http://www.mid-day.com/news/otherheadlines/2007/november/166777.htm
Music reality shows have been an evergreen hit of our satellite television channels and despite knowing that their participation is almost certainly meaningless, the television audience still votes vigorously for their favourite singer. It was Antakshari in the beginning, then came SaReGaMa, Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul and God knows what. These shows very rarely produce a true winner and the jury is out on whether or not they were rigged. I am not going to comment on the process that selects the victor. Instead, I want to write about my observation about recent trends in music. I don't know if you've noticed, but new songs are too tough to sing if you are an amateur, singer. You can't enjoy singing them, as you will always stumble upon a difficult piece somewhere through the line. Take any composer — he will try and compose a song in a high pitch. Can you sing Himesbhai's songs? His beats are fabulous (may be the credit should go to Akbar Sami who does his remixes). But, can you match his nasal pitch? Sukhvinder Singh was awesome in Chak De! India, but will you be able to keep pace with him as he reaches out for sky in song after song? A R Rahman had once famously said he wanted to bring in fresh untrained voices and had kept his word till he got attracted to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his style. After that, Rahman changed wonderfully (I think his transition came with Taal) and what was so electronic sound, changed refreshingly to something more Indianised. However, he also started composing some really difficult tunes. This is not to say that these people are not doing some great work. Rahman in particular has a divine voice and is a joy to watch as well as listen as he transcends into another world while conducting and singing. Sukhvinder, unlike his Punjabi cousin Daler, is so soothing in certain Rahman compositions. Himesbhai is probably at the peak of his career, whether I like it or not. But the point is, can you, for personal joy, sing their songs? Can you hum them? One of the greatest composers Madan Mohan (my favourite along with RD), hardly ever kept his songs simple. He always tweaked his antaras. He achieved critical acclaim, but had to strive to win spots in Binaca Geetmala, the hallmark of popularity in the sixties. Taj Mahal remains his most popular work, while his best songs were compiled by T Series in the late nineties (sung by Anuradha Paudwal). He was one of the most melodious of the composers, and probably believed that his songs were best heard, not rendered by his audience. Maybe, the new age composers think the same. -- Warm Regards ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vinayak http://theregoesanotherday.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't borrow someone else's spectacles to view yourself with ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
