans, phone calls congratulating me, and so on. These were all new to me.

This frenzy and media attention went on for a couple of years after I debuted in the film world. I used to follow every news item and article to see what people were thinking and writing about me. My first interview came out in the Junior Post and I still remember that interview. It was a very enjoyable and fun interview. Questions were like “What snacks do you like?”, “Suppose you were to be deserted on an island what book would you take with you to read?”, which I still remember

If you ask me about Vikatan’s reviews, the review of “Karuthamma” is what I can never forget. The reviewer had dismissed the songs of the films saying “There is not much to say about the songs in the film like ‘Thenmerkku Parukaatru’, ‘Pachchai Kili Paadum Paatu’.” If you remember “Porale Ponnuthaayi” song won the National Award for singer Swarnalatha. I even later used the same tune for the Vande Mataram album which was sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Anyway, the reviewer went on to say “The biggest weakness of the film is its music. Sadly, for the first time the music of A.R. Rahman is a big minus for a film. He seems like a small pup which is completely lost in a deep dark forest”. This review affected me a lot. The tastes of people are constantly changing and I need to adapt myself to these changes. For people who are used to a certain type of music, a different style of a song will feel a little strange at the beginning, and they may not accept the new style immediately.

Once they change these tastes according to the new trend then they start liking the same songs they hated once. This is what happens to most of my songs. Music is like a medicine that cures Just like a medicine, it tastes sour at the beginning but as time passes it starts to work. If you take sweets for example, they taste great at the beginning but they vanish without a trace immediately. Songs are also like that. You like some songs immediately upon hearing but you forget them at the same speed.

And there are songs that you hated the first time you heard them, but as time goes on you get a really satisfied feeling hearing them. So as far as music is concerned you can’t decide anything immediately. Coming back to Vikatan reviews, there have been several reviews later on in Vikatan which have praised my songs but I still haven’t forgotten the review of Karuthamma

-A R R

[NiYa]

for me ARR is an emotion sis
nice post sis