Song: oh vasantha
Film: Neengal kettavai

Note the following
1. It is a situation song
2. The director wanted to convey something to the audience thro ilayaraja's music.

The prelude( 00.01 to 00.34) is not the conventional one.Listen to the first interlude (1.00 to 1.31). it is a typical fusion. The rhythm is on a mridangam and stings are close to that of western orchestration. but the first charanam (1.31 to 2.04) is carnatic. u dont get to hear the Ghamakams in this part and u should not conclude that this is not pure carnatic. ghamakams are only a part of carnatic..The first charanam: Read kiran kumars observation, the hero sings the song on a rock, while the heroine sings it on a disco bar. i am equating to the first line of my description of a "situation song". The tala or the beat that this song follows is not the general one that we get to hear on kutcheries/ The tune is a pure carnatic based one. "suddhadhanyasi" for others and unconsiously to ilayaraja too.Ignore the below if u r not exposed to carnatic music.sudha dhanyasi is supposed to have Sa Ga Ma Pa Ni Sa; Sa Ni Pa Ma Ga Sa. if there is a change in the raaga pattern like the one in this song of Ni-2 of kayisikhi nisadham to Ni-3 of khakali nisadham then there can be no room given for the song in the suddhadhanyasi group. Something that i wud say the carnatic specialist didn't dare to speak about this song is beacuse it had a irrelevant note creeping in the middle of a constant note pattern of suddhadhanyasi, and that it had all the flavours of suddhadhanyasi. u need to have a microscope that can find mistakes in thiyagaraja's krithis,if u want to find a flaw with rajaa's raaga based songs. If i wud have been in raja's place, i wud have highlighted this change to the audience and wud have given my girl friends and named it as a raaga, invented by me.


Song: Oru kili iurugudhu
Film: Anandha kummi

Linkhttp://as01.cooltoad.com/music/song.php?id=223202the reason for me to give this link before the description is for u to hear this song first and read the description. there is a reason behind this attempt. so please listen to the song first and read the description. ____________________________________________________________________________Perhaps one song in which ilayaraja wud have never used strings. Yet one of my most favourite.simple prelude! the song is so simple and just built on the richness of its tune. Something intersting about this film. The story and lyrics are by vairamuthu. one of the best. (correct me if i am wrong)Krishnah's observation- there are no strings and tabla that u wud normally find in every song of the maestro. look at the number of instruments that u get to hear in this song.1. flute2. keyboard3. electric guitar4. guitar5. percussion. The rhythm is a simple one. the tune is a complex one. yet they match perfectly. two singers, janaki and S.P.shailaja. Now the most intersting part of this song. when u listen to the timer 1.53 to 2.08, u will feel as if strings are backing at this point. but actually not. its the flute that plays the role of the strings during this timer. Now just imagine a orchestra backing during this timer. How amazing !!!!???

Song: Nee paadhi naan paadhi
Sung by K.J. Yesudas and Uma Raman and features in the film "keladi Kanmani".This song is based on the raaga called "chakravagam" (other songs include Alli sundaravalli laali from kangalin vaarthaigal or Halli Laavaniyali from the kannada film Nammura Mandaara Hoove)Listening to the prelude(00.03 to 00.21) itself will be amazing. The three instruments in a shortest duration of 18 seconds and each instruments doing a complete cycle in this timing is literally a magic. there is only simple formula if u listen carefully, all the three instruments start on a higher note and comes down to the lowest note, yet all the sound different. now note this carefully, almost all the three instruments are of the same time length. Almost the entire song is dominated by the "VEENA" and the way it stands on its note in the first interlude 1.06 to 1.38 is perfect. esp during 1.33 to 1.38. The beat on which the song is built is a simple Tabla one, well supported by "Bass". ilayaraja is one composer who decides the beats after composing the tune. This can be evident when the constant rhythm changes during 2.02 and gets back to its track during 2.15.Now something to lit u up. as i said ilayaraja always arranges beats to the tune and to prove it, listen to 2.04 and 2.05, where u can clearly see the tabla beats pausing and creating a sustain(vibration) to support the voice (also check 3.45 and 3.46). its a wonderful tune, but ilayaraja is one composer who can make even the best sound much better. example when u listen to the stress of bass, when the word "kanna" is sung. the bass simply produces a vibration on one single note. Simply marvellous and thanks for giving an oppurtunity to write about this song. here is the link.http://music.cooltoad.com/music/song.php?id=218795