FAMOUS ARTISTS.. FAMOUS WORDS.. ON RAHMAN..

Gulzar:
"He is a milestone in Hindi film music. He has single-handedly changed the sound of music in the movies. He has broken the mukhda-antara-mukhda scheme of composition and replaced the traditional patterns of tuning. He can tune to a near identical rhythm in two different songs. But these songs will still catch the listener off guard even when played immediately after each other. Instead of having the fixed format, the song can also run like free verse with his kind of music."


Ranjit Barot:
"In the Hindi music industry, if Kumar Sanu or Udit Narayan don't turn up, the music director starts panicking. But Rahman would probably look around the studio and experiment with some unknown and untrained voice. This man is a whiz coz he eats, breathes and sleeps music. AR Rahman has revolutionised the Hindi film music. Before we did Humma Humma for Bombay, the two of us composed jingles together. Rahman's USP is his ability to combine slickness with melody. The songs from Roja still haunt me. Few can make a successful transition from doing 30-sec jingles to 5 min songs. He's a genius."


Nadeem-Shravan:
"The most amazing quality about Rahman is that he has been able to create a 'national sound' which in spite of his strong south-Indian feel appeals to a pan-Indian audience".


Subhash Ghai:
"Rahman is the biggest representative of Indian music. He is an example for future generations. He is the best fusion of art and science in music". One of his favourite directors Ramgopal Varma says," It is a challenge to picturise songs set to Rahman's music."

Ustad Zakir Hussain on the album 'Colours':
"He was barely 19 years old then but had mastered many different styles of music - western classical, jazz, rock and Carnatic. Even after his work was done he would stay in the studio, sitting through other musicians' pieces, eyes and ears tuned in, constantly imbibing. Very intelligent, smart and creative. He started as a young boy working with great composers like K V Mahadevan, for example. He knows the public pulse and has given the public a very intelligent combination package. This reminds me of R D Burman. These guys made it possible to bring together all elements of world music."

Lata Mangeshkar:
Rahman is known to record only during the night time. But he records with me during the daytime... when my voice is fresh. I don't like recording at night. And I've heard that Rahman records mostly in the night. But he made an exception for me. When an artiste shows such consideration for another artiste, it feels good. Aur kaam bhi achha hota hai. (Even the work done is good), Rahman doesn't take long over his recordings. Jiya jale was recorded in 40 minutes."


Srinivas:
" He's totally absorbed in his music and there's nothing else that affects him. For him music is God. And he gets the best out of a singer."


P. Unnikrishnan:
"I have sung more than 500 songs till date but this first song of mine is something I will remember and cherish all my life. The most wonderful thing is that today ARR is the most sought after Music Director in the whole country but as a person he has not changed and even today he is the same calm, composed, humble, committed, unperturbed ARR. Thanks to Rajiv Menon for having introduced me to such a wonderful artist."

Harris Jayaraj:
"I have learnt many things from many music directors. If you single out A.R.Rahman, I can quote his relentless labour, high enthusiasm, and commitment to the tasks at hand. He would never compromise on the quality of a song. He is quality-conscious and individualistic."

Vairamuthu, the Lyricist:
"I am considered to be a great poet, but I don't have any words to describe his genius. A.R.Rahman is not a normal music director. He has some God given gift in him. Otherwise, how can he compose such soul-stirring numbers? He is a rare pearl in an ocean of music.When one composes a song he is always worried as to whether the song will click or not. But Rahman is one composer who does not care about the commercial success of the song. He is always confident that if a number is composed wth a good heart and self-confidence it will be a big hit. He is like a younger brother to me. The total submission of his (A.R.Rahman) life for the cause of music; his thirst for creating not any chaff but only grains appeals to me the most!"


Vaali the Lyricist:
"I have been in this field for decades and have seen a lot of music directors come and go.. But this young boy has held me spellbound! His talent, energy, enthusiasm is a lesson to all youngsters. He is always experimenting and is always open to new ideas."


Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt:
"Rahman has a good understanding of both Western and Indian classical music. I was asked to play for Mani Rathnam's film Anandam (renamed "Iruvar") which Rahman has scored. He has high regard for others, and gives due respect to other forms of music. I find Rahman very innovative, and wouldn't mind doing more films with him."


Vishal Dadlani the Composer:
"I've listened to the music of Dil Se.. a hundred times and, each time, I learn something new. It is like an encyclopaedia on production."

Singer Harini:
"The best part about singing for Rahman is the freedom he gives the singer. Even for my first song he let me sing the way I was comfortable with, eventhough I was a nobody then."


Roopkumar Rathod:
"Singing for Rahman was a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed the song. A R Rahman is a wonderful, humble person to work with. A complete workaholic and very involved with his music. He is very creative and undoubtedly talented."


Singer Abhijeet:
"It is every singer’s dream to work with A R Rahman because he makes you feel like God. I worked with Rahman for a beautiful song called E Nazneen suno and for Nayak. Of course, I did get nervous when I had to record with him, especially since he records at an unearthly hour like three in the night. But he makes you feel as if you are AR Rahman and he is just an ordinary fellow. Other music directors should learn to be humble like him. Today’s music directors do not respect their singers. If one singer is not around they replace them with another. Also, they demoralise you when you are in front of the mike."


Director Shankar:
"A.R.Rahman - the name speaks for itself. He knows what clicks and what does not. He composes music according to the demand of the situation. He slogs so much to see that a song is good. He does not want to give anyone in the world the chance to tell him that his compositions are bad. What I like best in Rahman is his fighting spirit and 'never say die attitude'."


Lyricist Mehboob:
"If there is one person whom I revere after God, our prophet, and my family then it is Mr. AR Rahman. He is like a brother to me. I adore him so much that I have no words to describe my feelings for this gentleman."


Shyam Benegal:
"I admire three things about Rahman. Among the young composers he probably is the most original. He has a strong sense of melody and his harmony is unbeatable."

Director Bharathiraaja:
"I wanted a change and that's why I shifted to Rahman. There is something in his music that intoxicates you. You work with him once and you will never want to work with anyone else after that."


K.S.Chitra:
"I have worked with all the music directors in the south before Rahman came in. When I sang for him the first time I found that I was doing something really different from what I had done before. I like Rahman, the music director. But I like Rahman the person even more. I don't how he manages to keep his feet firmly on the ground even after tasting so much success in this field. He is the only Indian composer whose stuff stands out."


Director Rajeev Menon:
"He'll remain my only choice and preference. He's part of my family. We've been working together for the past 14 years. In fact he was the one who got me into filmmaking, while I called him for a lot of my advertising assignments."


K.J.Yesudas:
"He is a genius musician knowing the psychology of youth.' Veteran singer Manna Dey remarks "I do not think too much of today's melodies. I do admire A.R.Rahman, for he is a master of rhythm. He is extremely experimental, and leaves no stone unturned in trying out new things."


Vishal Bharadwaj:
"A. R. Rahman has elevated the quality of film music to an international level. When you hear Michael Jackson and Rahman at one go, you can't tell the difference in sound quality. Rahman is a terrific composer. He is a genius."

singer Suresh Peters:
"I was a drummer, not a singer and Rahman was a keyboard player. Both of us were working in a band called `Nemesis Avenue'. He was a very talented composer earlier itself, but everything happens only when the time comes. He started composing jingles and they started clicking. He was then signed on by Mani Ratnam and then there has been no looking back. I appreciate Rahman's sense of arrangement. No one can teach Rahman how a song should be composed. He is aware of all the latest in sound techniques. He knows what will appeal to people and what will not. He is very versatile and different from one film to the other. As long as he does not repeat himself, nothing can stop him from reaching the top ."


Pravin mani:
"Rahman gives a lot of freedom to his technicians and all those-involved with him, while working. Moreover, he is extraordinarily creative. Rahman is the greatest person i have ever-seen in my life. He is really a humble person. though he has risen to very high levels, yet he is the same person and behaves the same way as he used to do in his earlier days, mingles freely ..., and that shows his greatness."


Kavita Krishnamurthy:
"It's such a pleasure to sing for A. R. Rahman. He's such a simple guy. He has no ego hang-ups."


Singer Sadhana Sargam:
"When RAhman calls you go without asking questions because you know it's going to be worth it.He's a reserved person and talks very little but he makes you give your best. He keeps a cassette ready wherein he has sung the song himself and listening to it makes your work so much easier, he allows any number of retakes. If you've sung half a line beautifully and haven't sustained that in the other half, he'll retain that half and make you work on the other half. The result is magnificent. . And Rehman makes his pleasure very evident when he likes something you've done... then he won't even be shy."

Asha Bhonsle:
"He understands the youth of today, he has brought about a freshness, a new sound to film music. He's always experimenting, doing something different which is very inspiring for the playback singer."

Shankar Mahadevan:
"I think A.R.Rahman is an absolute genius and is one of the few music directors who completely knows what he is doing. It's an absolute pleasure working with him as he is a cool and modest guy."


Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan:
"Wonderful! He has a new approach, he has given a new direction to film music. I think even the established music directors want to sound like him. Perhaps all his songs won't be remembered and hummed after decades. But for the time being, Rahman's tunes are extremely enjoyable."


S. P. Balasubramanium:
"The man responsible for the variety in today's music is A. R. Rahman."


Hema Sardesai:
"When Rajiv Menon recommended me to A.R. Rahman, he never gave a second thought and called me over the phone to be in Madras the next day for the recording. Even though I was on cloud nine, deep down I was feeling as if somebody had pulled a trick on me. God has been great! He came into my life as Rahman sir."


Sukhvinder Singh:
"A R Rahman not only gave me the break (in Dil Se), he taught me a lot of techniques in composing music arrangement and recording. He was the one to impress upon the need to be technically perfect before any producer could be expected to invest in you."

Javed Akhtar:
"I think he is an all rounder, I mean his grounding is very very solid. He knows Indian classical music, he is in touch with Indian folk music, he knows about western music and he has really studied western classical also. He knows about Middle Eastern music. So there is no wonder you see different colours in his songs. But Indian music has borrowed albeit being influenced by Middle Eastern music in past also. But, you see, when Rahman takes a raag or if he takes a folk tune, or if he takes notes of say Arabian music or South American music. When this music comes to Rahman, it becomes Rahman's music his influences are beyond film music and he has a kind of courage where he is not afraid to experiment, he is not afraid to fail and that is why he succeeds. We remember only those people who were not only successful but they have brought something to the arena that is new. Now this is a another leap, a quantum leap that Rahman has taken and he has given a kind of new sensibility to Indian music listener and the music maker. The sound, the orchestration, the very structure of the song. He has challenged the basic structure of Indian film song and he has altered it, changed it. And, I think his contribution is totally unprecedented. Successful people come and go. Ultimately it's the pathbreakers who're remembered with the passage of time. People who have walked on untrodden roads. Success is worshipped momentarily, and then forgotten. It's not enough to be successful. It's important to attempt something new. Rahman's contribution to film music will never be forgotten. He has given a new dimension and understanding to sound. Working with him is definitely a great pleasure. I get along very well with him. He is one person who is only interested in his work. Inspite of his stupendous success, he is so humble and down-to-earth."

Sandeep Chowta:
"Rahman revolutionised sound. He's a trend-setter in more ways than one. The only thing common between us is the fact that we started out in advertising and moved on to films. There's just no comparison otherwise. Rahman is a legend of sorts. Rahman is unique. He doesn't have set ragas. Yet his chord progressions are beautiful. People sometimes compare me to A R Rahman, it happens. People like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and even Andrew Lloyd Webber have paid tribute to him and called him a legend. I can't even begin to fathom the reasons for the comparison. He's in another zone altogether, he is amazingly brilliant. If people compare me to him, I'd take it as a compliment."


Bhupen Hazarika:
"People become immediately entranced by whatever Rahman composes. He is a phenomenon. He's young and talented. And he has his fingers on the pulse of the new generation. Like Salil Chowdhary he knows both western and Indian music styles. He's a great talent but his talent shouldn't be overutilised."


Andrew Lloyd Webber:
" I think he has an incredible tone of voice. I have seen many Bollywood films, but what he manages to do is quite unique--he keeps it very much Indian. For me as a Westerner, I can always recognize his music because it has got a rule tone of voice of its own. It's very definitely Indian, yet it has an appeal which will go right across the world. He will hit the West in an amazing kind of way; that is, if he is led in the right way. He is the most extraordinary' composer who is still true to his cultural roots, ' and deserves to be heard by an international public"


Ramgopal Varma:
"There is a bigness in Rahman's music. Every note reflects the mood of the song. When I used to hear his music for my film I used to wonder if I was feeling my story as deeply as he was"

Jayanth Deshpande the Music Critic:
"The unique brand of classicism brought into Bollywood music by A.R.Rahman mirrors not only the variegated tapestry that is India, but also the global musical culture. Rahman borrows ever so subtly from American soul or Gospel. He draws generously from rap, disco, folk, reggae, qawaali, Hindustani and Carnatic in his rhythms. And the vocal ornaments of Carnatic music or ever present. Orchestral textures and harmonies typical of Western music often grace the background. His is a truly international music with a distinctly Indian feel. He has experimented as perhaps no other Indian composer has before him or does now. Some may be tempted to call it Indian fusion music of a highorder. I've heard his music being used as background in a German TV feature unrelated to music or India."


Deepa Mehta:
"Brilliant, I think he is the most consummate composer that I know of in the world. His music comes from the characters and is an extension of them. I think he is the best.He is the most brilliant film composer in India today and is in such demand that he has altered his normal working day to begin at six in the evening and go through the night, so that he can compose undisturbed by producers' calls. A.R.R. is a very young man of prodigious talent with an immense sensitivity to the film's context and characters. Whatever I say about his genius will be stating the obvious. He finds the sound for every character in the film. He finds the character's sur. Raag, rhythm, reggae, folk, classical, he's got it on his finger tips. He's so cinema literate. He can discuss Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata and he can talk about Subhash Ghai's Taal, all in one breath."

Govind Nihalani:
" I am a lover of music. Some years ago a friend of mine gave me a cassette of 'Roja'. I was amazed after I listened to the songs. I decided right away that A.R.Rahman will give the music for atleast one of my films. Immediately I came to Chennai and spoke to him. He is an absolute genius. Very Modern! His range of imagination is expansive. He doesn't treat his profession as just composing music for films. He is able to lift a film to a new level with his music. Just as a painter is identified by his artistic style he is identified by his tunes. Even If i say I am satisfied he does not stop. Uncompromising spirit!! I am not saying this just to praise him. A. R. Rahman is the only composer in India upto international standards today. In fact I will go so far as to say that he is a composer of the next millennium. He is not a person who merely makes tunes. He is someone who creates music. He is constantly observing the trends and developments in his profession. I believe that is also a reason for his success. First , he reads the script and takes detailed notes of the situations, the mood, and the characterisations. Sitting before his keyboard in the studio at night he would say, "Give me a word!Give me a phrase." And he would work out a rough tune on the spot. Then he records it with a singer. But the real magic starts when once he has the song before him on his computer screen. He plays with it, takes a phrase from here and puts it there. Block by block, verse by verse he builds up his song. YOu can see the coloured bits forming fascinating patterns." He paid the ultimate compliment when he said " Its like watching a master sculptor in action."



Subhash Ghai:
"Rahman is the rhythm of 'Taal - The Rhythm'. I wouldn't be able to make Taal without this remarkable musician, this great soul who was born to give Hindi music a new life. I am privileged to work with a man who has been inspired and blessed by God above. I don't mind changing all my nights into days to work with him. You know this great man only creates fresh tunes in the night and sleeps during the day. Rare man, rare way of working. That's how all great men are. He creates according to the director's need. He is a widely knowledgeable composer, with knowledge of all kinds of music of the world. He can play Western Symphony with as much ease as Hindustani or Carnatic classical which is a very rare quality in composers. Rahman has a strange kind of spirituality within which he lives. He knows technique, has a rare sense of sound and a great ear. He can make any besura (tuneless) voice sing well. This is obvious from singers who have sung beautifully for his albums but have not done well later. I love him both as a composer and as a friend. He is very sweet to talk to. The only thing is you talk and he listens. He has a sharp intellect and understands not just the sound of music and quality of voice but also the market forces and how to move from post to post. Rahman is undoubtedly a genius. He's divine and simple. " Rahman's favourite singer Hariharan says, "His strength is the way he designs sound. He has revolutionised film music. He is perpetually on a quest to get the best out of you and makes you feel at ease which is important. I have sung some of my best songs for him."



H. Sridhar the SOUND ENGINEER:
I had known Rahman many years before I started working with him on Roja. While he was doing jingles, we would often meet and compare notes on music trends and synthesisers. Rahman's biggest asset is that he treats each song as his first song. He prays before each session. I believe there is some power in his God, faith and religion. I can give you countless examples when he became so inspired after his prayers. He is very open-minded about what a song needs and gives each song a completely individual taste. It is the way he soothes you into a song that I call his signature. There is a visual texture in his mind when he composes music. When you see the song picturised you can immediately connect. Rahman allows musicians to be themselves. He understands their soul. He also has a fabulous way of getting notes out of a musician without telling them in so many words. Rahman never ceases to amaze me. He is such a fine musician apart from being a music director; his strength is fusion. He is also a techno-junkie. If you give him a set of headphones he will most probably rip it apart to understand why it works so well! I sometimes say that we are techno-brats. But Rahman knows that a song shouldn't speak the technical language but should have soul. Rahman is humble and very generous with money. He hates to see people suffer. I think his philosophy is that people should derive happiness from his music, even if it is a sad tune. He has this tremendous need to be perfect."


Apache Indian:
"He's very talented as a songwriter and singer. I think he can do great things."



Mani Ratnam says:

"I have found that Rahman is a favourite because he is new and above all different. He knows the pulse of the audience. He has a very good sense of tune. He knows what kind of orchestration is necessary for a scene and what music suits the mood of the scene.He has the music in his mind, and uses every musician as an artiste, probably because he has been an instrumentalist himself. He tries to extract something extra from every one of his musicians as well as his playback singers. He believes in their additional input. Rahman improvises. I found in him a new and different composer who never compromises on quality. Rahman is every director’s dream." He has no ego problems and tries to come out with a new number with the same kind of passion with which he did the earlier one. But he is best summed up, perhaps, in the words of Cinematographer-director Rajeev Menon who worked on many ads and the films 'Minsara Kanavu' and 'Kandukonden Kandukonden' with him, " Music comes to him instinctively. When you see him play, his skill is such that you really believe God exists in his work."

The Times of India:
"Men we regard: Our tribute to the men without whom this world would be quite, quite insipid" in which it picked Rahman as one of them and wrote "Music maker A.R.Rahman has given these raucous and raunchy times melody and mood. His style is individual to the extent of sounding repetitive sometimes, but when you hear his work, you feel at last the kind of involvement with the spell of sound that was R.D.Burman's. What is most attractive about Rahman's music is his ability to link modern rhythms and experiments with sound with our enormous legacy of classical and folk music."


India Today:
"Sometimes a song is just a tune for a music director, whose rhythm invades you, which you hum in front of a bathroom mirror that has a warranty never to break. Sometimes a song is just an intricately woven lacing of words that embraces you on a still, lonely night. Sometimes a song is just a voice for a music director, whose passion makes your hair stand. When A.R. Rahman takes you on a journey-- and to hear it is to feel you have no choice but to journey with him...... ."

ARR The Phenomenon..

ARR-THE PHENOMENON

* National Film Awards (India)
o 1993 - National Film Award for Best Music Direction - Roja
o 1997 - National Film Award for Best Music Direction - Minsaara Kanavu
o 2002 - National Film Award for Best Music Direction - Lagaan
o 2003 - National Film Award for Best Music Direction - Kannathil Muthamittal

* Filmfare Awards South (India)
o 1993 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Roja
o 1994 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Gentleman
o 1995 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Kadhalan
o 1996 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Bombay
o 1997 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Kadhal Desam
o 1998 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Minsaara Kanavu
o 1999 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Jeans
o 2000 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Mudhalvan
o 2001 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Alaipayuthey
o 2006 - Filmfare Best Music Direction - Sillunu Oru Kadhal

* Filmfare Awards (India)
o 1995 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Rangeela
o 1998 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Dil Se
o 1999 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Taal
o 2001 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Lagaan
o 2002 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Saathiya
o 2002 - Filmfare Best Background Score - The Legend of Bhagat Singh
o 2004 - Filmfare Best Background Score - Swades
o 2006 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Rang de Basanti
o He also won a "Filmfare R D Burman Music Debutant Award" for Roja's dubbed Hindi version.
o 2007 - Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Guru
o 2007 - Filmfare Best Background Score - Guru

* Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
o 1993 - Best Music - Roja
o 1994 - Best Music - Gentleman
o 1995 - Best Music - Kadhalan
o 1996 - Best Music - Bombay
o 1997 - Best Music - Minsaara Kanavu
o 2000 - Best Music - Sangamam

* Zee Cine Awards (India)
o 2000 - ** 2002 - Zee Cine Award Best Music Director - Lagaan
o 2006 - Zee Cine Award Best Music Director - Rang De Basanti

* GIFA Awards (Malaysia)
o 2006 - GIFA Award for Best Music - Rang De Basanti
o 2006 - GIFA Award for Best Background Music - Rang De Basanti

* IIFA Awards (India)
o 2007 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Rang De Basanti
o 2002 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Lagaan
o 2003 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Saathiya
o 2000 - IIFA Best Music Direction - Taal

* Star Screen Awards
o 2002 - Best Background Music
o 2007 - Best Music Direction - Guru


* Swaralaya Yesudas Award (India)
o 2006 - Swaralaya-Kairali-Yesudas Award for outstanding performance in music field

* 2000 - Padma Shri (India)

Screen-Videocon Awards Kadhal Desam (South - Tamil; 1997) Minsara Kanavu (South - Tamil; 1998) Vande Mataram (Non-film; 1998) Taal (Hindi; 2000) Other Awards was nominated for Laurence Olivier Theatre Award (2003) (The Hilton Award) for "Best New Musical of 2002" - Bombay Dreams Musical

Sangeet Awards 2005 Best Music Director (Film music - Swades)

The Mahavir-Mahatma Award (Instituted by the Oneness Forum)

National Lata Mangeshkar awards for 2004-05 ( The awards instituted by Madhya Pradesh government )

Sangeet Awards 2004 Best Music Director (Film music - Yuva) Best music arranger (Critics award) for 'Yeh Rishta' - Meenakshi 2004 American India Awards R D Burman Award at the SuMu Music Awards (1993) Madras Telugu Academy Puraskar (1992 to 1994) Bommai Nagi Reddy Award (1995/96) Lux-Kumudam Award for Kadhalan (1995) Mauritius National Award (1995; for contribution to music) Malaysian Award (1996; for contribution to music) Sanskriti Award from Delhi based Sanskriti foundation (1994) Kalaimamani Award from Tamil Nadu Government (1995) Thangapillai Award Rajiv Gandhi Award 3rd Channel [V] Awards - Coca Cola Viewer's Choice Award 1998 The Channel [V]-IMI Award for Best Producer for Vandemataram 1998 Fanta Award in 1999 Stardust Cine Honours Taal (2000) Filmgoers's Award Taal (2000) First Bollywood Music Awards (Best Music Director and Best Song) Taal (2000) V Shantaram Award: Taal (2001), Best Music(Guru)2006-2007 Bollywood US Awards (2003) Best Music Director : Saathiya 8th Annual Planet-Bollywood Awards (People's Choice Awards! - Best of 2002) Best Music Direction : Saathiya, The Legend of Bhagat Singh Star Screen Award - Best Background Score - Rang De Basanti


Dinakaran Cine Awards Minsara Kanavu (1998) Jeans (1999) Mudalvan, Kadhalar Dhinam (2000)

MTV Awards MTV-VMA Award for Dil Se Re song from Dil Se.. 1999 MTV Asia Awards 2003 for Favourite Artist India MTV IMMIES 2003 - Best Music Composer - 'Saathiya' - Saathiya ( Hindi )

nominations in international level

* Laurence Olivier Awards (UK)
o 2003 - Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best New Musical - Bombay Dreams

* Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Canada)
o 2006 - General Theatre Division - Outstanding Musical Direction - The Lord of the Rings musical

A Complete study about ARR's Life.

A R Rahman lives in his joint family. The family consists of himself, his wife Saira Banu, his 3 sisters (Raihana, Talath and Israth), his mother (Kareema Begum), his two daughters (Kadhija and Raheema) and a son ( Khwaja Mohammad Roo mi Rahman ).His sisters Raihana, Talath and Israth are professionally trained musicians. They often sing for him, and appear on stage performances as well.

Sister Raihana’s son, GV Prakash is a born talent, and he’s into music. He has sung songs for Rahman and now is an emerging music director.

Rahman’s mother and wife do play the most important part in his music - they are his critics.

Rahman got married at the age of 27. And unlike in the Indian movies, it wasn’t love at first sight.

Rahman had told his mother what his bride needed to have: some education, some beauty and loads of humility! His mother frequented the same Sufi temple as Saira and her family. His mother first noticed her there.
She cried Eureka when she saw this young girl praying in that Sufi temple. The girl’s parents also were looking for a bridegroom for their elder daughter, 21-year-old Saira. Her father is a Madras-based businessman, who belongs to Kutch , Gujarat originally.
Saira is sister-in-law of the Tamil actor who’s also called Rahman, and being a Rahman fan herself, she couldn’t let him down.Rahman remembers, “My first meeting with Saira was rather amusing. Back then, she only spoke Kutchi. I asked her whether she was interested in marrying me. I’d also told her what kind of life was going to be offered to her. She was very quiet then, but now I know she is anything but quiet! I had to smile throughout our three-hour meeting and, by the end of it, it was almost a pain.”

Rahman’s mother chose genuinely friendly Saira Banu to be his wife. Theirs was an arranged marriage. Saira and Rahman got married on Wednesday, March the 12th, 1995 in Chennai. It was a gala event.

About his personal life, Rahman once said “I’m very passionate about music and have very little place in my life for anything else. But whatever time I have after my recordings, I try and spend with my family, especially with my younger daughter. She listens to most of my songs and even has her favorites. It’s so wonderful to see your child growing up. I don’t want to miss out these little pleasures in life.” Saira and Rahman are blessed with two daughters and one son.

When asked ‘How much time do you spend with your family?’ he answers, “I have realized that I must spend more time with my family if I want them to listen to me.” He takes his children on small trips and picnics. His elder daughter Kadhija doesn’t like the autograph hunters running after him, so she restricts him from coming to her school. His younger daughter Raheema has interest in music. His son is too young, who shares the birthday with his father. He was born on 6th Jan 2002 and Rahman on 6th Jan 1966

ARR GURUS

Many people contributed to making Rahman what he is today.Though he completed his schooling from the prestigious Padma Seshadri Bal Bhavan in Chennai, and then shifted to the Madras Christian College , Chennai.there are many others who contributed to his success - as gurus and teachers.

Music Teachers

Dileep’s initiation in music happened in the early years. He obviously took the first music lessons from his father, RK Sekhar.

According to a story behind his music baptism, once a music director and colleague of Sekhar, Sudarshanam Master found the four year old playing a tune on the harmonium. Master covered the keys with a cloth. It made no difference. Dileep replayed the tune effortlessly. This impressed the music director who suggested that he be trained in music.

Dileep started taking his first music lessons on a piano and a pedal organ when only four. He also began to formally learn Indian classical music, carnatic from Dakshinamoorthy and N. Gopalakrishnan and Hindustani from Krishnan Nair. He took classes in film music from Nithyanandham and Western Classical from Jacob John. All this learning experience enabled him to earn a scholarship to the famed Trinity College of Music at Oxford University London, from where he obtained a degree in Western Classical Music.
Once back in India , he continued to be a part of various music troupes called Roots, Magic, Memosis, Aristocrats, and Nemesis Avenue etc . He also learnt the Sufi Qawwali style from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, in 1997, when he visited Lahore and met the great Pakistani Sufi singer.There is one more in the list - his favorite singer Hariharan - who teaches him Ghazals in relation to Hindustani classical music. In late 1998, he formally learnt the ‘Hindustani Khayaal Gayaki’ from siblings Ghulam Kader Murtaza Khan and Ghulam Kader Mustafa Khan.

Spiritual Teachers

When his sister was ill, he came across Pir Quadri. This was well before Rahman was ‘born’.and Dileep was still ‘alive’. Pir advised him frequently and taught him the purpose of life.

For Dileep, the meeting with Pir was an inner awakening and cleansing. Pir taught him a different perspective of life. Soon he and his family accepted Islam. Thus Dileep became Abdul Rahman.

It was Pir Quadri, who gave him the first lessons of Islam. After the demise of Pir Quadri, he came in contact with Mehboob Aalam and Mohammad Yusuf Bhai, who now continue to be his spiritual guide, mentor, adviser, and guru.

For Rahman, learning is divine process. He says: “You’ve to learn from the inside out. No one can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is only teacher, and that is your soul.”

THE RELIGION

After his father passed away, the burden of earning the bread and butter for his family fell on Dileep’s shoulders at the very young age of 11, and because of that, he had been struggling extremely hard for some years.His family went through a rough patch following his father’s death, which literally shook their world. He even had to work in amateur Kannada plays at the age of 13, to earn money for his family.

Because of these hardships, sometime afterwards he stopped believing in the God. He believed that there was no God. There was a feeling of restlessness within him. But later when he stabilized himself, he found that the concept of God in Islam was very appealing to him.

He learnt that there can be no life without a force governing, without God. And then he found what he was looking for - in Islam. It all happened around 1988, when one of his sisters fell seriously ill, with similar inexplicable conditions as their father. Numerous attempts to cure her failed. Her condition progressively worsened. The family tried everything from medicine to religious methods like havanas and prayers in the church.

The family had given up all hope; when they came in contact with a Muslim Pir called as Pir Karimulla Shah Qadri or Sheik Abdul Qadir Jeelani Sahib or Pir Qadri.

The family had earlier gone to the Pir when Dileep’s father had similar troubles, but were too late to save him. With Pir’s prayers and blessings, Dileep’s sister made a miraculous recovery. Pir Quadri advised the family frequently. It was Pir who taught them the purpose of life, and also led Dileep and his family members to accept Islam.Rattled by the bad experiences earlier in the case of his father and now his sister, and influenced by the teachings of the Pir and the succor that they found in him, the entire family converted to Islam. So great was the influence of the Pir on the family, that Dileep started using the place which he had blessed first as his music room, and later, when he started becoming successful, a studio. When the family shifted to their current house, they resolved to stick to the devotion. So he and his family - excluding one of his sisters - converted to Islam. But it was not an instantaneous decision - it took them whole 10 years to come to that decision.

The meeting with Pir was, for Dileep, an inner awakening and cleansing. He started feeling, that it is not about being Hindu or being Muslim or anything, but there is this one feeling and that is God - The Almighty.

Both his father and mother were strong believers in Astrology. His mother took him along once to an astrologer called Ulaganathan, in Chennai, to get the horoscope for her second daughter Bala.
She asked the astrologer to suggest an Islamic name for Dileep. The astrologer immediately suggested ‘Abdul Rahman’ and also asked him to shorten it to AR Rahman. When his mother asked the astrologer why the other initial ‘R’, the astrologer replied “Give him a name with those two initials and mark my words, he will grow up to be a great man”. His mother did accordingly.This happened around when the production of the cassettes of ‘Roja’ was going on. The producers had decided to credit the composer as Dileep on the inlay cards of cassettes of the film. Dileep’s mother immediately approached director Manirathnam, and placed this unusual condition - to credit Dileep with a Muslim name. The new name of the 25-year old composer was: A R Rahman! And the rest, as they say, is history!

The initials A and R later became ‘Allah Rakha’ on the suggestion of renowned Hindi music composer Naushad Ali. Thus A Sekhar Dileep Kumar became Allah Rakha Rahman. This was around 1988.

He says, “Family problems and the need for peace of mind made us change the faith. Sufism has given me peace. As Dileep I had an inferiority complex. As AR Rahman I feel like I have been born again.”

Rahman adds: “I am whatever because of my parent’s prayers to God. I am whatever I am - because the prayers I pray conscientiously, sincerely and with full faith. I will be whatever I am - only because of Him, I know it. He has given me everything. He can take everything away and I accept His decision without any questions, without a murmur. He is everything to me. I am just an infinitesimal creation of His. He has created me for a specific mission. I will be committing a sin if I don’t fulfill that mission. That’s my only belief. That’s the only thing that matters to me. I don’t care for all the other temptations of the world. I am born for music. I live for music. I will live for music till the very end. My life and death are in His hands. I will live only till He wants me to live. I will die only when He wants me to die. It’s all God’s will… Insha Allah.!”Religion is a very personal affair for this sober young man from Chennai. He prays five times a day, carrying his prayer mat with him on his tours, and retiring to the prayer room he has had built next to his studio during recording. He says, “It’s like a meditation. Each time I pray, I die, my soul departs, and then I am like born again.”

THE ENTRY

Dileep was quite happy in his world of advertisements. He had no intention of joining the film industry as a music composer.Around 1991, ace Tamil movie director Manirathnam was on the lookout for a new music composer for his films. His long-standing, fruitful association with the doyen of Tamil film music Ilaiyaraja had come to an end when the latter reportedly made some disdainful comments during the making of Manirathnam’s ‘Dhalapathi’.

One day, at an awards function for excellence in the field of advertising, Manirathnam chanced upon Dileep, who received the award for the best ad jingle, which he had composed for the popular Leo Coffee ad.

At the celebrations party that followed the awards presentation ceremony, Manirathnam was introduced to the young composer by his cousin Sharada Trilok of Trish Productions. Rahman had produced some outstanding work for Trish Productions.

She (Sharada Trilok) had words of praise for the young composer. Manirathnam got curious and requested him for a sample of his wares. The composer readily complied and invited the director over to his studio.

Manirathnam turned up at the studio only after 3 months, where the 24-year-old lad played out a tune that he had been pushed into composing by his school friend G. Bharat Bala alias Bala when they both had been greatly disturbed by the socio-political tensions in South India over the Cauvery river waters issue.Listening to the tune that was played, Manirathnam was hooked instantly. Dileep effortlessly ‘qualified’ in Manirathnam’s eyes as ‘deserving’, and thus, when the appropriate opportunity came along, he decided to give him a ‘break’.

Without a second thought he signed on the composer to score the music for his next venture, produced by the veteran Tamil director K Balachander for his respected ‘Kavithalayaa’ banner. The film was ‘Roja’. That tune took the avatar of the song ‘Thamizha Thamizha’ in ‘Roja’.

Rahman’s D-Day arrived when ‘Roja’ was released on Saturday, August 15th, 1992 . It was awaited with curiosity since it was Manirathnam’s first film without Ilaiyaraja. Skeptics doubted the ability of a 25-year old debutant. The entire film world and filmgoers were in for a pleasant surprise. Rahman delivered the goods and how? To call the music just a ‘Super Hit’ would be an understatement. The music of the film became a phenomenal success and revolutionized modern day Indian film music.

Rahman became a household name in Tamil Nadu overnight. ‘Roja’ won every conceivable award in music that year. Rahman even got the ‘Rajat Kamal’ for best Music Director at the National Film Awards, the first time ever by a debutante. Every producer was trying to impress upon Rahman to work for his/her projects. Because of all this, Rahman decided to leave the jingles world and concentrate on film music.Throughout India , Rahman’s other work were also received wholeheartedly by music lovers. However, it was a Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Rangeela’ - Rahman’s first original Hindi score - which truly established him as one of the prominent music composers of Bollywood. In North India too, Rahman became a ’star’ overnight, and as is the tradition in Bollywood, suddenly all kinds of producers were seen queuing outside his house.

Rahman however, wisely chose to stay selective and took on only projects that interested him. He also made it a point to work entirely on his own terms and conditions. He still works only from Chennai where he lives; has his own studio in his house from where he works; likes to work only at nights.

Since ‘Roja’, he has created music for mega blockbuster films including ‘Pudhiya Mugam’, ‘Gentleman’, ‘Kizhakku Cheemaiyilae’, ‘Duet’, ‘Kadhalan’, ‘Bombay’, ‘May Madham’, ‘Indian’, ‘Muthu’, ‘Kadhal Desam’, ‘Love Birds’, ‘Sapney’, ‘Jeans’, ‘Dil Se..’, ‘Kadhalar Dhinam’, ‘Sangamam’, ‘En Swasa Katrae’ and many others.

His 1995 soundtrack for ‘ Bombay ‘ crossed 5 million units and Rahman had arrived as the ‘King of Indian Music’ with sales of more than 50 million albums over a period of 3 years. The success continued with films like ‘Dil Se…’ with Manirathnam, and ‘ Taal ‘ with Subhash Ghai. After working in many movies of the typical popular genre, several offbeat reputed directors and producers like Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal, Deepa Mehta have worked with Rahman in movies like ‘Thakshak’, ‘Zubeidaa’, ‘Fire’, and ‘1947 Earth’.

AS A SINGER

Playback Singer

When the final re-recording of the song ‘Chinna Chinna Aasai’ of ‘Roja’ was being done in Rahman’s studio, director Manirathnam was present. When he heard a boatman humming ‘Yelelo Yelelo..’ in the second interlude of the song, he asked for the person who sang it. Rahman told him that it was his voice. Manirathnam noticed that the voice had the zeal and passion, which was very different.

After the huge success of ‘Roja’, when Manirathnam signed on the composer for their second combination ‘ Bombay ‘, he insisted that Rahman sing at least one song. Thus was born Rahman the playback singer.

He sang ‘Andha Arabic Kadaloram’ aka ‘Humma Humma’ song in it. Same story repeated for director Shankar, who also had liked the ‘Yelelo’ part in ‘Roja’ song. Shankar too insisted that Rahman should sing at least one song for his film. Rahman did that job for their next combination, ‘Kadhalan’. The song was ‘Oorvasi Oorvasi’, which instantly became a huge hit throughout the world.

Rahman had lent his voice to his compositions earlier too but they had been part of the chorus or bit pieces like ‘Oleywo Oleywola’ in ‘Mukkala Muqabala’ in ‘Kadhalan’ or background pieces in the film, and of course, the interludes like ‘Yelelo’ in ‘Roja’. But ‘Humma Humma’ in ‘ Bombay ‘ was Rahman’s first complete and full-fledged song. With ‘Humma Humma’, Rahman came to be regarded as much a playback singer as a composer. His song ‘Musthafa Musthafa’ from ‘Kadhal Desam’ was another hit that made Sony take notice of Rahman and ask him to sing the songs for it’s non-film album ‘Vande Mataram’.

Rahman says, “I have always been forced to sing. It is extra tiring to sing and get the words right. I sing only when forced to, because singing is very different line of work. You need a lot of Riyaaz and other things to be a good singer.”While he continued lending his voice to several un-credited songs, his solos such as ‘Dil Se Re’ from ‘Dil Se..’ have made his fans crave for more songs from him. It has become an amusing and common sight at various award functions to see the compeers trying to cajole Rahman into singing on stage and Rahman coming up with hilarious excuses to avoid the same.

Later it became quite a regular thing to have Rahman’s voice in his own songs. For most of those Rahman was not credited in the film or the audio release. Mainly he has sung songs in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English and Urdu. With his soft soothing and to a certain extent guttural vocals, he has created magic. It is noticed that when there is lots of passion or pain or patriotism in his songs, the singer is Rahman himself!

A PATRIOTIC MUSIC MAKER

It was 1996. Rahman was looking to come out of the monotony that had set in after working on films, 4 years continuously without a break. When he had started out as a composer in 1992, he hadn’t thought of limiting himself to India alone but he also wanted to find a foothold in the international market.While working on movies, he had to do things according to the producers’ wishes. This limited the creativity of the composer, and it was even harmful for the composer’s independence growth.

Rahman has always liked doing film music, but at the same time he felt composing for films would be very restrictive, and that he should get out of the rut of film music. For long he had thought films were enough but now he was waiting for the right occasion to do a non-film private album.

In the same year, Rahman was in Mumbai attending the Screen awards ceremony. In Mumbai, when he was in his hotel room, he called up his childhood friend G Bharat alias Bharat Bala. Bala was Rahman’s school friend, and had produced more than 100 jingles for which Rahman had composed music five years earlier. Bala met him and discussed music. Suddenly an idea struck and they decided to come up with an album with the theme of commemorating 50 years of the Indian Independence in 1997.

Ever since composing music for the patriotic movie called ‘Roja’, Rahman had had been thinking of working on music that would evoke patriotic instincts in Indian minds. The idea eventually took off.
At the same time, in 1996, the International music giant Sony Music wanted to enter in the Indian market in a big way. The first person to be signed up by Sony Music from the Indian sub-continent was Rahman. Vijay Singh, the managing director of Sony - India , approached Rahman who in turn suggested this idea. The plan was immediately accepted and the project got started.Rahman composed, arranged and sang all the songs on the album. Musically speaking, it was hard job for the composer, because it had to be done in such a way that it should appeal to the young generation.

Eventually, it started off as three songs on the three colours of the Indian flag. ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’ was for Saffron, ‘Revival - Vande Mataram’ was for White, and ‘Gurus of Peace’ for Green. Later it ended up with some more songs. Interestingly enough, Rahman got the chance to work with the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, on the song ‘Gurus Of Peace’. Bala had asked Rahman to approach Nusrat saab. They got kids from London , and the Peace song was recorded overnight in Lahore .

With ‘Vande Mataram’, Rahman became the first Indian artiste of popular music to go international when it was released simultaneously in 28 countries across the world under the prestigious Columbia Label of Sony Music on August 15th, 1997 . The album was a mega success and sold over 1.5 million copies in India alone, and did extremely well internationally too, becoming the largest selling Indian non-film album internationally.
With ‘Vande Mataram’ Rahman left all his contemporaries far behind and moved into a new dimension. The song has become a cult with the whole nation. Also, the World got to see the other side of Rahman — the actor posing in front of the camera. The album came out with a video-audio version. This was first time Rahman himself appeared in front of camera. It was a surprise to see him in a music video with a new hairdo, singing and acting. Earlier, he had preferred to keep a low profile. It was a different experience for Rahman too.Initially, he was nervous and refused to go before the camera. Bala told him that it would be like writing a letter and not signing it if Rahman won’t do that. Rahman had to go ahead. The songs of the album were in Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, English and Tamil.

From being the No.1 music director, Rahman also became a top pop star, though he didn’t appreciate ‘Vande Mataram’ being branded as a pop album.

In five years of his film career, by doing a non-filmy song like ‘Vande Mataram’, Rahman reached out to the Indian heart, irrespective of religious differences. The team worked very hard on the music and concept, and their efforts paid off. They got a great response, and phenomenal success. Rahman was happy because he got to do something that was different.

All this success has not been without its fallouts for Rahman. Some spread canards in early 1998 that Rahman was funding Muslim fundamentalists in Tamil Nadu. Later in the year he began receiving threatening calls from the fundamentalist groups for singing ‘Vande Mataram’ and was accorded armed protection by the Government. He received threats from the Hindus and from the Muslim fundamentalists too, from the Hindus for ‘defiling a Hindu song’ and from the Muslims for ’singing an anti-Islamic song’. Many absurd stories were heard about Pakistani terrorists threatening Rahman for appearing on the ‘Vande Mataram’ music video and dissuading him from doing a follow up.
But, Rahman -a true patriot - dismissed all these controversies saying that his religion with patriotism is very important to him.He said, “Being religious without being patriotic takes you nowhere. Patriotism for country should

no way be inferior.” This was the first time ever that Rahman displayed his patriotism in front of the people. He expressed his views regarding all issues saying, “God, religion and patriotism are very personal things. Now it has become politics. I think it all should be left to an individual. ‘Vande Mataram’ is about a mother and the message is peace be upon you. Mother is the country and when you say peace be upon you, it should go beyond politics. When one makes something, there is always the good and the bad. You have to choose what to take. With ‘Vande Mataram’, we wanted to give something to the youth. We felt there was nothing, no song that this MTV generation could relate to, something they could identify with.”

“No Hindu, Muslim or Christian can impose the ‘Vande Mataram’, it should be a natural thing. It should neither be imposed nor rejected. It should be left to the individual.”

He added: “We get our basic recognition from this country and it is a part of you, whether you are Hindu or Muslim or anything else.” He said, “‘Vande Mataram’ only means ‘Mother, I salute you’. Perhaps because the words are in Sanskrit, people don’t understand this. We have taken the essence of the song, and it doesn’t disturb any religion. After all, the Koran says, ‘at the feet of the mother lies the Jannat’. And the Prophet says, “Whichever country you are in, you have to respect the laws of the land, because it is the land above all, which gives you life.”
Incidentally, a devout Muslim called Mehboob composed the lyrics of the popular version. Despite all these controversies, the song was on top of the charts for almost a year, and bagged many awards. Three years after the successful ‘Vande Mataram’ Bharat Bala and Rahman worked together in another historic album called ‘Jana Gana Mana’. This was a project in which several top artistes of the nation came together to sing or play the National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’.The project had started as ‘Desh Ka Salaam’ which was telecast in Indian TV channels and on the web on August 15, 1999 , in which several greats of Indian music, from the classical to the contemporary, came together to give a soulful and modern rendition of the National Anthem.

The ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was released on January 26th 2000 to mark the 50 th -year of the Indian Republic . Rahman - a genuine patriotic- later took many films that had hardcore patriotism or feel of patriotism. Like ‘The Legend Of Bhagat Singh’, ‘1947 Earth’, ‘Lagaan’, ‘Swades’, ‘Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - The Forgotten Hero’, ‘Mudhalvan’, ‘Nayak the real hero’ etc…

HIS EXPERIMENT WITH UNTRAINED VOICES

One very interesting aspect of Rahman is his preference for untrained voices. Rahman says “a defect in the singing adds a human touch.”Rahman uses many different voices in a film, irrespective of whether they suit the character or not just for variety. He thinks otherwise things would get monotonous. He says, “There was a time when the album of an Indian film would have only two voices. Today different singers sing for the same character. The times have changed. The attention span of the average listener has decreased and his geographical purview has broadened. The listeners no longer think in terms of perfect or imperfect. They want different voices, standards be damned.”

Rahman is well known for experimenting in the music. He introduced several new, relatively unknown and professionally untrained voices into the mainstream playback. He has shown an extraordinary flair for experimenting with untrained voices. Singers, who have worked with him, have repeatedly said that Rahman’s open approach during recording sessions has spurred them on to giving their best.

Suresh Peters, Nabron Ghosh, Shahul Hameed, GV Prakash, Noel James, Yugendran, Blaaze, Aslam Musthafa, Sukhwindara Singh, Srinivas, Shankar Mahadevan, Soorjo Bhattacharya, Devan, Harini, Anupama, Sunitha Sarathy, Madhushree, Sujatha Trivedi, Reena Bharadwaj, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Richa Sharma, Poonam Bhatia, Shoma Banarjee, Dominique, Minmini, Shubha, Febi, Hema Sardesai are just few of the singers who have thrived after the advent of Rahman.

Singers like Hariharan, Asha Bhonsle, Sujatha, Unnimenon have had successful comebacks in the industry after working with Rahman. Unnikrishnan, Bombay Jayshree and Nithyashree Mahadevan who are successful Carnatic classical vocalists also have been introduced into film playback by Rahman.Another attention-grabbing characteristic of Rahman is his wide use of singers from different languages. He used singers like Udit Narayan, Sukhwindara Singh, Madhushree and many other North Indian singers in Tamil; and in addition to this, he also used Tamil singers in Hindi. This was done on experimental basis, and greatly appreciated by his fans too.

He experiments not only with his singer’s voices, but also with different kinds of sounds in music. His songs expose very different kinds of sound, which makes one easily identify his songs among other music director’s songs. His experiments with untried and unusual sounds are noticed since his very first venture, ‘Roja’. The music of his film ‘Kadhalan’ was totally experimental, which had very exceptional, outstanding and brilliant compositions like ‘Mukkala Muqabala’, ‘Oorvasi Oorvasi’, ‘Gopala Gopala’, ‘Ennavalae Ennavalae’, and ‘Pettai Rap’. All these songs had something fresh and innovative in them. This album was appreciated worldwide by even non-Tamilians.

Singers like Hariharan, Asha Bhonsle, Sujatha, Unnimenon have had successful comebacks in the industry after working with Rahman. Unnikrishnan, Bombay Jayshree and Nithyashree Mahadevan who are successful Carnatic classical vocalists also have been introduced into film playback by Rahman.Another attention-grabbing characteristic of Rahman is his wide use of singers from different languages. He used singers like Udit Narayan, Sukhwindara Singh, Madhushree and many other North Indian singers in Tamil; and in addition to this, he also used Tamil singers in Hindi. This was done on experimental basis, and greatly appreciated by his fans too.

He experiments not only with his singer’s voices, but also with different kinds of sounds in music. His songs expose very different kinds of sound, which makes one easily identify his songs among other music director’s songs. His experiments with untried and unusual sounds are noticed since his very first venture, ‘Roja’. The music of his film ‘Kadhalan’ was totally experimental, which had very exceptional, outstanding and brilliant compositions like ‘Mukkala Muqabala’, ‘Oorvasi Oorvasi’, ‘Gopala Gopala’, ‘Ennavalae Ennavalae’, and ‘Pettai Rap’. All these songs had something fresh and innovative in them. This album was appreciated worldwide by even non-Tamilians.

Speaking about experiments with sounds, Rahman tells, “Experimenting with different sounds in music is a real joy. Yes, people accept experiments, but musicians should know the limits of experimenting too. Even experimenting has its boundaries. People cannot take in experimentation in every other composition. So as a musician, I think that it is good enough to wait until people are ready to digest new kind of compositions, and when they are, then take the compositions out from bag.

HIS INSPIRATIONS

Rahman’s life story is somewhat similar to a Bollywood movie. It is clear that not every person can face life’s tragedies like him. He says it is mainly because of music, that he is alive today. Since childhood he has been into music. It was his mother, who inspired him by telling stories of his father. Thus when composing for the first time, his first inspiration was his father.As a child he had noticed many musicians around drink and smoke to get inspired. But for the child, it was Ilaiyaraja, who proved one can make good music without indulging in bad habits. Ilaiyaraja is a very religious person, who made good music without taking alcohol or smoking.
Since Ilaiyaraja had worked for Rahman’s father in the past, he regarded Rahman as his own son.

Speaking about his inspirations, Rahman states, “Personally, I would say that a sense of spirituality helps a great deal. And it is important that you study life as well. Both these things will make a better human being, and therefore, a better composer out of you. Life teaches you what real pain and happiness are, and these things help in creating better compositions. It works like this: if the film demands happy music the composer only has to tap into the wellspring of happy experiences from his own life to create the right ambience for that tune. I think this is more important than learning all the technical gymnastics of music.”

When he composes music, his mind needs to be in vacuum state. Perhaps that is why he prefers to compose at night. He prays, and then composes. He says music comes to him directly from God. He believes that God has helped him a lot in stabilizing himself, and has given him everything. Never one to boast or brag about his accomplishments, he credits all his inspiration and success to God.

Explaining why he does so, Rahman says, “The problem is, you can create only as long as you have the gift, only as long as the Almighty wishes. After that, even if you stand upside down.you are not likely to compose. If God wills it may happen to me too. I can take that. I believe that every individual, even an atom, can move only with the will of God. I don’t want to take the credit for doing all this. If I do, then I would fall flat. And talking about myself, the destiny has been the biggest influence in my existence. Without the will of God, how would I have reached where I am today? That’s why I believe I am like a boat in a river without a sail and a firm destination”. The skillful prodigy credits all his inspiration and success to the Almighty.The man behind the music is still much of an enigma. “If a music artiste wants to blossom into a full-fledged person, it’s not enough if he knows only classical music; nor is it enough if he’s well-versed only in Raagas and techniques. Instead, he should be a knowledgeable person interested in life and philosophy. In his personal life there should be, at least in some corner of his heart, a tinge of lingering sorrow,” he says.

“Music is God’s gift and every note should be blessed. Otherwise music becomes noise if it is not blessed. I am influenced by Sufism, which is also connected with music. Before composing I pray and beg to God to give me something. I believe every song should have a pure soul in it to reach people.” He states.

At the age of 39, when many others are just starting out, Rahman has garnered achievements that many others cannot in a lifetime. He started out as a film music composer in 1992, and in this short span of 13 years, has changed the very face of film music in India and with touching heights that no music director ever had previously. He has built up a repertoire of scintillating scores that anybody would kill for. He has become a national icon. He is also arguably the most well known Indian composer of popular music internationally. He has successfully taken popular Indian music international. He has fans not just among expatriate Indians but also among natives of places like Brazil , Sweden and Australia . He took Tamil music global and established the universal appeal of his music, whatever the language the lyrics are in. He set the standards by which music came to be rated in India . The benchmarks set by him were what others aimed to achieve. The soundtracks of his unsuccessful scores sold more than the successful soundtracks of the other composers. Every director of repute yearns to work with him and every actor hopes to dance to his tunes, literally.For Rahman, who eats music, thinks music, breathes music and lives music, the bottom-line is that his music should reach out to the soul of humankind. A very low profile in public life, credits all his success to the Almighty, and apart from the Almighty, to his mother- who encouraged him to take up music when his interest lay in electronics.

His maxim is that only total dedication and concentration to one’s profession can help in producing good work. Rahman is certain that this dedication must increase with fame. All this success has not uprooted him from his roots. Amidst all this heady success, Rahman still remains unchanged. He is as humble, modest, shy, silent, low profile, unassuming, self-effacing, devout and down-to-earth as he was at the beginning of his career.A man of few words he believes in letting his work do all the talking. He prefers to save his energies for his work instead of fighting out numerous controversies. His personality is summed up in his favorite prayer which goes thus “O God, if I worship thee for fear of hell, burn me in hell, and if I worship thee in hope of Paradise , exclude me from Paradise , but if I worship thee for thy own sake, grudge me not thy everlasting beauty.”

The man has given immense pleasure to millions of music lovers worldwide with his compositions, music that brings a cheer to one’s face and helps in forgetting one’s troubles. It is probably these very divine qualities that made him the great man he is today and the same will hopefully help him touch greater heights tomorrow.

Rahman is still at his prime and yet has already worked with internationally reputed artistes.Rahman has collaborated with artists such as L. Shankar, Zakir Hussain, David Byrne, Talvin Singh and Apache Indian - both in recording and on tour.

On a trip to India , acclaimed prodigy David Byrne met Rahman. So impressed was he with Rahman and his work, that he went on to record some sessions with Rahman for his own project, on which he was working that time, but sadly, this project has not seen the light of the day yet.

Rahman was an invited member of the jury of the prestigious music festival ‘Voice of Asia’ competition held annually at Almaty, Kazhakstan. The jury comprises of top musicians of the world. He was also invited to be the judge for channel [V]’s nation-wide talent hunt program called ‘Samsung Super Singer.’ There he assisted Adnan Sami.

In October 1999, Rahman performed a song ‘Ekam Satyam’ in a charity oriented live concert in München (referred as Munich in English) city of Germany with Michael Jackson called ‘MJ and friends’. Bharat Bala and Hindujas arranged the meeting between Rahman and Michael Jackson. Rahman and his troupe performed with Michael Jackson in the concert. The song was partially in English and partially in Sanskrit. Jackson sang the English part and Rahman sang the Sanskrit part. Lyricist AR Parthasarathy from India penned the Sanskrit part. Melodious strains of ‘Sathyameva Jayathey’ by Rahman provided the closing to the concert by pop king MJ.

Music Artists

Rahman has collaborated with almost all big names, though he doesn’t like to it to be mentioned.

His first chance of collaborating with an international artist was offered by Sony Music in 1996, when he was working on ‘Vande Mataram’. Sony had asked him to choose from any of its international stars to work with and supposedly even suggested the name of Celine Dion. But Rahman settled, very appropriately, for the Pakistani Sufi music star Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Dominic Miller.

Explaining his choice, he said, “I don’t want to collaborate with just a name. I must feel something for the person and relate with his work. I’ve seen several famous names collaborating on songs and albums, but they remain just two names. There’s no chemistry. It’s like oil and water. They can’t come together.”

This perspective of Rahman has shown magic. The people he chooses - don’t know where he finds them - do their life’s best with Rahman. To date he has worked with almost every Indian legend.

Just to name a few of them: KJ Yesudas, SP Balasubrahmaniam, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, sivamani, Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt, Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, L. Shankar, Kadri Gopalnath, Vikku Vinayakram, Ustad Sultan Khan among many others.

Internationally, he has been associated with Nusrath Fateh Ali Khan, Yak Bondy, Jolin Tsai, Michael Jackson, Apache Indian, Dominic Miller, Andrew Lloyd Webber for one or more works.

Directors

Many talented directors from the film industry - both well settled and new comers - have worked with Rahman. Many directors restrict themselves to work with Rahman only. Also, as observed, many directors convince their producers to work only with Rahman.

The directors with whom Rahman has worked are:

Hindi: Ramgopal Varma, Deepa Mehta, Priyadarshan, Farookh Siddiqui, Subhash Ghai, Govind Nihalani, Raj Kumar Santoshi, Khaled Mohammed, Shyam Benegal, Shashilal Nair, Shekhar Kapoor, Kailash Surendranath, Ashutosh Gowariker, Shaad Ali, Ahmed Khan, MF Hussain, Atul Agnihotri.

Tamil and Telugu: Manirathnam, Shankar, Suhasini Manirathnam, P Vasu, K Balachander, Sangeeth Sivan, Kadhir, K Muralimohan Rao, Rajeev Menon, KS Ravikumar, Bharatiraaja, Suresh Menon, Balu, K Subhash, Vikraman, Manoj Kumar, B Gopal, Pravinkanth, Suresh Krishna, Vasanth, Saran, Azhagam Perumal, Arjun, AM Jyoti Krishna, SJ Surya.

Chinese: He Ping.

ARR QUOTATIONS

Music is language itself. It should not have any barriers of caste, creed, language or anything. Music is one, only cultures are different. Music is the language of languages. It is the ultimate mother of languages- Film music in India is like pop music in the West. Movies are the channels for this music. But music stays on long after the films. - If a music artiste wants to blossom into a full-fledged person, it’s not enough if he knows only classical music; nor is it enough if he’s well-versed only in Raagas and techniques. Instead, he should be a knowledgeable person interested in life and philosophy. In his personal life there should be, at least in some corner of his heart, a tinge of lingering sorrow.

- Music is a gift from God and every note should be blessed. Otherwise music becomes noise if it is not blessed. I am influenced by Sufism, which is also connected with music. Before composing I pray and beg to God to give me something. I believe every song should have a pure soul in it to reach people.
His Prayer to GodO God, if I worship thee for fear of hell, burn me in hell, and if I worship thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise, but if I worship thee for thy own sake, grudge me not thy everlasting beauty.

Whom do you consider your closest rival?
“The man who’s inside me and constantly trying to distract me from doing good work.”

How does it feel to be on top?
“I don’t really think I’m at the top. Basically, I came into this field not to intrude on anybody else’s success.”

“I am like a boat without an oar. I let life take its own course. I know only my work and God, I pray a lot. You get dejected if you plan something and it does not happen.”

“I like music that is able to stir my soul. My music is a spiritual exercise” “Criticism is fine - at the end of the day, my music speaks for itself”
“You can’t have everything in life: What one thinks is possible might not always be so. I try to do my best but, finally, everything lies in God’s hands. I consider my skills as a musician to be a blessing from God. Even today, before I perform, I am unsure of whether I will be able to move my audience. I leave everything to Him… He pulls the strings in my life.”"I dont have time to cherish the joys and repent the failures in life . I go on with my work not caring about the response i have got of my previous works”

“Rather than making money I believe in making people happy, all other things are secondary.” Money isn’t important, creative satisfaction is.

“Swades” is right from my heart. It is simple and sweet music.
How would you describe A.R.Rahman in your own words?
“A.R.Rahman is a failure and slowly he is trying to reach something.”
In my case, dust has become gold.”"I feel at home with my food and my people.”

“Awards come with the blessings from God and it encourages you. At the same time it is not the end and it’s a promise and you feel ashamed and ask yourself “What have I done to get this?”
“If a musician wants to blossom into a full-fledged person, it’s not enough if he knows only classical music; nor it is enough if he’s well-versed only in raagas and techniques. Instead, he should be a knowledgeable person interested in life and philosophy. In his personal life there should be, atleast in some corner of his heart, a tinge of lingering sorrow.” — A.R.Rahman”The search is more important than the destination” “You are what your deepest desire is. As you desire, so is your intention. As your intention, so is your will. As is your will so is your deed. As is your deed, so is your destiiny.” –The Upanishads

ARR and Technology - Some Facts


How rahman compose songs

1. he gets an offer from the director , and ARR studies the script everything . if he likes it
then he agrees else he doesn't

2. then he sees the actor/actress and accordingly determines the singer

3. he asks the director to give the exact situation of the song and why it is needed. if he is satisfied he proceeds else again disposes .

4. then he sits and composes the song on his own and in his voice records every song

5. calls the singers after 12 am in the night { mark it only after 12 am ! } and makes them hear the tunes.

6. recording starts . he never modifies the song as per the singer but he modifies the singer as per the song .

7. every sound in the studio is recorded even if a singer sneezes or coughs it is recorded and it is edited . (*if u remember in kadhal virus dere is a song by Mano { o kadhale} dere he coughs at one part . he had coughed it in the first day and then ARR never got any realistic cough after dat so he simply included the original cough )

8. a song recording goes upto 3-4 days . sometimes male and female singers r recorded
differently and then successfully mixed

9. after the vocal is over music starts . he gives his idea to his musicians ! and then the musicians suggest the background tune . 90% times rahman doesnt like them and then he himself gives them notes and the musician have to play dem . few songs however had tunes inspired by his musicians(like his flutist naveen and drummer sivamani) . the musicians love ARR since he gives them freedom and helps them grow their talent .

10. later the vocal is added to music or vice versa and then comes the technical part ! ah !
every interfaces start working , every part is edited , reedited and software r used and
hmmm lets not get much into it ,but by the time a song is finalized it is one month and the
best version is out ! some say he uses technology ,but come to his studio you will know he
uses technology only to polish stuff

Mixing songs

He does all programming on Logic and also mix in Logic then he makes some pre mixes, like all choruses in two tracks, drums in two tracks, bass in one track if stereo then in two tracks and then he bounces all the tracks to EUPHONIX to give some analog warmth. but he uses all Logic plugins fx.
Everyone is using Logic from SalimSulaiman to ShankarEhsaanLoy, Logic is just like a Pen and Paper for a Poet, Rahman doesnt need any Logic even he can use any other software cause he has music in his mind.
What is Logic?
Logic is an audio recording and mixing software. most of indian composers use this software. for more details check
www.apple.com/logic/
. You can buy and download it if you have a apple Mac computer.I dont know there is free trial version!

Rahman also uses or used Absynth, u can hear one preset from Absynth in Kannathil Muttamital title song, the flute kinda sound with a rough string sound behind it in the intro. Most of the songs, esp in the last few years feature many synth sounds, probably from absynth, or some other softsynth. The beeps, filtered sounds etc in many songs (Yeh Rishta, Meenaxi, couple from New, Kangalal Kaidu Sei etc.) can be done in Absynth (or for that matter in a analog synth). for more details checkout
www.native-instruments.com/

Audio Samples

have u guys ever heard about audio samples? well rahman is the first person who used a lot of
samples in his songs and the second person is ranjit barot. ranjit used to work with rahman .ranjit
programmed drums in HUMMA HUMMA.
and now everybody is using samples in mumbai e.g(salim-sulaiman, sandeep sherodker, jacky,
inderjeet sharma, ram sampat & sandeep chowta) if you guys think that how can sandeep chowta
make sound like rahman? there are samples.
here are some examples
1. SHABBA SHABBA with african voices? those are samples not real africans.
2. spanish claps in JUMBALIKA? samples again.
3. chinese vocals in LATKA? its a chinese sample from the cd (SPECTRASONICS HEART OF ASIA)
4. Background beat in latka song from indian! Later anumalik and many other used the same
loops in many of their songs(eg: mehbooba song from ajnabee)
5. killer drum beats in rangeela songs? drum samples from the cd (BEST SERVICE XXL 1500)and
its a long list.
6. final beats of mukkala muqabla sounds like dr.alban africa.it too a sample. Itis not
composed by dr.alban either!same beats used by sandeep chawtha in kambath ishq song!
7. Main Background beats in Mangta hai kya from rangeela
8. Early bands like Deep Forest and some Euro techno bands used this concept a lot.thats why
title bird sound of thillana thillana from muthu sounds like Deep forest songs
there are many other samples rahman used in many of his songs.it is not copying just using a
commercially available samples!
i remember when rahman was recording for "jaage hain" the S/W engineers told him that lets
record the song in a low mod { track 5} and later FDM it to a higher track but rahman sang it
singularly ! in track 15 ! it is his original however madras choral sound was probably
modulated..not very sure in it
Composing BGM

he doesn't actually sees the entire movie , he makes the director explain the entire script 100%
and in every details and then asks for a demo . however the first version of bgm he gives is
modified and re modified numerous time after seeing the film . the bgm for guru was modified
just a month before the public release...rang de basanti bgm was actually purely on script. some
parts of the movie was modified as per the bgm . remember the scene when the rebels walked
into the radio station ? and the music dat comes behind it ? ... the scene was actiually pretty
different but according to the music it was modified and the modifications came in their walking
style , check the scene carefully you will find their feet falling on the ground as per the music
tune.Also i heard that Rahman composed the Music for a period of 2 years.I just heard it & i'm not
sure about it.Can anybody confirm it.If he really had taken 3 yrs to compose the films music then
see his dedication.Amazing man!!

Composing BGM

he doesn't actually sees the entire movie , he makes the director explain the entire script 100%
and in every details and then asks for a demo . however the first version of bgm he gives is
modified and re modified numerous time after seeing the film . the bgm for guru was modified
just a month before the public release...rang de basanti bgm was actually purely on script. some
parts of the movie was modified as per the bgm . remember the scene when the rebels walked
into the radio station ? and the music dat comes behind it ? ... the scene was actiually pretty
different but according to the music it was modified and the modifications came in their walking
style , check the scene carefully you will find their feet falling on the ground as per the music
tune.Also i heard that Rahman composed the Music for a period of 2 years.I just heard it & i'm not
sure about it.Can anybody confirm it.If he really had taken 3 yrs to compose the films music then
see his dedication.Amazing man!!

rahman`s recording and mixing

Guys not just rahman ,about all music composers use loops or samples which they buy from distributers like sony or apple etc... Its like this instead of calling a performer like a guitarist to perform for his/her song a composer buys his recorded piece and uses it. These pieces are royalty free its like the guitarist sells it to sony on an agreement and sony distributes it through out the world. That is why you find same sound effects in two different songs of rahman some times.(sometimes in other music director's songs)
Loops are not necessary to be only a single note. It can be chords or even a piece or a scratch...

I dunno how many of u have noticed this in ARR songs (especially those who are musicians). All his songs irrespective of the mood has a constant 'pads' or 'strings' backing. the chords played with the pads and strings is also not conventional.. they are the 7ths, 11ths or diminished chords. They give the song a 'feeling', a 'soul' (hmmm...quite techincal!)

A classic example is the song "Thirupachi Arivalaa" from Taj Mahal. Check out the pads in the songs. Another is "Aye Udi Udi" from Saathiya. Remove the pads these songs become soul-less and very plain.

The only other person who uses this same method is Harris Jayaraj. I'm sure he learnt it from ARR.Wonder if more music directors should do the same.

i read somewhere that rahman sir started learning indian classical and carnatic classical in 1992....since almost all his songs are raga based...i wanted to clarify that he learnt classical before or after 1992

How does he compose a new tune...does he play it in his piano??? or does he write the swaram or how does he go about conceiving a song out of nowhere and create a master piece...

lemme tell you that no softwares in the world can create a tune ! i will laugh my stomachs out if someone tells me that tere bina or any song is a product of a software !!!!!! now what can a software do ? what does rahman do in his studio with all those spftwares ..why does he always updates his software ..it is very simple ..i will tell you in breif ...

1. he records a songs over a period of 10-15 days . a singer sings one song perhaps innumberable time till rahman gives a handsup ! once dat signal has been got the singer realizes that his job is done . now rahman sits over his singing and edits the bad parts and couples all the best parts and after another day of hardwork the singers work is ready..the singer never sang that song contiguously but his best parts are selected and sampled .
2. he then records music or wat ur call as bgm ..after that he mixes it with the vocal part .. then sudenly he may realize that both of them donot gel well in frequency ..and then frequncy division modulation takes place { a huge process frndsz...} which very well packs the music and vocal part
3. he needs shreya ghosal to sing in track 15 { d highest } but shreay can sing only till 11 ! { assume ..am gvng an example } . so wat can rahman do ? let her sing in track 8 -9 in which she is comfortable and then simply phase modulates the vocal to appear as if she sang in track 15 ! this is a very costly process and risky too so if i am not wrong rahman has done it only 5-6 times ...

So A.R.Rahman is a genius , not a technician . he uses softwares but doesnot use to "produce" tunes ..instead use dem so effectively to "edit" tunes . and dat is why perhaps he is d best .technology he uses yes but his originality is maitained in each song .

a software has no brains . it will do what you tell it to do . so if i program my software to sing sa re ga ma pa then yes u r rite s/w can produce tunes. and am pretty sure rahman uses custom made softwares .the bottomline is SOFTWARES DONOT PRODUCE TUNES like aye hayirathe and tere bina .i told u the exact places where rahman uses softwares

What do u mean by track?

many people have different definitions of tracks . "track" is not a musical keyword but it pretty software related . we divide a tune into several sound parts . every channel has a baudrate frequency . for example if you hum a voice in a low scale u may call it as a track-1 . the song jaage hain goes very high high enuf to be called as track 15 . empirically track is a pitch depth value vrs volume . the intersection of the graph is the resonant value. this value is what the purest and d virgin tune we call. it is difficult to acheive this resonany value due to several reasons but rahmans studio is feature adapted to it . almost 99% of his songs are resonant valued .

after rahman { in hindi music } it is shankar ehsaan loy who has acheived so perfection and himesh ..hmmm lets not speak of him here ..but he has acheived 89% resonant value in aashiq banaya apne title song and china town title .

i heard a lot of spectrasonics stuff in rang de basanti...esp the amazing pads from spectrasonics atmosphere...he's also been using swarplug, an indian instrument plugin, which can be heard in water and the background score of RDB.the santoor you hear in chanchan from water is actually swarplug doing the job!

But let me tell you, its easy to USE software but it ain't easy to CREATE stuff with software. SAMPLES are an easy way out and most music directors are going the samples way cuz its easier and quicker.

This includes people like Salim Sulaiman (sadly, they lack tunes), Himesh (He lacks creativity.. and singers.. lol), Shankar Ehsaan Loy (now these 3 guys are actually pretty good), Sandeep Chowta (he's not even a music director according to me, more a DJ kinda fella)

Someone like Rahman,I notice, takes the pain of CREATING his own samples as well (apart from using purchased ones). Now thats a huge difference. This combined with the responsibilty of making path breaking tunes is a big big task... make no mistake about it.

What I'm saying can be summed up thus: give the same equipments, computers, keyboards, the musicians, the software, the samples etc. to any other music director in the country... they still cannot match A R Rahman... it takes a genius to CREATE something extraordinary like he does.

Being the user of these sound editing softwares I can give my suggestions.The usage of sound editing softwares such as Neundo, Cubase ,Sonar and Logic is very helpful and reduces our work in the technician point of view. I personally dont like his usage of the atmosphere pads like Area 51, Air 201, Equinox etc in his songs ( he uses them for backing chords ) . Though these sounds are pleasant and filling they spoil the naturality of the song..
But his comprehension on the editing softwares and plugins and using them in his songs and BGM is fantabulous . But that in itself is his drawback!!also sum1 told me that rahman has one of the largest collections of samples in asia!!!

music director vs music composer

"Music director" is not really a music composer. He is basically the guy who makes the TUNES for the songs. Then he gives it to the lyricist for the lyrics (this works vice versa too.. lyrics first and then the tune).Now comes the major difference... between "Music directors" and "Music Composers" like ARR and Ilaiyaraaja.

The Music Director hands over the tune and lyrics to the Music Arranger who will fill in the music into the song according to his knowledge and experience. The Music Director will only DIRECT the music (as in supervising the process) but does not necessarily compose the BGMs, the rhythms, the chords, basslines etc. in the song. These are done by the Music Arranger, who will arrange for the violin sections, the brass sections, the percussions, the beats etc. acccording to what he knows.

Needless to say, the Music Director, more often than not, is not even proficient in playing a musical instrument. He need not be with the method mentioned above.

This is why most Music Directors sound the same movie after movie after movie.. cuz the tunes are different but the arrangement is the same... the Music Arranger guy is only doing his job and ending the works as per deadline.. no creativity there... there is no effort to INNOVATE. (well, if he could, why the hell will he be Arranger? he can become a Music Director himself cant he?)

ARR though, it seems, sits and works on each piece of music in his songs... each sound and each element of the notes are heard by him, evaluated and then entered into the song.. plus he has great musicians to bring out quality sounds...

In other words, ARR actually DESIGNS the sound for each of his songs. To all those who scoff at use of technology in music... this sound design is enhanced only because of the technology.

This sound design combined with great tunes make great masterpieces.

Any surprise his songs are so good!

Rahman the professionalist

1. Rehman is perhaps the most professional musician of India. He has this habit of looking out for talented musicians and then he calls them to his studio and records and samples their stuff. And then the musician packs his bags and is off to where he/she belongs. The best part comes now..... whenever Rahman will use that sample/loop in any of his songs, he makes a point that he pays that musician his royalty !! Isn't this wonderful ?
2. One of my musician friends has played the Dholak in "Taal Se Taal Mila" and here's the story...... When my friend went to Rahman's studio for recording the Dholak he was all set as he found the rhythm not that challenging... but the real fun came now... Rahman asked him to wear ICE CREAM sticks tied with rubber-bands to his finger (the Chati i.e. side which produces the high pitch sound). This was indeed unique as Rahman was pretty clear on what "sound" he wanted !!

Thats Rahman for u..... the best musician India has produces after R D Burman !!

Something About Music Sampling For Starters

In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also possible with tape loops or with vinyl records on a phonograph.

Often "samples" consist of one part of a song, such as a break, used in another, for instance the use of the drum introduction from Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" in songs by the Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mike Oldfield and Erasure, and the guitar riffs from Foreigner's "Hot Blooded" in Tone-Loc's "Funky Cold Medina". "Samples" in this sense occur often in hip hop, as hip hop sampling developed from DJs repeating the breaks from songs (Schloss 2004, p.36), and Contemporary R&B, but are becoming more common in other music as well, such as by Slipknot's sample player Craig Jones.

Early cases

Sampling using tape recordings goes back at least as far as 1969, when Holger Czukay used traditional Vietnamese singers on his record "Canaxis". Czukay and his former band Can used samples often throughout the seventies.

One of the first major legal cases regarding sampling was with "Pump Up the Volume". As the record reached the UK top ten, producers Stock Aitken Waterman obtained an injunction against the record due to the unauthorized use of a sample from their hit single "Roadblock". The dispute was settled out of court, with the injunction being lifted in return for an undertaking that overseas releases would not contain the "Roadblock" sample, and the disc went on to top the UK singles chart. Ironically, the sample in question had been so distorted as to be virtually unrecognisable, and SAW didn't realize their record had been used until they heard co-producer Dave Dorrell mention it in a radio interview.

Types of samples

Once recorded, samples can be edited, played back, or looped (i.e. played back continuously). Types of samples include:

Loops

The drums and percussion parts of many modern recordings are really a variety of short samples of beats strung together. Many libraries of such beats exist and are licensed so that the user incorporating the samples can distribute their recording without paying royalties. Such libraries can be loaded into samplers. Though percussion is a typical application of looping, many kinds of samples can be looped. A piece of music may have an ostinato which is created by sampling a phrase played on any kind of instrument. There is software which specializes in creating loops.

Samples of musical instruments.

Whereas loops are usually a phrase played on a musical instrument, this type of sample is usually a single note. Music workstations and samplers use samples of musical instruments as the basis of their own sounds, and are capable of playing a sample back at any pitch. Many modern synthesizers and drum machines also use samples as the basis of their sounds. (See sample-based synthesis for more information.) Most such samples are created in professional recording studios using world-class instruments played by accomplished musicians. These are usually developed by the manufacturer of the instrument or by a subcontractor who specializes in creating such samples. There are businesses and individuals who create libraries of samples of musical instruments. Of course, a sampler allows anyone to create such samples.

Courtesty : Wikipedia

Some facts

1. He records most of the songs in the late night because he belives that is the time at which a person's sound will be at it's top best.
2. He allows singers to sing there own versions of the song separately and chooses best among them.
3. Might, might not i don't know... There are more than 1000 samples available in sony and apple.
4. he used a ghatam loop in the rang de basanti background score from apple's loop library...i've heard the same loop been used elsewhere.but it sounded a lot better the way AR sir used it
5. the song 'maiyya maiyya' has a flute interlude in the beginning similar to the one in Anu Malik's 'san sanana' song in 'Asoka'.the flute sample in mayya mayya is a commercially available sample.Both the asoka song and mayya mayya have been arranged and programmed by ranjit barot.
6. Chinna Chinna Asai was composed as a 'sad' full song initially but later was changed to a happy song.
7. ARR first composed only 1st stanza of Tu hi Re song for BOmbay. later Mani shot the song and after feeling confident of the song, Rahman completed the composition.
8. Thiruda Thiruda and Duet took most time in composing followed by box-office dud mangal pandey.
9. Maiyya Maiyya was recorded in Toronto and music was added later as usual.
10. in Thiruda thiruda there are 2 special songs in it.one is KONCHEM NILAVU which is fully computer programmed.another is RASATHI where you can't hear a single instrument.

we have been talking technology all along this thread... and then last night I was listening to "Jaage Hain" from Guru when it occurred to me how any western composer would have been proud of this composition... then i got to thinking how many such songs of ARR can we hold up to the world of western orchestration...

Then there is Bombay Theme - the one tune that is sufficient to be a slap on the face of anyone mouthing the "ARR-is-all-about-technology" line.remember Roja, Bombay, Thiruda Thiruda, Kadhalan... etc were made before 1994...

Want to be a Sound engineer?

1. you dont need any formal degree to compose music ....however if you have one it is always good to tell "i have a degrre you know"
2. a music composer is not a mixer whu uses loops to confound people and ultimately prove that he is nothing but a big xerox machine
3. you can use loops but ur songs should always have a ratio of 1:10 where 1 is for loops . exceeding this rations spoils ur originality .
4. i personally dont like uch of frooty loops since dey are acidic in nature and corrodes the melody if not used properly ..however dere are instances where frottylops churned out melodious wonders .
5. a music composer needs creativity which cant be derived but has to be god gifted ..and if u r not gifted but still u want to compose music in any case den u may be a anu malik in making {no offence intended}

in an interview rahman said that one can compose music by using a software called GARAGE which is a product from apple

And the software soemone was refering too above is called garageband... i am personally a garageband user and what it basicaally is, is a loop based sequencer just like acid which comes with ready made royalty free loops for all the basic needs like podcastin jingles etc. The software com with a collection of over 4 gb of loops at ur disposal featuring loops to suit all major genres. Itz based on th mac platform (Mac Rulez) so it much more easyier and funkier to work on...

BUY Some CDs and Start Creating Music Now !

Here i want to share my experience of creating music through softwares.

1. Creating music on softwares can be as easy as cooking a indian food recipe if you are aware of some sequencing skills.It can be as difficult and can smoke all ur nights as seducing a girl.
2. But don't worry. Start now
3. I recommend Fruity loops 4 or 5 to start. Avoid ani midi softwares coz ur new and they freak you! (Checkout FruityLoops Tutorial)
   
4. install it first carefully and thoroughly experiment through its sequancer...don't try some music or notes, firstly experiment with beats, set tempo, load some drums in samplers and create 2 or 3 tracks through your rough melodies.
5. Go to play list mode, and arrange your tracks(shown as white bars) before/after or above/blow each other, push play button and listen to it, no matter how rough it sounds ! if you r not satified, re-arrange ur tracks in playlist again.its only a mouse click Job.... Continued...
6. if you aren't satified still, change tempo, add some extra beats or subtract from previous.. then play again
7. At first you need hours to experiment! slowly and slowly you'll start to learn how it works.Just Experiment ! itz not going to cost u money, just time.
8. Go through Fruity loops manuals, ready definations of Music jargon and technical name there..you'll learn what something is and what no !
9. Save you file, export it as mp3 and listen to it ! you'll start love ur own music...You are now a Dummy Musician !!! Wow

WHY FRUITY LOOPS ?

Coz it is user friendly...very good for new starters and very professional for masters...I don't know about apple softwares, but for windows users, fruity is best choice , i've been using it since 2 years. It contains lots of samples, and Yes ! you can create your own samples(loops) too...
In coming threads, i 'll share how to edit Audio, record your own song, and mix it with your own music in Fruity loops..the best choice for starters for editing Audio is Adobe Audition or Cool Edit Pro...I 've tested both.....
and Finally...Guys ! don't worry if our maestro uses softwares...we r not Anti-technology...it helps and saves times, it fantastic and mind blowing !! In final analysis its your own style which reflects in your music(no matter its digital)....and that where come ur creativity...u can be creative even with technology..it enhances your creativity...so plz ! don't get annoyed if ARR uses softwares...he is Genious, music is in his head, and he makes softwares create music such as he makes his musicians or rhythm programmers create music ! its simple....anywayz I love this man AR.

You may recall from RDB's Roobaroo track that beautiful voice in course played constantly after Verse "Tup Tup ta" "Rip Tap Tap Ta" "Rip tup ta" at different places in song. These are merly course voices sung by some singer with a digital quility. This can be achieved in Fruitly loops.
How This Effect Can Be Achieved?

1. This Effect is actually a "Vocoder"..I dun know rehman used it in Fruity or anyother software...But you can find it in soundForge or some other Editing software wid name as "Orange Vocoder" or "(blah blah) Vocoder"..
2. Your first record any Vocal and put it into vocoder as an input-1, for 2nd Input- Feed in Vocoder any insturment like any synth or pad
3. Vocal will sound as if an instrument is Singing !! You are done !! [ Listen again Roobaroo carefully]

Pathshala.....Phasing drums
You might recall from RDB in Pathshalla....that its drums sound really fantastic and are resonant...u might hear that drums constantly vibrate(or Phase) between different frequencies(Listen carefully if u 've an ear for music)..this can be achieved through fruity loops

1. Put some drums in sequencer
2. Assign a mixer track to that sequencer in CHANNEL windows...then open Fruity Mixer and go to mixer track number u've assigned to channel..assign a "Phase" Plug-in to that track...push play button...and play with nobs, do some tweaking and u'll hear drums sound different, they will continously be PHASING b/w frequencies...U r Done !

NOTE: You can do all dis stuff only if u 've some sequencing skills or u've played with Fruity loops...so install it and start playing(Experimenting) wid it....u've some day learn how to use it....more in coming threads !!

Recall From "Fanna" of Yuva...Do u hear a constant sequence string continously playing is song ? and u might 've heard it some where else. if not, again listen to FANNA, and try to here that sequence after which vocals are added.
This Can be Achieved in FL
if you have FL version 5 or after: U'll find a Sytrus plug-in there. open its presets, locat Sequence section, there are a dozen of them of different types. Tweaks some nobs of Sytrus, and hear to you Sequence. Try to Remove Drums or any other percussion sound from Plug-in by playing with Nobs. U'll here a brilliant Sequence. You should better have headphones for it, coz u can modify even a low-volume change in Sequence !
You Are Done With It ! Enjoy...

I have also been using Music Editing Softwares like Audacity / SONY Soundforge etc . I have also had some expericnce with FruityLoops and KBPiano.
Regarding the use of Technology by ARR, I would like to tell that however advanced a technology is, it cannot appeal to the audience if the composition isn't good... and one more feature of Rahman is that he can extract amazing performances from his singers (which No SW/HW can do!!!)

No matter how intensivly rahman uses technology,but we are always astonished how he stands unique wid same softwars !!! it creativity guys...i always wonder how he pours soul in music and creates a situation through music, a world in which we are lost!!!
Rehman is a great Sound Engineer of all the times!! I am not sure but i've heard that there are certain frequencies which sooth our brain, may be rehman know which frequency level or modulation will leave soothful impact on listener's brain!! its possible...I am doing research on this, and will tell u later that what range of frequency sooths human brain, and we can achieve such frequency levels through softwares !!

Rahman and singers

Rahman had given in an interview that he used to change the singers sometimes to get the perfection for the song. For Uyire of Bombay, he first tried with some other singer (name he did not mention) and he and manirathnam were not getting the real mood of the song..they wondered what went wrong..After changing the singer everything came into perfection!!some 1 plzz tell mostly payment is on directors discretion , not sure though and director gives a list of choice sngers den rhman chooses d singers according to the mental image he frames for a asong , if he feels dat dis singers voice is raw enuf for a song den dat singer is chosen

The End...