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Is carnatic or western knowledge more important for a film musician

Topic started by gk (@ uswgco99.uswest.com) on Mon Feb 2 10:52:43 EST 1998.
All times in EDT/EST +9:30/10:30 for IST.

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Responses:

• From: for-dEvA-fan (@ greed.cs.umass.edu) on: Mon Feb 2 12:58:06 EST 1998
  
  kELvi ngaanam onRE pOthum.. :)
  
  
• From: for-devA-fan-2 (@ gate02.merck-medco.com) on: Mon Feb 2 15:34:02 EST 1998
  
  thambi udaiyOn padaikku anjAn :-)
  
  
• From: gk (@ uswgco99.uswest.com) on: Tue Feb 3 13:21:44 EST 1998
  
  kelvi gnanam is required.But is not just sufficeint.The problem with the current day crop of musicians is that by learning a few chords & varnams they feel they could compose !!.Well, Ir took almost 10 years to mature, learning western & carnatic the structured way.
  
  We have 2 kind of composers.The tradiotanal indian kind, with a strong classical base ( carnatic or hindustani) but a very weak western base.They are the musicians who compose for devotional songs.There melodies are good, not questioning that.But, what they lack is the depth of harmony.
  
  Also on the other side are musicians who oriinate from a strong western base conceptualising songs with harmony as the base .Ofcourse the million dollar question still exists whether the chord progressions should be decided first or the ragam.
  
  What combination of the above should a musician
  employ ???.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• From: srikanth (@ 239.minneapolis-06.mn.dial-access.att.net) on: Tue Feb 3 19:28:19 EST 1998
  
  Hi guys,
  
  This questions can be answered if we are able to see the quality of the musicians...
  
  There are many kinds of musicians,
  1. Provides music as a service. Not worried about
  quality, concerned about quantity..
  For this type of musician he can hire a good keyboard player for couple of 1000's for few days and finish the job, this is composing for them. these composers depend on the technology,
  they use readymade beat, chord progression etc.
  Their score or they themselves dont last long.
  They dont care about western or carnatic..
  
  2. This is the elite group. They belive in real theoritical music. They follow all the rules try to do real music. They will have all the knowledge. Only musicians understand thier score.
  They will not mix carnatic and Western much.
  
  3. AllRounders - This type is a blend between the 1&2, they do music for their food also for thier passion towards music.
  These composers think like different musicians.
  eg: if he is composing a bass part, he thinks like a bass player
  if he is composing a sax piece, he thinks
  and composing it like a sax player..
  They will know the people's taste and its rapid changes and cope up with it.
  Composers like MSV, Raja, Ar are in this group.
  
  Wheather they know western or Carnatic, is not the question, how proper they use thier knowledge is the key. One can prove to be the best with just knowing any one of the two western/Carnatic.
  It is not a hardcore rule to know carnatic or western....
  (It is an additional qualification like knowing
  Delphi along with VB)
  
  Srikanth
  
  
• From: gk (@ uswgco99.uswest.com) on: Wed Feb 4 13:01:41 EST 1998
  
  Knowing carnatic & not knowing western, one can be succesful in indian soil, because our ears are tuned to accept that.But just with western knowledge, it is very difficult to survive and compose music to appeal to the indian masses.There have been few songs that have appealed and which do not have any carnatic/hindustani base.( Including raja's numbers).
  
  
• From: rajamahadevan (@ draco.eisi.com) on: Thu Feb 5 12:58:41 EST 1998
  
  My 'valued' :) opinion is a music director has to have integrity, interest and the talent to create new music. If he has a grounding in classical music ( carnatic/western) , this will be a good starting point for further development and experimentation. He also should have the passion. Artists who are passionate in their professional will excel eventually.
  
  Raja M
  
  
• From: rajamahadevan (@ draco.eisi.com) on: Thu Feb 5 13:09:08 EST 1998
  
  
  Sorry for the typo:
  
  Should read passionate in their profession.
  
  Raja M
  
  
• From: David (@ ) on: Thu Mar 1 16:30:41 EST 2001
  
  I am trying to locate the Lyrics for:
  
  Me, My Guitar and You. Please help.
  
  
• From: purv (@ ) on: Sun Apr 27 20:49:56 EDT 2003
  
  This looks like a very important subject, especially for one who wants to be a MD later in life.
  
  
• From: Speaker (@ 203.126.142.232) on: Sun Apr 27 21:04:35 EDT 2003
  
  for-dEvA-fan >> Copy gnanam onru pothum.
  
  
• From: outsider (@ 206.20.111.101) on: Sun Apr 27 23:19:47 EDT 2003
  
  I think for modern composers, it's important to know the technology used to help compose and record the music, and then, how to organize and pick the talent to perform what they create.
  
  I don't think it's a matter of classical carnatic Vs. western style, as much as taking inspiration from your cultural roots and folk musics from everywhere, as well as popular music, and making them into something unique to the composer.
  
  
  
• From: MUmbaiRamki@mumbai (@ 203.197.24.195) on: Fri May 2 03:08:53 EDT 2003
  
  It is important to know atleast one form of music ..otherwise the music director will start concentrating on souns rather than composition...
  
  
• From: pennathur (@ 12.46.179.254) on: Mon May 5 18:02:31 EDT 2003
  
  If you are well grounded in Indian classical music picking up Western music to the extent of writing and orchestrating it is not as much as a problem as the other way round. If you can perform swaraprastaram or sing taans or dhrupads you have an instinctive feel for the emotion and the structure. From there to learn notation and entire pieces doesn't take much time. Lalgudi's son Krishnan learnt notation in one day on a trip to France! However Yehudi Menuhin despite innumerable sessions with Ravi Shankar never got to play the long gamakkams and fluid movements Ravi Shankar could produce! Needless to say your basic standard has to be extremely high not the Sunday afternoon standard!
  
  

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