(Maybe not so) Short and Sweet

Hi.

My mind has just been so blank as to what to post today, and I blame the current Song on Repeat 11/17. I don't know what it is, but I've been listening to it non-stop, from when I went to sleep last night to making food, the entire night and day. And because of it, I can't seem to think of anything to write except this song. The saddest part is that I have at least 2 posts in the works in addition to the topics I have mentioned in other posts. In fact, I was even considering writing about my taste in music, but I realized it would be highly influenced by this song. So that plan was tossed out. But why this song? And why does it totally take over to the extent that I am drifting away in the melodies of the song that I could sit for days just listening to the song, my mind blank (which probably means I can add it to the list of music for those days when I just want to be alone and walk outside... maybe I'm in one of those moods now?). At first I couldn't explain it, but then I kind of figured a out just a bit.

I realized the song resonates with me on a deeper level. Like somewhere inside of me, the beginning notes just made me hum. [Ok, wow this is going to be a very vague one, and I apologize. I find myself at a loss with the vocabulary, and I might throw in a few non-English ones too.] As the song begins with the thrum of the shruti, and the first thom thom thana thom thom thana slips through my ears, I feel a slight thrill. The harmony is simple really, just an overlay of the same voice on the original track to create the buzz similar to that of several men chanting the same prayer in a harmonic scale, where you get that fine discordance, for how can several voices be perfectly in tune with each other? And then you feel the build in the rhythm as the voice continues, embellished with the beats of percussion, strings, piano, and wooden instruments, flowing along a Carnatic river of music. It's definitely due to the wonderful arrangement of the composer, but there really is more to it.

Melodically, what really hits me is the raaga (or scale) of the song. In Carnatic music, scales are not simply major or minor, with different starting notes distinguishing between two scales. In Carnatic music, different scales are distinguished by the notes that the scale contains. Like the do-re-mi that western vocalists use to notate scales, Carnatic vocalists use sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-da-ni-sa. These notes are derived from the chromatic scale. The different combinations result in a plethora of raagas that emote such a range of emotion, I'm often blown away. To add another layer of complexity, even more raagas are derived from these by choosing only  5 of the 7 notes, or even changing the notes depending on whether the scale is ascending or descending. As this topic is one I am very emphatic about and I find myself leaving the subject of the post to follow my train of thought (I'll add it as a future post ^_^). To come back to the point, I love the raaga of the song. I have yet to figure out what it is (not exactly my forte), but the combinations of the notes brings out an excitement and a yearning in me - for what, I have no real idea, which only exponentially increases the magnitude of the emotions.

What definitely struck me was the compulsion to dance to this song, and by dance I mean dance in a classical Indian style. I want to be on my classical dance team again, just so that I can choreograph to this song and share the joy of dancing to this with all of my girls. In fact, a song that hit me in the same way, that I actually incorporated into one of the dances I choreographed (with a day and night theme), is the song I added to The Catalytic Push. But unlike Kanya, I just stood up and started free-styling Bharathanatyam, with the steps just coming to me and moving me, an experience I really haven't quite had before with classical dance. I literally didn't need to think to move to the music.

Then there's the vocals. The pitch and timber of the singer's voice is compelling and quite simply, sexy. I failed to mention this in my last post on Mr. Quincy, but I find the lower timber male voices incredibly attractive, especially when it comes to singing voices. There is something about the resonance of lower voices (also connects to my love of the lower register instruments like the bassoon, bass clarinet, string bass and the like), the way you can feel it to your core, that makes me feel so content and satisfied. And the way the singer has used his voice - the way he plays with the melody, as if cajoling it to do his bidding - amplifies anything I'd feel listening to the song otherwise. I actually prefer the vocal melody to the instrumental. In fact, I want this singer to sing for me when I dance. There is something intimate about dancing with a singer whose voice thrills you, and the idea of dancing to this singer just makes me plain giddy. And just to add a twist, I actually know the singer of this song (we grew up in the same Indian community, and I even danced with him as a young girl at temple dance programs). So how do I react with the idea that this could be possible? Well, I'll let you answer that yourselves.

So, to curb any further nonsensical rambling of my current musical obsession, I shall end my post, hoping that at least some of what I have said resonates with you as you listen to this song.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RBdF1ZZZ_I