An observation

I am finally putting actions to my passion... my love for music is typical of the sort of passion a person acquires over time. I have grown up listening to a good mix of classical music, ghazals, light film songs and the typical dance numbers... enough to give me a self-induced understanding of what I consider good music to my ears.... But of late, I have been enthralled by the little nuances that make listening all the more pleasurable. I have started noticing the instrumentation to a great deal.. one the prime reasons ARR is my favourite music composer. The sheer ensemble of instruments he uses mesmerizes me... words of poetry give us meaning for the song, but the accompanying instruments is what touches the ear and reaches the heart and soul... Being in the Bay Area is the closest I could have been to being home.. be it family, childhood friends, chaat or bollywood movies at the multiplexes every other weekend... and come spring and summer, the opportunity to experience the soulful renditions of some of the famous sons and daughters of the Indian music fraternity.

I have attended two live concerts in the last 4 weeks. First was a classic combo of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain. Percussion always pricked my senses. Its what prompted me to take up Mridangam for a couple of years... I wish I could give an answer for not pursuing it.... The sharpness of a percussion instrument, the fact that its not what gives melody to the tune, but nonetheless completes it... I had never before seen either of these artistes perform live... Santoor, a part of the next set of instruments I enjoy, string... and tabla by the Ustad himself. To say it was blissful is to understate my experience... yesterday, I got to listen to Jagjit Singh. I have listened to my dad croon his songs totally unaware of the fact that he's listening to it on his headphones but subjecting me and mom to his unedited voice!!A small observation though.. I felt that at both concerts, a certain segment was a little light, a little easy going.... I am not sure if it was done specifically for the audience set since we are away from India or do these artistes perform the same way even if they are performing in front of a home crowd. Maybe I was so immersed into the music that I didn't want to lose the intensity of my listening experience... but all in all, I am glad I am finding this way of spending quality time experiencing something which goes a long way in enriching the way I feel about myself. Music touches my soul, makes it smile... :)