Audio India

Our interview series continue and now we have a wonderful singer with us – Sindhuja Bhaktavatsalam. Check out Sindhuja’s songs in her blog, Octaves.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

A Bangalore bred Tamilian. Music, Philosophy and Physics define much of me.

What formal training in music did you have and in which branch?

Been exposed to Carnatic music ever since I can remember. My mom and sister are singers and my dad, a music maniac. I was put into Carnatic vocal lessons at the age of 5 or so and fortunately, have been learning until now, almost non-stop. My first guru was Smt.Bhagyalakshmi, then Smt. Ranganayaki Sridharan, followed by Smt. Lakshmi Raghavan (student of Smt.Charumathi Ramachandran) and now Smt. Lalgudi Rajalakshmi (sister of Sri. Lalgudi Jayaraman), all in Bangalore. I had to discontinue lessons the last one year since I moved to US for further studies, but I’m back to it now and hope to continue (with Smt.Rajalakshmi) through remote lessons. Its an ocean and there’s always new things to learn.

Your blog has a good write-up of each song that you post. You seem to be quite observant about raagas etc. Which is your favorite raaga and why?

I used to be bery picky about ragas. My favorites have always been Bahudhari, Hamsanadham, Nalinakanthi and Varamu. Ragas like Thodi and Bhairavi used to be absolute no-no’s for me. But with maturity, you learn to appreciate more and more. My favorites are too many to enumerate now! As to the “why” part- well, I’m not sure I know how to answer that Certain combinations of notes just make certain people feel good… I’ll probably bug a friend who’s been dabbling with Music Cognition to answer that!

Which is your favorite branch of music? Karnatik or Hindustani (or both)? And why?

I don’t think the word “favorite” would apply well here. To me personally, the two are not really comparable since I will never be able to look at the two genres in an unbiased way. Familiarity is the key. Carnatic is home to me. I have been immersed in it for way too long. There have been phases when I thought Hindustani was better from a purely musical point of view- for in Hindustani they don’t have too many words in the lyrics. I would find lyrics in Carnatic to be a little obtrusive, not letting you enjoy the music part of it. But I’ve also found Hindustani to be quite a drag many a time. But by and large, it takes me some effort to feel at home with Hindustani and appreciate the slowness and elaboration in it. I find Carnatic more crisp. Readers, pardon my ignorance about Hindustani. Also, I think Carnatic is theoretically more rigorous than Hindustani which is a reason I find it more absorbing. But of course, there have been many, many Hindustani pieces that have left me totally spellbound. I’m a huge fan of Kaushiki Chakraborthy, for instance.

What were your activities in the field of music before you started online singing and music blogging?

Pretty much just learning. I’ve been quite an introvert and mostly its not been easy for me to break out and go out to competitions, stage performances etc. I’ve of course participated in school and college level competitions, culturals etc., but nothing major beyond that. My mom and me have sat together and composed a couple of songs together (which you’ll find on my blog)- I enjoy these quiet times by myself, playing around with ragas and swaras and composing. I’ve also always been into Carnatic Musicology- I love the rigor of the theory of Carnatic music. I’ve done some write-ups on theoretical aspects of Carnatic music.

When did you start music blogging and what lead you to it?

Murali V. He’s a long time friend. Some three years back when audio blogging was taking off, he introduced me and another singer, Deepika on his blog with a sample of each of our recordings. A little prior to that, on his recommendation, I had created a Soundclick account and was putting up my songs there. Once I was introduced to the blogging world, I started thinking about having my own blog and eventually, after some months, I did start one, Octaves. I thought blogging was a great platform to share my music.

You have done some duet songs with your sister in your music blog. Both of you are very good vocalists. Could you tell us about how music goes in the family and how it has helped you musically?

When people ask me about my music, that’s the first thing I tell them- my family. I’ve just been lucky. Its been very little effort from my side and a lot more of tremendous musical influences within the family. I owe all of my music to my parents and sister. My maternal grandmother has composed several Carnatic songs of different kinds in Telugu and Tamil. She was also a proficient Veena player. My grandfather composed too. All my uncles and aunt sing and have dabbled with composing and playing instruments at some point or the other, and many of my cousins sing too. My paternal grandmother was a good singer too. So you see, music just happened to me by default.

How has music blogging helped you compared to your musical life before music blogging?

Blogging has helped me grow a lot. There have always been good friends who offer constructive criticisms and want to help you get better and better. Since music is not my profession, blogging helped me fill that void – it helped me perform in front of people, get appraised, receive song requests- everything that happens on a stage, virtually. The connectivity that blogging offers is quite amazing and it always feels good to meet and discuss with like-minded people. And of course, blogging got me to the opportunity to sing some original numbers like azhaiththadhu yaaro which I’ll always cherish

What do you like best about music blogging?

The fact that you can reach out to the world sitting at home; and of course, its heartwarming when people, sometimes completely unknown to you take the time out to listen to you and write you a detailed feedback- good or bad. And of course, with so many good singers/ musicians blogging around you, you tend to learn so much. And its undeniable that the feeling of being known to many people makes you feel very good! That’s exactly what blogging does- suddenly, there are so many people in different parts of the world who know you through your music. Simply put, blogging helps you become famous! Haha I do wish blogging was as active now as it has been in the past. There is a clear decline now due to networking sites etc. To me, a blog always feels more personal. It was a very nice experience to have interacted with Jessica Keyes for her thesis – her entire Masters thesis was on Indian music blogging! It was quite heartening to see so much academic interest in blogging.

What do you dislike the most about music blogging?

Apart from the usual gripe about people not following “netiquette” or not being frank while leaving feedback etc., the one thing I feel is that blogging (or any kind of performance for that matter) makes you more audience oriented and so you tend to focus less on your own growth as a singer. I saw that happening to myself. When blogging was new to me, I would crave for comments on my blog- I think that’s natural. It became more of “how will people like this and how many comments will I get?” rather than “how well have I actually sung this and how better can I get at this?” For a time, singing for me became synonymous with recording and blogging. Rather than spending an hour practising, I’d spend the time recording an easy number, mixing and putting it up on my blog. And that meant instant “success”. Getting encouraging feedback sometimes made me complacent. I think its very important to be ambitious and keep pushing your limits. I don’t really regret all of that though- its all part of growing up. I don’t deny that an artist always needs an audience- I agree with that 100%. In fact, through the blogging medium itself, friends have pointed out flaws in my singing that I might have missed myself and I’m really thankful to blogging for that. But at the same time, I believe an artist shouldn’t get too lost in display of talent and miss out on doing a reality check on herself from time to time- realize her limitations and work on them diligently. Or may be all this applies to just me… :-/

We have heard that those who have had extensive training in classical music finds it tough to abandon the influence while singing light songs. What is your take and experience on this topic?

True. I find it enormously hard to shed off my idiosyncrasies about swaras and ragas even when I sing film songs. I would say many times it helps, but sometimes it works to my disadvantage too. For instance, if there is a very fast, tough “sangathi” to render, I find that knowing what swaras there are helps me comprehend it mentally, thereby making it easier to execute. Similarly, knowing the raga of a film song makes both listening to it as well as rendering it somewhat more complete, in my opinion. It gives me a feeling of “I know what I’m singing/ listening to”. (But I must say, I’ve really annoyed people with my extreme obsession with swaras/ ragas ) This is with respect to the comprehension part. When it comes to singing itself, all this is fine if one sticks to singing the same kind of songs- i.e classical numbers/ melodies. But it is important to at least attempt to be as versatile as you can be and try singing other genres as well. That is where the problem comes in. For instance, my sister thinks that I have a lot of Carnatic influence when I sing ghazals- which is of course not desirable. Or probably training in multiple genres- Carnatic, Hindustani, Western etc. – will help you know which training to apply where Take Chinmayee- she is trained in both Carnatic and Hindustani and she sings singaravelane deva – an out and out classical based number with as much ease as she sings Maiyya maiyya.

Moreover, if you’re too lost in the swaras of what you’re singing etc, it becomes hard to just let go and sing freely- you’re always worried if you’re getting the swaras right. Sometimes ignorance is bliss One should know to keep the balance.

What equipments do you use for home recording?

Shure SM 57 Microphone, Tascam USB Soundcard.

What kinds of Music do you like?

Mostly Indian. Prefer melodies usually. A tinge of classical always draws me.

Your favorite singer, music director, lyricist – and the reasons for you to prefer them over the rest.

ARR for his well-known versatility, Ilaiyaraja for his classic use of classical ragas, MSV for his evergreen melodies… too many. Among singers, Chitra for her note precision and expressions, Harini for her voice and style, Shreya for her voice and decent diction in any language, Hariharan for his mind boggling rendition of the most intricate phrases with utmose ease, Sonu for his style and voice, Vijay Prakash for his beautiful classical inflections and his voice… again I’m sure I’m missing out on a lot of other favorites. And am afraid I’m not proficient enough in any language to opine on lyricists.

What are your other hobbies/interests apart from music?

Traveling, reading. Academics and music take up most of my time.

Have you got any breakthrough in the music industry or is there something in the pipeline?

Nothing worth mentioning.

Our interview series continue and now we have an amazing singer with us – Vidyu Appaiah. Check out Vidyu’s songs in her blog, Music is Divine.

Did you have any formal training in music?

My first Guru is my mom.  When I say Guru, I never had any “sit down” lessons with her, but she taught me Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and then listening to her and my dad sing all the time was my initiation to music. I briefly trained under Sharad Chandra Marathe of Calicut for a few months when I was under 10 years of age.  Later, in 1999, I had the good fortune of getting guidance from Keerti Kumar Badseshi of Bangalore which again was short lived.

What were your activities in the field of music before you started online singing and music blogging?

I used to sing on stage with an orchestra – Brother’s Music Club, Calicut from the age of 10 and have performed in many programs in and around Calicut/Kerala. Those were the days!  Full fledged live orchestra with 25 + members.   But after marriage and kids I gave up music completely until 1999 when I started learning, but again, gave up after I moved to the US.

When did you start music blogging and what lead you to it?

It was back in 2005 that we happened to get invited to a friend’s place and he had a karaoke set up in his basement. That was the first time I even heard of Karaoke tracks for Indian music! He forced me to try singing and I found myself singing comfortably to the track!   Later we chanced upon Srikant Devarajan’s website and he suggested I have a blog/webpage and upload some of my recorded songs. My husband then did a search for karaoke tracks and we found Taranaa.com which had only Hindi tracks.  Looking for Malayalam tracks, we chanced upon Joseph Thomas..the Music Blog Guru!!!  He talked me into audio blogging and in fact was very persuasive which led me into uploading my first song on my blog in early 2006.

You were among the very first few people from India who started music blogging. Can you write about how it has helped you compared to your musical life before music blogging?

Music blogging has given me the opportunity to share my music with friends and family.  The desire to sing and be heard is there in every artist big or small and this is perfect for me in terms of reaching out to a small, regular audience from the comfort of my home. Blogging also opened doors for me to get opportunities to sing on stage after moving to the US.

What is the best thing that you like about music blogging?

Hmm…the best! I would say the opportunity to be heard by people who know music and take the time out to comment..positively & negatively.  Music blogging has also led me into virtually meeting with some very talented singers/musicians and it’s an honor to know/sing with such great talents!

What do you dislike the most about music blogging?

Music blogging is such an awesome concept to showcase one’s talent.. at one’s own pace! I can’t think of anything to dislike about it!   Now, if I am thinking so much..…then there is nothing really to write about!

You have been performing in the live shows in USA. What are the challenges of singing on stage?

Yes,  I have been performing in quite a few live shows here the last couple of years.

Contrary to how I have performed on stage with many rehearsals with the orchestra group in India, in the US, many times I have performed without any rehearsal.  So, it’s bang on stage that I get to meet all the musicians and the co-singer, many for the first time!  To me, on stage singing is all about the chemistry, rapport you build with fellow musicians, co-singer and then most importantly, with the audience.  How well you can connect determines the success of your performance.  And that is a challenge.

Could you please share any unforgettable musical moments or concerts that you had?

An unforgettable musical moment for me was when I sang in front of Yesudas when I was in High School and he was sitting right next to me while I stood in front of the mike. Was I nervous!!! But as soon as I was done, I got to talk to him and I vividly remember him being appreciative and saying “take care of your voice, please start learning classical music, don’t eat ice-cream!!!”

Singing with Abhijeet in Kansas I would say would be the most unforgettable concert for me.

What are the pros and cons of live singing and studio singing?

In live singing I get this energy from the audience that I completely miss in a studio recording session.  When u sing on stage it’s a do or die situation but u can make fixes in recording.  Thanks to technology everything is a possibility! Not sure if I can list it under pros and cons but just my thoughts on differences between the two.

What equipments do you use for home recording?

Yamaha Mixer
SM 58 & Sennheiser microphones
iKey Portable USB recorder.

What kinds of Music do you like?

My preference for music is certainly Indian.  I listen to Hindustani classical, bhajans, and bollywood film music besides songs in many Indian languages. I also love to listen to Country & New Country.

Your favorite singer, music director, lyricist – and the reasons for you to prefer them over the rest.

Asha ji is my inspiration but now I have a new favorite, Shreya Ghoshal in Hindi.   S. Janaki and Chitra are my favorites from South Indian film music. Kishore da and Sonu Nigam are my favorite male singers.  All of them, I feel, are very versatile and I love the way they can sing a sad song as convincingly as they bring life to a fast paced, fun song!

The one other singer I listen to a LOT is Srikanta Acharya from Kolkotta.  I absolutely love his voice and singing style. I also love Hariharan’s music a lot.

In non – Indian, from what I listen to, I love Natalie Maines , Faith Hill,  Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Brad Paisely & Kenny Chesney to name a few.
Music Director – that’s a hard one!  I have several favorites! Naushad, SJ, SD, RD, Salil da, OPN,  Jatin-Lalit, Shyaam, Ravindran, IR. .. SO many! I just love good melody. 

You have been singing in various languages. How do you manage all that? What preparations do you do while singing in a particular language?

From an early age, I have been exposed to a lot of languages and music in different languages.  I grew up listening to Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi & Tamil songs. I can also speak fluently in 6 languages and comprehend another 4 which makes it a lot easier.  When I sing in languages I don’t know, I always take the help from my friends who speak the language to guide me.  They usually write the lyrics in English but phonetically to suit the way it should be pronounced.  One time, after a show at a Durga Puja, people came by and spoke to me in Bengali assuming I knew the language since I sang in the language!  That I would say was a huge encouragement after all the hard work that went into learning the diction.

What are your other hobbies/interests apart from music?

I love to paint, (on canvas and on walls!!!), decorate my home, read, write, walk.   Besides these, my biggest interest is my dog.    So indulging in him is my hobby.

Have you got any breakthrough in the music industry or is there something in the pipeline?

Breakthrough??  Hmm….hey, how about giving me THAT break?? !!!!

Thank you Vidyu, for taking time to answer our questions. Wishing you the very best in all your music endeavors.

Thank you all for reading and Audio Blog for presenting this.

Continuing with our series of interviews with music bloggers, this time we have Meera Manohar, a very talented singer with us. Check out Meera’s songs at her music blog, Swarasthaanam.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Although my family ancestrally hails from Kerala, I was born and brought up in Chennai/Madras, TamilNadu. My entire education was in Chennai, until I came to the US about a decade ago. Am a graduate of Dietetics & Nutrition from The Ethiraj College, Chennai and did my masters from Bangalore university. Currently employed with a non-profit organization in the bay area which offers services to victims of domestic violence. Love music in any form and like to experiment a lot!

Did you have any formal training in music?

Yes, I started singing at the age of 3 or 4, then started formal lessons. Learnt in batches thanks to schooling pressures. Have been learning quite regularly now for the last 6/7 years.

What were your activities in the field of music before you started online singing and music blogging?

Am a part of a local bay area band “Thillana” for about 10 years now. Have sung for a few local plays in the bay area, and for a movie which was made here locally in the US.

When did you start music blogging and what lead you to it?

I started audioblogging in the year 2006, thanks to people like Jo and Murali Venkatraman. Jo was primarily instrumental in getting me to start an audioblog and guess there was no looking back after that

You were among the very first few people from India who started music blogging. Can you write about how it has helped you compared to your musical life before music blogging?

Audioblogging definitely helps being in touch with music a little more than how normally one will be. Especially for a person like me who loved to sing, but was doing so only about once a year through stage shows, it was a great platform to sing and post, and get reviewed on how the cover version was! It absolutely gave me something to compare myself with. For instance, when I look back at a cover song done by me about 2 years, I can easily and confidently see how much better I can do it now. All this thanks to feedback, nitpicks and needless to say encouragement from fellow bloggers.

What is the best thing that you like about music blogging?

The sheer amount of music lovers and great musicians through out the world is absolutely phenomenal. And, when I see my network growing musically, it sure brings a smile to my face. It’s great dias to share something which you love and in turn learn from fellow bloggers on what they post. A chance to sing original compositions is also something that has come my way thanks to audioblogging. Having more visibility helps one challenge her or himself in different ways.

What do you dislike the most about music blogging?

That’s a really a tough question to answer Probably, the thing for me is for any listener to appreciate the effort that has gone into making a cover/original, whatever it might be. I do see some frivolous comments which in my opinion can be avoided. Of course, needless to say, this doesn’t mean that criticisms are unwelcome. But it’s just that it should be in a way which helps people improve and not be detrimental or demotivating to artists.

You do live shows with your band. What are the challenges of singing on stage?

Live shows are way so different than studio/home recording. The thing I love most about stage shows are the vibrancy and on the minute improvisation opportunities that comes with it. Of course, no retakes whatsoever–so one take, and either you make it or break it Getting a feel for the pulse of the crowd/listeners is a challenge and might even change with every other song in a live show. Stage shows are tough, extremely enjoyable, and a very beautiful experience. Learn so much with each and every show that I do.

Could you please share any unforgettable musical moments or concerts that you had?

My first maiden show in the US was in the year 2000. I performed Kaadhal oviyam from alaigal oyvadhillai and that probably will be my most unforgettable moment till date. Was a newbie with regards to performing on stage and the likes, so was super tense to say the least Another unforgettable moment, as a listener was attending the SPB/Chitra show in 2008 in the bay area. It was great seeing them perform, and even better was the small photo op I got with the great amazing SPB, thanks to Murali Venkatraman

What are the pros and cons of live singing and studio singing?

Studio singing can be very exhausting, and since mistakes can be corrected, think we also get carried away in trying to make it “too perfect” ! Live singing, on the other hand makes us more spontaneous and absolutely vibrant, thanks to the crowd and the sheer energy surrounding you

What equipments do you use for home recording?

Macbook Pro
Logic Express 8
SHURE SM86 condensor
Grado SR 125 (headphones)
Sennheiser 595 (headphones)
Apogee Duet

What kinds of Music do you like?

I pretty much listen to anything which has a decent tune to it Like all genres and styles for the most part. Am still not into hard metal, but guess will learn to appreciate that as well as time goes by.

Your favorite singer, music director, lyricist – and the reasons for you you preferred them over the rest.

I have too many to list in 1st two categories !!!

Singers: SPB/PBS/Chitra/PS/SJ/Hariharan and the list is on and on and on

Music Directors: I love Ilayaraaja for his sheer simplicity in getting his music across, ARR for his amazing ability to connect with audiences throughout the world. The new MD’s are okay, but none that cut it for me personally. In Hindi, I really love SDB and RDB’s music.

Lyricist: Love Kannadasan & Vairamuthu, some of Valee’s works. Like Gulzar and Javed Akhtar as well.

What are your other hobbies/interests apart from music?

I am a major foodie and love to cook. I enjoy running and do half marathons when I feel like it. Any artsy activity scores a home run for me.

Have you got any breakthrough in the music industry or is there something in the pipeline?

I wouldn’t call it a breakthrough but I have contributed towards projects like blogswara in the past and have also started collaborating with fellow muzibians on original works of theirs. Thanks to all this, have developed a lot of contacts/friendships providing a lot of encouragement in the long run I guess.

Continuing with our series of interviews with music bloggers, this time we have a very talented singer Azam Khan with us. Check out Azam’s songs at his blog, Expression of Heart and Soul.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am originally from Karachi, Pakistan. Mom is from Delhi and dad from Rampur and hence, Urdu and Hindi languages have been of primary interest to me from the beginning. After high school, I moved to the US in early 90s. I completed my B.S. as an Electrical Engineer and have been working as a Firmware Engineer for more than a decade.

Your voice has strong resemblance to Mohd. Rafi’s. What effect has that made in your musical career?

Well, I personally have never agreed to that assertion. However, the fact remains that many listeners state the very exact account. My suspicion is that it could be more of a psychological outcome instead of a technical one. In any case, it is a pure honor and delight to receive such accolades. To me, comparison to Rafi sahab’s voice (or style) is more than “a dream come true”.

This may surprise some but the reality is that ten years ago it was Kishore Kumar whom I idolized more than anyone. However, as I heard more and more of Muhammad Rafi, and specially his songs from 50s and 60s, my favoritism skewed progressively. The truth is that there was hardly a film and/or music director who did not want to have Muhammad Rafi. At one time, the success criterion of the hero was whether Rafi sahab’s voice could suit him or not.

As a matter of fact, I do not know what effect it has made towards my musical career. I do not even know if I have a musical career. One obvious possibility is that it has raised expectations of fellow singers and listeners which, again, I accept with an utmost sense of honor and pride. Nevertheless, I do know that I have learned a lot by listening to the maestro. How to induce emotions and expressions, how to develop vocal control, and how to make a song come alive in front of your eyes are some of the questions that have been answered by listening to his songs. For me, Rafi sahab’s singing is the ultimate standard of male-singing.

Did you have any formal training in music?

None until a few years back when I started to learn Hindustani Classical music. That went on for a couple years. I passed my first exam from Swaranjali Music Academy. I had to stop in 2007 to shift gears towards advancing my education and career. I am hoping to continue with my musical training in future.

When did you start music blogging and what lead you to it?

Officially, my blog started in 2006. However, I joined Tarana.com in November of 2005 and that I consider my actual start of Audio blogging. Another factor that eventually led me into it was my continuous practice of recording with Anirudh’s Karaoke CDs. I had released an Audio Cassette (… yes, you read me correctly, an audio cassette) in 1997 called “Sandese Mohabbat Ke” on the insistence of my close friends and family.

Can you write about how music blogging has helped you compared to your musical life before music blogging?

It has helped me tremendously become more educated in the area of music. I saw a huge network of bloggers develop with in a short period of time. Their contribution in the form of revival of the forgotten music and music legends, keeping the audience updated on what is current and in vogue, and everything in between has been phenomenal. Also, the sheer amount of talent that has surfaced through online blogging is overwhelming.

What is the best thing that you like about music blogging?

It provides me with the option to express myself in an effective fashion. And I can share that expression with the whole world instantly. Moreover, while feedback from family and friends provide me with guidance, a feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment, and love, comments from complete strangers are another source of true surprise, joy, and happiness.

What do you dislike the most about music blogging?

I am not sure if it is a ‘dislike’ or simply an area of concern for me but the scope of music blogging is limitless. I like to treat others the way I like to be treated. I am a kind of person who enjoys having a one-to-one relationship with each person and treat each person as a unique individual. However, it is very difficult to practice when this social circle is constantly expanding. And hence, it has been a struggle to figure out a solution to that problem.

Another pet-peeve of mine is the lack of criteria of expectations in the music-blogging world. People blog for different reasons and to achieve different objectives. For some, the goal is to become a professional while for others it is pure pastime activity. Similarly, listeners also have different objectives in mind under which they provide feedback. I have seen confusion arise when the expectations of singers and that of listeners get misaligned. Fortunately, for the most part, people simply like to see a positive comment about their performances and move on.

What were your activities in the field of music before you started music blogging?

I have been participating in music related activities for a while. Before music blogging, I sang for local shows wherever I resided. Currently, I am part of a musical band in Portland called Tarana.

Have you done live/stage shows? Could you please share any unforgettable musical moments or concerts that you had?

Yes, I have sung in a number of live shows. From time to time, I also organize “mehfils” with a group of close friends and acquaintances.

Singing in a show with Tasawwur Khanum, who is a well-known singer of ghazals and movie-songs in Pakistan, was extremely pleasant and memorable. She was very kind, humble, and gentle. I have also sung in the same shows as Alamgir and Saleem Javed who are considered pop-music icons in Pakistan. One of the most noticeable ‘musical’ moments, however, was in 1998 or 1999 when I had a chance to meet with Sonu Nigam before his concert in Minneapolis.

What are the pros and cons of live and studio musical performances?

Well, there are quite a few major differences in the two types of performances:

1. In live shows, you cannot ‘replay’ whether it is a mistake you made (one would not want to replay that anyway) or positively outdid all of your previous performances. Luckily, a good performance outweighs minor mistakes and leaves a much lasting impression.
2. Live shows entail organized practices with the band to improve collaboration and final presentation.
3. Live shows demand good care of your throat and health, in general, before and on the actual day of the show.
4. Live shows carry risks of inferior performance quality that is proportional to the number of people in the band and their individual contribution.

What equipments do you use for home recording?

1.    Yamaha mixer
2.    Cool Edit Pro
3.    SM58 Microphone

What kinds of Music do you like?

Usually, soft and classical with an emphasis on poetry! However, depending on the mood I will go with any kind of music, in general. Lately, my kids have been asking me to play Adnan Sami’s ‘India se aaya, life banane’ from movie Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar and I have learned to enjoy it with them.

Your favorite musician, singer and genre – and the reasons for you prefer them over the rest.

Well, Shankar-Jaikishan, OP Nayyar, Naushad, and Kalyanji-Anandji are amongst my favorite musicians. In my opinion, when they produced a song, the quality of poetry, music, and vocals was in excellent harmony. This balance was the result of their hard work, creativity, and good understanding of their final goals. It would be impossible for me to prefer one over the other. They all have contributed to the music industry in a way that is impossible to forget, replace, or imitate.

Amongst the singers, I can go with Rafi, Lata, Asha, and Kishore without hesitating for a second. As I have said in one of my blog posts, they were way ahead of their time. The types of songs they have sung are simply out of this world. The bottom line is they knew how to surprise their listeners and that kept the audience desirous.

What are your other hobbies/interests apart from music?

I like to read and collect books. I have a personal collection of more than 1000 books on several subjects ranging from religion to fiction.

Have you got any breakthrough in the music industry or is there something in the pipeline?

I have had a couple of chances to sing for Pakistan television and radio during my college years. However, based on several factors, biggest one being the unavailability of time as a student I never pursued seriously. Most importantly, as I said earlier, there are many objectives of performers. Mine, for the most part, has been to achieve self-satisfaction and happiness and I have been quite successful at that.

Thank you Azam, for spending time to answer our questions. We appreciate it very much and all the best for your continued musical journey.

You have heard them singing or playing music. You either loved or hated it and left your feedback with them. They have been entertaining you online for quite some time for no monetary benefits. And now is your chance to get to know the faces behind the voices.

Starting with the earliest music bloggers, Audio India is publishing a series of interviews with music bloggers. Our first guest is Murali Venkatraman who blogs at Manappathivu.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I hail from Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu. My mom is a Tamilian born and brought up in Kerala and dad comes from Tirunelveli. I have a B.Tech in chemical engineering from CECRI, India and a PhD from University of South Carolina in Chemical Engineering. Singing, composing, song writing and poetry are my primary interests.

Did you have any formal training in music?

No I didn’t. And it is something I have always yearned for. Finally after all these years, I have become a student with Shrimati. Shobha Shekar of Melbourne who also happens to be blogger Rashmi Madhu’s former teacher and blogger Adithi Devarajan’s aunt.

You said that you have had no formal training in music, but you seem to identify the raagas when you hear a song. How does this happen?

My learning is random and undisciplined. I hear, read and discuss a lot of and about music which unfortunately is becoming a luxury these days due to lack of time. Much of the idea about ragas came from strong discussions with my learned friends like Sheela and Sindhuja of Bangalore in forums like TFMPAGE and from other friends like Raja Govindarajan, Vijayanand Rajagopalan and Sriram Lakshman from 1998. Apart from that, I have heard a lot of semi-classicals in all possible Indian languages in genres like Carnatic, hindustani, ghazal, raag pradhaan, Marathi Bhav geet etc. And I also taught myself some basic notations of classical music using a book. These, combined with a bit of singing and pattern recognition (along with keyboard playing) helps me identify ragams.

When did you start music blogging and what lead you to it?

The first music blog I created was towards the end of 2003 I believe. Cannot remember the exact date. In those times, there was neither blogger nor did the idea of having a music blog had any significance. Blogging was just picking up. However, there were many music directors like Srikanth Devarajan who had websites of their own producing and presenting music that they made. Since I was a graduate student with minimal resources which ruled out affording expensive bandwidth, I decided to go for a musicblog.

The musicblog I started in blog-city was basically to present some of my compositions and were initially uploaded in dhool.com – a web site jointly owned by me and friends. It was not strictly a music blog but a general blog with music peeping in occasionally and that is how I see my current blog too. Later when I lost the blog-city blog, I moved to blogger and had been there ever since. I have been composing from 2001 and this was a good platform to present some of my work without much of a a website building fuss.

You were among the very first few people from India who started music blogging. Can you write about how it has helped you compared to your musical life before music blogging?

The most beautiful aspects of a music blog are the one to one conversations with audience, their opinions and encouragement. Here as an artist, I had the chance to understand how different people viewed my art unbiasedly since most of the visitors were random and unrelated to start with. What however I did not anticipate was the avalanche of musicians interested in a similar concept and coming together for greater efforts. Blogswara album and aavarthana concerts were two such things. Musicblogging ensured that the musicians like me who were just spreading their wings on the web without much of a direction, would focus for efforts greater than just an individual karaoke rendition. It emphasized the importance of collaboration and also the need for critical evaluation from both the peers and the rest. It made me humbled and happy and taught me honest evaluation of my music and others’. In short, it helped me think about music more objectively without however losing the heart for the art itself.

Now my music life is not just about singing a karaoke track but has expanded a lot more and is more variegated and is about producing music, having conversations with my friends who collaborate extensively and I am enjoying every piece of it. It is sometimes hard to keep up with the pace of the blogging community because I try my hand at many different things. Sometimes a great voice like Meera Manohar or Pradip Somasundaran or Swati Kanitkar would inspire me to create songs specifically for them. Sometimes I get this urge to make a karaoke track for voices like Sindhuja Bhaktavatsalam or Tara Balakrishnan or Divya Menon just for the kicks. Sometimes, I may ask one of the good friends like Mux Narasimhan to orchestrate one of my tunes or sometimes I may choose to write lyrics for some. Or sometimes I may request one of my friends like Jo (!) to render a composition of mine without any orchestration !

The audio blogging and associated social life has expanded my musical domain enormously that sometimes I am spoilt for choices. All these wonderful performers I mentioned and scores of others who I have not, have become very good friends and have affectionately complied to my musical requests. This has made me feel more like being in the midst of friends all the time and ensured that I am not a musical loner.

What is the best thing that you like about music blogging?

Collaboration, music production and friends.

What do you dislike the most about music blogging?

Improper pointers and dishonest assessments of fellow artist’s/friend’s work. The commitment, in my humble opinion, must be towards the art and not towards the person. In fact if you are a very good friend of an artist, it is only useful if you are honest about their performance and talent. Of course, while presenting an evaluation one must also have a fair idea of his own ability and biases. If the artist is a good friend, he/she would cherish honest feedback given that you are making sense. If not, they sever the relation. The cause could be that either you were not sensible in the comments or the so called friend is so consumed about his own performance and his ego does not want to admit the reality. In the former case you are no use to the artist. In the latter case, neither you nor the artist is useful to the artist’s progress.

That said, it does not mean one has to be downright caustic in words. One can be polite and honest by choosing appropriate words.

That is a valid point you made. Have you got any breakthrough in the music industry or is there something in the pipeline?

I did get some offers. However nothing has materialized due to logistics. As regards future, I really don’t know whats in for me.

You are a singer as well as a wonderful composer. Which one do you enjoy the most? Singing or composing?

Undoubtedly composing. I think this is deeply connected to an artist’s ego. An artist’s ego is ecstatic when his creation gets recognized more than when he himself gets recognized. That is, an artist is happier at that moment when somebody praises his art rather than when somebody bestows an award on him. When I compose, I don the creator’s garb and when it gets recognized, my ( creative ) satisfaction doubles.

When I sing, it is probably my voice that gets recognized / commented upon. And my voice is something that I did not create and I am neither proud nor not not-proud of it. However, the style of singing is something I could work on. It would be my ‘creation’ partly so to say. If it gets recognized, I am part happy. Even that is limited since my voice is limited.

However, while composing, I have complete freedom. I am most free to experiment and I am technically at least not very much bound by parameters. I could dabble with any genre, work with anybody who is a good talent and come up with things which can surprise even me.

In short, my mind can expand infinitely more than my voice. It is this expansion that gives me the utmost satisfaction.

There are various methods one choose to compose. The traditional way has been to have lyrics first and then compose a tune to match to what the lyrics convey. Now it happens vice versa too. So which method do you prefer and why?

There is absolutely no standard recipe. In fact there should not be. If there is, then there is no creativity but only adjustments. To me language and music are two sides of the same coin. It may not be wrong if I say I am obsessed with the language and diction – not just in Tamil – but of any language that I associate my music with. I try not to settle for cliched expressions and metaphors in most of the songs that I compose and with expressive writers like Udhaya, I have hardly had any problem finding good lyrics for Tamil songs of mine.

It has worked both ways with him. I have tuned much of his abstract poetry into songs (to his surprise) and he has written lyrics for many songs, the tunes of which I have come up with in the first place. And we work through the nuances of both the song and language for long before we finalize a song which we feel is suitable to be called a song. Similarly when I write and compose some songs, sometimes I do them in tandem. There is no clear-cut methodology.

In fact, we did this over the internet for almost 8 years without ever having met once. And we finally met in Sep 2008 !

Interesting!

When you compose songs, do you specifically choose a raaga for the song? Or do you just give a tune that comes to you? If you pick up a raaga first, why is it so? Is there any advantage to this method?

Four sub-questions in a single big question ! My answer 1. Yes and no 2. Yes and no 3. Will explain 4. Yes and no.

Sometime, when I hear a particular raga I would like to experiment with it and create a new tune. At that time I deliberately sing the raga and keep playing with it until I discover “fresh phrases” which I can use for compositions. And sometimes, when I walk down a road thinking aimlessly and humming something unconsciously, I do come up with tunes with no raga in mind. I may record them and later find what raga I had actually sung it in, but I may not care about it at the time of conception itself.

It is very difficult to answer why I pick a raga, One of the ( stupid ) reasons is adventure. I would sometime want to takeup a raga and give it a twist in such a way it has not been used by any of the composers before. For example, say in a sampoorna ragam I make a song deliberately avoiding the panchamam as much as possible and only occasionally pepper the song with it. Then I am trying to create something new. This starts as more for the kicks which however may eventually by lot of smoothing out may look as if was ‘naturally’ constructed.

Secondly, there are some ragas which have an inherent emotion. For example, raga Shivaranjani have an inherent sadness. So I may want to compose a tune which has a sad face to it. However this is a cliched approach.

Thirdly, trying to infuse something new in a genre itself. For example there are ragas like Sahaana which do not find a place in say hindustani genre. I may want to see how sahaana sounded if it is used in a hindustani-ish fashion. For this I choose to experiment. So it is highly varied.

When one picks up a raga, he is limited by its lakshanam or prayog. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage, for example in using mohanam is that, whatever you do with it will sound pleasant. The disadvantage is that it may force you to think cliched and hence be less innovative.

I generally do not limit myself in my compositions unless I have a specific task (like composing in a particular ragam)

What equipments do you use for home recording?

MOTIF-ES6 + MLAN

What kind of Music do you like?

Primarily any Indian melody irrespective of the language and genre.

Your favorite singer, music director, lyricist – and the reasons for you preferred them over the rest.

It is impossible to answer this question. However, if I am left alone in an island and were to choose only one of these for the rest of my life it would be

Singer : SPB
MD : MSV
Lyricist – Kannadhasan

Reasons : Creativity and Variety

What are your other hobbies/interests apart from music?

Well..writing is another important thing in my life. However, the inspiration for it comes only in fits and starts. Other than music, it is pretty much popular and intensive science that occupies my spare time if any.

Thank you Murali, for spending your time to answer our questions in detail. We appreciate it very much and keep going on with your music!