The Score Magazine December 2018 issue featuring Rajhesh Vaidhya on the cover!

ISSN 0974 – 9128

Vol 11 Issue 12 December 2018

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India's National Pan-Genre Music MagazinE

QUIRKS & QUERIES

Veena Srivani

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Ashwin Srinivasan

ON THE COVER

RAJHESH VAIDHYA ALSO INSIDE: INDIE REVIEWS, CHICK COREA INDIA TOUR REVIEW, INTERVIEW WITH PAULUS SCHÄFER

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ON THE COVER

RAJHESH VAIDHYA

WHAT'S NEW AND LOCAL?

INDIE REVIEWS ARTIST OF THE MONTH

ASHWIN SRINIVASAN QUIRKS AND QUERIES

VEENA SRIVANI

INTERVIEWING

JOE LAMOND, PRESIDENT NAMM SHOW EXPERT'S SPEAK ON

LET'S TALK EQUALIZATION NOT TO MISS RHYTHMIC ALPHABET - THE LANGUAGE OF DRUMMING TECH TALKS

ANALOG CONSOLE EMULATION PLUGIN

THE TEAM Director, Business Development Pragash VM Director, Marketing & Operations Sneha Ramesh Director Ajay Prabhakar Editorial Advisor Nikila Srinivasan Creative Director George Vedamanickam Creative Designer Manasi Doshi Content Contributors Shreya Bose Amogh Rao Mukesh Amaran Aditi Sarawagi Souvik Chakraborty Cover Photo Credit Gurushankar Subramanian, MAGUmedia

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NAVYA C & SNEHA RAMESH

RAJHESH VAIDHYA

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What are your biggest influences of music (genres, artists) and the earliest influence in your childhood?

The usually royal sounding Veena has been the first favourite of every Carnatic music lover since ages.

Its magical sound, grandeur and the design enhanced the majestic features of Carnatic music and brought out the intricacies brilliantly. However, it was termed to be an extremely classical instrument until Rajhesh Vaidhya came up to the scene. He gave the instrument a wonderful versatile touch with his passionate playing of various genres ranging from the homeground Carnatic music to international genres like Jazz, Fusion, Film Songs and what not? He has earned an exclusive set of fans for his flawless way of blending different genres in his music. His energy levels in every live concert is so high that it brings an infectious ambience in the place! He learnt early veena playing from Jayalakshmi and then from Smt. Rama Nambinarayanan and later learnt from the veena legend Shri Chitti Babu as well. This masterful player also released many fusion albums and also collaborated with the brilliantly talented artist Elton John. He was rightfully awarded the prestigious Kalaimamani award in the year 2010 for his unfaltering contribution to the field of veena playing.

One of the greatest aspects of Rajesh Vaidhya is the way he balances out Carnatic music performances and also collaborating with the big names in the film industry ranging from Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, A.R.Rahman, Vidyasagar and many more. His cover versions of various popular film songs gained some amazing attention in the social media as well. Rajhesh Vaidhya has undoubtedly set a standard in veena playing and also built a bridge between generations with his innovative style of playing. He is also responsible for bringing out a newfound glamour and modernity to the instrument by constantly experimenting, exploring new sound techniques- without compromising on the strong foundation of Classical music.

My first influence was my dad who was a Mridangam and Ghattam vidhwan and then my father wanted me to learn from Dr. Chitti Babu sir. It was like a gurukulam with him for three years and recently I have started learning from Dr. L Shankar and all top musicians like Balamurali sir, and Michael Jackson are some of my influences. I loved listening to various genres of music and appreciate the universality which they show up.

dimensions which they bring about in an instrument playing.

What is your opinion on the staunchness of Carnatic musicians who believe in not tampering with the sanctity of it without inducing fusion elements?

It depends on every musician on how they intend to produce the music. Every musician strives to bring the best of music to the audience but the paths they chose are different.

The individual preference of each artist to bring about their perception on music should be encouraged.

When did you decide that Veena was your instrument?

Your recent favourite film music composer and why?

I did not have a choice in this although my interests tilted towards the Mridangam. My mother insisted that Veena should be my instruments and here I am !

It’s not only recent but my all-time favourite composers are Raja sir, Rahman sir, MSV and of course my uncle.

Their music is alive even now. Amongst the newer ones I like Anirudh a lot for his innovative approach towards music and fusing fresh genres into film music.

Usually, instrumentalists have lot of challenges to express the lyrical beauty of a composition.

What is your approach to bring the best of expression in your renditions?

I feel lyrics are of prime importance to bring about the beauty of a composition for the audience. That is the reason why I give lot of value to it and try to learn the lyrics before venturing into the learning.

Whether it is a keerthana, song or a devotional song, expressing through lyrics is of prime importance.

What is the biggest aspect of Carnatic fusion you enjoy the most?

Normally, I never differentiate between any forms of music whether it is Carnatic, Hindustani or Jazz. All types of music is the same to me because every form of music is based on sapta swaras- the seven notes!

What other instruments do you enjoy listening- apart from Veena?

I love listening to the Piano and Violin and cherish the different

What is the song/composition which you never get tired of playing (in performances or in recordings)?

The one song people are not tired of listening from me is Thendral Vanthu Theendum Pothu from the movie Avataram. The song itself has a great feel and explores various shades of emotions.

The one I love to play the most is Chandrasekara in Sindhu Bhairavi ragam and this song is what I end every concert of mine with.

Could you name some musicians you would love to collaborate with?

There are many musicians I’d like to work with. A couple of them would be Shankar Mahadevan and also Victor Wooten for their versatile approach and fantastic range.

How important do you think is Digital space for musicians to reach out to their fans?

Everyone in the industry need it be it accomplished or The

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upcoming musicians. I personally use different portals to publish my music or talk to my listeners. The application I mostly use is TuneCore that helps put out music across different platforms.

Every technology can be used for or against a cause and I must admit it has to be used till certain extent to ease up work and reaching out to the audience.

Do you feel melakartha (full scale) raagas have higher scope in aalapana compared to janya raagas( derived scales) which comparatively have lesser notes?

As for me, every raaga is a true gift and has a unique feature.

While the generic opinion is Melakartha raagas have more scope, I feel they are more restricted because one cannot freely glide over swaras. However, in janya raagas , some incredible wonders can be done because of the pitch placement.

Your piece of advice to all the young musicians who are aspiring to take up veena playing in the future. How should their approach be towards learning?

The golden words would be just dedication and practise. You have to make the instrument take over you and that’s the key! I used to practise for thirteen to fourteen hours in a day in front of my father. There is nothing like a born gifted artist because practice brings about the best.

What were your biggest learnings from your Guru?

I learnt just one Pallavi and Anu Pallavi from him for three years. Most of the other times I just attended concerts with him carrying his Veena and observed how he attracted people with his music and captured the interests of the audiences. I learnt more by being in his presence, and how he perceived music as part of his life.

Do you think technology has helped musicians to get better artists or it impacted the way performance is done- using tweaks and auto tuning?

I think technology just helps artists improve and enhance their

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music. It is definitely helping me a lot. I’m up to date and also a gadget freak.

What are the life lessons you got from learning music- apart from the technical knowledge?

Discipline is the biggest learning for me through music. A musician can be greatly talented with gifted skills, but without discipline all that can go into vain.

What challenges do musicians face while performing rare raagas?

There are some restrictions while performing rare raagas. For example if you take a four swaram based raaga like Lavangi, you have to keep playing the same thing over and again. So, I generally do not opt to play rare raagas.

What is your take on the current music scene from when you initially started out?

I always try to create a balance between the current music trends coupled with old music too. Like everyone always says, Old is gold. The current generation always look for something new so even in my concerts, I do not play the music today that was played yesterday.

Even during the December season, even though we play one main composition throughout all the sabahs, it’s important to make sure that it is played with a tweak in each of the places.

If the same person comes to two different sabahs to watch me, I need to make sure that they are not listening to the same music twice.

What do you do to keep up with the changing trends in music?

In 2006, I started playing fusion music. Initially people did not accept it and at that point I used to only play in two or three sabhas but now by God’s grace I’m playing at all the sabhas during the season which means that people have accepted.

Even the Sabah secretaries call me now and ask me to perform something different.

At sabhas now, they are encouraging us to play a different version of film music by inducing classical elements to it too.

Do you think the change in Sabhas and musicians being more flexible has resulted in younger audiences to attend concerts during season time?

Nowadays, every classical musician whether an instrumentalist or a singer is willing to create music with fusion elements in it.

This has really helped in getting a mix of audiences.

There is a variety of audiences across different age groups now.

There are so many sabahs and many concerts, it gives people a whole range of concerts to choose from.

What kind of a change would you like to see in the music industry whether it’s Carnatic of Film?

People in Tamil Nadu need to ensure that they do not leave a concert midway. That is something that always bothers me. I feel very bad when people walk out after one or two songs.

In other cities, this is not the case. Nobody but the audiences, can help this situation. Neither the artist nor the sabah can control this or be strict with them.

In fact, last season, all my concerts were sold out and packed.

But, during the concert, as soon as I finished two song, I could see pockets of people walking out.

In the film industry, it’s us who need to adapt and change according to the film. I personally feel we need more melody songs.

What do you think about session artists and how they are treated in the industry?

Once a sound engineer’s assistant who was sitting in America while trying to record on Skype told me that a particular part can be played with a different feel. I, immediately stopped and asked him to call the Music Director and refused to play without his presence. Lot of such instances happen.

There was another instance where I played and composed a whole background, when I listened to the final song, there was absolutely no Veena and it was replaced with other instruments.

In the current scene, do you think Instrumentalists are getting paid as much as they deserve?

In my opinion, musicians are always flexible with regards to payment. It is about how you approach and ask for it. But as far as I know, nowadays musicians are getting well paid, which is a great thing!

Right now, it’s not even necessary for the Music Directors to be available during recording. What’s your take on that?

Yes, since they are occupied with multiple movies at a time, it becomes impossible for them to be present at every recording. We have to live with this situation.

Tell us about your upcoming projects I am part of an International album called ‘Playing for Change’ based in America. Basically, you pick a popular song say that of John Lennon or Bob Marley, the musicians including the singer and instrumentalists will be scattered across the globe.

So, they travel and record live in different locations and put them together into a music video.

Each musician can pick a place in the song and add their musical element to the song. They usually come with their kit with mic and other essentials and record in a location.

I also have a band called ‘V5 the gang’. We plan to actively perform and bring good music to you in 2019. There are many more projects in the pipeline which I can talk about once I’m allowed to

RAPID FIRE

If not a musician, what would you be?

Movie Director Do you think all musicians should be full time musicians?

Yes. Yes. Yes Favorite raaga : Charukesi

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INDIE

REVIEWS Songs from a Matchbox (Raghav Meattle):

Jokes about Raghav proving his “meattle” can wait (Or, you can hate me because I already made it). First, we need to wax eloquent about an album that is part soliloquy, all poetry.

Meattle wrote his songs from a Mumbai 1BHK (the eponymous matchbox), and converted what could only have started as musings into art-hedged windows to multiple lives. The album is soaked in a sonic marinade of mellow rumination and unperturbed eagerness.

Raghav centers his music around words. His attention is on communication through lyrics, and he manages to converge sentiment and amusement into dulcet delight.

“I’m Always Right” parodies the semi-despotic authority accorded to guardians and societal supervisors. When congealed

Insignify (Rainburn): Concept

albums are among the most satisfactory acts of creation a musician can undertake.

Simultaneously, they are astonishingly easy to infuse with disingenuous prattle and ornamental soundswathes substantiated with little to no narrative.

It is best to approach concept albums with scepticism.

Translating grand ideation to palpable, perceivable execution is akin to pulling colour and skin out of thin air.

Rainburn did exactly that.

I try not to demand absolute polish and profundity out of debuts, mainly because the debut is, despite the members’ previous tenure, the etching of a still immature history. A new band starts out with storytelling that does not have the liberty of being shaped by any perspective but theirs.

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into a 3 minute song, it emerges as ridiculous; ripe for satire.

“Bar Talk” frames with sprightly stringwork the loneliness of performing before an indifferent audience. “Two Left Feet” addresses the abstract, often obscure play for desire and indignance. “Stood Up & Fried”outlines the predatory patriarchy that threatens every breath every woman ever takes.The platter widens to include intensity and detachment, and Meattle emerges as a prophet of everyday exasperation.

Raghav writes and sings from a seemingly personal lens. It could even be considered exclusionary if he wasn’t as dexterous with his wordplay. But he possesses that supernatural quality inherent in art that stays : feel utterly unique things and weave them with such enchantment that the reader/ listener/viewer/lover’s joy feels akin to relevance.

Easily one of the most fascinating releases this year, this album calls for purposeful listening. There is immense value in listening to someone who offers wide-angle portraits of tiredness and trauma via wit-leveled rhythm. Beer and existential contemplation make for a good Friday, yes?

However, Insignify whispers, moans and often wails stories that possess the subdued confidence of individual conviction. In your mind’s eye, imagine four men sitting together, discussing how they can replicate the vagaries and tragedies of split-sanity.

As the album progresses, it becomes evident that the speakers residing in it suffer from a morbid, almost Gnostic despair.

Driven mad by the sludge of “emotional anagrams”, songs like “Mirrors” and “Someone New” claw at the strictures of large-world-apathy. Frontman Vats Iyengar leads a dissonance-stricken choir to exalt a reality that is best understood with a broken mind.

The album reaches towards achieving the resonance of a Samuel Beckett-style nightmare. “Purpose”, for instance is a delirious harmonic replica of fraught consciousness. Voices lash at each other, seeking conquest in their expression of futility. “Suicide Note” progresses with militaristic precision, and is easily the most potent track for encouraging obsession with itself.

Rainburn’s eagerness to hold mirrors up to our drunk and delirious soulscape is well worth reward. They play with and question their own compositions, often using masterful string-strokes to disrupt their own rhythmic symmetry. How much do you want to bet that these guys crouched around a screen some time recently, watching Eraserhead and nodding in agreement to it?

“Mixing Memory and Desire”:

Takes Upon Itself to Remember Loss

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common sentiment in our data-driven, validationoriented, screen-first world is that we are untouched by the barriers of language. The world is quickly moving towards homogeneity, facilitated by a seemingly universal desire for more likes, hearts, hashtags and acknowledgement.

As our loneliness becomes more emphatic and we scream our collective isolation on Twitter, a band in Tripura stokes a sense of community emerging from simultaneous conflict and safety : memory.

When 33 year old Rumio Debbarma returned to Agartala, he found himself staring into his own history. He discovered that his mother wrote poems in Kokborok, their native tongue and the language spoken by Tripura’s indigenous population.

Mother and son now collaborate, crafting words at the centre of Koloma’s artistry. The five member group touches on folk, rock, fusion and give life to tradition. “We want to preserve our language and the way our folk artists sing,” says Rumio.

The band hails from the Borok people, and have named themselves after the original script of Kokborok. No longer in popular use, it has given way to Bengali or Roman scripts which are the now-prevalent modes of writing Kokborok.

Despite being the language of the state’s native inhabitants, not only is Kokborok the second official language of the state (Bengali the first), but is quickly eroding into extinction. Faced with this erasure, Debbarma and his compatriots (all of whom share the same surname) try to preserve the tongue that gave them their first words .

Rumio’s first composition was a 2012 adaptation of his mother’s poem ‘Masing Jora’. Since then, the band had created songs combining magnetic melody and unfamiliar words. Listening to them is akin to deciphering a dream while awake. The sounds are intimate; they have charmed you before. The instruments shimmer in expected ways, hailing bliss inherent in well-worn wonders.

Expect the comfort of walking the path back to a happy home.

However, Koloma’s purpose is found in words. Listening to Kokborok is not about comprehending meaning, but realising that entire identities are built around language. If you feel alienated by their lyricism, the point has been made. Splice that sense of disconnect with the everyday experiences of people from Koloma’s world. What must it feel like to wake up and remember that the first words you ever spoke are being relegated to dusty history?

The very act of singing with words half-faded from Tripura’s memory is a revolution. It is taking a stand for one’s own relevance. Weaponizing the warmth borne of self-expression, Koloma’s art is confessional at its core.

The songs explore romance, passing seasons, brotherhood, unity, the state’s inaugural culture, folk tales, snippets of tribal history. In their latest album “Kothoma”, they primarily deliberate upon their own cultural matrix.

Naturally, Koloma’s music is not for mass consumption.

Sound, sentiment and word coalesce as an act of personal rumination. Their bid to preserve Kokborok is equivalent to preserving the identity of an entire people.

As easy as it is to qualify anything borderline decent as “soulful”, you can actually hear soul quiver in Koloma.

Focus must stay unequivocally on language, and it is hard to imagine that such volumes being communicated with words that are, for most people outside Tripura, foreign.

Even though Tripura does not afford much opportunity for indie music to thrive, Koloma’s music has come to be recognised as unmatchable. How often does a band act as both artist and chronicler? They seek to remind forthcoming generations of the complex tapestry of Borok history - delight, trauma and wonder.

Taking a moment to listen to Koloma is worthwhile. Taking many moments to listen is to know closeness and distance, empathy and astonishment. Take many moments.

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Ashwin Srinivasan

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

When and how did you realise that you wanted to be a flautist?

I used to play Sitar quite proficiently between the ages 3 till about I was 7years old. One day, my Father brought back a toy flute from his pilgrimage to Sabarimala and taught me what he, being a natural musician, understood of it. And by the end of that day, I started playing tunes I knew at that time and I remember being super excited about it. About less than a year after that, I started training in Classical Bansuri from my first Guru, Pandit Venkatesh Godkhindi Ji. Having had a Classical background as I had learnt the Sitar from my Mother, It was only an easy transition for me. It must have been the year 1987-88 when I went to attend a Music festival where Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Zakir Hussain and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia were all performing on the same stage in the same festival at Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad. That was the day when my ambition to be like them, took solid shape and I was so fascinated by Hariji's performance that I decided to be a Classical Bansuri artist for life.

Tell us about your early learnings and who did you learn from My first Guru is my Mother Smt. Parvati Krishnamurthy, from whom I learnt the Sitar and all the basics of Hindustani Classical Music. Then my Father taught me the nuances of expression and feel as he sang heartily, all his favourite Pankaj Mullik and Saigal Saab's songs. I was initiated into Classical Bansuri by Pt. Venkatesh Godkhindi and then Raagdaari and Badhat from Pt. Pundalik Shenoy in Bangalore. Another life changing concert I attended was that of Padmabhushan Dr. Smt. N Rajam Ji's under whom I learnt the finer nuances of Gayaki Ang, which I have strived to achieve and have developed a unique technique on the Bansuri for.

Name of the artists you have been largely inspired by and have used their techniques in your music Apart from my Gurus mentioned above, some of the most influencial musicians, different aspects of whose music I have applied in mine, are Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, RD Burman and also some western music greats such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, John Williams, Michael Jackson, Sting and Peter Gabriel.

What according to you makes your way of playing the instruments unique/ special?

I truly believe that dexterity and technique on any instrument (including voice) should be tools used to express oneself while playing music. I always play or

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make music to express and emote. Technical brilliance on its own doesn't hold value for me. Music without emotion and expression would just be sound.

If you could collaborate with an artist to create something magical or unique, who would it be and why?

I would love to make music with Herbie Hancock if I am lucky. I think he could find my sensibilities, having been inspired by his teachings and his music, very similar to his.

I can almost hear in my mind what we would land up playing together if we do!

Upcoming projects After releasing a Fusion Album (Ashwin and The Bombay Project), an Alternative Album (Singles - The Album), a Ghazal Album (Hazaar Khwaab) and a couple of Classical Music Albums (Roots Vol 1&2 and Dhyaan), I am currently working on 'Rare Raagas on the Bansuri' which will essentially be a Classical Music recording but I will play extremely rare raagas ever heard on the Bansuri.

Hoping it will come out well.

QUIRKS & QUERIES

Could you tell us about how you started as a Veena artist?

I started learning Veena at the age of 7 when I was in 2nd grade.

My mom put me in classes and from then on I started.

Who has been your guru and what are your biggest learnings?

My first and main guru was Smt. Seetha Mahalakshmi. I have learnt perfection from her. She also taught me how to be courageous and do everything I did with utmost sincerity.

The biggest learning from her was commitment.

Tell us a little bit about your musical speciality and what you play best The music that touches my heart is what I play the best! It could range from movie songs, classical, semi-classical or even children rhymes.

What do you love the most about Veena as an instrument?

I feel like it literally talks to me and also listens to every emotion of mine whether I am happy or sad. My Veena is my best friend!

Tell us about your practice routine I either spend time practising music in my Music Room or just go for my recordings.

Who has been your biggest inspiration in Carnatic music?

My biggest inspiration in Carnatic music is M.S Subbulakshmi followed by my very own guru and all other vidwans too.

Tell us a little about your upcoming music projects There is nothing in particular apart from my regular songs being posted, my shows. My entire schedule at the moment is revolving around how to pass on Veena as an important instrument learning for the next generation.

I have never thought much about the future but only want to reach the next generation and attract them to learn this beautiful instrument. It’s hard to find many instrumentalists now. People are moving towards western instruments and hence I want to reach out to them to also give classical instruments a chance.

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NAVYA C

Women Who Ruled Carnatic Music

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eing a classical musician is quite a daunting task in a country like India which is more oriented towards money earning and commercial perspectives- in short,the success of an artist doesn’t come quite easily as it involves lot of dedication, hard work and also determination to prove their mettle. The struggle doubles up when it is a female artist because they have to face additional peer pressures, societal norms and battle many challenges to make their path easy to tread on. Carnatic music in particular is quite a gifted field where many women artists proved their brilliance time and again- by not just prowess but also on how strong minded they are.

Even when the times were tough during the pre-independence era, a legendary singer named M.S.Subbulakshmi gave a cult status to Carnatic music with her amazing renditions throughout. Many temples of South India still see the sunrise with her rendition of Venkateshwara Suprabhatam. Those days, women were not even allowed to do solo concerts on stage or share a microphone with a fellow singer but thanks to people like M.S.Subbulakshmi, D.K.Pattamaal-Carnatic music achieved a feminine divine touch. Instrumental players like Gayatri (Veena), M.L.Vasantha Kumari (Violin) made their magic felt through later. When Carnatic music is performed by a female artist, the expressivity and divinity grows tenfold with additional beauty added.

The idea of duo performing in Carnatic sabhas became quite a norm and it did not stop with men alone. Priya Sisters (Haripriya and Shanmukhapriya) have ruled the world of classical music with great vigor and poise. Bombay sisters have standardized the way a Carnatic duo concert has to sound like! In this current generation, Ranjani-Gayatri – the power packed duo is enthralling hundreds of audience with their soothing and amazing vocals. Women in Carnatic music are not just confined to melody alone but also got into masculine professions like percussion playing. It is usually believed that women lack the physical strength required to play a percussion instrument like mridangam or ghatam well. But Sukanya Ramgopal became the first ghatam Carnatic percussion artist and also encouraging more women to take up the profession. This only proves that passion doesn’t have gender discrimination! Exclusive female concerts hosted by Monsoon Nirvana also show the optimistic scenario for women musicians to explore their best.

This indeed is a great sign for classical music to expand and witness new realms of musical bliss.

The gender ratio in classical music field has been growing quite impressively and gaps such as more female percussionists should arrive as well.

SNEHA RAMESH

In conversation with

Joe Lamond: NAMM President and CEO Could you elaborate on the new developments that one can see at NAMM 2019?

To me, the most important development at this year’s NAMM Show is the total focus on the attendee experience. People travel from around the globe to southern California to achieve their business goals, to build their careers and, to be more successful. NAMM has been fortunate to have created “the Crossroads of the industry” which brings together the leaders in music and sound manufacturing,

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in distribution and retailing and in the associated fields of studio, theater, live music, and event production. Everyone who comes to the NAMM Show has access to a gold mine of information, education, and inspiration. Each show starts as a blank piece of sheet music, and our members and staff build it from there. Our world is continuously changing, faster and faster it seems, I’ve been going to NAMM for 37 years now, and no two shows have ever been alike!

From last year to this, what are some of the key changes you’ve seen in the music industry?

I see an interesting situation developing. On the one hand, technology is driving incredible innovation, electronic instruments, recording, and technology used in live events are better, faster and less expensive than ever. It also becomes obsolete quickly as the next model is even better than the last. And at the same time, I see an insatiable appetite for hand-crafted, custom made, beautiful instruments and gear that will last forever.

What are some of the education sessions one can look forward to at NAMM 2019?

At this time, there are over 400 professional education sessions to be held at The NAMM Show for those involved in music products, pro audio, and event technology.

Perhaps the real challenge is how to fit it all in! Roles change, and I bet many of our attendees are involved in many parts of the industry or will be at some point in the careers. All sessions are designed to enhance business and skill sets and are relevant to improving your career regardless of which part of the industry you are currently in. From event technology and event safety to pro audio production and recording, all the way back to the how to build a music lesson program in your store.

The schedule of educational offerings also includes sessions from collaborators ESTA (Entertainment Services and Technology Association), The Pro Production Sessions presented by Front of House and Projection, Lights & Staging News magazines, and programming by Lighting&Sound America/PLASA; NAMM U; TEC Tracks; A3E’s The Future of Audio program; Audinate’s Dante Certification Training; AES@NAMM: Pro Sound Symposium Live and Studio, curated by the Audio Engineering Society; and Music Education Days, GenNext career development and the Nonprofit Institute from The NAMM Foundation.

It sounds like a lot, but the trick is to get the schedule and pick the ones that are most relevant to you, and then go for it!

The breakfast sessions at NAMM are known to be extremely helpful for the industry. Are there any specific areas you are covering this time?

As with all professional education, NAMM Breakfasts are planned with our industry members in mind, and NAMM Show attendees can start their days with a free breakfast and a carefully curated set of sessions designed to challenge the status quo and to inspire everyone to greater success. Everyone needs breakfast, and by combining this with a great session, we’re virtually adding an extra hour of quality show time to everyone’s schedule!

On Thursday, I’ll personally host the “Breakfast of Champions,” our theme this time is ‘The Originals’ and I’ll have a carefully chose group of surprise guests who are truly original in their approach to music and the music business. On Friday, futurist and innovation expert, Daniel Burrus will reveal the current and future trends guaranteed to shape the music products industry.

He’ll look at how to use these trends to innovate with low risk, elevate your planning and accelerate profitability.

Saturday will welcome best-selling business author, Scott Stratten for his presentation of, “How to Win in the Age of Disruption.” He’ll address this current ‘age of disruption’ and how companies can win at business through trust, connection, consistency, and service. And then on Sunday, the final day of the Show, the ‘Best in Show’ panel session with top retail stores will share the products from the Show floor which they think are the ‘Best in Show.’

Could you talk about some of the gigs/ performances scheduled for the show?

Those who have been to the show know that it is famous for seeing and running into some of the biggest artists, producers, and celebrities in the world. Honestly, that’s not our goal, but it just seems to attract them. There is a tremendous curiosity for everyone involved to see what the latest innovations are in the world of music and sound products. We’ll also have countless concerts, appearances and industry meet-ups where people can share the unique theme that ties everything together at the NAMM Show, music. The nightly Grand Plaza concerts, the hotel lobby bars and the dozens of manufacturer parties create a diverse musical celebration that is likely not replicated anywhere else in the world. The NAMM Show app is the best way to navigate all of this, I highly recommend everyone download it, its free!

A variety of award shows held during NAMM also honor luminaries in all aspects of the industry. Friday evening, the Parnelli Awards return and honor live event professionals, products and services – the people who make concerts, touring and staging all possible.

At the House of Blues, SheRocks is back for its seventh year, honoring women in the industry and influential female artists including Macy Gray, Nita Strauss, and Lisa Loeb. On Saturday, the 34th TEC Awards will honor the many individuals, companies and technical innovations used in sound recordings, films, broadcast television and video games in 31 categories. Leslie Ann Jones, the groundbreaking engineer, producer, and Director of Music and Scoring for Skywalker Sound will be honored with induction into the TEC Hall of Fame.

What would be your message to people in India who aspire to come for your show?

It has been an honor for me to have visited your beautiful country, I hope to come back again soon. In the meantime, we welcome our industry family from India to the NAMM Show. And while the investment is not inconsequential, it’s a very long flight, I personally believe it will propel each and everyone who comes to greater success in the year ahead.

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KARISHMA D'MELLO

THE

FURY of THE

S

omewhere in the 1950’s began a thread of accusations that owe its roots to the political and literary influences of the eighteenth century. Musicians were being incessantly questioned and called out for allegedly “selling out”. It started off with the early jazz musicians of that era, eventually making its way to Bob Dylan and other big names of that time. It seemed to have spawned an almost movement like rage among the public. Not even the likes of Tchaikovsky were spared.

Quite understandably artists have lived in fear of having their integrity questioned.

Changing your sound, endorsing a brand or sometimes even indulging in a bit of selfpromotion is often regarded as a serious deviation from the age old movement of “sticking it to the man”. Abiding by convention and trading in what

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they regarded as an artist’s true principles for the likes of money or fame was the worst thing a musician could do.

India’s own version of this can be observed when occasionally, indie musicians choose to step into Bollywood or take to composing jingles for commercials.

I’ll admit to being one of the lot. Not the leader of the bunch, but as a young, naïve, angsty, teen I definitely championed the cause that every deviation in sound that tended towards the pop variety was the act of a sell-out artist. As a naïve, angsty adult on the other hand, much like everything else I have developed a more or less conflicted and flexible opinion on the whole concept.

That sweet balance between staying true to your sound and being able to pay the bills is usually a hard one to maintain.

For bands that have to bear the

cost of touring, merchandise and what not, it’s almost impossible to manage without a bit of marketing and endorsements.

It’s not like people are lining up outside record stores to buy CDs anymore!

So, do artists really owe a loyalty to their sound and their fans? Do they owe it to the public to choose a romanticized image of standing their supposed “sound” versus making enough to live comfortably?

Now, criticisms of this sort are a part of the job description as an artist. An unfortunate one for sure, but one that rings truer for indie musicians or those who are part of niche genres.

People are hardly likely to call out Britney Spears for taking up endorsements. Now if The Offspring decides to release a few albums that are punk rock and not just hardcore punk – their purist fans are marching out there with their torches.

Or is it just that when that song you once listened to in a quiet corner is suddenly blasted on the radio? Is it just the fact everyone seems to like it that creates the problem? Would the same sound have as big an appeal if it didn’t have more of a cult following? Is alternative music only good when it can be labeled as “alternative”?

There’s a fine line between maturing as an artist and “selling out”. There’s nothing wrong with having a strong opinion against the latter and I do understand the charm of authenticity. Who doesn’t like a band that truly stands for something? The problem arises when underground bands truly begin to find their ground and are then arbitrarily accused of selling out by the self-righteous masses.

Sometimes bands have to pay the bills, sometimes they’re bound by rigid contracts.

Who really knows? Perhaps I haven’t been truly tested on the subject, having had none of my favorites undergo a truly shocking deviation in their sound. Until then my stance remains the same.

Classical Instrumental Music Artists in India

ADITI SARAWAGI

India is a culture diverse country and each region has its own different genre of music. Classical music has a rich background in the country and there are some stalwarts who play instruments so well, it leaves the listener mesmerized. Here are some artists who have revolutionized instrumental music in India and have a global following in the music arena.

The first name which comes to mind has to be that of sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Awarded with the Padma Vibhushan for his exemplary work, he has performed all over the world and is known as the Sarod Samrat. His sons. Amaan and Ayaan carry on their father’s legacy and are acclaimed artists in the same space. Ustad Amjad is credited with writing several ragas as well.

Another stalwart, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma is famous for playing the classical instrument santoor. He is solely credited with making the santoor be known as a classical instrument with his hard work and dedication towards it. He has collaborated with the likes of Zakir Huss ain and Hariprasad Chaurasia and has also composed music for several films. He is also the recipient of many awards like the Padmashree and the Padma Vibhushan.

Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan was born in a family of musicians and played the shehnai. He performed at the Red Fort on the eve of India's Independence in 1947 and also performed on the eve of India's first Republic Day ceremony in 1950. He was a global artist and forms an integral part of Indian classical music history. When talking about classical music, one cannot forget the contribution of Pandit Ravi Shankar and his brilliant sitar rendition. He has collaborated with many notable musicians, including George Harrison and Philip Glass and even the famous band ‘The Beatles’, popularizing the sitar to a greater

extent. He has also been honoured with three highest Indian civilian awards. His daughters Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones also excel in the field of music today.

The tabla maestro of the country is undeniably Ustad Zakir Hussain who plays exemplary table and performs across the world creating brilliant works of fusion. He has contributed immensely towards popularising this percussion instrument and he has won several accolades for it. He is the son of famous tabla player Ustad Allarakha Qureshi popularly known as Alla Rakha who himself was an Indian tabla player specializing in Hindustani Classical music. He frequently accompanied Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Hariprasad Chaurasia is an eminent Indian flute player and is counted amongst the greateast flute players in the world. He was also featured in one of the singles of The Beatles. He has been honoured with many prestigious awards including the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to the world of arts. L. Subramaniam is India’s violin icon as is also known as the God of Indian Violin. A child prodigy, he has conducted almost two hundred recordings.

He has also composed music for few films and is a master of several genres like jazz and even Carnatic music. He has a master’s degree in Western Classical Music and is the creator of the Global Music concept as well.

Indian classical music is loved and appreciated across the world and showcases the rick heritage of our country and its diverse nature. India has produced some amazing artists in all fields and this list is by no means exhaustive. There resides a true talent in every genre of music and they are at par with the best in the world. Classical music is a true representation of Indian artistry and these musicians make the country proud.

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MEGHAN KHARSYNRAP

TO SEE A SOUND TO TASTE A COLOUR I wrote a song and it was all Yellow

B

illy Joel has been quoted saying “When I think of different types of melodies which are slower or softer, I think in terms of blues or greens.” he continued “When I have a particularly vivid colour, it’s usually a strong melodic, strong rhythmic pattern that emerges at the same time. When I think of (those) certain songs, I think of vivid reds, oranges, or golds.”

That being said the association of music with art is not novel.

Paintings and music from a particular period would resemble each other and resemble the culture of that period. But the biological connection with music and art wasn’t studied until the 90’s. That’s when researchers learned, that like Billy Joel, we were all able to at some point experience a range of senses when one of our senses had been triggered. For example, like seeing red in our minds eye or tasting salt when we listen to a C sharp. This ability that we are born with but dissapears for most of us as we grow into adulthood is called synesthesia.

Synesthesia is the condition where when one of our 5 senses is stimulated it involuntarily triggers another experience in our other senses. To break it down, for some synesthetes reading a certain word in a book could also make them taste that word or see colours that the word is associated to. We’re all able to make associations with colours but synesthetes can’t stop this experience. They don’t have any control on how they feel.

There are several types of Synesthesia but for me the most interesting type is called Chromesthesia or sound-to-colour synesthesia.

It means the individual with chromesthesia would hear sounds and involuntarily experience a colour. If an artist had to jot down all the colours he could see while listening to a piece the chances are he’ll jot down the same colours in the same sequence or movement

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even if he was listening to the piece years later.

Synesthesia wasn’t taken seriously until the 1990’s, there wasn’t a credible way to prove it existed and only when MRI machines made its way into medicine were we able to track how our brains react to stimulants. That’s also how researchers came to the conclusion that as children we were also synesthetes and that as we grow the development of that quality seized.

Several famous artists and musicians are also synesthetes like Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel and others.

Classical Pianist Franz Liszt(1811-1886) guided the orchestra when he was Kappelmeister in Weimar with comments like “O please, gentlemen, a little bluer, if you please! This tone type requires it!” or, “That is a deep violet, please, depend on it! Not so rose!” Initially the musicians even thought he was joking.

Similarly, Fall Out Boy’s Stump said in a blog post that “most letters and numbers feel like a colour.” on talking to several musicians he has found that the experience is fairly common.

‘Channel Orange’ by Frank Ocean is said to be named on the grounds of his Synesthesia.

But not all kinds of Synesthesia benefits an individual.

Misophonia is a condition when sounds trigger negative feelings and emotion such as dislike, distrust and anger. Misophonia literally translates to “hatred of sound”. For people with synesthesia the experience isn’t an out of world one, it is there day to day lives. But musicians who are also synesthetes are afraid that their success might be undermined. They believe their audience might think that their talent had less to do with hard work than it does with their synesthesia.

There are always two sides to the coin.

Loud and Clear The S360 combines main monitor performance with compact size, delivering a true reference even at high sound pressure levels. And with our GLM software, the S360 will intelligently adapt to your acoustic environment.

So if you need to really feel the energy in your music – or are working with large scale immersive film production – it is no longer a choice between power and precision.

Find out more at www.genelec.com/S360

Distribution by Sound Team T: +91 22 2881 4041 E: info@soundteam.in www.soundteam.in

SOUVIK CHAKRABORT Y

INDIAN MUSIC EXPERIENCE, BANGALORE: An overview on its inception, vision and more.

IME Bengaluru is the first experiential Indian music museum in India, how big is this feeling of being India's first?

Being the first such experiential music museum in India is not only a big achievement, as we are in many ways setting the benchmark for future such initiatives. We are the first to present the entire gamut of India’s musical diversity and history in an entertaining manner. We are now a member of the GRAMMY Museum Affiliate Program – a network of exclusive music museums and universities around the world.

What was the idea behind setting up IME, what was that sparkling thought that materialized IME? Our Founder MR Jaishankar, Chairman of the Brigade Group, visited the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and was greatly inspired. He came back with the thought of setting up something similar in Bangalore. The idea was that - while there are many great music schools and performing arts festivals, there is no centre for the young generation to experience our rich musical heritage.

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From our Director to renowned veena artiste Dr. Suma Sudhindra, our architecture design firmArchitecture Paradigm, and our exhibit designer – Gallagher and associates this museum is a collective effort of various creative minds put together.

Since this museum solely involves an experience in music, it forays and sets free newer horizons for exercising interesting interactive experiences for visitors. What was the inspiration behind the interactive part or the 'experience' involved in the museum?

The main artefact in the museum, apart from instruments, are intangible – they cannot be seen and felt like a painting or sculpture. So it was very clear from the very beginning that if we want this museum to be an ‘experience’. So we have an immense scope for interactivity in the museum – from Ipads to giant touchscreens the users can interact and mix or make their music. We also have a small recording studio, we have minitheatres that play immersive films,so that music feels ‘alive’.

How is the 'experience' India different from that of the Experience Music Project in Seattle, US, which is usually considered the best-in-class interactive museum?

In my opinion, our content is a lot more expansive in nature. We have two very unique theatrical experiences – the introductory film which is an immersive 180 degree wraparound screen. We also have a Samay Chakra theatre, which is designed like a mini planetarium, showing the relation between music and time.

What all does a visitor get access to at IME Bengaluru?

There are three parts to the museum – the Sound Garden, the Learning Centre and the Exhibit Galleries. Sound Garden and Exhibits are always open to visitors.

Learning Centre conducts regular music classes and also seminars and workshops.

In addition we have a gift store and a café.

What was the striving force behind the extraordinary sound garden at the IME? The sound garden was co-created by SVARAM of Pondicherry and Foley Designs in Bangalore. The idea of the sound garden is to introduce the principles of sound such as frequency, resonance, vibration, timbre etc through interactive musical sculptures. It is an unique experience because over here we say ‘please touch the instruments’ as opposed to most museums saying ‘don’t touch’.

A learning centre is pretty amazing a concept that was woven into the entire immersive experience of music. What all does the centre involve, is there a higher thought behind this initiative. Can we expect a choir group or a band group from the trained musicians at IME, in the near future?

The idea behind the learning centre is to produce versatile musicians – who can not only perform, but can also speak, write and compose in Hindustani and Carnatic music in keyboard, guitar, veena, mridangam etc. Hindreds of students are imbibing the nuances of music from music experts.

The feat achieved by IME is pretty monumental what were the stumbling blocks for the founders. How difficult had it been to set the setting stone up. What were the challenges and risks involved in the entire process of finding IME? The biggest challenge was getting an experienced crew for setting up an experiential museum in the country. Next was a dilemma, what to option and what not to, since the Indian music is criss- crossed with possibilities. We are grateful to Brigade Group, Prestige, SBI as well as the state and central governments for helping us face the challenges with their support.

How did you approach the world renowned designers Gallagher and Associates for this project. What was the idea behind IME's look and experience, how was it to work with a stellar group of engineers who also worked on the Grammy Museum?

We travelled to the US to study museum designs, and realized the need for an international exhibit designer to achieve what we desired. We were very impressed by how several genres of American music had seamlessly been blended together at the GRAMMY Museum in LA by the Gallagher and Associates. We received several proposals for exhibit designs too, but theirs was the most complete and exciting. The designers sat on several content meetings with us to get an idea of our vision. They then converted these content ideas to exciting exhibits.

Tell us a bit about your journey so far, how is the response so far from the visitors, music enthusiasts, media and foreign tourists et al? Can we soon expect to see IME branching out to different cities?

We had a thrilling soft launch in May when we opened for only two and a half days and about 2000 people turned up. We had a heartening response once we relaunched from November 1st. We have lots of school groups coming too and they are really amazed by the experience. We even have enthusiastic international tourist groups. One tourist said, ‘finally there is one place where we can make sense of all that India has to offer, and it is a springboard for my journey into India’.

Like the shehnai of Ustad Bismillah Khan and the silver paan box of Bhimsen Joshi what all are the selling points of IME Bengaluru that really has attracted the visitors since your inception?

In terms of artefacts, we have recently got the Tambura and Sari belonging to Bharat Ratna MS Subbulakshmi.

Most of the musical instruments we have, are donated by famous musicians such as Sudha Ragunathan, Bickram Ghosh, Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma and others. We recently acquired an antique Erard Grand Piano and Daler Mehndi’s grand concert attire! Apart from this, our photo opportunity with a Bollywood poster, a rare gramophone and phonograph….the list is endless!

What next, what is your roadmap with IME and beyond that?

We are in the process of developing a mobile museum exhibit to travel to different schools and cities. We are expanding the activities of the Learning Centre to launch a Diploma program. We will be hosting a grand music festival, an annual music conference soon besides venturing out to music healing.

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SHREYA BOSE

IN INDIA

Wanderlust Set to Sound: The Gypsy Jazz of Paulus Schafer

We had a chat with the band ahead of their concert at India’s favorite jazz music venue The Quarter in Mumbai, a platform for amazing music acts to perform.

If you loved a musician, would you crawl under his caravan to hear him play? Would you then run back to your own, and try your hardest to replicate that sound?

Paulus Schafer did.

Being born and raised in a Dutch Sinti-Romani community meant listening to Django Reinhardt’s composition before speaking his first word. Schafer comes to his music the way he approaches his breath: with inseparable ease.

It is little wonder that Schafer is hailed as a luminary in the gypsy jazz artistic

community. His music is redolent with ancestral memory. The craft he uses to astound millions around the world passes from father to son; he never had to go to a conservatory to know what chords could make you weep.

In December, he descends upon Mumbai with Noah Schäfer (Double Bass) Mozes Rosenberg- (Rhythm Guitar) Dominique Paats (Accordion), courtesy of The Quarter. As a venue, The Quarter is known for its painstakingly crafted décor (jazz club in the 1950s, yes?) as well as its dedication to bringing musicians of exquisite skill (and often, philosophy to boot) to the glorious chaotic conglomeration that is Mumbai.

When did you first find Django Reinhardt?

I was born with music; it was inevitable. It is like breathing, you don't think about it, it just happens. In our community you just grow up with gypsy swing. There is music every day. It is an ongoing process; you

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constant try to improve your playing. You listen to Django Reinhardt’s music: LP's, music cassettes, and you practise, practise, practise… We don't study at the conservatory.

It is taught from father to son, from uncle to nephew. My family is the inspiration. My family is, in fact, the essence of gypsy swing. And Django Reinhardt was a gypsy (Sinto) as well.

Have any of you ever taken time to fall in love with gypsy jazz? Or was it a matter of immediate ardor?

I told you it’s our way of life. It’s different for accordionist Dominique Paats .Mainly a great Sinti guitarist and teacher Wasso Grünholz influenced our musical development. I listened to him by crawling under his caravan, listening to the most beautiful tunes. Then I ran to our own caravan and tried to copy what I heard. Of course I often watched him play and also asked him many questions.

I didn't need outside motivation. For my family and for me making music is a given. It is a form of happiness you simply can't avoid.

Most important was the day Wasso said: ‘Now I want to hear Paulus!'

He stimulated me to find my own style. Stochelo Rosenberg opened the doors to the world with his music, and he showed us that the Dutch gypsy jazz style is being appreciated everywhere. That encouraged me to also put myself out there and start my own band. That is also how Mozes Rosenberg found his way into jazz. Of course, his brother world-famous Stochelo Rosenberg was also a great inspiration and teacher.

How long has the band been together?

We have been playing together for many years.Noah is my sister’s son. Mozes Rosenberg is my nephew and lives a few miles away from me. We know each other very well. The encounter with Dominique was spontaneous in Maastricht at the end of 2012and blazed from the very beginning. With him I have pure freedom to play and enjoy my music. It happens intuitively and with so much ease. We communicate with our instruments, whip each other in a musical game - always with respect for one other.

Where does your music come from? Do you convey personal emotion?

Or are you seeking to honor the sentiments of the masters who created the music?

Most important is that the music comes straight from our hearts. The challenge is just you yourself! You can either make it or break it.

As I said before, it is a natural process, in which you find your own style step by step. Unthinkingly copying other musicians is not my thing. The greatest challenge is to be yourself and develop your own style. Like Wassohad challenged me: ‘Now I want to hear Paulus!'

Throughout the years not so much has changed. It is a natural process, like the lifestyle of our community that develops in a natural way as well. In our musical style nothing revolutionary has happened. I often wondered though, how would it be if Django was still alive? Of course, I do get influenced from outside as well, without being aware of it; it just happens.

What aspect of one's personality disqualifies someone from playing/ understanding gypsy jazz?

It’s so difficult to answer this question. It’s so personal.

I would say let it happen. I don’t want to disqualify a musician as well.

Tell us your origin story.

My journey is our journey. The journey of the Sinti: LatchoDrom. A long travel.

We just look at today; tomorrow is another day. We'll see where we will be playing then. We, all of us, are modest when it comes to thinking about that. What people remember is not us, but our music.

As you know our roots are in India. We think near the river Sindh. The LatchoDrom brought us to Western Europe: The Netherlands.

Everyone knows Django, but how often do you come across people who know about the likes of Tchavolo and Dorado Schmitt?

The Sinti know all the great gypsy jazz musicians like Tchavolo and Dorado Schmitt, Bireli Lagrene, Stochelo Rosenberg, Fapy Lafertin etc. I think inside the gypsy jazz scene everybody knows these names.

What do you think about the term "gypsy" in gypsy jazz? Do you think it carries a racial charge?

Gypsy jazz is a style of jazz. Never before I have had any idea that it is racist, intended or felt as such.

Tell us about the instruments, especially the guitar. Who crafted it? How closely did you work with them?

All my guitars are handcrafted by a Luthier. I’m playing in Mumbai on my JWC guitar build by Jeongwoo Cho. For me it’s important that the luthier designed the neck on my special wishes.

Of course you talk several times with him to get it custommade and of course it must have a warm sound. Mozes is playing on a Czech guitar build by luthier VitCach.

What’s in store for your gig in December? What can we expect from your set list?

I will tell you about my latest album. It’s called 'Letter to Van Gogh'. The painter Vincent van Gogh has lived in my village, Nuenen, for a number of years. He was an outsider, and in the time he lived here he made that famous painting, The Potato Eaters. It is a dark canvas of very poor farmers, quite depressing. When he moved to France he met other artists and his work becomes an explosion of colour.

The Sinti to this day are still outsiders. Collaborating with other musicians certainly has brought more colour to my style. On this CD - all original compositions - I have the privilege to play with outstanding musicians, like Stochelo Rosenberg, Peter Beets, TchaLimberger, Jan Kuiper and Dominique Paats. This is my musical letter to Van Gogh!

I will bring the CD and play a few tunes from it.

Our setlist we will make just before the concert like we always do. Classics of Django Reinhardt of course, the Great American Songbook and our own original compositions.

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AMOGH RAO

“Just Play What You Hear” – A Glimpse of Chick Corea in India

T

he thing about true genius is, you can’t possibly hope to grasp it in its entirety. You’re humbled and pushed back and all you can do is hope to grow and evolve to a point where you can at least attempt to comprehend it from afar. Armando Anthony Corea visited India this November. A solo recital of sorts, it was to be an exploration of all the music he had been inspired by and in turn, his attempt to transform it. I was a fool to believe that to be all there was to the show.

If you’ve ever been around polyglots, you will have noticed that they inadvertently tend to utilize vocabulary and references from the other languages they speak.

Now attempt to imagine what a conversation would be like if they were given the freedom to speak all of them, however and whenever with no bounds. This is me trying to give you a superficial analogy for Corea’s ‘style’ since cross-genre doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The show began with a quick tune-up of the piano where the audience pitched in to help sing the notes. After a warm up with 500 Miles high, Chick opened up a journey through the workings of his mind. He explained how he associated different pieces and composers with each other by way of the feelings and emotions they incite. As such, we saw a mashup of George Gershwin and Mozart, Bill Evans and Domenico Scarlatti and Antonio Jobim with Chopin.

He then performed a duet piece written by him and Paco De Lucia in memory of the latter. Titled Yellow Nimbus, the name referred to the literal cloud like halo Chick would notice surrounding Paco’s head as they performed.

Chick then spoke about his childhood, and how his family of musicians would make fun of each other by playing entertaining melodies on the piano, influencing him to create ‘musical portraits’ of people. He then inexplicably and to everyone’s absolute astonishment, sat a chair next to his piano, called audience members up on stage and literally wrote music on the spot by looking at them.

He also took it up a notch by calling audience pianists like Louis Banks up on stage to literally play with him on the same grand piano.

Chick then brought the dynamics down a notch by playing a handful of compositions he wrote as ‘children’s songs’, inspired by the innocence and untouched joy of children.

As an encore, he played a crowd favourite, Spain. He told us that the opening melody of the song is sometimes

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credited to him but is in fact an excerpt from Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. He paid homage to the composer by playing a portion of the original concerto, before moving into the actual composition written by him, improvising feverishly throughout.

As an absolutely massive finale, he made the audience sing the main phrases of the song, ending with the opening melody and an absolutely ecstatic crowd.

As everyone sang these complex melodies and completed phrasings for Corea, we all realized that we were touched by something far greater than a concert experience. We had been impacted far beyond vocal emotion. And that this man was truly the personification of the potential of music.

If there’s anything one can wish for, it’s that every human being be touched by something this powerful at least once in their lives. I for one know for certain, that I’ll never look at music the same way again.

The title of this article comes from Miles Davis’ advice to Chick Corea before he joined his band. “Nah, no rehearsal”, said Miles. “Just play what you hear”.

ROLAND UNVEILS AX-EDGE KEYTAR Step Into the Spotlight with a Unique Mobile Performance Synth Featuring Pro Sounds, Customizable Looks, and More

R

oland unveils the AX-Edge Keytar, a performance synthesizer designed to be played in a standing position with a shoulder strap. Building on decades of refinement and input from artists around the world, the AX-Edge features 49 full-sized keys and a professional sound set crafted specifically for keytarists. It also offers a sleek, modern design with the unique ability to interchange Edge Blades and customize the instrument’s look. Compact and battery operated, the AX-Edge is a powerful mobile instrument that enables performing keyboardists to take center stage and put their music in the spotlight.

The AX-Edge delivers a striking presence that makes any live player stand out. Models are available in black or white finishes, and the black model features an all-black keyboard for a dark, sophisticated appearance.

Each AX-Edge model comes with an extra Edge Blade in the box (a silver Edge Blade for the black model and a gold Edge Blade for the white), allowing the player to create a fresh look that complements their personal performance style.

Inside the AX-Edge is a carefully curated sound set driven by Roland’s latest sound technologies. Optimized for stage performance, the sounds are designed to cut through even in loud bands. Dedicated buttons provide instant access to edgy leads, fat basses, and all types of sounds perfect for the performing keytarist, whether it’s taking solos or sharing the limelight with bandmates.

Users can customize sounds by wirelessly connecting to the AX-Edge editor app with Bluetooth MIDI. Splits and layers take full advantage of the expansive, full-sized keyboard, and there’s wealth of stunning effects that provide polished, studio-quality tone in any venue. And thanks to the Tone Remain function, players can switch sounds seamlessly without notes or effect tails being cut off prematurely.

With its highly intuitive neck controls, the AX-Edge offers maximum expression for taking performances to new levels. There’s a modulation bar and pressuresensitive pitch ribbon, easy-toreach portamento, hold, octave, and program change buttons, and an array of assignable controls that can be tailored to any performance style.

Gigging keyboard players need to cover lots of different sounds and parts, and often have to function as the backbone of the entire act. The AX-Edge is filled with thoughtful stage features, including an innovative dual display system, arpeggiator, and onboard song player for handling backing duties. There’s even a built-in vocoder, which can be layered with internal sounds to create unique backing vocals or funky, retro lead parts.

When powered with rechargeable NiMH batteries, the AX-Edge provides up to four full hours of mobile playing time. The instrument can also be powered via an AC adaptor.

To learn more about the AX-Edge Keytar, visit Roland.co.in.

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KAUSTHUB RAVI & SIVANESH NATARAJAN

What do we have here? Four Plugins, that attempt to set foot outside boundaries, four Plug-ins that tell you the future not only looks good but also sounds good.

OEKSOUND - SPIFF plug-in THE FUTURE NOT ONLY LOOKS GOOD BUT SOUNDS GOOD!

BOZ DIGITAL LABS - PAN KNOB plug-in GOODBYE TO TRADITIONAL PAN KNOBS! One of the more underrated, lesser-known companies, Boz Digital Labs is all about straight talk. Makers of some excellent plugins including the imperial delay, The Wall Limiter etc, the code they live by - simple plugins with nononsense functionality.

The Pan Knob does exactly what it says. It pans. The company justifies the new replace-ment to the trusty old pan pots on DAWs but saying that the traditional pan knobs don’t do justice to headphone listeners. For example, when you pan a guitar to the left the entire signal is panned and sometimes this tends to feel unnatural and doesn’t ensure the best translation. This is because sometimes the low end dominates and leaves the mix feeling lopsided.

The simple but powerful plugin has very few controls- the pan knob, a crossover selection, and a mode selection.

It also allows you to choose between different pan law options. The crossover is the real trick that ensures everything sounds good. It keeps the selected portion of the signal more centered than the rest that is being panned. This really helps keep the sound natural and well placed in the stereo field. It works like a charm on guitars and synth parts in a mix.

The Pan Knob is a simple yet extremely effective plugin that does exactly what it says. They are especially useful for simplistic/sparse mixes which focus on specific instruments and offer better translation on headphones.

Extremely cheap and affordable too.

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Thinking outside the box has always been Oeksound’s thing. Plugins that are more adap-tive than static which dynamically alter the signal with minimal interference from the engineer. Their first plugin (Soothe) was a dynamic EQ that worked much like a multi-band but much more intelligently. It worked only when needed, suppressing resonances that would otherwise take a lot of processing to take out.

Spiff brings the same dynamic style to transient processing. Boosting and cutting transients dynamically in true oeksound style. This plugin offers powerful capabilities with its 2 modes, Boost, and cut. The cut focusses on removing stuff like hard consonants, clicks, pops, guitar pick attack noises etc. Anyone who has dealt with these things realizes how difficult it can be to without completely killing the source. But Spiff does it with an elegance that is quite impressive. The Boost mode turns the plugin into a transient enhancer. It really can tighten up anything from drum elements to the entire mix. The plugin does have a slight learning curve but for most applications, the presets work so well that we’ve not had to mess with anything more than the depth knob in most cases.

Representing the next generation of plugins - Spiff is smart, dynamic and specific. Complimented by a beautiful UI, which does a great job of representing how the plugin is working in real-time. It is a bit pricey but undoubtedly worth it for professionals who are looking for some real time savers.

IGS Springtime Reverb Unit Four-channel Spring Reverb FULL OF SURPRISES!

Sound theory Gulfoss Intelligent Equaliser plug-in CALL IT MAGIC, CALL IT TRUE! Continuing the theme of intelligent plugins, we get to Gulfoss. The first time we heard of this plugin, it seemed too good to be true. It claims to use sophisticated algorithms modelled on what the human ear likes to hear. It uses these algorithms to use EQ decisions (up to 100 times a second) to increase the clarity and space of the mix without altering phase relationships, causing artefacts or latency. It sounds like absolute voodoo.

It sounds like some Artificial intelligence magic put to work but its creator, an Icelandic man, insists that it was developed using quantum physics, mathematical theorems, and psychoacoustics.

RABBIT’S OUT OF THE HAT! The controls are also quite new and although its just 4 parameters, it takes some time to understand what's happening with each one. Recover - finds elements in the mix, corrects eq and phase relationships to bring them to the front ; Tame - finds prominent elements in the mix and subdues them if needed ; Bias - lets you choose if there should be more re-covering or taming; Brightness - More top end; Boost - Tailors loudness response curve, mostly giving the mix more body. We took a mix that we were happy with and used Gulfoss on the master. We were completely blown away at how much it had improved the mix. Its unlike anything else out there. Taming harsh transients, taking out muddy resonances and adding a super smooth high end. All this helped the mix translate extremely well on different mediums. It works extremely well on cleaning up and adding life to individual elements as well. This plugin truly defies logic, its almost like magic and points to a new direction in audio processing

It’s been long since we had something new with hardware. IGS is a company doing pretty interesting things including their multi band compressor and other rack mount units. The springtime is quite a quirky piece at first glance. Spring reverbs, in general, are not known for being the most versatile of verbs. They add a certain distinct character to the signal with its modulation and sound. So, spending a rather generous amount on an analog spring verb unit might seem silly. But this unit will surprise you.

FOR THE MIX ENGINEER, PREPARED TO GO AN EXTRA MILE Sporting a bit of a vintage look with its large VU meter, distinct mustard colour face and big black knobs, the Springtime looks striking and salient. Inside are two pairs of physical springs, a long one and a short one. They are each independently configurable, so you could have 2 stereo verbs or 4 mono channels. Each channel has its own wet/dry controls, 3 band EQs and bypass switches.

Software verbs are dime a dozen and offer flexibility and options like never before but this unit sounds quite different. When you add a bit of springtime, everything sticks together beautifully. The verb blends into the signal rather than sounding like something added on top and adds a sense of space and liveliness to the signal without a cloud of mud washing out the mix. It can be used in small amounts just to glue the elements or it can be pushed for some lovely spring character. It may not work for every application but on the right guitar tone or vocals, it sounds quite distinct and interesting. This unit encourages some experimenting and innovation with effect work in your mixes. This is something not many units can do for a mix engineer. It is a bit pricey , but definitely worth it for engineers looking for some unique additions to their effect racks.

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PUNEET SAMTANI

Let's talk

EQUALIZATION! To understand Equalization we need to understand frequencies.

T

he number of vibrations that are produced per second is called frequency. Frequency varies for each sound and is measured in hertz.

1 hertz = 1 vibration per second.

Humans have a listening frequency range between 20Hz to 20,000 hertz.

What is equalization and why do we need it ?

EQ is an abbreviation for the word EQUALIZATION. An Equalizer allows us to just turn up or down individual frequencies of individual elements or a particular sound.

This prevents us from raising/dropping the levels of an instrument/track unnecessarily in a mix.

The highest frequency that a normal middle aged adult can hear is only 12-14 kilohertz.

Every instrument has a fundamental note.That fundamental note determines the frequency spectrum of that instrument.

Besides that fundamental note, it also comprises of overtones.

Before one can truly learn how to use EQ, we need to understand the frequency spectrum.

An overtone is a musical tone which is part of the harmonic series above a fundamental note and heard with it.

Let's have a look at the frequency spectrum.

By cutting/adjusting frequencies of a particular instrument we can adjust the tone and change the timbre of that particular instrument.

As we age our hearing worsens.

Frequency range classification Frequency Range

Frequency Values

Sub-bass

20 to 60 Hz

Bass

60 to 250 Hz

When all the instruments/elements come together in a song, they will be fighting together to sit properly in a mix. Some frequencies will get added and and some lost. This is when we look at approaches and types of Equalization.

Low midrange

250 to 500 Hz

Approaches for Equalization.

Midrange

500 Hz to 2 kHz

Upper midrange

2 to 4 kHz

There are a couple of approaches one can use when you want to EQ a track. One is for subtracting unwanted frequencies and one is for enhancing them.

High’s (Presence)

4 to 6 kHz

Air (Brilliance)

6 to 20 kHz

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Subtractive EQ - This is to smoothen out problems which occur in the recording process. If certain frequencies that are peaking out and need to be ironed out, you will cut/ subtract frequencies.

Additive EQ - This is when you want to add or lift up certain frequencies in order to brighten them, make them beefy or generally help frequencies stand out in a mix.

Important types of EQ

In this EQ, you can identify the frequency you want to treat, isolate it and either boost it or reduce it.

A third value can be controlled which is the bandwidth or referred to as ‘Q’ value.

1.Shelving EQ

This controls the range of frequencies which we can boost or cut.

This type of EQ is used when you want to cut or a boost the high end or the low end of frequencies without completely cutting it off.

A wider ‘Q’ will affect a larger range of frequency and a narrower smaller ‘Q’ value will affect a smaller range of frequencies.

Shelving Eq’s basically affect all the frequencies generally above or below a certain point.

4.Graphic EQ

Often you will use a low shelving EQ on a bass guitar to cut muddiness in a mix. (Refer below)

On a vocal track generally one would add brightness by applying this type of EQ. (Refer below)

They comprise of a lot of faders which represent the frequency spectrum from 20hz all the way upto 20khz.

There are different sliders assigned to particular frequencies.

You can use them to either boost or cut frequencies.

2. High Pass and Low Pass EQ Like their name suggests, the High Pass Eq will pass all high frequencies and cut the low frequencies and Low Pass Eq will pass low frequencies and cut the high frequencies.

They do what the Shelving Eq’s do, the difference is that they only cut frequencies and not boost them.

This type of EQ is generally found on all live consoles for quick implementation.

3.Parametric EQ

The Graphic EQ is generally connected to the mixer outputs to control the tone of sound, or correct feedback problems.

10 Tips while applying ‘EQ’ 1. Subtract rather than add.

2. Use your ears rather than your eyes.

3. Sweep through frequencies and identify the ones which need to be cut or boosted. While doing so use a narrow ‘Q’ for accuracy.

4. Bass roll off things which are not going to contribute to that frequency spectrum.

5. If you have to treat it a lot, there is something wrong with the recording. Try record it again if you can.

6. Do not boost the high frequencies unnecessarily and make your mix sound harsh.

7. The individual elements in a song matter, but keep the entire song in perspective while applying EQ.

In a parametric EQ, you will have the ability to very specifically alter a number of different parameters.

This form of EQ is normally the one we would end up using the most.

8. Keep comparing your EQ application with your raw sound or even another EQ for that matter. Do an A/B compare.

9. The instruments should not sound alien. Keep it as natural as possible.

10. Listen in Mono too when you are on the stage of finalising and touch up the EQ a bit if needed.

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AMOGH RAO

RHYTHMIC ALPHABET THE LANGUAGE OF DRUMMING

I

’ve always been fond of concepts and structures in the world of drums that go beyond rudimentary exercises and mechanical effort. Rhythm and percussion deal with an entire dimension of texture and sound that cannot be mastered by just playing rudiments over and over.

I was terribly lucky to have come across Benny Greb’s Language of Drumming very early on in my drumming education. Initially devised as a set of exercises for himself, Benny went on to create a system so elegant that it challenges and inspires every individual from the novice’s first drum lesson to the master’s improvisation.

The Binary and Ternary systems are essentially just a kind of morse code, combinations of dots and dashes in groups of 4 (binary) and 3 (ternary).

The structure is pictorially represented below.

This structure seems to be unassuming and almost incoherent at first, but the beauty of symbolism is that it’s as powerful as your imagination.

For starters, assume the dots to be accented notes and dashes to be ghost notes. A simple exercise would then be rotating accents within a 4-note or 3-note grouping.

For example, the first 4 bars would be - Rrrr, rRrr, rrRr, rrrR where ‘R’ denotes the accent and ‘r’ denotes the ghost note. You can do the same with literally any kind of rudiment. Dots can be RL, dashes can be RR or LL. That becomes an exercises in alternating single and double strokes. If the dots are flam taps and the dashes are single notes, the structure becomes an exercise in flams.

The opportunities for creativity and complexity are endless. Feeling comfortable? Replace the dots with 16th-note Hertas and the dashes with 16th-note triplet single strokes. Play the entire structure over an 8thnote pulse on the hi-hat. Want an even bigger challenge?

Replace the dots with 16th-note triplet six-stroke rolls and the dashes with 32nd-note paradiddles, over an ostinato of your choice on the feet. And of course, there’s always the option of speeding things up. However, don’t forget to keep accuracy and feel in mind.

The thought process behind a system like this is to give you a ground-zero on which to build your practice. It directs you towards approaching the drums as endless permutations of possibilities instead of just notes put in different places.

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Analogue Console Emulation Plugins F

or many yesteryears, the old school analog studios had large format consoles style mixing, hardware compressor, equalisers, gates/expanders and reverb units. There used to be plenty of knobs switches etc. to tweak and create that magic in the mixing and mastering of a song. Or I can say crafting the song! Today we are all living in pure digital age and computer technology fully dependent on our DAW software. The main reason is the cost and space. Now most of the plugin manufacturing companies have tied up with lots of the audio legend companies like the API, NEVE, SSL, REDD etc.

But these plugins do wonderful and does the emulation of your favourite console in your DAW. Let’s start now.

Whatever console taste you like, today we can just drag and drop in our each channel or your Master Buss and get great sounding result in seconds. Remember, these console style plugins has the emulation algorithm to create that old style classic sound in your modern digital tracks which we are all lacking in today’s modern music technology.

A for API – This is called Automated Process Inc., known as API which was invented in the year 1969. They were the first to introduce the modular system of 500 series units in the year 1970 if I am right! This company was very famous of the 512c mic pre-giving high class musically rich sounding tone in your recordings. Later

they manufactured the 550A and 550B EQ’s in their 500 series module system. Then they released the 525 Compressor and limiter with a unique feature called THRUST which is patented by API for an Insert of HPF (High pass Filter) before the Detector circuit. Then they released the 2500 master buss compressor, which gives a rock-solid sound in your sessions. Waves and Universal audio has taken the rights to develop this as the plugin emulation of these hardware boxes and now we can have this in our favorite DAW sessions.

N for NEVE – This legend England company founded

by Rupert Neve designs, is famous for its classic 1970’s sound and thousands of hit records have been produced during this time using the famous 1073 mic pre by Neve.

It has its own top end high-frequency sound at 12Khz which is fixed in their mic pre with an HPF built in that. This sounds great on any source for recording.

Later they modified their 1073 into the 1083 with more wider frequency shelf providing 4 bands of EQ. This is also modeled by the Grammy award legend “Andrew Scheps” and named the plugin as SCHEPS 73! Now, if you want to get that classic NEVE 1073 sound on your DAW, then this is the solution! These are also emulated by Slate Digital and Universal Audio.

S for SSL – Another popular and widely used console is the British's Solid State Logic console, SSL 4000 E Series in the year 1979. Later they released their G series console.

These consoles provide rock-solid punchy sounds in your sessions having a fully parametric EQ with a Bell curve on High and Low to pop your sound in your mix. They also have the Dynamic module in their Channel strip making a complete module design which very famous in the early 80’s records. Also, it is very famous for its SSL 4000 Master buss Compressor on their console in the Master section.

When all the tracks are assigned through this, it produces a magic in your Song which sounds so fat and punchy to create great sounding records. Waves and Universal audio and recently Plugin Alliance has also done the Emulation of the SSL channel Strip and the Master buss compressor which is now available to be used in our DAW to get that Classic SSL tone in your Mix or your Sessions.

Photo Credit: Digi Sound Studio

Author: Baba.L.Prasad. He is the owner and chief Sound/Mix and Mastering Engineer at Digi Sound Studio. He also teaches Sound Engineering and Music Production courses. For more details, visit www.digisoundacademy.com

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SENNHEISER Digital 6000 S

ennheiser’s Digital 6000 has a single aim: doing more for your business by opening up new possibilities. With smarter RF technology, the Digital 6000 series is more straightforward to use – intermodulation is no more an issue as this RF technology keeps the limited frequency space free for other channels. As a result, it allows operation in an equidistant frequency grid without compromising on either transmission performance or audio quality.

Digital 6000 sports an innovative user interface where relevance replaces excessive flickering. It is compatible with dozens of capsule heads and offers superior quality in the long term. The series has three products – SKM 6000, EM 6000 and SK 6000.

The SKM 6000 and SK 6000 provide more channels and better performance, while the EM 6000 ensures best transmissions and productions irrespective of the condition.

More straightforward to use, more efficient regarding frequency space, smarter RF technology: Digital 6000 waves goodbye to past limitations and opens up new possibilities. Intermodulation is no longer an issue since the superior RF technology

keeps the limited frequency spaces free for more channels. Digital 6000 does not produce any intermodulation, which allows operation in an equidistant frequency grid - neither transmission performance nor audio quality are compromised.

The ease of working with this new product is already evident from the innovative user interface: relevance replaces excessive flickering, too many clicks and too little information.

It goes without saying that Digital 6000 is compatible with dozens of capsule heads and antenna options.

The series offers a superior quality in the long term that is unique in the realm of wireless productions.

It also goes without saying that you will find a sympathetic ear when new requirements arise during day-to-day production. Two Dante™ sockets for redundant networks or daisy chains cabling?

Consider it done. Introduction of the popular command mode for talkback functionality? Only one of the activated features in the latest software updates. The superior Digital 6000 platform is setting standards today – and staying ready for the challenges of tomorrow.

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Tic Tac Toe goes beyond fun and games with an avant-garde sound system from Bose Professional T

ic Tac Toe’s characteristic laid-back lounge feel ironically exudes a happy vibe of liveliness.

Before all else though – Music is what keeps the night young for all; and the music at Tic Tac Toe aims to cover as much of the spectrum as it possibly can through an opportune programming schedule that witnesses non-intrusive lounge music during the day, which progresses into groovy electronic vibes as the night moves on. The unsung hero behind the amazing music experience here is the exceptional aural reinforcement which heightens the music playback throughout the venue – delivered through a top-notch pro audio architecture from global pro audio leaders, Bose Professional.

Integrated by Indore based solutions company Audiocratz Sound & Light Solutions with astute design inputs from Bose Professional’s technical team lead by Navin Dutta, the audio system at Tic Tac Toe comprises a meticulously planned loudspeaker scheme featuring the use of avant-garde products like the ever efficient Bose LT9403 install specific loudspeakers paired with the powerful and impact heavy Bose SM118 subwoofers deployed at the main dancefloor area, along with multiple numbers of the RMU105 loudspeakers from the acclaimed RoomMatch series distributed evenly at the private dining room and along the perimeters and common areas of the venue. The loudspeaker setup has been designed keeping in mind the physical attributes and dimensions of the space which mainly entails little to no acoustic treatment and a rather high ceiling, making it quite the challenge to work around.

The loudspeakers used in the setup provide for just the perfect amount of dispersion which ensures that e very last inch of Tic Tac Toe experiences nothing less than the very best of Bose Professional’s signature sound, consistently. The entire loudspeaker set up is powered through a fortified amplification system comprising the ever-so-powerful PM8500 power

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amplifiers from Bose Professional’s PowerMatch series of products.

A member of the management at Tic Tac Toe shares their views about the audio experience, saying “We pride ourselves for the high standards of quality in every aspect of service, and there’s absolutely no doubt that our new audio system from Bose Professional is an absolutely crucial aspect of it all. The system is simply fabulous. The speakers accurately reproduce all kinds of music with great ease; and has enough room to deliver a louder and more impactful audio performance whenever needed.

Not only are we extremely pleased with the quality of sound, but also the system’s ease of use and lowmaintenance. And what’s even more heartening is the fact that several patrons have complimented us on the great quality of sound here! The Audiocratz Sound & Light Solutions team have done a great job, and we appreciate all the work, effort and dedication they’ve put into making Tic Tac Toe a dining destination that sounds every bit as great as it looks!”

Vibhor Khanna, Division Manager – India, Bose Professional, comments “When you visit Tic Tac Toe, you’ll instantly recognize that the venue prides itself on delivering only the finest quality to their patrons – be the food and beverage or any other aspect of the service experience. This was what the client insisted from the get-go and it is so heartening to see everything come to fruition just the way it was envisioned. The client’s decision to partner with Bose Professional exemplifies their knowledge and awareness of how great quality sound enhances the dining experience; and consolidates their commitment to offering nothing less than the best to their patrons. It’s been an honour and a privilege for us to be a part of this project and we commend Mr Vinayak Luthra and his team at Audiocratz Sound & Light Solutions for a great job done with the audio solution at the venue. It’s great to know that Tic Tac Toe have achieved the kind of high quality world class sound

Vibhor Khanna, Country Manager SAARC

CASIO launches the brilliant AP-470 in India

T

he Casio AP-470 is a significant step forward from the previous AP-460, with improvements to the feel of the keys, the quality of sound and the cabinet design. If what you are after is a quality digital piano at a fantastic value for money, then the Casio AP-470 is the answer. The AP-470 features two stunning grand piano sounds, using Casio's AiR Sound Source to deliver incredible piano realism and highlight the complex harmonic relationships within the instrument.

natural than ever before and enjoyable to play. The 88 ebony and ivory-feel keys provide both authentic feel and superior dynamic expression. The physical top lid on these digital pianos can be opened and closed, allowing users to adjust the acoustics of the piano and enjoy a more expansive sound while playing. The AP-470 also has the "half-damper" feature allowing for a variable amount of pedal sustain depending upon how far down you press the damper-sustain pedal like similar to the way real pianos do it.

POWERHOUSE!

PRACTICE AND PERFORMANCE

Available are 22 tones including electric pianos, organs, and other essential instruments. It has a key transpose function, touch response control for hard, normal, of soft, octave shift for instrument sounds, brilliance control to apply brighter or mellower tone to the piano sounds, a digital metronome with tempo & time signature control, layer & splitting any two sounds, chorus effect to add to electric piano sounds to give them more body and presence, relative volume control between layers or splits. The speaker system in the AP-470 is housed in an elegant cabinet, and is designed to complement any space.

The AP-470 also has a 2-track MIDI recorder allowing for independent recording of left and right hand for practicing songs and then playing them back one hand at a time. With Duet Mode and dual headphone jacks, you can take lessons or practice at any time, and the built-in two-track MIDI and USB audio recorders are ready to capture your inspiration whenever it may arise. The best feature for me though was USB Audio recording, which means you can record your performance straight to USB memory stick as digital audio, ready to share with friends and family. This also enables you to connect to the free Chordana Play for Piano app to control every function of the piano and interact with your favorite MIDI files.

IT’S A NATURAL! The AP-470 is a pleasure to play and has full 256-note (maximum) polyphony piano processing power so notes don't drop out when playing many notes at one time. With a fast action, 3-sensor responsive hammer weighted & graded key action, overall the Casio key action in the AP-470 is more

If you’re looking for a very satisfying piano experience from beginner level all the way up to advanced playing levels the AP-470 is definitely worth the price of admission.

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MUKESH AMARAN

ALBUM ARTicle:

AYUSHI RASTOGI

A

yushi Rastogi from Delhi is the creative human behind the Raghav Meattle’s album titled Songs from A Matchbox. A Graphic Designer and an illustrator from Delhi, she grew up in a family full of artists, designers, animators, writers and activists which has heavily inspired the way she thinks and influenced her into becoming an artist.

Music has been an agent of productiveness for many individuals. A lot of people including myself, listen to music while creating something or working in general. To Ayushi, she says “Music gives my mind the space to think. I always listen to music when I work. It puts me in the zone. I have different playlists dedicated to what type of work I’m doing.

Right now, I’m working on a project where I have to illustrate a story so I’ve been listening a lot of soundtracks from different movies. It helps me imagine what to illustrate.”

Raghav Meattle is an artist who layers meaning onto everything he creates in a very down to earth manner. One such piece of work is the title of the album, Songs from A Matchbox.

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“He told me the idea behind all the songs he wrote, and how all of them were conceived in his tiny apartment at the time.

When he told me about the name, I could almost immediately visualize it. I always like to ask my clients about what type of style, they like just to understand the vibe. He also sent me some of the tracks from the album, which helped me set the tone.” Says Ayushi. The freedom to create intern created a beautiful collaboration that instantly translates the emotion across.

To take on projects supporting music, Ayushi feels that you have to understand and listen to the music. “You have to set the tone for the music. The first thing the audience sees before even listening to the music is the cover. So, the artwork sets a feeling. It’s a lot harder to visualize an album then creating art for something else. “ Ayushi is currently working on her first Graphic Novel with author Varud Gupta about a boy from Chandini Chowk at the time of independence. It is getting Published by Penguin Next year. We are too excited to see some new work from this up and coming artist.

MUKESH AMARAN

Gig Calendar DECEMBER 2018 MUMBAI

DELHI Giants of Jazz : Max Clouth Clan from Frankfurt, Germany

The Pianoman Jazz Club, New Delhi

Dec 10th

The Shay & Aakash Collective

The Pianoman Jazz Club, New Delhi

Dec 12th

The Obvious Cats

The Pianoman Jazz Club, New Delhi

Kern Dalton Collective

The Pianoman Jazz Club, New Delhi

Dec 8th

Dec 14th Dec 20th

The Pianoman Jazz Club, New Delhi

Paperboat

Dec 26th

Nat Y Amigos ft. Nathalie, Nikhil, Harshit & Shantanu

The Pianoman Jazz Club, New Delhi

Dec 29th

Bollyjazz

The Pianoman Jazz Club, New Delhi

Dec 7th

Dinner and Jazz with Harmeet & Sonia

The Quarter, Mumbai

Dec 8th

Dutch Gypsy Jazz Night with Paulus Schäfer Band

The Quarter, Mumbai

Dec 9th

Horse Meat Disco

Kitty Su, Mumbai

Dec 14th

The Joey Van Leeuwen Trio

The Quarter, Mumbai

Dec 16th

Sunday Jazz Sundowner with Bconnected

The Quarter, Mumbai

Dec 29th

Sufi Gospel by Sonam Kalra at The Quarter

The Quarter, Mumbai

BENGALURU Dec 7th

Mixtape Presents Nightmares On Wax, Fourmï Rouz | BLR

Fandom, Bangalore

Dec 9th

Bacardi NH7 Weekender x Fandom: West Thebarton & sleepmakeswaves

Hard Rock Café, Bangalore

Dec 9th

Radiostellar - Sunday Unplugged

Hard Rock Café, Bangalore

Dec 13th

Fossils - Thursday Live!

Hard Rock Café, Bangalore

Dec 15th

Pineapple Express Live

Fandom, Bangalore

Dec 16th

Mike Kerr - Sunday Unplugged

Hard Rock Café, Bangalore

Dec 19th

Fandom presents Blackstratblues | Opening act: Out of Office

Fandom, Bangalore

Dec 22nd

Fandom presents Aswekeepsearching

Fandom, Bangalore

Dec 29th

Fandom presents Divine ft. Gully Gang

Fandom, Bangalore

GURUGRAM Dec 9th

Sunday Brunch with Dhruv Sharma

Saints N Sinners, Gurugram

Dec 14th

Fantastic Fridays with Rigmona

Saints N Sinners, Gurugram

Dec 16th

Sunday with Lost Radio Duo

Saints N Sinners, Gurugram

Dec 19th

Celebrating Midlife with Vinayak Live

Saints N Sinners, Gurugram

KOLKATA Dec 20th

Thursday Live : The Local Train

Hard Rock Café, Kolkata

HYDERABAD Dec 9th

A Blissful Sunday with Capricio

Hard Rock Café, Hyderabad

Dec 14th

Friday Night Live feat. Nikhil D'Souza!

Hard Rock Café, Hyderabad

Dec 16th

Monkstar Live X The Moonshine Project presents Avial

The Moonshine project, Hyderabad

If it isn’t here, it isn’t happening! Write to us at contactus@highonscore.com to get your event featured!

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