The Score Magazine Feb15-Mar15 Issue!

ISSN 0974 – 9128

Vol 10 Issue 02 15 Feb - 15 Mar 2017

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India's National Pan-Genre Music MagazinE

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TODAY'S

YOUNG COMPOSERS CATCH OUR LIST OF BOLLYWOOD MUSIC COMPOSERS TO LOOK OUT FOR

A READ ON

MUSIC THERAPY

WE TELL YOU HOW MUSIC HELPS THE BRAIN IN THIS ISSUE.

INTERVIEW WITH

MINDSHIFT

THE BAND TELLS US ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE PLAYING IN INDIA, THEIR MUSIC, INFLUENCES AND MORE.

COVER STORY

PAPON

HE TALKS TO US ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE AS AN ARTIST, LIFE AND MORE ALSO INSIDE : EXCITING PRODUCTS TO LOOK OUT FOR, MONTE FESTIVAL AND MORE.

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I NSIDE

PAPON 12

He talks to us about his experience as an artist, life and more

INTERVIEW WITH MINDSHIFT 32

TALENTED AND YOUNG COMPOSERS OF OUR TIME 34

The band tells us about their experience playing in India, their music, influences and more.

INTERVIEW WITH JAY SINGH 16 We chatted up with Jay Singh on his journey with HRC

Cartch our list of Bollywood music composers to look out for

HARMAN INSTALLATIONS 26 Harman did an interesting installation at the republic day parade and at the Opera house

MUSIC THERAPY 42 MUSIC FOR PROTESTS

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We give you a list of bands/artists that have used music to protest for a certain cause

PRODUCT REVIEWS

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Catch some interesting products from Roland , Yamaha, Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser

We tell you how music helps the brain in this issue.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE Director, Strategy and Planning Ajay Prabhakar Director, Business Development Pragash VM Director, Marketing & Operations Sneha Ramesh Editorial Advisor Nikila Srinivasan Creative Director George Vedamanickam Designer Manasi Doshi Content Contributors Aditi Sarawagi Amogh Rao Kishore Amati Pramita Bose Shreya Bose Souvik Chakraborty Sriram Ravishankar Sumit Suvarna

brand partners

'Poromboke', is a term commonly used across Tamil Nadu. The term was originally meant to refer to a piece of land that was common to people like a lake or a place that is set aside for public space for holding village assemblies, festivals and fairs.

However, in course of time, the same word took a demeaning turn to denote a person as useless and of no good.

Chennai’s Ennore Creek, one of those poromboke lands is now almost completely encroached. Many private industries made a dump yard out of it and in the process, polluting the environment; this caused innumerable health hazards to the people.

Kaber's 'Poramboke Song' which was released last September was intended to be a wake-up call for citizens to be more involved in the environment. More recently, a new music video called 'Chennai Promboke Paadal' featuring the popular Carnatic musician T.M. Krishna. This song is meant to raise awareness about the encroachment on Chennai’s Ennore Creek.

This song reached a wide spectrum of audience; in-spite of the popular beliref that Carnatic music has it's dedicated set of followers. This video already has more than one lakh views on YouTube.

I would like to urge our readers to be supportive of such musical initiatives and spread the word. Hats off to the amazing people behind this song. I loved it for the way it sounds and the message it depicts.

PRAGASH VM

Director - Business Development subscribe to us at www.thescoremagazine.com

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contactus@highonscore.com +91 95000 12975 DISCLAIMER: Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photography or illustrations without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and illustrations. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publication and accordingly no liability is assumed by the publisher thereof. Advertising copy and artworks are the sole responsibility of the advertisers. http://www.motherteresafoundation.org.in The Score Magazine is proud to support the Mother Teresa Foundation and urge our readers to join us in giving back a fraction of what we have been given.

PRAMITA BOSE

PAPON His nickname more instantly rings a bell than his formal identity. For Angaraag Mahanta is better known as Papon. Donning multiple hats as a singer, composer and record producer, this talented suave musician from Assam is now an established artiste in mainstream music. Founder and frontman of the folk-fusion band Papon and the East India Company, this vocalist with a distinctive tonal texture believes to carve his own niche with a quality body of work. From a penchant to set tuneful notes for film music, sharing insightful thoughts on the musical trends in future to facing the camera for big screen under the arclights, this 41-year old performer lays bare a lot to Score music magazine. Excerpts from an interaction...

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You are blessed with a unique tonal quality which can cut through the clutter. Yet with the advancement in vocal-tuning technology, do you think it’s become a daily challenge for every other singer to retain his/ her individuality in the crowd of too many playback artistes in popular Bollywood music?

I am truly thankful to be blessed with such a distinctive voice.

And that’s a piece of advice I always part with my younger singers i.e. to keenly focus on our voice. See your tonal texture is God’s gift. So nurture it with much care. Of course, riyaaz (training) and practice is necessary but it can’t change the internal vocal cords you are born with. You either have a different voice or you don’t. How you use your voice depends on your perspective and the backdrop of a given song. One must learn this craft and manner of working out one’s voice to his/her advantage.

What prompted you to form a folk-fusion band?

I have been initially groomed by my father Khagen Mahanta and have imbibed his key influences in me. Hence my association with the traditions of folk music started with watching my father closely from a very tender age. See folk music can really rock a stage and I have always wanted to do something with the folk melodies. As a genre, folk melodies are centuries-old stories and tales which still talk to us with an unfailing appeal. They exude emotions and relationships, relevant to today’s times, connecting with the youth. I wanted to see how we could slowly transform it into something which is more current and contemporary. It was a big step when we had actually floated the band Papon and The East India Company (Guwahati) a decade ago in 2007. But touchwood, we have got a tremendous response over the years and I couldn’t be happier for sure.

Is it difficult to straddle between a mainstream career and a parallel part-time band-music pursuit?

I think I have been fortunate enough to grab a string of plum tracks from Bollywood. I live in Mumbai, so whenever I get time to venture out of my own creative comfort zone, Bollywood is right there to shelter me. And that was the sole reason behind my plan to shift base to Mumbai as well — to be able to toil on some interesting film projects. The ‘city of dreams’ has so many great musicians. And honestly speaking, Bollywood was a conscious move that has worked for me because now a larger audience knows me.

By virtue of being a native of Guwahati and the son to your reputed folk-musician parents Khagen Mahanta and Archana Mahanta, you have inherited a strong tradition of folk culture and the regional Bihu melody is firmly ingrained in your blood and genes. Tell us something about your training in music ever since you were a child.

My musical journey had begun in my mother’s womb, that is, before I was even born. My mother was pregnant while she was teaching and learning Indian classical music. So I started listening to music since then! My father is a folk legend of Assam. He had been performing folk music and popularizing the regional form for years. He was a very well-respected figure in Assamese folk music.

The fact that I was born into a musical family and was bred in a similar kind of milieu had itself commenced my voyage along the course of sounds-n-beats. But I didn’t immediately take a plunge into the musical field as a professional till much

later in life, for it took me a while to realize that am pretty good at it myself and not because my parents are musicians.

So the progression was naturally gradual.

Hailing from Assam, one can’t deny the musical impact of the bard of Brahmaputra Dr. Bhupen Hazarika and his remarkable contribution to the fathomless ocean of music. How has his music inspired you?

Dr. Hazarika was a luminous personality with a charismatic, unique voice. Like you rightly put in, he has made an immense contribution to India’s musical trove.

How was your tryst with the distinguished English film composer Benjamin Wallfisch for the criticallyacclaimed international project, Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain?

Well, it was a fascinating project to be aboard of. It had other great musicians like Sting on it. As a matter of fact, the cause was extremely important and everyone had laboured for free to do their bit to promote the issue of Bhopal gas tragedy that took thousands of innocent lives thirty-two winters ago in 1984.

Is music production a heavy-duty job, given the fact that you have been a producer on season four of MTV Unplugged and has even participated as a vocalist in both Coke Studio and the Unpluggedshows?

Yes, but a lot of it depends upon the person at the helm. I like giving my best shots all the time. I am a perfectionist.

Therefore all these projects have had extracted a lot out of me. Imagine, I didn’t sleep well for four months! I would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and make notes — maybe this track doesn’t need a flute, maybe a shehnai would work better here, maybe another voice will sound apt here. So, these kind of ideas and thoughts would non-stop bug me. Point is that producing music is time-consuming and six songs could at times consume a full year, if you really want to produce well.

Are live sounds-n-beats and unmastered recordings the future of Indian music as often film producers and music directors retain the scratch versions of a particular song and unplugged programmes are gaining acceptance in the audience court too?

I can’t predict the future, but one thing is for certain that people are embracing new things and different concepts. And that makes for a holistic experience for music to evolve and for kids to grow up with. Film music isn’t also just one type any more. It has different flavours coming together now.

At the same time, unplugged, jazz, alternative, pop, folk, fusion should get played across radio stations as much as the monopoly of film music still rules.

You are also widely known for your associated acts with the accomplished front-runners in music.

Do these side gigs bring you a different taste to enlightening your knowledge on music? Explain…

Absolutely! I get to learn a lot from these side ventures. I absorb a lot from working in different spaces and synergising with different people. That’s how collaborations fall in place.

You see, it’s undoubtedly quite exciting for a singer, composer and musicians to work on various, diverse assignments.

Hence I’m lucky enough to coordinate with a bulk of talented musicians to spin around new ideas on varied platforms.

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Which of your upcoming Bollywood songs are scheduled to catch the airwaves in the months to follow?

I have no clue! I have recorded a few songs for some fairly big production houses but till the time the movie is announced or even get released, I can’t divulge anything! As you can understand, am bound by a certain contract. So it really becomes difficult to answer such questions because until and unless the makers unveil some details, I can’t really disclose anything from my end. For the moment, I can only share that the next immediate song people would get to hear me in is for a film called Irada, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. Neeraj Sridhar has composed the tracklist and the number I have sung is a soulful offering from his kitty — ‘Lodiyan’.

Tell us something about your forthcoming music tours?

I am doing a couple of shows in Kolkata as well as Guwahati shortly and some college concerts over the next few months are also lined up.

Is there any indie album planned or a single on the anvil?

I’m soon going to start working on a ghazal album and my second EP. I’m more than halfway through the project. The EP will be called The Story Now EP 2. However, there’s no working title set for the ghazal album. Besides, I have embarked myself upon a couple of songs and conceived an array of ideas too. Hopefully, I will release those this year.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

What about scoring for films in Bollywood? Are you considering offers?

I have already composed tunes for a Hindi movie named Ishqeriya starring Richa Chadda and Neil Nitin Mukesh.

But this was four years ago and it still hasn’t seen the light of the day. I don’t know what the current status is though.

Having said that it’s definitely something I would love to do.

In the meantime, am waiting for some quality engagements to come by. I am quite eager to score film music and that’s the direction I would like to walk into wholeheartedly. Wish, God sends down something my way soon!

How was the experience of making your debut in Bollywood with a Nagesh Kukunoor directorial vehicle alongwith five other reputed musicians from your fraternity?

It was a very enjoyable stint as I like Nagesh, both as a person as well as a filmmaker. And whosoever of us was involved in the cast whether it’s me, Sunidhi or Shankar, we were all very happy contriving on a concept like this.

We are trying to revive this project that got stalled due to our lack of dates. It’s utterly frustrating for all of us to be unable to click at around the same time together because all artistes can’t be available on a specified day but we are desperately trying to gather things back on track. The working title of the flick was Music Men. Of late I remember having met Shankar (Mahadevan) and he telling me with a

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firm emphasis that “we must take out time to complete this project”. Sad but true, getting dates together has been an issue for the director since he has roped in non-actors and professionals who are always busy travelling.

Since you have already made inroads into an Assamese movie Rodor Sithi as an actor, are you in talks for doing another local outing or a Hindi film in future?

There aren’t any offers brewing on that front for the time being but there is another concept which Nagesh has discussed with me. That’s a plan for the future to put it in black and white. It’s a very engrossing story between two individuals. You know acting is something I seriously find delight in. After all, you get to portray someone else, who you are not in real life and that’s really intriguing to say the least. You slip into another person’s skin and internalise his character. That’s a sheer challenge!

Any dream project left to be fulfilled?

I don’t sing in English much and I’m still trying to figure out how conveniently I can do that. For I can’t sound like someone I am not and aping is not an intelligent option here.

The reach of English as a lingua franca or a communicative language is so vast that I want my music to be heard far and wide. All said and done, this international tongue reaches out to millions of listeners and I want to work upon a project which involves my kind of folk-inspired music and where I can either croon in English or lend my vocals to another language. I would certainly love to launch this globally.

Who has been your music-idol so far and why?

My dear dad, Khagen Mahanta. He made music out of life.

For him, life, nature, food, culture — all contributed to the colourful tapestry of music he made. I guess, I have inherited his viewpoint when it comes to analyzing and assessing music. He taught me how to approach music and life. Technically he was so solid, yet his music had that sweet charm and a balm of warmth, which is why he was so much admired.

In fact it is he who has introduced me to music from all over the world, and made me understand that despite different languages, music is so similar because of its own idiom. Folk songs across the sphere talk about love, humanity, fear and hope.

Musically yes, I have been largely impacted by a lot of other artistes as well. For example, English progressive and psychedelic rockband Pink Floyd for the way they synthesized sounds and have fascinated me productionwise too. I really loved what ace English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel did. I have been also deeply mesmerized by Jagjit Singh and singers like Hariharan. Kishoreda’s (Kumar) spontaneity and the musical gems of RD Burman, SD Burman and Salil Chowdhury — all have left an indelible impression on my mind. This also explains why I don’t adhere to one particular style of music.

As a musician, how do you react to legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize win in the category of literature?

Well, Dylan has inspired an entire generation. By being not just a poet but someone who had strong opinions and who used his seminal words like magical power. So it’s a well-deserved award I feel.

The year 2016 has been a somber one for the world music fraternity as it witnessed a huge loss with the passing away of so many musical greats namely, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Prince and finally George Michael in December-end. Does that pain your heart?

It was a massive void left behind by so many musical giants. You always feel a loss when someone you admire or have been inspired by dies. On a personal note, I have suffered two such big losses in the past few years — once, when I lost my respected father and secondly, when noted ghazal maestro, Jagjit Singh had expired. These departures just give us one more reason to make music that’s eternally blissful and heavenly in strain.

Are you planning to sing any of the above immortal artiste’s covers to pay him a humble tribute in your future stage-acts?

Sure I would love to. But first I need to plan out which song I can create an enchanting version of. I also feel that I need to get a little more hang of singing in English. But yes, I would want to give a classic blockbuster by one of these celebrated artistes, my own twist and interpretation.

Notable Awards

Hits in Discography: • • • • • • • • • •

‘Labon ka karobar’ (Befikre) ‘Bulleya’ (Sultan) ‘Moh moh ke dhage’ (Dum Laga Ke Haisha) ‘Humnava’ (Hamari Adhuri Kahani) ‘Lakeerein’, a poem by Gulzar (Kya Dilli Kya Lahore) ‘Sun ri Bavli’ (Lakshmi) ‘Sun le re’ and ‘Khudse’ (Madras Cafe) ‘Kyon’ (Barfi!)

Title song of ‘Inkaar’ ‘Jiyein kyun’ (Dum Maro Dum)

• Gima Awards for Best Pop Album The Story So Far • Gima Awards for Best Pop Album Coke Studio at MTV Season 3 – PaponStardust Awards for New Musical Sensation Singer – Male for ‘Kyun’ (Barfi!)

• 22nd Screen Awards for Best Male Playback ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhage’ (Dum Laga Ke Haisha) • 8th Mirchi Music Awards for Male Vocalist of the Year ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhage’ (Dum Laga Ke Haisha) • Times of India Film Awards for Best Playback Singer (Male) ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhage’ (Dum Laga Ke Haisha) • GiMA Awards for Best Playback Singer (Male) ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhage’ (Dum Laga Ke Haisha) • 17th IIFA Awards for Best Male Playback • Singer ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhage’ • (Dum Laga Ke Haisha)

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INTERVIEW

Mr. Jay Singh with

In conversation with Mr. Jay Singh, Co - Founder and Executive Director, JSM Corporation, the company that owns Hard Rock Café India.

Tell us about the journey of HRC as a Rock music brand.

We started 10 years ago in East Mumbai.

Since then we have opened 8 outlets and that has been the journey so far and we have 3.5 thousand live music performances and served over 8 million customers. It has been a fantastic journey.

How do you think HRC has evolved as a music venue from when it started to now ?

I think music evolves. If we look back 10 years ago v/s today the music has evolved in itself. And with that so does hard Rock as it generally reflects the type of music people are enjoying at a given time. So through music we have evolved as well.

What is HRC's USP that you don't see anywhere else ?

I think we’re always true to the fact that what we like to say “Love Music, Love Hard Rock”. I think our customers are coming to Hard Rock very specifically for the music. That is something we stay true to. Of course we serve excellent food and have alcohol as well but by and large people would say “lets go to Hard Rock, we love the music.”

HRC has also ventured into other forms of entertainment like Comedy nights etc.

Don't you think that deviates from the core?

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Obviously there is a core, and you can build around it. So our core and what our philosophy is “Love Music, Love Hard Rock” but ultimately we are an entertainment space, so people are coming to our venues to have a good time.

Basically we are encouraging people to come to us to have a great time and have a great meal as well. Over time that can change also, right? So like I said we need to be playing 100% classic rock which we perhaps used to do 15 years ago at the brand Hard Rock but that has changed so we will certainly play a lot of modern rock and also different genres of music. That is very true to our ethos “Love Music, Love

Hard Rock”. So that’s very much our core, our core is all about having a good time while dining and stand up comedies – all about having a good time.

What are the plans for future in HRC ?

Look, in terms of outlets, we’re adding two outlets for which the work has begun. And going forward in terms of our offerings is, again, we will stay very true to what we stand for – “Love Music, Love Hard Rock”.

And the type of music can evolve and will change, however we will largely stay true to rock. Our mission, at Hard Rock Café, as a brand, is to spread the spirit of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Its not to spread Rock ‘n’ Roll but to spread the spirit of Rock ‘’n Roll.

We always have upcoming talents to perform at Hard Rock Café, so what are you doing as a brand to promote these upcoming talents to perform at Hard Rock on sorted nights?

I would first like to say that a lot of the really popular bands today in India started off with us, so that in itself shows that we’ve been working with a lot of bands since 10 years ago till now and I’m really glad to see them grow and become what they have and I do believe that Hard Rock has played a role in their growth.

And that’s something we’ll continue doing. So we have a lot of new platforms for identifying new talent through various associations.

Is there something that you would do to promote these people separately as well?

When you say what we do to promote is always that, them performing in our venues will certainly promote them. So that is one thing. We also have various other opportunities that we give the band, in the sense that certain selected bands have the opportunity to qualify and play on an international stage. So that is something we’re also doing.

German audio specialist, Sennheiser, has introduced the champions of finest audio quality in India by launching the HD 200 PRO, a closed-back over-ear phones that will establish the “good” solution in our dedicated Music Industry headphone assortment.

The HD 200 PRO monitoring headphones are made to ensure detailed and powerful studio sound wherever you are. No matter if you record your own tunes at home, in the rehearsal room or on stage, or simply enjoy listening to your favourite music at home, the HD 200 PRO is your ideal companion for every monitoring task.

Sennheiser HD 200 PRO

The HD 200 PRO offers powerful and detailed sound for every monitoring task and for every budget. It combines with an efficient ambient noise reduction with a high resolution. Focus on your mix – at home, in your studio or during live events. As a creator, a musician or the one who is responsible for proper live sound, you need to focus on your job. The HD 200 PRO is much more than a headphone. It's designed as an in depth monitoring tool for your music. It offers a detailed, powerful sound whilst stopping any ambient noise from distracting you.

You won't forget the very first time you tried the HD 200 PRO. It recreates sound in an extremely high resolution, offers every detail and every weighting you changed. If you need to validate your work, your mix, your chords – this is your tool. You're getting professional level, above-budget monitoring power with exceptional dynamics. It works with your laptop, your mixing console or electric piano and enhances your acoustic working space. And of course the HD 200 PRO are great to get some inspiration from your favourite music.

Built on the successful HD4x1 series, the HD 200 PRO features Sennheiser’s proprietary neodymium magnets, which deliver an excellent and powerful sound reproduction. The closed, over-ear, lightweight design offers excellent comfort and isolation from external ambient noise, which is optimal for long creative monitoring sessions (e.g. electronic piano, laptop, mixing consoles).

The HD 200 PRO features soft ear and headband cushions for enhanced fit and comfort, 2m straight and single-sided cable for tangle-free freedom of movement, a 6.3mm stereo adapter to optimize connectivity with other equipment, such as e-pianos.

Speaking of the comfort and earpads: As a monitoring tool, the HD 200 PRO will protect you from any noise that might distract you. The ambient noise reduction helps to create a clean space for your music.

You might wear them for a long, long time, for hours and nights. The HD 200 PRO won't become a burden, because we designed it with more than 70 years of experience. So we lowered the tension of the headband and chose materials with direct contact carefully. The result: The earpads feel feather-light and perfectly enclose every ear. You might even forget you're wearing them.

Sennheiser’s proprietary transducers deliver an outstanding stereo sound reproduction with powerful punchy bass. The Closed, around-ear headphone design helps to reduce ambient noise along with soft ear cushions and the ergonomic design which provide for enhanced fit and comfort

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In conversation with Violinist, song-writer and music producer.

Ajay Jayanthi How did your begin your journey in the music industry?

A couple of friends in college wanted to put a band together and I was the only guy who could play the violin. Wasn’t good at it, but that was where it started. One thing lead to another and more and more people wanted me to play with them.

Any specific reason why you picked the Violin?

I’ve got a lot of Carnatic classical musicians in the family. Amma’s a vocalist and an All India Radio A grade artist herself. She was apprehensive about training me in Carnatic classical vocals because with men, there’s always a fear that their voice might not be really suited for singing after puberty hits. So I was taught the violin for a bit. Never really liked going for violin classes as a kid. The day seemed to slow down for that 1 hour and my poor teacher had to put up with my indolence. I tried my hand at many different instruments and thoroughly enjoyed learning them. But somewhere around my 11th grade, I started liking the sound and the versatility of the violin and decided to get back to it.

What makes Ajay Jayanthi as a musician special?

I’m still trying to figure that out. I guess what works for me is that I listen to so many different genres that I can blend in with any form of music. There are plenty of violinists out there who are much better than me as far as skill is concerned. I have indeed been very lucky to get so many opportunities and from such a wide variety of genres. A lot of musicians I know are biased against a particular genre or form of music. To me that’s weird because every genre has a certain situation, time and an emotion that only that particular genre can portray.

How do you reach out to the masses with your music?

We had a chit chat with Ajay Jayanthi, who spoke to us about his entry into the music space, why he picked violin, his inspiration, his music and lastly his message for upcoming artists.

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For me up until now it’s been more about playing shows for them live. Sure you could listen to the songs on mp3 but non-musicians especially might not be in a state of mind to listen to it the way you want them to. But when they’re at a gig, they’re in the atmosphere that you want them to be in and conveying whatever it is you want to through your music becomes way simpler. The next best way I feel to do it is through videos.

Which has been your best composition till date and why do you pick that?

This song I haven’t released yet called 'ek kadam'. A friend and a very good poet I work with who goes by the name of Kunal Singh Chauhan sent me these beautiful lyrics one morning and we composed a song around it in a day’s time.

You are also a song writer and a music producer. How do you multi task? What do you like doing the most?

I think that’s the best and easiest part of my life. I have so many things to choose from. If I’m not in the mood for something, I can switch to doing something else. As a kid, I noticed that I get bored with things very quickly. Life so far had pretty much been a fight against boredom. Music is such a vast field that it doesn’t give you an opportunity to get bored. Now I’m almost always looking

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Photo Credit: Shainky Thareja

for more time to work in a day. I don’t prefer doing one thing over the other. Outside of work and regular practise, I like practising the violin with amma. I like playing percussions if I’m jamming with musician friends. I love producing music and experimenting with new sounds at night when everyone else is asleep. Basically it’s different things in different settings

someday, I will be able to match up to their level of musicianship. Especially U Srinivas. I was extremely saddened at the news of the maestro’s untimely demise.

He was in my list of dream collaborations. Another artist I would absolutely love to collaborate with like most Indian musicians is A. R. Rahman. He’s pretty much been my biggest inspiration as far as music is concerned

You're a part of popular Indian bands. How do you go about choosing the bands you like to play with?

Any project in the pipeline that you want to tell us about?

I have to be sold on the music to get into it and do a fair job myself. Then there’s the part where I actually have to figure out if there is space for me in the band. The violin as an instrument isn’t loud and can’t cut through heavy arrangements unless the songs are designed to make it possible. I have jammed with bands where the folks really wanted me to play but the band sounded so full that it didn’t really feel like I was bringing anything new to the table and so I didn’t work with them despite the fact that I really really liked their music.

Is there a band you want to be a part of and waiting for the perfect opportunity to do so? Is yes, which band and why?

Remember Shakti. Their music was study material the first couple of years I started seriously learning music haha. Still is. Every show is different and I hope that

This year for me is mostly about going back to the fundamentals, polishing my violin-playing, revising music theory and revisiting some old collaborations that, for some reason, never got released. There are quite a few new projects in the pipeline and some that I started working on a year ago. One such project about to release soon is this single that I produced a couple of months ago for Shubhangi Joshi’s composition. There’s also a small series of acoustic tracks that I’m working on for web release.

After Anand Bhaskar Collective’s launch of the second album, Paradigm Shift is also all set to release a new album this year. Also a couple of Hindi films that I had the opportunity to work on are set to release this year.

Your message to upcoming and aspiring violinists Focus on technique, form and expression right from the beginning and listen to all forms of music with an open mind and it’ll become really easy to find inspiration in anything.

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Pritesh Walia

Shruthi Musicals, Chennai organised a guitar workshop

by Pritesh Walia in mid January. The workshop covered topics like Harmonic Improvisation, Introduction to Jazz & Contemporary music, Advanced Guitar Technique's and had an exclusive live performance by Pritesh Walia. We bring you a few points discussed and questions asked during the workshop.

About Pritesh Walia

He got his Associates of Arts degree (A.A) Musicians Institute College of Contemporary music (MI), Los Angeles and he is currently pursuing his Bachelors Degree (B.A.)" in contemporary Jazz performance and professional musicemphasison Jazz composition from Berklee College of Music, Boston.

Chords and Comping

Most guitar players neglect learning chords and always try and learn solos and lines, which is a great thing but that won’t help you in all situations especially if you are playing a duo gig or just backing up a horn player. He emphasized on the importance of learning basic triads, seventh chords, extended chords and more complex altered chords and all these different permutations of chords on your instrument to give you more mileage in your improvisation, comping and simply understanding harmony.

India lacks good music education and he feels basic subjects like music theory/harmony, Ear training, directed ensemble playing, critical listening etc should be taught following a simple guided curriculum.

Improvisation

the inversions of a triad

“It is a skill where a musician can spontaneously compose on the spot while expressing his feeling/ emotions whilst reacting and responding to other musicians around them almost like a language or simply like the act of talking.

Just like how talking freely in a language requires one to learn the words, syllables and repertoire, music follows the same design or idea”

A triad consists of three notes. For example, let us consider a C major triad, which consist of notes C E and G. You can play the triad in root position or first inversion which would be starting from E (3rd) or second inversion which is G (5th) or third inversion if we had a B (7th). You can play these triads either in closed position which is all the notes within an octave or open spread positions which is having one of the notes up an octave.

Every musician should be able to read which is probably one skill that most musicians, especially guitar players neglect in their musical education, music is an universal language and one should be able to read, write and speak it to be able to communicate freely and not only that, having good reading skills could help you get studio gigs as it is a skill which is not very common to have especially for guitar players and a lot of musicians have built their career just on this aspect”.

Reading would also help you understand how to play within a key and where those notes lie on your fret board or your chosen instrument, plus you can read other instruments and understand how they function.

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Photo Credits: Sergio Ramos

What are Quartal chords ?

Quartal chords are chordal structures that are constructed in fourth of a diatonic scale, lets say we take G major, the notes are simply G A B C D E F# G now you can make quartal chords by simply going an interval of 4th up from each tone so G-CF#-B which gives you a G Major 7th chord with an 11 (4) and you can repeat this cycle with each note in the scale.

How to use CHROMATICS?

The chromatic scale is a very important scale and should be given the same importance as any other scale, people generally think of jazz when they think of the word chromatics in all actuality even though jazz players use this ornament a lot in their melodies and improvised phrases these chromatics can be found in other genres almost as frequently especially in blues, funk and Rock etc.

Most jazz players use chromatic as passing tones or to even up their melodic phrase or line. If you listen to Bebop jazz you would find scales like the major bebop scale (which is just a major scale with a passing chromatic tone between the 5th and the 6th degree of the scale) or the Dorian bebop (which is just a Dorian scale with a passing chromatic tone between the 3rd and the 4th )

How do you get more jazz influence in your sound?

Listen and Transcribe. The only way to build repertoire is to learn it and transcribing would help you with that. He explained how you should listen to the style of music that appeals to everyone.

In his case, it was jazz and he listened to the greats like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker and many more from the past and pre bop era and learn to play it on your instrument. This will not only help you develop your ears but would also help you understand the harmony and how those notes relate to chords and how those scales works on that chords and so on.

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Music Education

AMOGH RAO

The India Edition

The Best Institutes and Courses

In the past we’ve shared websites that help you learn instruments online. This article, however, is for those of you interested in a more serious approach, or for those who want to make a career out of your passion. We short-listed some of the best institutes and courses in India based on popularity, accreditation and quality of education.

K.M. Music Conservatory, Chennai Founded by A.R Rahman himself, KMMC is one of the most sought after institutes for higher education in music. Their faculty is drawn from around the world, and they offer part time and full time courses in music theory and analysis, music history and music technology.

Courses offered: »» 2 year Diploma (affiliated with Middlesex University, UK) »» 1 year Foundation »» 1 year part-time Preparatory »» Composition »» Russian Piano Programme »» Audio Engineering »» Electronic Music Production »» Certificate in Performance »» Summer Programmes

True School Of Music, Mumbai Situated in Lower Parel, TSM is probably the most popular music school in Mumbai, with its international faculty and state-of-the-art facilities catering to a variety of programs and courses. It also hosts guest lectures and free master classes for aspirants to get a feel for professional music.

Courses offered: »» Foundation Courses in bass, drums, guitar, DJ, keyboards, Indian vocals and western vocals

»» Professional Courses in bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, DJ, Instrument Production, Music Production, Sound (In collaboration with Harman), Vocals, Hindustani Playback Vocals (In association with Shankar Mahadevan Academy) and 101 Courses »» Pro Kids and Pro Junior Courses

Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, Tamil Nadu One of Asia’s premier institutions, SAM is well known for its traditional Gurukulla form of education in Indian classical music, which is used to teach a variety of music forms and genres from around the world. They’re programs include camps and short term courses along with guest musicians and performances on campus.

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Courses Offered: »» Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance (in association with MSCM)

»» Certificate in Music Program »» Advanced Certificate in Music Program »» Diploma in Music Performance »» Diploma in Music Production & Technology »» Indian Music Program »» Electronic Music Production (In association with Garnish Music Production School)

»» Summer Intensive Program »» 5 Day Camps »» Indian Music Camps

Delhi School of Music Established by Delhi Music Society, DSM is a premier institute in western classical music. With a select 1300-1400 students being catered to annually, it uniquely continues to remain a non-profit institute. The school is also a centre for Trinity School of Music and Royal Schools of Music exams Courses offered: »» Instrumental - Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, Guitar, Recorder, Keyboard,

»» Flute, Saxophone, Clarinet, Drums »» Vocals »» Ballet

AAFT School of Performing Arts Asian Academy of Film and Television caters to a broad range of educational disciplines like mass media, communication, film and art. The school of arts is one of the most sought after names in India, with multiple campuses across the country and a variety of different courses that are on par with industry standards.

Courses offered: »» 4 Year Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts (Music) + Diploma in Music Production

»» 2 Year Master’s Degree in Performing Arts (Music) + PG Diploma in Music Production

Global Music Institute, Delhi Founded in 2011 by Berklee graduates Tarun Balani and Aditya Balani, this relatively new institute brings modern and contemporary pedagogy into music practices. It’s also notable for teaching business management to its students, as they believe it to be an important aspect of learning in today’s music industry. Apart from having international faculty and classroom style teaching, GMI is the only official teacher of Berklee College of Music curriculum in India.

Courses offered: »» One Year Certificate (2 Semesters, 3 months each) »» Two Year Diploma (4 Semesters, 3 months each) »» Three Year Graduate Diploma (6 Semesters, 3 months each)

Mumbai Music Institute Audio Garage, a digital recording studio in Mumbai, founded MMI in order to teach and educate audio engineers and production aspirants by providing specialized courses in electronic music production, DJ and audio engineering.

These programs are suited for programmers, beginners as well as musicians.

Courses offered: »» Instrument Courses (Keyboard, guitar, drums) »» DJ Course »» Diploma in Audio Engineering »» Diploma in Music Production »» Diploma in Live Sound Engineering

Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya, Mumbai One of the oldest and most well known Indian classical music institutes in Mumbai, Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya has provided some of the best taught courses in Hindustani and Carnatic music through the University of Mumbai. It is affiliated with Trinity College of London.

Courses offered: »» Certificate Course in Tabla »» Certificate Course in Violin »» Certificate Course in Harmonium »» Certificate Course in Classical Vocals For those of you looking for an education from home, the following are some of the most popular sources of music certification courses, online.

Shankar Mahadevan Academy An initiative by Shankar Mahadevan himself, this online academy aims to provide quality music education regardless of where you live. The academy has 11000+ students from over 47 countries across 24 geographic time zones to pursue their passion for music from the convenience of their homes.

The academy offers over 300 courses and has delivered more than 51,000 virtual classes. They also collaborate with institutes across India for in-house classes and courses, such as their collaboration with TSM.

Courses offered: »» Hindustani Vocals »» Carnatic Vocals »» Voice Gym »» Music For Children »» Teacher’s Certification »» Carnatic Violin »» Contest Preparation »» Self Study Courses in Hindi Music and Classical Concepts

Trinity Rock and Pop Trinity College of London conducts exams in various centres across India, based on their courses offered online or through various institutes in the country. These exams test you based on performance, improvisation, reading and technique within the genres surrounding rock and pop music, with each Grade requiring a pre-determined syllabus to be covered.

Certifications: »» Guitar – Grades 1 to 8 »» Drums – Grades 1 to 8 »» Bass – Grades 1 to 8 »» Keyboards – Grades 1 to 8 »» Vocals – Grades 1 to 8 »» Bands – Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced

Trinity College of London Exams Similar to the rock and pop exams, Trinity holds Music Grade Exams in different centres across the country, with focus on other instruments that fall into genres like jazz, classical and orchestral music.

Courses offered: »» Piano »» Music Theory »» Woodwind and Jazz Woodwind »» Classical and Plectrum Guitar »» Electronic Keyboard and Organ »» Bowed Strings and Harp »» Vocals »» Brass »» Percussion

Berklee Online Berklee online is an online extension of the Berklee College of Music. This website has some of the largest collections of courses and certificate programs both free and paid, and involves faculty and students from across the world. They also give you the chance to build your own program by selecting your preferred courses and specializations.

Courses offered: »» Degree Majors »» Online Certifications Part Time Courses »» Interdisciplinary Certification »» 5 Course Professional Certificate in General Music Studies »» 3 Course Specialist Certificate in General Music Studies

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About Happydemic and idea behind its inception

Business Model & value offerings at Happydemic

Happydemic is a platform that aims to bridge the gap between an artiste and the audiences. They position themselves as “live entertainment experts� and strongly believe that a party is not a party if it's not live! They want to bring live entertainment to everyone's doorsteps and bust the myths around live entertainment, about it being very elaborate process/ Space consuming/ too expensive, etc.

They have adopted the B2B2C model in which their clients are typically corporate , restaurants , clubs, professional firms such as Big Four, Law firms , Families and Individuals...

Happydemic's essence is spreading happiness within the artist community by connecting them to the right audience, Shaan used to host lot of reality shows initially and then he moved on to judging them, and there were exceptional talents on these platforms. All the reality shows have a whole lot of rounds and you have over hundred exceptional talents coming in but finally there's one winner. So the idea behind Happydemic was to actually help the other 99. A lot of these kids leave their cities, their villages and come to Mumbai to pursue this dream of music, and like we all know how expensive as a city Mumbai is, they have talent but nowhere to perform so the spirit of Happydemic came from there, that Happydemic is an entertainment portal wanted to be that gust of wind beneath their wings to help them get work and to connect their exceptional talent with honourable audiences.

An epidemic of happiness, thus Happydemic.

Revenue model is typically for the live experiences that they create for these clients and they have also created very unique and world class products such as Songstruck, Thank God It's Monday, Corporates have Talent and many others. The goal has been to create business impact through live music and experiences. At a family and individual level; they are offering Songstruck and other live experiences.

Additionally they also offer premium services to artists (another source of revenue.

Number of registered artist along with their pricing Points As of now Happydemic has around 300 + Verified Artists & 600 + Registered Artists with them.

This ratio increases every day.

The pricing point depends on whether there is a solo performer, Band performance duration and other parameters.

Songstruck as a product is around Rs. 5000-10000. Other products for 1-2 hour performances range from Rs.35000 onwards. The goal is to make high quality experiences affordable to everyone.

They have also started a Systematic Engagement Plan or Systematic Experience Plan where a corporate, business or a family can gift or consume performances on a regular monthly basis versus an adhoc way of doing things.

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Annual Revenue & Expansion plans They have clocked revenue of Rs. 1 Crore in the first 7 months and have open opportunities of an additional Rs. 1.5 Crore.

Though Happydemic is launched in Mumbai, but they have done their first few performances in Delhi and Bangalore as well. Their goal is to start in Delhi and Bangalore shortly because these 2 places have phenomenal potential. In early 2018, Happydemic will look at 3 - 5 other cities in India, by that point of time; they would like to have established a very good presence in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

Strategies while acquiring clients Their strategy to actually acquire clients has been Business – Business – Customers (B-B-C) but more importantly they want masses to know about what happydemic is through word of mouth. Their talent is fantastic and have a very systematic and transparent manner in which we deploy our artists. A customer gets immense sense of relief when he actually knows that it is a platform (a) that is transparent and (b) the talent is completely vetted. They vet their talent by their talent hunters or their coaches where they look at different parameters that would be voice quality, performance and presence. They make sure that all of them are matched well.

Happydemic believes that if you have great talent and you have curated them well, you have mentored them well, they are ought to get a good audience.

Work life balance & biggest challenge Radhika Says There are 24 hours in a day and I like to plan everything well in advance. From kitchen menu to meetings of the day, everything is planned and I make sure that I stick to a schedule. I actually imagine my entire day and figure out whether it is practical for me to fit in the kind of things and if not, then I prioritize it accordingly. From kitchen menu to meetings, chat with kids’ extracurricular activities, car pool, or even a date with Shaan.

Everything is planned! I have to-do notes all over my cabin (in the office) and on the fridge (in my kitchen). The only thing that I have stopped doing is, go to “show your face” kind of parties.

I really don't have time to socialize and the time that I have, I rather spend it with close family and friends.

The toughest challenge I’ve faced as a woman entrepreneur was in maintaining a balance between home and work. I have been fortunate enough not to have major hurdles where running a business is concerned, because I’ve been from a business background, I know how a business works. Even staying at home and running the house was also equally tough because Shaan was travelling, I have two kids, I have a mother-in-law, and there was a whole balance between Shaan’s hectic schedule and house schedule. But I think the toughest thing that I’ve probably ever faced is a dilemma within me, whether I’m doing enough for home or enough for office. But I think that will constantly happen and I will have to constantly learn to face it.

I’ve had tremendous meltdowns in the past, but I’ve learned.

Shaan’s goodwill actually made it so much easier; he’s actually made a blueprint for Happydemic’s success. Topped with Amar’s support where the numbers are concerned, he’s been in the financial stream for over 15 years himself. We’ve got a foot in the door rather easily than most other companies have and I can’t deny that.

Mrs. Radhika Mukherji Radhika Mukherji is a thriving entrepreneur with creative instincts and passion for Music. She is the Founder & CEO of Happydemic, a digital platform bridging gap between customers and upcoming artistes, ensuring a happy & soothing experience. It is a one stop destination which aims at democratizing live performances and bringing them to one’s doorstep at an affordable price. Their vision is to make a happy difference in the lives of artists and customers through their platform.

Radhika uses her unique sense of technique and approach to resolve issues. Her primary motto is to enhance the joy of music enriching one’s soul, leaving a mark in the lives of the artiste and the audience by putting special focus on individual preferences. Along with her exquisite ambitions, she has a Business degree from N.M.College, Mumbai and a PPL license along with 8 years experience in Aviation.

Additionally, in the last 15 years she has created successful IPs for Shaan. She is also a mother of two kids who believes in maintaining a fair balance between work and home and in her leisure time she enjoys swimming, outdoor sports & reading.

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Republic Day Parade

(DELHI)

The largest democracy of the world marks it’s Republic Day with a grand parade. This, largest and most important parade takes place on the 26th of January every year at Rajpath.

Attended by the top political and military brass, the parade showcases India’s defense capability and it’s cultural and social heritage.

Thousands of people swarm the parade to join the celebrations. While it’s very important to Indians, the parade is attended by all the ambassadors to India, making it an internationally important event for India. Telecasted on the National television and broadcast on the National radio, the parade is the most awaited event of the year. Every year, the parade is held from President’s House along the Rajpath till India Gate.

With such grandeur it is of high importance that the 2.1 km stretch of Rajpath has the best audio for the spectators.

The 1, Signal Unit of the Indian Army takes care of the Public Address (PA) System. The success of the show not just depends on how well the contingents and tableaux perform, it also depends on how well the speech is delivered to the spectators. And this, brought a lot of challenges to the organizers.

Till now, the 1, Signal Unit was using a rudimentary setup to transmit audio across the venue, which consisted of analog audio lines from one rack location to another. While it is a cumbersome task logistically, it also involved high noise and unavailability risk. The high system availability requirement of the event brings one more challenge, to have hot standby amplifier backup. Which means that a standby amplifier will take over in case any primary amplifier fails.

The organizers were using age old manual switchovers to achieve this.

When the Indian Army decided to revamp the system, Harman was chosen after a tough competition with various

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other brands. To connect 5 different rack locations, Harman offered a system with Dante and CobraNet backbone for transmission of audio. Soundcraft mixers were provided for the operators while Digital Signal Processors by BSS were provided for audio transmission. Crown DriveCore Install Network Amplifiers were used for amplification. The amplifiers were chosen for a unique dual input with priority router feature. The amplifiers get both digital and analog input which is processed by priority router onboard. In case the digital input fails, the analog inputs get routed. The amplifiers also have onboard DSP with latency, crossover, band pass filters, input/output EQ, limiter and various other monitoring features. The amplifier line switching is achieved by Crown CT8SHO amplifier line switcher. Using the CT8SHO Switchers, the amplifier switching is attained without any human intervention. Each PA zone at Rajpath is fed by two different amplifiers which provide redundancy for loudspeaker line connectivity.

The loudspeakers for the event were chosen after high scrutiny by the Signal Unit. The Loudspeakers needed to reproduce the speech in best possible way and needed to be suitable for music as well. While according to general wisdom, the cabinet type loudspeaker fits the requirement, they are hindrance to the line of sight and doesn’t have any aesthetic appeal, which is not acceptable for an event of such splendor. To get a balance of both, the Indian Army chose the JBL CBT 70J-1 with CBT 70JE-1 extension. The column type construction of the loudspeaker blends it with the existing architecture. The system control and monitoring is achieved using the HiQnet Audio Architect, on which the custom panels provide the command of complete system on a single screen for the operator.

The Republic Day, for the first time, used an end-to-end digital system and had the best sound for the most awaited event of the year.

HARMAN Speakers Ensconce

The Royal Opera House

Mumbai, India

HARMAN Professional Solutions was tasked with outfitting the Royal Opera House with a customized sound solution after the century-old heritage building underwent a six-year renovation plan.

The 574 seat venue, which opened its doors to the public in October, features JBL VerTec line array, Soundcraft Si Performer mixers and BSS BLU-806. This iconic space has now been restored and has reopened to the public after almost two decades.

Since it was a heritage building, HARMAN had to be innovative and created custom solutions to overcome certain challenges that the structure posed. For instance, the roof of the auditorium could not support the weight of line array speakers so cantilever beams had to be used on walls to support the new sound solution. In addition to the VerTec line array system, the Royal Opera House also features the JBL AE Series speakers including eight AC28/26, six AC18/26 and four ASB612B. The Royal Opera House, built in 1911, comes with a glorious history stretching all the way back to the heydays of Parsi theatre. Ever since its inception it has functioned just like its famous prototype, the Opera House in London. Over the years it has hosted operas and live performances by notable Indian

Arts personalities like, Bal Gandharva, Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar.

Ashish Doshi, Hon. Director Royal Opera House, says “While evaluating sound options for the Royal Opera House, It was quite incidental that I chose to speak to Nikhil Pai, and old friend and fellow mate of my motor Rallying days. He immediately organized a meeting with team Harman and set the ball rolling. Prashant Govindan of Harman India assured all the support, expressed keenest desire to work with the prestigious project such as Royal Opera House Theater.

There has been no looking back and Harman have left no stone unturned to ensure we get the best possible sound at the Royal Opera House. The people have really appreciated the sound and we are very happy we chose the best.”

Gondal Maharanisaheb said “I had asked Ashish Doshi to get the best possible sound for Royal Opera House and I am very happy team Harman have delivered just that. I thank team Harman for all their support” The

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IN CONVERSATION WITH

CHARAN RAJ

The film industry at large has undergone a gamut of changes in the recent past, making way for a bundle of new talent. With audiences becoming more accepting and appreciative of experimental projects, there has never been a better time for independent musicians to express themselves, reaching out to a wider section of audiences who are beyond the scope of their gigs and albums.

Speaking of the independent scene in Bangalore and regions in and around, there has been quite a few talents who have made it big. As for the Kannada film industry in particular, the sort of bold and original content that independent directors are bringing to audiences are not only pushing the boundaries of film making but also establishing a sort of a secured space for music composers to be vulnerable and take the chances that they otherwise wouldn’t have taken in case of any other commercial project.

Each of the independent project that has come out in recent times has shown the kind of collaboration and union that the director and his music composer have come to which has so beautifully manifested on screen.

Amongst the host of talents who have entered the industry as composers, here is one who shows great promise of being a pioneer in the industry evidently by the amount of buzz he has created just with his debut! Meet Charan Raj, 31, a Kannadiga, engineer, vocalist, pianist, music programmer, and composer.

Having started off as a Carnatic classical musician, Raj went onto exploring Western classical music, piano, composing, audio engineering, and music programming. “From a very young age I had a very big affinity towards being a musician. Coming from a place like Coorg which has very little music, there was nothing beyond the native music; you neither have too many opportunities to learn classical music nor do you have any exposure to popular music. However, I started learning Carnatic music from a local teacher in Virajpet. I come from a family which has no musical background. They were only music lovers. My father used to listen to lot of music like Ray Charles, Loius Armstrong and make me listen to all of those. But in Coorg, being with nature helped me a lot whatever you learnt, you related to it in one way or another. That made the real difference for me. The feel that the folk music brought despite limited notes taught me a very important lesson - its all about that connection,” he passionately started off.

“During my sixth grade, I came to Mysore to compete to see how good I am with music because that was the only source of validation for any beginner- winning a prize.

There were about eighty kids competing and that was my first real world exposure. After

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Here to stay! Meet CHARAN RAJ An indie musician, engineer who is Kannada Film Industry’s latest music sensation!

SRIRAM RAVISHANKAR

a week’s time, I get a call that I have to come to Mysore because I have won a prize. I thought I had won just an appreciation prize, but to my surprise, I had won first!

That was the first point which started making me believe in myself that I can do music! I thought being in a bigger city would help me do more music, so I shifted to Mysore to join Ram Krishna Vidya Shala for high school. That was the place that really shaped my musical tastes. . A monk in that school used to punish me whenever I did any mistake by making me listen to music and do a 100 push ups. What a punishment! That was where I was exposed to a lot of fusion music by artists like Zakir Hussain, Yanni, etc. from the huge collection of music in the library.

It was during this time that I also bought a keyboard and started meddling with all the tunes I had heard to, on the keyboard along with the other instruments I had access to,” Raj went on, as he was remembering and simultaneously being reminded of how all these experiences have melted into his personalty and music today.

He continued saying, “Like any rebellious teen, I lost interest in music thinking all musicians die poor! So, I thought I will become an engineer. I gradually lost interest in all the subjects as they interested me lesser day by day! It was al about marks! Music came back to me as my escape. During my college days, I had a great gang of friends! That is where everything happened! It was like a rock n roll phase! That was the time I was exposed to a lot of bands - rock, metal, pop, popular music, electronic music, and what not! But whenever we attended inter-collegiate festivals to compete, I always hated the idea of covering songs and I always liked doing my own songs. Thats where my journey of composing started with my friend Job Kurien.

From there on, I worked as a programmer for people like Prashanth Pillai, Ricky Kej doing albums, ads, and my own independent projects with Job and others. The first movie I scored the music for as an independent composer was this movie called

Photo Credits: Ananth Kamath

Harivu. Later on for Mandya to Mumbai and finally the big one Godhi Banna Sadharna Mykattu,” as his infectiously innocent smile spread across his face. His most recent release Pushpaka Vimana, is probably his best work yet!

Raj’s works not only speak loudly of his influences as an independent musician, but also gives an insight into the depths of his personality, ideologies, and moralities as a musician. With his music, he is bringing new sounds to Kannada film music and largely altering the sensibilities of his audiences by pushing their boundaries of acceptance of what a “typical Kannada film song” should sounds like. He has this ability to effortlessly fuse his melodies around the sounds that he wants to bring and the sounds that the narrative demands in a way that he paints a colourful soundscape in the minds of his listeners. He blends together sounds that his audiences are already aware of and cautiously but cleverly underlines his own sounds in a way that the listener readily embraces his music.

Raj’s music doesn’t have the usual formulas or signature sounds of what is usually termed to be a typical “Kannada film song”. There are no loud drums, no typical regional grooves, no cliched lyrics, no sexy sounding chorus singing hook lines, stereotypical formulas, not even the usual biggies who can lend their stardom! It is his talent of being such a good melodist that keeps one hooked onto his music. There is probably a lot of resistance when you first listen to his music perhaps because you are in such disbelief of what you are listening to; but later on, his music grows on you - similar to how you would react to a Rahman song. It is his humility, child-like curiosity, and a vastly open mind that makes him stand out so prominently amongst his contemporaries. “Music is a collaborative process. I wish to bring back many of the practices that were prevalent during the earlier times of film music and hopefully some of that charm too in my music,” he chuckles. Each of his piece echoes the honesty and purity of his intention with which he scores the melody for each of his song.

At the core, Raj is an ardent devotee of Carnatic music. He is inherently biased towards classical music in general, be it Indian or Western. It is around this core that his diverse range of influences from rock, electronic, pop, jazz, blues, soul, world music, RnB, folk, Hip Hop, dubstep, experimental to choral and orchestral music layer on top of each other making his identity as a composer so strong and well defined.

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KISHORE AMATI

Keeping it alive with music The 15th edition of the annual Monte Music Festival was recently held with the backdrop of breathtaking sunsets and soul-stirring music in Goa. The Score Magazine does a recap.

Over the last 15 years, Monte Music Festival has carved a niche of its own among the music festivals held in Goa. Every year, the Monte Music Festival has the privilege to count on a growing audience from all walks of life – those who appreciate Western and Eastern music and dance forms, that makes a pilgrimage to the ancient chapel to satiate their craving and love for performing arts. With performances held inside the old heritage chapel and in the courtyard with a backdrop of the picturesque Chorão and Divar islands and the River Mandovi, the festival begins at sunset and goes on till late in the evening.

International, national and local artists are hand-picked to be a part of this celebration of cultural dialogue, heritage, music and dance. The 15th edition of the annual Monte Music Festival, presented by Fundação Oriente, was recently held from February 3 - 5, 2017 at the Chapel of Our Lady of Mount, Old Goa. Monte Music Festival is not a fusion festival and it does not aspire to be so; it is a platform for these two rich cultural traditions to simply communicate. During 3 days, its courtyard and the interior of the chapel are the backdrops for a series of concerts that have been inspiring musicians and the public for the last 15 years. From a small festival, Monte Music Festival has become one of the most important cultural events in the Goan cultural calendar, and most importantly, without losing its essence. The intimate concerts and performances have free entrance in an attempt to recreate what Goa really means to all: a common ground for understanding, sharing different cultures and an opportunity to understand the world around us.

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Monte has without any doubt one of the most stunning sunsets in India. In 1999 Fundação Oriente restored one of Goa’s most beautiful XVI chapels, Capela de Nossa Senhora do Monte (Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount), situated on the top of a hill in Old Goa, overlooking the Mandovi river, its islands, a bird sanctuary and the UNESCO Heritage Site of Old Goa. But unfortunately, thanks to the difficult access, and the ill-treatment meted out by the rain gods, the chapel is not permanently open to cult. Therefore, in order to protect it from decay, Fundação Oriente thought that having a cultural event that would bring people together and create awareness to the place, would prevent its abandonment. Thus, Monte Music Festival was born.

This year, the festival whilst celebrating 15 years of existence, continued to focus on the communication between different cultural traditions. The first day saw two concerts featuring - ‘String from three continents’ with sitar and percussion from India, an Arabic oud and an Iberian guitar; and ‘Song of Kindness’ featuring Western early flute and Celtic harp, Sitar and vocals from India. Going with the theme, ‘Paying homage to the divas of the land’, Monte Music Festival 2017 includes performances from the likes of Patricia Rozario, Joanne D’Mello, Sonia Shirsat and Ragini Rainu, who each tackled genres that encapsulated their respective areas of expertise.

Other artistes of national and international repute that enthralled the audience at Monte Music Festival 2017, included the likes of Ustad Chhote Rahimat Khan (Sitar), Mayank Bedekar (percussion), Maestro Abhay Sopori (Santoor), Durjay Bhaumik (Tabla), etc .

SUMIT SUVARNA

Sweden is home to some of the greatest metal bands in the world. From the same land, comes another extraordinary Melodic Metal band, Mindshift. With the perfect combination of powerful melodies and aggressive groove, Mindshift is one band that is sure to make your head bang!

While managing their latest tour of India, I sat down with the guitarist of the band, Johan Lund and talked about their music, touring India, metal culture in Sweden and more.

Tell us about Mindshift

And was that intentional or a coincidence?

We are a melodic metal band from Stockholm, Sweden.

Formed in 2006 by me (Johan Lund), the band consists of singer Marcus "Mao" Uggla and drummer Fabien "Fabz" Perreau. The current lineup is also enhanced by live guitarist and bassist Michael and Andy Siegrist who also play in the band Source Of Ignition.

No, that was totally a coincidence, we just write what we wanna play basically. Although, since the album was written throughout a longer time period, and the inspiration when you write differs from time to time, that could have been a factor here.

Your last release was a full-length album titled 'Horizon'. How was the overall reception for the album?

We listen to a lot of music but to name a few, our biggest inspirations are bands like Killswitch Engage, Soilwork, Gojira, Machine Head, Meshuggah, Architects etc.

Johan: Yeah, the reactions to the album have been great!

From both song and production perspective, which feels really good since we produced the album ourselves. And one thing that has struck me when reading the reviews and hearing what the fans have had to say about it is that what people consider their favourite song varies from person to person, which is great because that means the album appeals to a wider audience.

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Interesting! Which artists/bands have influenced your music the most?

You've mentioned before that you sounded very different when Mindshift started off. How did it sound back in the day compared to the Melodic Metal sound you have going right now?

Yeah, the sound back then was more towards "regular" metal, like a 'heavier' Metallica if you had to compare it.

Mainly because the vocalists we've had before Mao sang with clean vocals and we wrote the music to fit that style of vocals.

Were you ever sceptical about how your audience would receive the shift in the direction of your music? How did it pan out eventually?

Well, you're always sceptical about how people will react to your new material and with a completely new sound, sure, there was, even more doubt in play. But we knew that the songs were great and we still had the melodic part of the music there. And the response was far better than expected.

Some people even said that the new sound was easier to take in than the earlier sound even though we had incorporated growl vocals. Maybe because the melodic parts were even more melodic while the heavier parts became heavier. Also, with both Mao and Fabz in the band, the arrangements within the songs have gotten better and more thought out than before. And that's a really important part that keeps the listener interested throughout the whole song.

Mindshift was recently signed by the American label, Eclipse Records. How has it helped the band?

Getting signed to Eclipse Records has really helped to get the band's name out there in ways that we wouldn't have been able to do it bu ourselves. Since they've been in the business for 20 years, the contacts they have is invaluable. And the passion for the music they work with is amazing; they work so hard for the bands on the roster!

Sweden is home to some of the greatest metal bands in the world. Tell us about the scene back home and how valuable it is to your country's culture.

Yeah, we have a lot of amazing bands that come from Sweden and they have contributed to or are contributing to putting Sweden on the map as a musical giant. Also, when you have so many bands to look up to when you grow up, more kids will have the urge to follow their footsteps and take up an instrument and form a band or start writing songs. And that enriches the culture.

How did your first tour of India come about? And how was the experience?

It all started in late 2014 when I saw a post on Facebook that was about the Artist Management firm you used to run (MetamorphiK Productions) having had our friends in Degradead over to India for a tour. So I sent you a mail and asked if you'd be interested in having another awesome Swedish band over to India, and it worked! We booked a couple of shows including headlining a college fest at IIT Dhanbad and off we went! We didn't quite know what to expect, but the outcome was awesome!

The crowds at the gigs were crazy, and we were greatly taken care of, the entire experience was beyond all expectations.

Did you find any difference between the two tours of India? What are the positives you take back home?

The main difference was that more fans had heard us before and could sing along to the songs, which was awesome!

Other than that, our expectations were exceeded. It was great coming to India the first time, but it was even better this time around.

The most positive thing about the tour was the feedback from the fans and that they went absolutely crazy when we played.

And the hospitality from the promoters as well. Also, seeing different parts of the country was also a great experience.

And none of us got food poisoning. haha..

How important is the India for metal bands from Scandinavia?

I feel like India had been an underrated market for the Scandinavian bands until recent years. But I think and hope that we will see more tours passing by India and not only the bigger cities. It sure is an important place for Mindshift...

That's for sure!

How did you find the Indian music scene in general since you judged a couple of competitions and performed alongside some local acts? Any particular favorites thus far?

It has been really cool to see what the underground music scene has had to offer on the two tours we've been on. Many of the bands that we've talked to are at a really young age and are already killing it. So if they just keep at it, the future looks bright!

Personal favourites for myself are Godless from Hyderabad.

Great musicians and they manage to combine heavy, brutal death metal a nice groove.

Do you see Indian bands standing toe to toe with bands from nations where metal music has been a part of the culture for long?

Yeah, absolutely! Give it 5-10 years, and you'll see plenty of Indian metal bands that are playing bigger shows around the world. Just look at Bollywood... Indians have music and entertainment in their genes! Haha

What's next for Mindshift?

We are currently writing new material for the next album.

We have about 20 solid ideas that we are working on, and we hope to start recording around June and hopefully a release in November.

When can we expect you guys back in India?

We hope to get out on a promo tour for the new album this fall, and we'll make sure that India is included!

Before I let you go... is Sumit Suvarna the hottest tour manager ever?

Juicy biceps and washboard abs, what more can you ask for?? (Laughs)

Thanks for taking time out to talk to The Score Magazine. Hope to see you guys back in India sooner than later.

My pleasure. Thank you and look out for the Mindshift bulldozer in the future!

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ANKIT TIWARI

SACHIN JIGAR

SNEHA KHANWALKAR

While Ashiqui 2 became a groundbreaking success Ankit Tiwari emerged as the ultimate fresh talent; alongwith the talented Mithoon he created an aura that transpired throughout the entire album and rocked the chartbusters for months. The best part is, this refreshing talent actually competed against the veterans like Jeet Ganguly at the Filmfare awards. Tiwari has delivered Baaghi, Beiimaan Love, Tum Bin 2 and Rocky Handsome in 2016. His range is versatile and varied in many ways and he keeps bagging awards with his skills.

Remember the prodigal Jatin Lalit or Vishal Shekar; Sachin Jigar are rightly succeeding the big names in the industry in creating a niche for themselves in the market. Started off as the musical arrangers for Pritam, Sachin Jigar is propelling fast with a career sprinkled with the right amount of varieties. From Go Goa Gone to Happy Ending, this musical pair has tapped in right the peppy as well as the rosy numbers both alike. And they certainly taught us how to Shake your Bootiya.

Shot up largely from the alternative scene, Sneha could unleash herself largely because of Gangs of Wasseypur.

Her soundscape is astonishingly variegated yet largely popular mainly because she grounds herself to sounds with a resoundingly ethnic sounding mother board. Besides, she occasionally resorts to a very original sounding textured voice, which she used in songs like Kaala Re and many more. Sneha is still working with ĂŠlan on films like Khoobsurat, Sigh is Bling and Detective Byomkesh Bakshi.

SUMIT SUVARNA

Today's most promising composers of

the avant-garde Bollywood Music has been highly transcendental when it comes to staying in vogue for a ridiculously prolonged period of use. Yet, this is not true of many great composers of Bollywood including the Burmans and of course the likes of Rahman. Today music is hip again as a market but it is extremely difficult also at the same time to thrive in longer, with the cut throat competition posed by the influx of rap artists and musicians of an alternative genre.

Yet there are young, and promising composers of Bollywood who are making the most even out of their limited scopes.

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KRSNA

NUCLEYA

Tanu Weds Manu fame Krsna hails from a Siliguri and has a training from National institute of design in film communication and today holds the RD Burman award for new music talent. Amitav Sarkar aka Krsna started his career in advertising. Soon he got offers for composing and then Tanu Weds Manu bought him all the glitz and glamour. He had also worked on the famous documentary India's Daughter and went onto be part of films like Tamaanchey and Jolly LLB with equal repute. He is a lyricist and singer, he penned the subtle lines of Khamakha for Tamaanchey.

Flouting literally every other common criticism, Nucleya has emerged as the melodious engineer of Bollywood with his peppy Bass Rani and other hot renditions. He not only does re invent the expression of the music that emanates out of the popular numbers but also breathes in life to old classics making them all the more relevant in our times. Nucleya has won the nomination for MTV European 2016 Best Indian Act. Katal Kalaa and Common Tongue make up his recent albums with which he tours about making more buzz than ever.

RAM SAMPATH

PALASH MUCHCHAL

ANIRUDH RAVICHANDER

Mentor to many newcomers in the industry, Sampath is rich in versatility ranging from every other ebbs to every other tides in the vastlike oceanic Bollywood structure of music. His discography boasts of a power packed oevure of advertisement jingles for clients like Docomo, to Pepsi and Times of India. So he can breezingly rock and roll on a poignant TV show or make people groove to a film like Delhi Belly replete with innuendoes all alike. Enlightened largely by carnatic music, Ram went on to join his college band as a keyboardist which becomes an exemplary case of a fusion artist in making. Ram took off with the iconic bumper link songs to the Aamir Khan starrer Satyamev Jayate. He went on giving fusions and remaking folkish tunes.

When Dishkiyaoon came in, everybody was in awe of the new talent and the oven fresh tappy tunes. Muchchal has delivered the best with songs like Party toh Banta Hai from Bhoothnath and many more. His feats certainly do not match his age, it is commendable that he has achieved all this within a short span and at an younger age and has thus found himself a mention in the books of records for his incredible feats at such an early age. Palash and his sister Palak have together collaborated together to raise money for under privileged children through their shows. Like some on this list Palash Muchchal had been previously part of reality shows in which he played a keyboard with his head, knee and chin. His ambitious plans are pretty uncanny as he prepares to direct his first feature with only an iPhone 6.

The Kolaveri Di sensation boy was part of a band named Zinx. He began early just at the age of 10. The prodigal talent shot to fame right at the onset of his career, with his '3', he was aged only 21 at that time. His peculiar music earned him unlimited amount of hits and medals from You Tube itself, for becoming a contagiously viral video within a very short span of time.

Anirudh Ravichander also worked for the highly appreciated David which again turned out to be the hottest single of the album. He has worked with ĂŠlan with big names like AR Murgadoss and Honey Singh. Anirudh has bagged a deal with Sony thus ensuring his labels to be exclusively patronized by Sony henceforth. His latest release is a single from Rum, Hola Amigo.

MITHOON

ANUPAM ROY

MEET BROTHERS

Bollywood music became a dish of mouthful flavours in the hands of Mithoon. He is also a reason why newer composers pursued their dreams with renewed aspirations. Mithoon started way back with back to back hits in both movie and non film albums, becoming one of the hot most selling proposition of the industry. He still remains young and charged up enough to be one of the most young and selling artists of India.

His music in Shivaay remains as fresh as it was in Aatif's Kuchh Iss Tarah way back in the past. Not to forget that Aashiqui 2 was the most popular music album of the year it came out.

Mithoon has certainly more on offer and remains as hungry as the rest.

Towering in the Bengali film music Anupam shot to fame with easy flowing music of Piku. Unlike most musicians, Anupam is blessed with a well conditioned voice. Which again, he uses not so forcefully upon his own notes. The music of his albums resonates back with the embalming melodious aura that was once so characteristic of Shantanu Moitra's.

Anupam is also significantly inclined towards writing novels etcetera and has always published materials in the recent past. He is certainly one of the multi talented players on this list who had also by now acted in a short and might soon don the hat of the director.

The Baby Doll fame Brothers are the pop rock hip hop patrons of Bollywood. They keep on rocking with extraordinary numbers like Chittiyan Kalayiaan. These turks from Gwalior rocked on the most with OMG and after that there has been no looking back really. Today they have an envious chartbuster ensemble. And keep on ruling the award shows bagging in everything from Mirchi to Filmfare awards. Meet Brothers are always working the other way, and finding new ways to stay in vogue, they even made Sonakshi sing for Aaj Mood Ishqholic Hai

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A Sound for the Deafened: “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”

-Aldous Huxley.

Huxley had a point. While art finds its validation in stirring a certain sentiment, music, especially has been about accessing the heart. Of all the emotions that music has demonstrated its capability to stimulate, none, perhaps has been as ubiquitous as love. A close second, however, would be protest.

It might just be the oldest story in the world. People get oppressed; people are pushed to the edge, people rise. In anger, in outrage, in unity. And they bring great music along.

Unsurprisingly, India has an extended and stunning history of sound being harnessed to claim pain. There is practically no end to the names I could take, but a few seem far too important, or interesting to pass over.

Kabir: While revolution has bristled in humanity since its

very inception, Kabir is a good place to start if you are looking to this country for examples of music protests. When he crafted words to dismantle casteist hierarchies, he wrote: “The Brâhman priest goes from house to house and initiates people into faith: Alas! the true fountain of life is beside you., and you have set up a stone to worship.”

Thus invalidating the notion that access to the Divine depends on the intervention of the Brahmin class. In the tradition of Sufi and Bhakti movements’ creative motives, Kabir and Mirabai gave soul to songs that sought to divest the religious and economic elite of its power, held in place by the idea that God only speaks to the man at the top of the social ladder.

Vande Mataram: Closer to our memories, Vande Mataram

was taken from its womb, the novel Anandamath by Bankim Chandra Chattapadhay, and converted into an anthem of protest that symbolised the anticolonial sentiment of India’s freedom movement. It emerged as a reaction to the government’s dictum that Indians sing God Save the Queen, the English national anthem.

Kabir Kala Manch: Unsurprisingly, the present state of sociopolitical upheaval has driven composition of thrilling and

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anguished music. Think Kabir Kala Manch, a cultural group that was formed in the wake of the Gujarat riots in 2002. Their pro-democracy, anti-caste message is made apparent through songs like VAAT PAHWAA : The song of the downtrodden has to be sung!

My coming has a meaning...

Its the selfishness of sharing a morsel with those who starve...

I shall come... But not alone...

My intention is not small...

Wait and watch!

MC Kash: Roushan Illahi who goes by MC Kash is a man whose work will offer a much needed reminder of the original cause that birthed hiphop. A far cry from the celebration opulence that contemporary artists use to rule Billboard, Kash takes to the anger of the American inner cities where the genre came to life. Only he’s rapping from Kashmir: “I don’t give a f*** whether live or die You go to heaven or your soul to fry Cause all I know is ‘neath this sky Let the Armageddon come but the stones still fly” (Beneath the Sky) His sound is reminiscent of a frustration that anyone, who is not war-torn, cannot understand. He minces no words to describe a landscape devoid of hope and calls for, if nothing else, awareness of the fact that not all is well with the world we often choose to not see for what it is. Predictably, his studio has been raided by authorities more times than he, or anyone else, would care to remember.

Indian Ocean: The most inevitable mention of our times,

Indian Ocean has built much of its illustrious credibility on the backs of songs like “Bandeh” which provided the soundtrack to horrors in Black Friday, “Gar Ho Sake” which Rahul Ram described as a “leftie anthem”, “Ma Rewa”, a folk song whose rendition was made synonymous with the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

SHREYA BOSE

Protest Music.

A STARTER FOR THE CURIOUS Motorcycle Shayaries: Less elegant but possibly just as

effective, Rajasthani rap-rock duo, Motorcycle Shayaries focus their anger on the violent state of the country. Their exceptionally violent verbosity demands frequent, fervent and somewhat shameful attention : Sex nahi hamari sanskriti Hamari sanskriti to rape hai...

Ham asal khoon ke pyaase hain Shakahari hain naam ke (Holi Hai)

Imphal Talkies and The Howlers: If we knew what it was like

to live in Manipur, our hearts would break. If you listen to the words of the Imphal Talkies, it would come as close to the same feeling. For example, Blood Soaked streets That's my ground That's where i play around Sound of gunshots That's my song That's my lulla- lullaby (Lullaby) The band offers an undiluted understanding of the travails that the North Eastern states, especially Manipur continue to endure, and wounds made deeper by the fact that much of India remains almost entirely unaware of what it is that drives these men to pen words and play sounds gutted with pain.

Bollywood: Bollywood isn’t known for making protest a big

part of its commercial roster. While scenes of outrage are common on the screen, they often serve as a plot device. Not as the linchpin of the narrative. However, you don’t need to dig far to find music that will speak to you if you have known or understood injustice. Case in point : Ranaji ( Gulal ), Mehengayi Maar Gayi ( Peepli Live), Khoon Chala ( Rang De Basanti) and Janta Rocks ( Satyagraha ). As always, consider

this a nudge in the direction that gets you to Google “protest music in Bollywood”.

The Ska Vengers: They conflate and merge dub, punk, jazz and

rap with Cuban and Latin influences. They kicked off “ska” into an expansive listenership in India. They created a list of songs that will possibly encourage you to shake a leg or if you are shy, atleast a shoulder. In addition, they make some of those songs about censorship of the media ( Badda ) and about the Indian freedom fighter Shaheed Udham Singh, who was branded a terrorist and executed for the assassination of Michael O’Dwyer, the British Lieutenant Governor of Punjab at the time of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre ( Frank Brazil ).

They also performed in front of 2000 inmates in South Asia’s largest jail, Tihar, in 2012.

JJI Exile Brothers: Three men in Mcleodganj wield a few

traditional Tibetan instruments like the Tibetan guitar, Tibetan flute and the yungching (a stringed bow instrument) as well as a couple of guitars. Then they proceed to make music that reverberates with tales of a struggle than countless Tibetans have immersed themselves in – freedom. There are also exhortations to experience more love, and share more peace. Relevant, poignant messages that have been a fixture through history but executed in a fashion unique to the pains of a particular people with their particular story of brutality.

Are there more? Innumerably so. Does the above list offer a complete representation of the diverse palates of sound that this country has created in response to times of human suffering? Not even close. But they are proof that while the charts and the radio stations and the Youtube recommendations might be pushing forth odes to superficiality and indifference, an alternative, less visited, less paid for, less shared, less bought but possibly more related-to strain of songmanship exists. If you wish to return to the purpose of music that defines it as an instrument of catharsis and confession, you’ll do well to hear the song of those the good life has forgotten.

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Ya m a h a Edu c a t ion Sui t e ( Y.E.S.) i s a n ad v a n c e d s e t o f h elp f ul l e ar nin g to ol s built into the instrument, letting you teach yourself how to play and perform regardless of your ability. Choose from nine step-bystep lessons for left, right, or both hands.

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ROLAND - TD1 KPX PORTABLE V-DRUMS AUTHENTIC PLAYABILITY, MESH HEAD PADS, AND MAXIMUM PORTABILITY The Roland TD1-KPX V-Drums Electronic Drum Kit is a lightweight compact kit that features Roland's legendary mesh heads for great feel and an innovative stand that folds for easy transport and storage. The TD-1KPX is the latest addition to the portable V-Drums line.

Despite its minimal footprint and light weight, the TD-1KPX features a sturdy drum stand for rock-solid performance and Roland’s famous mesh-head V-Pads for snare and toms, giving natural rebound, feel, and playability. The innovative folding design allows the stand to be packed down in seconds for easy transport and storage without the need to remove the pads and cymbals.

Easy To Set Up and Quick To Fold Down The TD-1KPX’s innovative folding stand is durable, sturdy, and ultra-easy to set up. All you need is a dedicated drum tuning key and you’re ready to play in seconds. Simply unfold everything, adjust the stand and pad positions, attach an acoustic kick pedal (not supplied), and start drumming. The folding stand can adapt to fit many spaces and situations, making the TD-1KPX a kit you can truly play anywhere.

Mesh-Head V-Pads for Snare and Toms The 8-inch PDX-8 and 6.5-inch PDX-6 mesh-head V-Pads feature Roland’s amazing dual-triggering technology, resulting in accurate and even sensing between the head and rim. On the PDX-8 snare pad, the rim area expands the pad diameter to 10 inches, allowing for comfortable and quiet rim-shots. CY-5 cymbal pads are included for cymbals and hi-hat, which provide 10-inch playing surfaces and swinging movement for more drummer-friendly triggering and great playing feel.

Record on Your Computer Using One Standard USB Cable.

The TD-1KPX is not just fun to play by itself—it’s also a great way to make music with your computer. Included is a built-in USB-MIDI interface, making it simple to communicate with music software via a USB cable, with no extra hardware needed.* Maybe you’ll transfer your playing into your computer-based recording software, capturing a live drum feel in your latest masterpiece.

Essential Accessories and Options A wide selection of accessories and options are available to enhance the TD-1KPX playing experience. The PM-10 Personal Monitor Amplifier is the perfect companion for amplifying your drums in the home. For beginning drummers, the DAP-3X V-Drums Accessory Package provides everything needed to get playing the TD-1KPX, including a pair of hickory drumsticks, an acoustic kick pedal, and a drum throne.

BEYERDYNAMIC

HISTORY OF THE STUDIO LEGENDS Founded in 1924, as "Elektrotechnische Fabrik Eugen Beyer" in Berlin, the company has radically influenced and promoted audio recording and sound reproduction. Products like the first dynamic headphones DT 48 (1937), the first studio-grade dynamic microphone M 19 (1939) or the tour guide system for museums and factory tours which was presented by beyerdynamic for the first time in 1974 were milestones in this field. But they are just three examples of the many innovations that have made beyerdynamic a leading audio specialist over the years.

Countless musicians, sound engineers, conference participants, interpreters and hi-fi fans have come into contact with beyerdynamic products over the years – either consciously or not, at work or in their leisure time.

For the company, they all belong to "Generation Audio", a family of sound enthusiasts and passionate users.

For experienced sound professionals, the beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro is an old friend used in countless studios throughout the world.

Since then, millions of audio professionals from all parts of the world have become loyal users of beyerdynamic products.

The roots of the legendary beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 line go back to 1981. Their outstanding sound and durable design laid the foundation for these headphones’ unprecedented studio and stage career.

As opposed to many “lifestyle headphones”, beyerdynamic headphones are to last. Only the best materials are used, such as neodymium magnets, a steel headband, anodized aluminum forks, composite housings and soft skin earpads. All of these parts are hand-made in Germany - with incredible attention to detail and quality.

Made in Germany

As with all beyerdynamic professional studio headphones, the studio legends are also handcrafted in Germany. Backed by high-quality materials and meticulous workmanship, this high-end product is a long-term investment.

The PRO classics

beyerdynamic’s DT 770 PRO, DT 880 PRO and DT 990 PRO headphone series has it’s roots in the early 1980s.

The series has been designed to cater for listening in a wide variety of environments, thanks to different headphone construction: DT 770 PRO – Closed back (studio, stage) DT 880 PRO – Semi-open back (reference monitoring, mastering, mixing) DT 990 PRO – Fully open back (critical listening)

Sound you can rely on

The sound of the studio legends is without doubt a benchmark for professional users. It’s secret lies not only in our cutting-edge drivers, which are hand-made in Germany, but also in a very sophisticated bass-reflex system. The membrane can “breathe” in an otherwise closed housing and is therefore extremely quickand precise in its response, accurately replaying frequencies anywhere between 5 to 35,000 Hz. This makes the DT 770 PRO an ideal tool for critical listening and monitoring purposes.

Superior build quality

Every part is replaceable

These headphones are designed to perform even under extreme conditions. Its superior build quality has ensured that the DT 770 PRO is the No.1 choice for professional users around the world. However, in the rarest of occasions should something break, nearly every part can be replaced individually thanks to intelligent design and implementation. This is what we’ve promised our customers for more than 30 years, and this is what we deliver.

MUSIC

Therapy

Not only does music help one relax, it is said to activate certain parts of your brain which are otherwise not in use. Using this very phenomenon, researchers have come with an alternate form of healing known as music therapy. It basically involves using music in medicine to help patients deal with pain, depression and other psychological factors. It is said that music promotes recovery. Music is considered to be an outlet for emotions and music therapy is very popular in the United States.

This is also catching up in India wherein institutes like Sur Sanjeevan Music Therapy Trust in Mumbai spreading the benefits of music therapy widely.

According to the American Music Therapy Association, “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed

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professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.�

Music has often been used as a form of therapy for emotional or psychological issues. Using it to treat physical ailments is a new phenomenon catching up in the world now as an alternative form of treatment. Music therapy uses songs, instrumental music, frequencies, rhythm and even vibrations to aid the healing process.

A number of new studies are coming out enlisting the correlation of music and mental and physical health.

According to a study in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, April, 2013, it was found that music helps in improving the immune system functions and reduces stress as well.

It has also been proven to reduce anxiety better than prescription medicines as it reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol and hence music is also associated with relaxation.

ADITI SARAWAGI

Music is basically a form of sound and sound is a form of vibration. A team of researchers at the University of Toronto are trying to forge ways as to how vibrations can be used to ease the symptoms of Parkinsons’s disease and even depression. Known as vibro-acoustic therapy, vibrations are absorbed by the body via a low frequency sound while the patient is made to lie on a bed or a mat or made to sit on a chair where the frequencies can be heard and felt as well. It is much like sitting on a speaker or home theatre system. A similar study at the Wilfrid Laurier University, in Waterloo, Ontario, proved that using vibro-acoustic therapy on patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease did in fact improve their symptoms like reduction in stiffness and tremors and an improvement in walking speed. There is further ongoing research in this field by the University of Toronto's Music and Health Research Collaboratory, which has scientists from across the globe studying music’s effects on health.

It is not necessarily implied that listening to Indian or Western classical music has a more significant impact on a patient’s condition. It is said to be dependent on the person’s choice, the condition he is undergoing treatment for, and his preference and personality. People may respond more to a Taylor Swift song or a classical raga depending on their cultural connect. Instrumental music is also widely used in music therapy sessions. Some institutes use music played on the sitar to improve the patient’s mood whereas flute music is often used to help patients relax.

India too is not far behind where medical practitioners and musicians are waking up to the benefits of music therapy. There have been proven cases of the reduction of arthritic pain by listening to the Marudh Raga even though long term relief or a complete cure is unheard of. The Marudh Raga CD is the work of Shashank Katti, an AIR (All India Radio) artiste, sitar player as well as an electrical engineer. According to him, music has an inherent influence in aiding recovery from an injury or disease. Music therapy releases various neurohormones, and is said to have a meditative effect.

Listening to music can evoke emotions and also create a sense of social belonging. Music is said to affect the nervous system and releases neuro chemicals which affect both mind and body. It is also said to strengthen the immune system, treat people for blood pressure issues, stress, autism and other lifestyle caused issues. Music and its effect on the brain is said to be connected and intertwined. The brain responds to music in very specific ways and is also said to help in treating pain and reducing stress and even help in restoring speech. It also helps in addressing issues related to PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

In Mumbai, the Sur Sanjeevan Music Therapy Trust not only helps treat people suffering from anxiety, stress, depression, etc. but also teaches music therapy to people further wanting to help patients through music therapy.

They have designed several CD’s for various conditions using different ragas based on their energy levels. Each CD is for a specific condition like the Paranshaya for asthma patients and the Madhuparna raga for patients with diabetes. Indian classical music is predominantly used by Sur Sanjeevan in its music therapy sessions.

The type of music used in music therapy is also key to addressing issues relating to each medical problem. Fortis Hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) also run music based therapy programmes and psychologists believe that the type of music to be used depends on the expected reaction from the patient. Listening to fast-paced music will not calm down a patient nor will listening to mellow sounds encourage movement. A study in the Deutsches Ärzteblatt International journal states that listening to soothing classical music by Mozart will be more effective in lowering one’s blood pressure and heart rate than the new age pop music by say, Abba.

Though music therapy is gaining momentum in popular culture now, history tells us that it’s seeds have been there since ancient times. In ancient Egypt, chants were often used during the healing process. It is also said that Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato believed that music could help people overcome emotional difficulties.

An important point to be kept in mind while practicing music therapy is that it can aid healing along with the traditional methods of medical science and cannot be completely used as a replacement of traditional practices.

A healthy diet, ample physical activity, medicines and music therapy together can lead to holistic and faster healing.

Music is one of the most beautiful creative art forms and is one of the most surreal ways to express oneself. It is not only used as an art or expressive form but has multiple nuances attached to it. Music has many facets and music therapy is one of them. Music can aid the healing process and is a new age way to help one recover faster. Music is indeed therapeutic and science is using this wondrous medium in the medical world. More and more institutes are opening up to the possibility of music therapy as an alternative form of healing and making it more widely and easily accessible is needed today. This is just the beginning and as more and more studies are being done across the world, by music connoisseurs, researchers and scientists alike, music therapy is sure to gain more momentum and be used even more widely.

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Interview with Virendra Kaith

We had a chat with Virendra Kaith, about how he picked drums as his instrument, his music, association with Zildjian and much more.

You have been collaborating with many artists across genres?

How have they influenced your music?

Right from the start, when I used to just listen to music, I would always listen to a lot of styles of music. I remember I had a mixtape where there was a Napalm Death album on one side and a backstreet boys album on the other side. (I know that's too extreme though) I have appreciated music from bands like Death and also from an artist like Lucky Ali. So when I was collaborating with different styles of artist. I would notice that I need to be in that mental state where I can just feel the music and enjoy playing it. I think, if you don't enjoy doing what you are doing, then it becomes a job.

What made you pick up the drums first and how has your drumming evolved over the years?

Music was always in our house. My uncle, Mathan Kaith, is a drummer himself. So the moment I would get up in the morning, there would be music being played through the tape recorder, or by my uncle through his instruments. I used to participate in dance programs in school. I guess that got me grips with the timing and rhythm sense. In college, I started playing drums on a regular basis coz of my friend Mithun (Pin Drop Violence guitarist). He had literally all the musical instruments at his house and in the garage on the ground floor. So he would play the guitar and I would play the drums.

We would bunk college and just jam on different tunes from Eagles to Metallica to Iron Maiden to Prodigy to Sepultura.

That is when I started listening and playing heavier styles of music.

Then Mithun joined PDV and I joined a death metal band called Abhor (which I met through mutual friends). That got us to start playing at college festivals and venues like Razzberry Rhinoceros. The metal scene was niche, but strong. I got to see and meet other musicians from the scene.

There came a point, where I even joined PDV in their last year of existence in the year 2006. In 2007, I was asked by the Demonstealer to join Demonic Resurrection. I had met Demonstealer way back in 2000 and had performed with DR once for the Independence Rock competition as well.

However, on the side, I was also associated with different genre of music, like Prayag was a hindi rock band. And Khiladi was a punk outfit by Pman from PDV. Even MJB was a blues rock cover band with Mihir Joshi. So I was always associated with different genres right from the start. In 2012, I quit my day job, and from then on I have been freelancing as a session drummer and have been teaching drums whenever I get the time from my session drumming schedule. Once I started freelancing, I got associated with more commercially popular bands (mostly bollywood, coz that is where the money is :) Right now, I am still an integral part of Demonic Resurrection and Scribe. On the lighter (music) side, I am associated with Sparsh and Manu & Chow. And then there are other session work that I have been regularly doing with popular bollywood singers like Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi, Ambili Menon, Aditi Singh Sharma and the likes.

Your band Demonic Resurrection has recently released a new video. Tell us something about that album and what should your readers be looking for in that album.

The new DR album is more brutal and fast paced than any previous DR album. (Exactly like how the new iphone is faster and more powerful than any of the previous iphones.

The album is called Dashavatar and every song is based on the different avatars of Lord Vishnu. Lyrically as well as musically we have tried to depict the different beings of Lord Vishnu in the album.

Tell us about your association with Zildjian?

I have been endorsing Zildjian cymbals since 2008 now.

However, before that, I was always fascinated by these cymbals. Zildjian has always been my choice of preference coz they just sound right from the moment you take them out of the box.

How does Zildjian best compliment your style of playing drums?

For my freelance needs, Zildjian fits well. Over the period of time, I have realized how different cymbals react according to a closed or open venue, or according to the stick you are using or according to the way you hit the cymbals. And Zildjian cymbals are very versatile in that sense.

Tell us about your other future projects?

As of now I have been trying to associate with as many different styles of artist as I can. I have now also equipped myself with a lot of electric instruments. And have been working on my hybrid setup of acoustic and electric instruments. Also, I have been trying out different setups like a 2 piece or a 3 piece instrumental acts. Genre is not specific, I am open to creating new styles and sounds. So have been working on that.

Your message to upcoming drummers.

One advice I would love to give is keep playing. Small clubs, big arena, backyard, house parties, late night jams, etc etc.

And don't stop educating yourself. I'm always on the hunt of learning something new. And learning can happen from anywhere. Not only from your tutors, but watching other drummers, other musicians or even your own students.

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