New Carnatic Music - Plenty to listen to.

[GautamTejasGaneshan]

Hello Rasikas!

It's been a while...

Betw. 2012-2018, I sang 100 songs in 100+ concerts - and now you can listen to them, all recorded live & strictly unamplified.

And with their lyrics! That part is new, and I'm happy about it b/c I think it may be newly helpful / interesting.

Enjoy!

https://gautamtejasganeshan.com



NB:

I quite appreciate the spirit of the above 'sticky' post:
"Suggestions to improve the tone of the discussions on the forum."
(And the last paragraph there contains some noteworthy observations!)

I'd be happy to treat this thread as an "AMA" ("ask me anything"), if you like. There's plenty to say on my end, but I'll let y'all dictate what according to your interests. (I imagine even more 'noteworthy observations' will be generated apace...

A couple of further thoughts:

There's an enormous amount of material there.
It takes a few minutes even to *scroll* to the bottom.

So, outside of the president of my fan club, nobody's going to listen to *all* of it - but, it'd be nice if you were to *somehow* try to get a representative sample, even if it is by the hazards of chance (i.e. poke around quite a bit), esp. before weighing in w/ a categorical evaluation.

I can tell you that there is a large variety of accompanists, occasions, situations (indoors, outdoors, etc.) - and, moods of mine, over many years!

There are a few universals though.

The first is ABSOLUTELY NO ELECTRONIC TAMBURA EVER.

Live tambura player(s) throughout.

The second is that all of these performances were all *strictly* unamplified.

The mics in the photos are for recording *only*.

So much live carnatic music these days is merely 'documented' in recordings,
as if the recording is to serve as not much more than a transcript or reference,
rather than being a bona fide attempt to produce an artifact with its own musical value.

But anyway, if you want more of my thoughts on that, I wrote an op-ed in The Hindu [Dec. 29th, 2012], which is reproduced on my website, called "On the Gathering vs. the Recording".

OK - enough from me, for now.

Knock yourselves out!

& please plug in those good speakers.

- G

[rajeshnat]

GautamTejasGaneshan
I just heard a random song . What an audacity that you have . To sing in ENglish , i hope you take a successful movie and put 6 songs in the movie . If that movie is well taken like Titanic , CM will strive for another million years.

https://soundcloud.com/gautamtejasganes ... t-uppercut

My 2 cents
---------
1. Use amplification , your voice is not balanced with mrudangam , the violin is hardly read . So as such you should not say that you dont need amplification. Microphone is just not for reaching crowd, it is for balancing human imperfections

2. Add the name of the raga for the song that you sing in the songlist page.

Well done Gautam , though conditioning wise i am not able to hear more than 2 songs. Your voice bit resembles an early GNB. Those days GNB was considered a Wow BA ENglish , but only you have sung even in English without compromising the gamaka aesthetics for each of the ragam.

[GautamTejasGaneshan]

Well done Gautam ... Your voice bit resembles an early GNB.

high praise! whoa.

Those days GNB was considered a Wow BA ENglish , but only you have sung even in English without compromising the gamaka aesthetics for each of the ragam.

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
(the more things change, the more it's the same thing.)

my originality is not what has compromised the gamaka aesthetics,
that has been accomplished instead by my imperfection.

(... which i wrote a song about: https://soundcloud.com/gautamtejasganes ... perfection )

your voice is not balanced with mrudangam

probably true. i love vigorous mridangam playing; i think it's one of the greatest things in the world - & i believe some good recordings of pmi were included on the 'golden record' sent into space to communicate something to extraterrestrials... if anyone could do it, he could. (a fellow non-fan of mics, btw...)

i'm not always melodious, granted, and also not always 'tayyar', as they say. but in my assets column, i *do* think i "project". kind of a forgotten 'brassy' style, i'd say, as opp. mic-cuddling crooners. did somebody say that cm is an ocean? so there's room for a lungfish like me.

& i'd also say that overall i've been pretty good about getting mridangam players to sink their teeth in. (exhibit A is that recording linked above, & pictured below.) so that's its own kind of art form, involving many intangibles. ariyakudi was masterful in this regard, like a lion-tamer.

So as such you should not say that you dont need amplification. Microphone is just not for reaching crowd, it is for balancing human imperfections

didn't say that, but yes, one could play it that way.
on the other hand, what was that about life handing you lemons?

i think the point is, every distinct set of parameters presents its own optimization problem.

"there are no solutions, only trade-offs."



- g

[rajeshnat]

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
(the more things change, the more it's the same thing.)

my originality is not what has compromised the gamaka aesthetics,
that has been accomplished instead by my imperfection.

(... which i wrote a song about: https://soundcloud.com/gautamtejasganes ... perfection )

GautamTejasGanesan,
I just heard my imperfection. Lovely Vasantha Ragam does not appear compromised . IN the sound cloud the fast pace which is the first link is not as appealing but a little slower version of Vasanta - Imperfection followed that was well done.
If you can put the song lyrics as the first comment in sound cloud as i hear it i can also get the lyrics . Well done.

Since you are a NRI with a more american accent say words like direction is softened but assuming some one like me with Tanglish ENglish sing we will stress more the word diRecTion . With that I think you should train some kid who is based out of india to take up your song . IN general we get both thick and thin. shades and our pronouciation with phrases like diRecTion can give a more semmangudi azhuttam (i hope you understand when i say azhuttam in thamizh ). Of course our diRecTion may not be liked by NRI generation of your clan.

All said vasantha is brimming like SSI or GNB like which is what matters .

I am just curious have you shared with say superstars like Trichy Sankaran Sir in toronto? Does he know you or your music . You should send your slower imperfection song of vasantha link.

[rajeshnat]

So as such you should not say that you dont need amplification. Microphone is just not for reaching crowd, it is for balancing human imperfections

didn't say that, but yes, one could play it that way.
on the other hand, what was that about life handing you lemons?

i think the point is, every distinct set of parameters presents its own optimization problem.

"there are no solutions, only trade-offs."

GautamTejasGaneshan
I dont understand why you quote parameters optimization yada yada yada. YOu are way too side tracking

My ask is simple , i am hearing a louder mrudangam and behind it a littler lower vocal voice . The relative amplification of vocal over percussion has to be higher - this has got nothing to whatever any one tries.

Check ideal relative amplification balance where see how GNB voice is raised consistently above percussion when he sings himagiri thanayE.

https://youtu.be/TDapcT38Mn0?t=36

IT is difficult to hear your imperfection vasanta ragam song having a basic imperfect balance where percussion is higher than vocal.

[GautamTejasGaneshan]

I dont understand why you quote parameters optimization yada yada yada.

@rajeshnat i appreciate your comments!

what i meant was, each has its challenges (amplifying & not amplifying)
and, each has its charm.

(well, maybe one has its charm,
the other has its "potential". )

maybe it's useful to look at these as 'field recordings'.
for one thing, in general my recording philosophy favors 'area' mics, as opp. 'close' mics.
(for many reasons, which might be interesting to share,
or it might be more "yada yada yada", so i'll demur until someone asks.)
i think you'll notice that my recordings give an impression of the 'room sound',
at least better than par for carnatic music. tell me if i'm wrong.

here, try this one for that purpose:

https://soundcloud.com/gautamtejasganes ... y-measures

(btw you asked for raga - that one is nayaki
& if you like that one, here's a yadukulakambhoji
from the same date: https://soundcloud.com/gautamtejasganes ... ks-origami

or try: https://soundcloud.com/gautamtejasganes ... atching-up
narayanagaula

& u asked for lyrics - visit https://gautamtejasganeshan.com
& scroll down to song name - lyrics are on the left)


(pic from the narayanagaula date above - see the mic placement & listen)
(wouldn't you say the sound is 'old school' in some sense?)

so anyway, as a result it's not so easy to raise one musician and lower another,
when what is being recorded is the 'concert',
in the sense of the 'concerted effort', etc.

the reality is, of course, that mridangam *is* loud,
and yes, you can make attempts to 'correct' for this with differential amplification,
but in making those attempts, you pay a price.

that's what i meant by 'trade-off'.

(and you pay a price *not* making those attempts too.
i would call that price the 'natural' price of the carnatic ensemble.)

anyway, i'll stop there because if you thought i was 'way too side tracking' BEFORE...

hard to convey tone online,
but i want to reiterate that i appreciate your perspective @rajeshnat,
and of course you've gone out of your way to say many favorable things along with the critical ones.

so, cheers.

oh and as for folks like trichy sankaran etc. knowing about me,
i'm pretty sure some do, some don't.
i mean, some that would be considered 'stars' have *played* with me,
or at least talked w/ me, esp. from the younger generation.
(see below)

OH and as for american accent & azhuttam -
i've thought about this a lot!

as for that american R,
so first of all i've said i think it's actually quite close to "zh".

i've got a song in thodi where the climactic moment comes on "foreverrr" lol

i'm pretty deliberate w/ my accent when singing,
i prioritize *authenticity* & *sincerity* overall -
that is, i sing like i speak.
(even though i'm capable of a tanglish accent when circumstances demand it,
and i've got 'oru alavu' tamil. not bad but not fluent. & can read & write.)

but i also pay a lot of attention to poetry.
(just u wait 'til i post on the prosody thread...)

and yes, typically when people first learn my songs, no matter *who* they are, they pronounce everything w/ an accent.

get this: my answer is the same - every set of parameters poses a unique optimization problem!

meaning, you *could* sing these songs with a 'tanglish' accent, and you would gain something, and you would lose something too! so be it.

if you do it, post it - i'd like to hear it!

(how would you sing "foreverrr" in a tanglish accent?)

(sanjay sub liked it when i suggested taking him up on his dare to sing in french...)

(& that pic above, it's from a brief vid of me tuning the tambura for that performance.

ramakrishnan murthy commented on that vid on instagram: "Beautiful"

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFov82Fehh/ )

- g

[rajeshnat]

if you like that one, here's a yadukulakambhoji
from the same date: https://soundcloud.com/gautamtejasganes ... ks-origami

GautamTejasGaneshan
I listened to three songs nayaki, narayanagowlai and this yadhukulakambOdhi swarajati in english.
https://gautamtejasganeshan.com/songs/g ... igami1.jpg

Few things i want you to quickly correct is a clear written communication , so that there is stickiness for readers and listeners

We say
Kamakshi - YadhukulakAmbOdhi - Syamasastri
Similiarly
You say
This I am Here - YadhukulakAmbodhi - (in line with Syamasastri Swarajati) -GautamTejasGanesan

1. But what is bolded in the jpg lyrics text has to be added

2. Also in the link add the raga name line please with the song.

3. I dont know what you meant by saying Goldilocks origami , is that a venue or theme of the concert . It is too confusing, This detail is not needed or can be put as a sidetrack. You are saying
"Goldilocks Origami" - Live @ Berkeley Art Center [07.08.2018]
Instead if you say This I am Here- Yadhukulakambodhi Swarajathi@Berkeley Art Center [07.08.2018]

4. I want to search with your main page https://gautamtejasganeshan.com/ by raganame , there is no provision. If you can provide at the top of this page with hyper links of all songs like

This I am Here - YadhukulakAmbodhi - (in line with Syamasastri Swarajati) -GautamTejasGanesan
That will save the problem....

5. Market Market Market your ideas 100x more than Sanjay , Raga sisters and GaneshKumaresh etal put together. If you cross the chasm you may be the next superstar who will lead by miles.

6. I remember you mentioned some time you and your appa many years before performed in nanganallur, in case if you make it to Chennai and have a concert do tell in advance by posting in rasikas . I will try to sincerely make it .

What i like is you are not compromising your carnaticness the gamaka and briga laden bhava which is what I am happy with the whole thing .

I have found a solution of my problem of relative mrudangam and vocal where i choosed a song that suits what I ask. This I am in yadhukulaCalmBodhi helps me a lot. Well done... Not an iota of Syama sastri musical ideas is lost in delivery of this complex swarajathi. I now wonder how MS amma or Semmangudi would be thinking if at all they had heard this whole song- This I am here.

[rajeshnat]

All except GTG,
Give a try to hear the swarajathi
This I am Here - YadhukulakAmbodhi - (in line with Syamasastri Swarajati) -GautamTejasGanesan

Lyrics is here totally 3 pages . You spend your few mins to quickly read the lyrics
https://gautamtejasganeshan.com/songs/g ... igami1.jpg

Then hear the song. with the Link keeping lyrics in side . The song link is
https://soundcloud.com/gautamtejasganes ... ks-origami

Team that performs above is
Gautam Tejas Ganeshan - song
Shreyas Srinivasan - violin
Achyut Srinivasan - mridangam
Sean O'Connell - tambura
Thank you especially Achyut for keeping mrudangam not drowning GTG voice.

[MadChapu]

i think you'll notice that my recordings give an impression of the 'room sound',

It definitely does "bring the room in," and I find that makes all your recordings fantastic to listen to! Your article on this topic (Gathering vs Recording) is spot on too.

I'd love it if you shared, in writings, the technical aspects of how to setup a recording like yours, for concerts that happen in the environments that your concerts happen in (coffee shops, small auditoriums, open spaces, etc.).

Your music and poetry are fantastic, BTW. I've followed them on and off for years!