Santoor Seenu talks on Rahmania
Happy Chennai Day to all Q :- You have been playing 25 Instruments. How did u develop the earnestness and how did u start playing ? SS :- Its God's Gift. The second Plus point is Mr. A.R. Rahman. Q :- Did u meet Rahman after he became a Music Director or you knew him before that even ? SS :- Before, he became a Music Director, and when he was working with other Tamil Films, we were associated with him. He has taught us a lot of new things. Santoor is usually played in tune with Raagas. He specially taught us about Chord Progression and scale changes. I learnt Western, while he used to play the keyboard, and used to do the backing. During recording times, even some of our notes, he used to play it in his keyboard. Some bits used to be tough, even for us and for him too. The difference is he has ten fingers and can easily play them , while we have two sticks to play the santoor, and find it tough. With these sticks, we can play it in 2.5 octave and 3.5 octave. But higher octaves would be little difficult. The duration time is also very minimal for us. A recording has to be finished within 6 hrs. He teaches us a lot during recording sessions. I started developing interest, when he did the chord backing and progression etc, to make us feel comfortable while working. He became a good friend, because of these associations. He called me for Roja. For the song, " Chinna Chinna aasai". We have to play santoor for the song. But it shouldn't sound like santoor. Instead of playing with the stick, he suggested we play with the ten fingers in the song. In the second BGM of that song, in the left hand, the chord progressions would be going on, and in the right hand, the melody would be continuing. That is the first time in my life, that I played the santoor with my ten fingers leaving alone the stick. The speciality is the usage of Harp in the beginning of the song. Mandolin is used in the song beginning itself. I had played all the three instruments in the song ( viz. Harp, Mandolin, Santoor ) . The song became a super duper hit. Q :- Where have u used the Mandolin Instrument ? SS :- Super Star Rajni Sir 's song " Oh ho Kick Yerudheee ( PADAIYAPPA )". The song was prepared primarily for Mandolin, and he asked me to prepare the same and get it. During Recording, he usually would ask to get about 10 to 15 instruments. But he told me to get one mandolin for this. I understood that there is something special about this song, as he wanted just one mandolin to be brought for the song. I understood that there is going to be something difficult in the song, else he wont tell particularly about the Mandolin Instrument. Even many Mandolin players had told me, that it's a difficult bit to be played. Many people have tried playing it in concerts and had suffered playing it. Many had rang me up and asked me " How did you manage playing it ?" I like the song very much, as we strained a lot in playing the same. For the film " Sangamam:, our Master MSV Sir was involved. We are all from his school of music. He has lot of love in me, and he was on the recording session for that film. Hariharan sir sang the initial bit and went off. Rahman sir brought 40 rhythms and mixed it. He told me to get all the instruments that I possessed for this song. When I started from my home, with all the Instruments, the neighbours asked me If I was leaving my home for another house ??. I brought all the instruments in five auto rickshaws..I replied to them saying, " No No. Rahman sir had called for a recording. He had instructed me t get all the insruments, for trying something new". 1. Rubob 2. Sauce 3. Mandolin 4. Utilin 5. Basukin We had mixed all the six instruments into the rhythms to make it perfect, and the outcome was brilliant. I loved playing the Guitar Style in Nenje Nenje from ratchagan. This I loved the most. Actually, in guitar style comes in the sarodh style. There is a separate style for Guitar and a separate style for Guitar. One who can play both the instruments can do it. He told me to get both the instruments. In the second BGM of that song, in that classical guitar portion, he wanted a melody and on top of it, use the sarod style. That sarod bit was a very difficult bit. He didn't leave me till the last. Somehow he wanted me to finish it. I told him, that the range of the song was going very high, and it would be very tough. The fingering would be very tough. We can play the instrument maximum in two fingers only. He told me " If you cant do, then who else is there. Try it. You will get it". With his encouragement , we could do it in the First take itself. I asked him, if we can go for another take, for which he said, " No. You cant play this bit for another take. Even if I give you a year's timing, it wont come". Even after some years, when I tried playing it, whenever the same raga is played with the sarod, I never used to get it. I could realize the importance of his words. For the film Gentleman, I had played for some 4 or 5 songs. Esp the song " Usilambatti". He waited for me for the song. At that time, I used to go frequently to Bangalore, as I was also doing Kannada Films. Once, without informing him, I went off. After that he asked me " Am I doing any Tv Serial ?. or an album ?. I am doing a film. Why didn't you inform me before going?". I told him " Sir. I had agreed to that earlier. That's why". Then he told," Ok. Play this and go". My train was at 1 30 Pm , and recording was scheduled at 10 AM . I was sure that the song couldn't be completed before that timing. But the song finished in fifteen minutes. By 10 45 AM or 11, we were out. Actually, he also congratulated me for playing the song well. Kuchi Kuchi Rakkamma – Bull Bull Thara The Bull Bull Thara is actually a qawwalli instrument. On the left side, it would be like a typewriting instrument, and on the right side, the usage of the second and the third fingers, would be on a small clip, like that of a veena. When the right and the left ends are simultaneously used, the noises would be high. Just like, when a type writer is used. But he wanted those noises in that song. Nowadays sensitive mikes capture all sorts of noises and sounds. And it was a challenge to play that instrument for that song. It was a speed bit. Actually, while pressing one finger, and leaving it, the noise would come, and he asked, " If something could be done without the noises emanating". I said that it would be really tough to do anything without the noises. We tried pouring coconut oil into the buttons, as similar to pouring oil in cycle chokes to minimize the noise. The oil worked out, and the noise started reducing. Then he told, " This is Ok. We will adjust this to the maximum". Actually, the price of the instrument is Rs 75, but he paid me Rs 2500. I was very happy for it. The song became a super hit, and for about two to three years, wherever I went, the song used to chase me . was a great hit in Tamil as well as Hindi languages. INDIAN – Maya Machindra For the Indian Film, he had asked me to get my own set up. In an evening at 6 Pm, he asked me one day, if I had got something new. I replied, there was an instrument by name Farz. It was a Turkese Instrument. A friend of mine had given it to me. I couldn't understand anything of it. I told him that if there is a cassette on the same, I can hear and try to do some idea on it. Then, he gave me an cassette, and told me to listen to one particular style. I heard it for sometime, and told him that the same could be used in a song. We put it as " Ni Sa Sa Ni Sa Ma Ga Ni Sa Sa Ni Sa" . He told, this is new, for which I told " No sir. We can play this somewhere in the song". This came in the strings following the words " Maya Machindra Macham Paarka Vandeera" ( after these lyrics, the string comes ) Its fully gut strings. Usually it comes in two strings, but this came out in three strings. So, we need to fix the fingers well, for listening to all the three strings. Even if one string is not listened properly, it becomes cacophony. The song became a super hit, and also the bit, where those strings come. -- regards, Vithur ARR -- The Sweet Cube always
