I recently discovered the music of Arthi Meera on Myspace, and even though it’s probably too late to get counted on Siddhartha’s end of the year poll, I think readers might want to go check her out.
Of the songs that are up at Myspace, “Silty Sea” has gotten the most plays — and it’s a lovely song. But “Wander Away” is a catchy and infectious pop melody. Her album is also available via Itunes (I would recommend “In my head” and “It’s not you.”).
Arthi, who plays guitar and sings on all her songs, was raised in Chicago, and lives there now. She says she was trained in classical Hindustani singing, though the songs on her album show no trace of that particular background. Snippets of her voice, singing “Pardesi Jaana Nahin,” are in the closing credits of the film V For Vendetta (listen to BKAB Speechless at Ethan Stoller’s Myspace page; incidentally, Manish mentioned this song months ago). [Correction: that is not Arthi Meera’s voice, I’m told.]
I was a little curious about how she went from ‘A’ to ‘B’, so I sent her an email with some questions. Her reply was pretty thought-provoking.First, on her own background and musical journey:
As far as my background in Hindustani vocal music, I don’t conflicted from a technical standpoint because the type of music I’m doing now feels entirely different. I learned Hindustani music for about ten years, until my senior year of high school, and picked up guitar my first year of college. I learned guitar by looking up tabs on the Internet of songs by my favorite bands, like the Smiths and the Sundays, and by asking people to teach me things. Soon after, I started writing songs and performing on campus. I think what I loved about guitar and songwriting right away is that it was an entirely personal pursuit. I practiced when I wanted to, played what and how I wanted. With Hindustani music, for years and years, you have to sing what is basically scripted for you, and then only begin to move into improvisation. And even the improvisation is within certain boundaries because of the raga. I love the freedom being able to play and sing what I think sounds good when I write songs.
Hindustani music still strikes a primal chord inside me and I can very emotional listening to it, maybe because it makes me think of my family. But I’ve always been most passionate about bands and indie or alternative rock, which is why guitar-driven songwriting is something I continue to pursue.
And here are her thoughts on why fusion isn’t always a good thing:
I think some South Asian musicians feel pressure to fuse elements of their Eastern and Western backgrounds, and a lot of times I don’t think these always mesh well together. I think it makes a much stronger statement to just play the kind of music I want to play and play it well, without feeling any pressure to artificially combine Hindustani vocals with acoustic guitar, for example. I figure that my background in Hindustani may come out more subtly in the music, and if not, that’s just as well. I don’t feel any less South Asian because of it.
It’s difficult, though, because maybe a South Asian American musician is trying in earnest to figure out how to represent this duality musically and settles on electric guitar with sitar, but that was co-opted by the Beatles 40 years ago, so where do you go from there? (I still love the Beatles!) I remain optimistic that this generation of artists will continue to chip away at a uniquely South Asian American identity that doesn’t rely on anything trite and that may be entirely different from what we see developing as a South Asian American identity right now.
While I do feel that there can be subtle ways to bring together different strands of one’s experience (i.e., Rudresh Mahanthappa), the general point she is making is quite a good one: a lot of young musicians and artists feel a kind of internal pressure to do something fusiony, when they might really be better off following either a purely Indian classical or a western/pop track without overlap. (Admittedly, the possibilities for fusion look a little different if your framework is modern jazz — which has a certain essential formelssness — rather than pop.)
It really depends on one’s constitution as an artist. I often wish Anoushka Shankar — who had the best classical training imaginable — would use less “fusion” too, or at least, less synth. Her attempt to create a “marketable” sound has led, in Rise (and the concerts she did in support of the CD), to something that feels a little diluted at times.
Panini,
That’s patently obvious.
Agreed. You also claim to be an expert on Indian history compared to the rest of us, yet provide no verifiable, credible sources to support this statement or any of your own assertions, despite challenging others to do the same.
Please explain, for our benefit, exactly what makes you such an scholarly authority on both of the above areas, especially since on this thread you have now sought to dismiss Amardeep’s opinions on the subject, as follows:
Try to refrain from launching personal attacks against me or engaging in sneering attempts to bait me when answering the question this time, if you are capable of doing so without resorting to such childish tactics.
[German accent] Papers? [/German accent]
Woah, lets not go there. It certainly is insufficient (not to mention arrogant and pathetic) to merely assert your credibility, but formal credentials are not what truly validate it. All you have to do is walk the walk and people will know you’re for real.
Lots of gay republicans on this thread.
Is it just me, or is the repeated use of the term “Hindustani music” and “Hindustani singing”, kind of weird? Cuz, when you refer to Hindustani music, what exactly are you referring too? I realize the use of the term Hindustani by Arthi Meera may betray biases her parents exposed her to, and that it really might be a synonym for Indian music. Still, there’s a dearth of Indian styles of music, so it just brings me back, what is Hindustani music?
Is it just me, or is the repeated use of the term “Hindustani music” and “Hindustani singing”, kind of weird?
It is not at all. The other one is Carnatic Music, and they are distinct.
It is a very formal term. Read here for more info.
Maybe, it is your bias or lack of knowledge.
I stand corrected.
With Hindustani music, for years and years, you have to sing what is basically scripted for you, and then only begin to move into improvisation. And even the improvisation is within certain boundaries because of the raga.
I recently went to a workshop by some well-renowned Carnitic Musicians, which was moderated by one of the Professors here in Music Department @ OSU. During workshop, they distinctly compared with Hindustani Music and some elements of classical Western music in some very fine details. It was really enjoyable as they played music and then discussed the theory of music.
Their opinion and discussions were/ are quite contrary and varied to your assertion above. They covered creativity/ deviation from rules feature in Hindustani, Carnatic, Western very distinctly and had a different ideas than yours. Maybe, they are more experienced than you are, possibly. Just wanted to point that out.
Anyway, keep making music. All the best…………
Well, as a matter of fact, I do not have the privilege of initiating a master discourse in which I give opinions on ‘fusion’ etc. If people here have the right to say they like Aarthi or Niaz or Ethan or praise Amardeep’s post – “great post” etc – I would assume that I have a right to make my praise (or lack of it) of what appears here a little complex. Now, it may be trifle delusional of me to think that I have the capacity to make the argument a little more complex but I am not as yet convinced that I have reached that extreme an end of narcissism. I have a right to exist. And I have that right to existence regardless of what my qualifications as a musicologist are for a similar right and much more is enjoyed by a lot many people in this very space. Unless, of course the argument is that I have a right to exist in another continent as this is a protected space. If that is the case, I will go away.
No, I do not think I have the same sort of right to hold onto claims of authority on music as Amardeep has on literature. For, as Allama Iqbal would have said and I quote:
I just got carried away. My apologies! But I do have some grounding in music – insufficient, but it is there!
The thing about the limitation of Hindustani classical music was commented upon by Aarthi which I thought was a bit unfair and it wasn’t right to let it go unchallenged. I still think she is wrong. I wonder why it should hurt anyone especially when it isn’t abusive or racist or gender-insensitive etc. It is just an opinion. If someone disagrees with that one may say so. Where is the offense in that?
No, I am not a student of history. My academic background – not my vocation – is sciences.
this woman is awesome – thanks sm for bringing her to our collective attention. and i like that she doesn’t feel the need to inject any fusion nonsense just to pander to… us.
Drummer Jeet Sahab did show his proud understanding of literkichad in the martial race. So Bolo To Nihal Drummer Jeet hai Akaal.
I really fail to understand why between “She’s awesome” and “she is good but limited” for her music to me seems to lack in a tangible sense of baRhat – Rabbi Shergill, another guitarist with his own lyrics, is way ahead in this regard – why the former comment should be valorised and the latter panned. Her voice is good – like Indian Ocean’s Ashim’s grain of voice is good but he is so obviously besura – but her melody tends to become monotonous. Why do we always need to think in terms that throttle discussion and debate. She is a good, competent singer. Isn’t that good enough? And if she is awesome to some, then so be it.
Guys it’s just music…it’s supposed to flow from you the creator. Ignore music theory and presuppositions – what’s good, what’s bad, what’s right, what’s wrong that’s all irrelevant and subjective; all that matters is that the creator wanted it to be enjoyable and if even one person thinks so then the job is done.
Now as far as Arthi’s stuff is concerned – I personally have heard and enjoyed her stuff on myspace before (so her main job is completed). But, what I didn’t know were her thoughts on her own compositions; until Amardeep’s post.
What I have to say is that it’s sad that she feels the need to separate her western and eastern training. It’s sad that to create music she feels the need to ignore an inherent part of who she is. Yes – create compositions that are totally western but (and I don’t know if I am the only one who thought this) it felt as if she was doing it almost forcefully.
I have done a few compositions and it’s almost natural to wanna throw tabla or flute samples into them because it feels natural, it makes it mine, it becomes an expression of who I am. A composition. A bit melodramatic? Maybe, but I think as a person if you have two separate parts of you that have been forced to intertwine then it would be liberating to express them in such a forthcoming manner as music. But hey, ultimately she is the creator of her own music. All power to her and I look forward to hearing what else she has coming up.
“I have done a few compositions and it’s almost natural to wanna throw tabla or flute samples into them because it feels natural, it makes it mine, it becomes an expression of who I am. A composition. A bit melodramatic? Maybe, but I think as a person if you have two separate parts of you that have been forced to intertwine then it would be liberating to express them in such a forthcoming manner as music. But hey, ultimately she is the creator of her own music. All power to her and I look forward to hearing what else she has coming up.”
i respect what you’re saying, but as someone with extensive musical training in both western classical and carnatic music, i would have to strongly disagree with what’s quoted above. i learned both side by side, often shuffling from one practice to the other. i have a deep love for both — perhaps more for carnatic — but for me, they exist in two separate places in my mind. they represent different facets of my life and different parts of my heart and soul go into playing each type of music. i too have composed a few pieces and i wouldn’t say that it’s natural to want to throw in tabla samples simply because it’s part of my musical makeup. i think perhaps for the sanctity of both types of music, i would not blend the two unless intentionally making “fusion” music. i am a traditionalist, not an experimenter, so this is just my take. obviously arthi has extensive musical tastes and knowledge; i’m not sure why, simply because she has hindustani training, that means she is limiting herself as an artist or as a person. writing and playing music, as you say, is an expression of who you are — but it doesn’t necessarily have to represent all of who you are. perhaps this is just one facet of who arthi is.
and as long as we’re talking about things that are limited — it seems fairly limited to judge a person’s entire musical philosophy and potential based on a couple isolated quotes when she is actually a living, breathing, evolving human being who probably has a lot more to say than what’s presented in this post.
also to Kush Tandon: i don’t know if you yourself have had any training in any type of Indian music but i do not know of a single student here in the US or Indian who did not go through years of intense, repetitive, guru-directed training before moving on to improvisation. i think perhaps you may be misinterpreting what you heard at this workshop — you heard the master’s perspective but not the student’s. improvisation is considered an extremely advanced and coveted skill; to the best of my knowledge, it’s not even encouraged until the basics are mastered.
you heard the master’s perspective but not the student’s. improvisation is considered an extremely advanced and coveted skill; to the best of my knowledge, it’s not even encouraged until the basics are mastered. You are correct. That is true, they were masters (they were touring US, and 2 out of 3 were not young either) in Carnatic music and the general discussion they lead was fairly advanced. They never claimed it they spoke for students, and early career musicians.
We all learned a lot from them, and they did and explained some amazing improvisations.
Also, I have also seen Zakir Hussian doing amazing improvisations but then he is also very advanced.
(btw i’m not necessarily endorsing the indian drill-and-kill method of teaching, just pointing out that the more senir and esteemed gurus out there force students to jump through all sorts of technical hoops before moving on to tha big leagues)
This is beginning to become interesting. Acharya Brahaspati, who passed away about 25 years ago in Delhi, was a prodigious ‘phiolosopher’ of music but was, at the same time, a ‘limited’ vocalist by any reckoning. The two levels of proficiency could be somewhat disaligned at the best of time. All this talk about the Guru-Shishya tradition is coming here a bit too late in the day. There is an obvious time warp. The feudal institutions where this practice flourished have nearly died a death ordained by the inexorable march of history. The paedagogic modes have changed so drastically that the debate about the expressed anxities of claustrophobia in regard to the classical music – both Hindustani and Carnatic – would not hold any longer. The new space is the space of academies: the ITC Sangeet Academy in Kolkota; the Bhartiya Kala Kendra in Delhi etc. Even the Kalakshetra down south in Chennai is no longer as tradition-bound as it used to be ten years ago. The old Gurus are no longer around. Those who are, no longer teach: names of Vidushi Gangubai Hangal, Pt Bhimsen Joshi come to mind instantly. Vidushi Kishori Amonkar is no longer teaching the way she was taught by the maestros of the Bhendi Bazaar. Pt Jasraj has likewise announced his charter of independence. The new ones are either not scared to experiment or are simply in a state of flight from the space of classicity but without renouncing its creative burden. A Shankar Mahadevan or a Sonu Nigam or a Sukhvinder do not ever forget to carry this baggage wherever they go. Nor, for that matter, do Shreya Ghosal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Mahalaxmi Iyer… This is equally true of urban balladeers like Rabbi, Maushami Bhowmik, Mou etc…
“i think perhaps for the sanctity of both types of music, i would not blend the two unless intentionally making ‘fusion’ music.”
Milli: See this is what I am uncomfortable with. The sanctity and partitions you speak of are man made and I think music should go beyond that. Fusion shouldn’t be ANOTHER category it should just flow from what you wish to create. What I was trying to get across was this: yes in learning music partitions and categories SHOULD exist – it becomes an easy way to teach facts if you can break them down into their components however, creation is an entirely different animal. Create from your core not from the boundaries you have been raised in – crossing lines is whats music exciting.
Now what I think would be amazing is to hear someone mix-up hindustani and carnatic schools (forget the west completely) and create an INDIAN classical style. Maybe someone a bit less of a purist than milli but a trained one none the least will be up to the challenge. (And yes I realize this is VERY UNLIKELY to happen – considering most people are trained in one or the other but one can dream – btw if you guys know anyone already doing this – i’d LOVE to hear it.)
“Now what I think would be amazing is to hear someone mix-up hindustani and carnatic schools (forget the west completely) and create an INDIAN classical style.”
Argh you’re making my ears bleed at the thought!!
😉
For those in the know…are there any raags common to both Hindustani and Carnatic styles? Any raags which are even similar or have the same origins in the two styles? Also, can anyone explain how some miniature paintings are meant to depict raags? Thanks in advance.
ditto to what Amitabh requested and milli: come on girl you know you are curious too 😉
The fusion conversation is so interesting to me. Milli, GauravM, et al., to what extent do folks feel that a “divide” between both musical styles is “natural/unnatural”? Does anyone have specific fusion artists they enjoy and would recommend? What have folks thought of Western-trained artists using instruments or elements from different desi musical traditions?
Also, milli, why wouldn’t you blend things together when it felt or sounded “right” to the composer/listener? From a musician’s perspective I find this really interesting. I agree that things do not always sync well, but it almost seems like things can be combined much the way different genres can be successfully combined. Is it really just the “purist” element?
?
Yes, several are the same but not nearly all (they have different names in the two systems).
Ragas are associated with moods, or certain times of day, or certain occasions, or elements, etc.
You opened the discussion of “qualifications” with your assertion of expertise. Those who live by the sword can’t complain when asked to die by it.
But I agree with Shruti in comment 52. Sorry for going there everyone 🙂
There’s a whole lot of such ragas. There are some diferences, but most of them are very subtle. Raga Kalyani is the Carnatic equivalent of Raga Yaman in Hindustani music. Similarly, Raga Malkauns in Hindustani music is Raga Hindolam in Carnatic music.
As for similar styles or origins, if I’m not mistaken, the Carnatic vocal style of Thillana is borrowed from the Hindustani style of Tarana. Though both are essentially meaningless words or syllables, Taranas have some Persian-sounding words in them.
The first of December, 2006 the prestigious Other Festival in Chennai opened with a performance – FanaÂ’a: Ranjha Revisited – which brought together the legends of Vasanthvalli and Heer Ranjha rendered in two distinct styles – the Carnatic and Hindustani. The connoisseurs were absolutely ecstatic. The Hindu, the Deccan Chronicle and the New Indian Express raved about this deeply moving and path-breaking musical and choreographic experience. The next day, Kalakshetra, the seat of classicity in Chennai, opened its portals to a first ever rendition of Heer Ranjha to once again an ecstatic response by both the Gurus and Shishyas. Things were moving with a creative charge and cultural boundaries were being redrawn/redefined and apparently “nobodyÂ’s ears bled”. The gory images of ‘bleeding earsÂ’ and ‘perishing by the swordÂ’ seem somewhat out of place in discussions about creativity and cultural exchange. Conflating the Germans metonymically with nazism is equally and unfortunately in poor taste. There is a huge amount of similarity – as also an equally huge amount of difference – between the two modes of singing. Those who have heard “Ja tose naahiN bolooN Kanhayia” rendered by Lata Mangeshkar would possibly recall that the composition is based on Raga Hamsdhwani. Not only that, the rendition is a near copy of PurandardasÂ’s kriti: Krishna ni begane baaru which has been popularized by the Leslie-Hariharan duo for the masses. Likewise, the late legendary MS Subbalakshmi and more recently, incredible Aruna Saeeram and Bombay Jayashree have rendered and popularized many of MeeraÂ’s bhajans and Mahatma GandhiÂ’s favorite Narsi MehtaÂ’s Vaishnav Jan to tene ri kahiye. AR RehmanÂ’s association with both Nusrat Fateh Ali and Sukhwinder is by now well-known and resulted in incredible compositions. Even Harris Jayaraj has followed the same route. As for the ragas, there are quite a few: Hindolam, Malkauns, Shankarabharanam , Bilawal, Hamsadhwani, Charukeshi, Kalavati, Poorvi Kalyan, Abhogi, BhairaviÂ… The names may at times differ but the melodic structures do not. The Carnatic beat structures are far more complex than the Hindustani rhythms but even there, there are similar taal structures such as Matya (Matta), Rupaka, Jhampa (Jhap), Eka (Ek) etc. The Raagmala miniatures, to the best of my knowledge, have no direct co-relation to the Ragas except in reference to the time, season and the frozen idea of rasa invoked.
Holy shit.
As usual, I wander away from SM at exactly the wrong moments. WTF? Arthi and Ethan commenting, heated rants by DJ Drrrty hissownbadself, and then odd inchoate ramblings from someone who clearly thinks very highly of her own opinion of music?
WHY WAS I NOT ALERTED IMMEDIATELY?
I posit the following, Mutineers: some form of alert mechanism so that I (and other meddling busybodies like me) can become aware of developing situations like these in real time. I’m thinking a picture of AJP, hands to her ears a la “The Screamer” or “Home Alone” (take your pick), projected onto low-lying clouds, like the Bat Signal. This would be far more fun than some kind of mundane, “email me when it’s heated” type Web 0.20 feature or whatever.
Drrrty, thank you for the Muppets / Papa Kahthe / NIN mashup, by the way. I’ve forwarded that one far and wide. Mad props. I can’t help but bust into giggles at the ending of that one. I won’t criticize your rhythmic structures in that one, ok? 😀 What say you?
I’m hearing her stuff on MySpace right now. I am obviously a bit late, but I guess I’ll add my two cents here anyway.
She’s obviously not bad as some people here seem to be making of her. Her voice is fine for the genre. At the same time, it is clearly not out-of-the-world. Neither do I feel her training in Hindustani classical music (HCM) has any bearing on what I’ve heard uptil now.
Regardless of how extensive her training has been, I don’t think she is obligated to include any HCM or fusion in what she wants to compose (I got the feeling some people were expecting the same of her). I would however, disagree with the fact that HCM does not give freedom to the individual. Unlike jazz, HCM involves disciplined improvization (jazz can tend to get chaotic). Songwriting is not really giving her the “freedom” to break from the rules of a raga – it is simply an escape from the rigor involved, to something that is much much below what HCM is. The two can not be compared, as she has tried doing.
There is not a single person here, including me the one who dissented, who has said she is bad. As for the rest of what you have said, what else have I been saying here. A fact is a fact. She is good, she is competent. But she is not a genius – the “awesome” kind. There is at least one phrase in one of her songs – I forget which – where there is an obvious problem in the way her voice glides. Her views on HCM are error-prone – especially about the “freedom” it allegedly blocks. Having learnt HCM, as claimed by her, for 10 years, there is no way one is going to get rid of that baggage in one’s singing. But if she has the the talent and guts to do that, good luck to her.
I shudder to think of the kind of stiff resistance A-J Greimas would have faced in the US of A in propounding his theory of semiotic carre. Here, if you say anything short of “brilliant post”, “awesome singing”, you are somehow dubbed as “offensive” and “pseudointellectual” and to some sensitive souls you have made them hear “German accent”!
And yes, I have made politely dismissive statements about Amardeep’s understanding of music. I genuinely believe he has to do a lot of homework especially in the field of music and cinema before inviting people to respond to his opening master-discourse. Since he has a privileged position, he must also have a requisite degree of accountability.
The album is great. I reccomend it. Also, check out the One AM Radio if you are interested in more desi-indie music. I haven’t ever heard hrisikesh hriway’s take on being an Indian artist, but his music is brillant and seems to be unfettered by cultural boundary.
Maybe have a look at tabforge – it’s a free online guitar bass & drum tab archive could be really useful to find the tablature you need 😉
Froggy.. Checked the tabforge.. but does not seem to be a link.. Does anyone have bass tabs for the Badmarsh and Shri – Signs album I have seen them 2 years ago in concert here in Istanbul. Wonderful.. Please let me know if anynow knows where I can locate their bass tabs 🙂
please tell me the tab of Vaishnav jan to.