Shankar Mahadevan's Jugal-bandi 2010

Acoustic Drum sets

Acoustic drum sets have been really proved to be a boon for the musical industry and have completely added a new feeling to the drum culture. Traversing different roads, it has been present as an integral part of the music culture globally.

A drum set can best be described as a collection of drums, and other percussion instruments. The different instruments present in this kind if niche drum set compliment each other and inject life into a musical show, presenting it as a whole new package.

Some of the acoustic drum sets, which have completely transformed the global musical scene, are as followed

Cowbell
Wood block
Chimes
Tambourines

Different kinds of drum sets help to produce different varieties of music. This special drum sets have been proved to be the order of the day and have successfully carved a niche for itself.

Characteristic features of acoustic drum sets are as followed-

They provide live sound effects to the drums.
They have got some of the world class amplifiers.
They have inbuilt microphones in them.
They have got mixers.
They have samplers in them.
They have got rack equipments.
They have well built fully equipped computer softwares in them.
They provide greater versatility to the users.
These drum sets can easily adapt themselves to the different musical styles.
They add greater transportation options to the drummer.

Different categories of drum sets, which have contributed to the musical landscape globally, are as followed-

Sabian Drum
Alesis Drum
Audix Drum
Evans Drum
Gibraltar Drum

The following types of acoustic drum sets are the most popular ones amongst the noted drummers globally

Remo RotoTom Drums with Stand
Mapex Pro M Limited 7 Piece Shell Pack Drum Set 
Mapex Pro M Fusion Pop 22 7 Piece Drum Set 
Pacific Drums X7 Series 7 Piece Drum Set 
Gretsch Catalina Club Mod 4 Piece Shell Pack Drum Set 
Tama Starclassic Performer EFX 4 Piece Shell Kit Drum Set 
Pearl Joey Jordison EXport 7-Piece Double Bass Drum Set 
Pacific Drums by Drum Workshop Jr. 5-Piece Drum Set with Cymbal and Hardware Jet 
Ludwig Accent 5 Piece Combo Drum Set 
Tama SL44Z-BMF Superstar Rock 
Pearl Forum FX725DC 5 Piece Drum Kit

Drums have emerged as the new age instrument, which can really enliven a music show. So, learn to play a drum set and make people dance to your tunes. 

Musical Legends - Kishore Kumar

When we start talking on male singers in India, two-three names which first strike in our mind are Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar. These people with their melodious voice had created magic in Indian music. The magic they had created has not been recreated or matched by any of the following singers till date.


Kishore Kumar is the first singer who received eight Filmfare Awards as Best Playback Singer. Kishore Kumar was a versatile singer. He had many moods in his singing. Kishore had a unique style in his singing that is Yodelling, which therafter became Kishore's trademark.

Kishore Kumar was also one of the best comedian actors. Kishore Kumar also had produced 14 films. He also had composed music and written stories for those films. He has also written screenplays for 5 films. Kishore Kumar also had directed 12 films.

Before Kishore Kumar (August 4, 1929 - 13 October, 1987) stepped into Indian film industry, his elder brother Ashok Kumar was already an established actor. Kishore was 20 years younger than Ashok Kumar. Kishore Kumar was youngest amongst four siblings. His other brother Anoop Kumar was also an actor.

As Ashok Kumar was a successful actor in Bollywood, Kishore Kumar was visiting Mumbai regularly. Kishore Kumar's real name was Abhas Kumar which he changed before entering into film industry. Kishore Kumar began his career as chorus singer at Bombay Talkies. His debut film as an actor was Shikari in 1946.

His breakthrough film as singer was Aradhana in 1969 featuring actor Rajesh Khanna. Kishore Kumar came to fame with two songs from the film- Mere Sapnon ki Rani and Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera. Since then Kishore Kumar sang in many films for Rajesh Khanna. His voice also suited best to actors Dev Anand and Amitabh Bachchan. He was expert in modulating his voice to suit to different heroes.

As an actor, Kishore Kumar is best remembered for his roles Padosan and his home production Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi along with his two elder brothers and wife Madhubala was appreciated by the the film fraternity.

The unconventional, the incomparable singer died on October 13, 1987 due to heart attack. A day before his death Kishore Kumar sang his last song Guru O Guru along with Asha Bhosle, for the film Waqt ki Aawaz (1988) which was composed by Bappi Lahiri. During his life time, Kishore Kumar acted in 50 films and he had sung for 200 films.

Kishore Kumar is considered to be a “versatile genius” with so many outstanding facets of his artistic personality. If overall as an artist, Kishore is versatile, only in singing domain he is a “versatile singer” in a true nature. Right from romantic to sad to soulful to motivating to semi-classical to qawwali to patriotic and to ghazals, Kishore had shown his tremendous variety in his god-given voice each and every time he had stood behind the microphone.

Musical Legends - Sonu Nigam

Sonu Nigam (born 30 July 1973 in Faridabad, Haryana, India) is a highly acclaimed Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi and Kannada movies, as well as Marathi and Telugu movies. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films. 

                                                           http://sonunigamvideos.blogspot.com/

Sonu Nigam began his singing career at the age of three, when he joined his father on stage to sing Mohammad Rafi's "Kya Hua Tera Wada, Wo Kasam Wo Irada." From then on, Sonu accompanied his father on his singing appearances at weddings and parties. In his teenage years, Nigam participated in several music competitions successfully. He moved to Mumbai with his father to begin his Bollywood singing career at the age of 19. His initial years in Mumbai proved to be a struggle, beginning by singing covers of Mohammad Rafi songs, mainly for a number of "Rafi Ki Yaadein" albums released by T-Series.Nigam's first movie song as a playback singer was in the film Janam (1990), which was never officially released. Sonu also got a break in several radio commercials until he appeared on the popular TV show Sa Re Ga Ma, after which there was no turning back.The format of that show gave him a chance to showcase his singing skills including his later well-known natural charm and audience appeal. Then he sang "Accha Sila Diya" on the album Bewafa Sanam (1995), which established his status as a recognized playback singer. Singing offers poured in thereafter, albeit slowly at first. He rose to fame with the Anu Malik composed song "Sandese Aate Hain," in Border in 1997 and the Nadeem-Shravan composed song "Yeh Dil Deewana" in Pardes in the same year. Since then, he has created a unique style of his own, and has become a role model for emerging vocal talent in India.

Over the years, Sonu has become a major force in the Indian music industry. He has provided playback singing for a large number of Hindi movies and won many awards. His rendition of the title song of the film Kal Ho Na Ho has been highly popular and is considered a modern legend of sorts. He is recognized for his versatile voice as well as excellent emotion range. Sonu has sung with clear pronunciations, in many languages besides Hindi, including Bengali, Oriya, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, English, Bhojpuri, Urdu, Nepali and Marathi. He remains particularly popular in Southern India for his Kannada songs and has won a few awards in this particular industry. Sonu has also released a number of pop albums, both in Hindi and in Punjabi. The very recent addition to this list is "Classically Mild".

Stage and Sonu are words which go hand in hand. He has been singing since he was 3 and his energy and zest has only increased with every performance. Sonu has performed not only all over India but almost in every Continent. He has toured America, UK, Europe, South Africa, France, Germany, Pakistan, Dubai, Afghanistan, Africa, Singapore, Bangkok, New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Mauritius, Australia and Egypt. He always performs 'Live' with his band which makes him a class apart. The grandeur of his shows is always compared to star shows as no singer has ever been given such publicity and production value. His shows stretch over 3 and half hours with 2 entries where he alone performs in each segment for over an hour. His excellent rapport with the audience and his energetic acts bowled over the audiences all over the world and the magic continues. Some of his recent memorable and successful tours include the Idea Rocks India Tour in 2006, Simply Sonu Tours in 2006 and 2007 ,The Incredibles tour of North America with Asha Bhonsle, Kunal Ganjawala and Kailash Kher in 2007 and the Rafi Resurrected Tour with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 2008. In 2006, he was also invited to Melbourne to perform at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games along with several other eminent personalities. A huge landmark in Sonu’s career was being invited to perform at the prestigious Harvard University in November 2007 on the momentous occasion of the Installation of Dr.Drew Gilpin Faust as Harvard University’s 28th president. Perhaps one could say history had been made. Not just Harvard history, which it certainly was, as the first ever South Asian, or any ethnic performance for that matter, at such a Harvard ceremony. But in a wider context, it was a symbolic moment of the next phase for our music on the world stage - one that will be looked upon often for inspiration. Sonu wholeheartedly accepted the honour of the stage realizing the immense potential the combination of his celebrity and this exalted platform held, in launching Indian music into the next orbit. He took Harvard students as his accompanists - a gesture of foresight that was greatly praised by faculty and administrators, and presented Gandhiji’s favourite Bhajan “Vaishnava Jana To” in his own style, transalating it into English as well.

Sonu has done various charity work all over India as well as abroad for Dignity Foundation, Cancer organizations, Leprosy organizations, Blindness organizations, Women's welfare organizations, Kargil war affected families, Earthquake affected families. He also sponsors a child from the organization “Crayon”.

He is often referred to as India's best playback singer and as the Golden Voice of Indipop but he has proved time and again that he is a complete musician and an institution in himself with extra-ordinary talent and a voice to die for. He is a student of music,with a zeal to surpass his own targets and a performer par excellence. Today he is a superstar,an icon to millions of music lovers across the globe. He is a legend approaching the age of 37, and the journey has just begun!


Just visit  http://sonunigamvideos.blogspot.com/  for interesting videos, articles and latest news and gossips of Sonu Nigam.

Reign of Hindi Music

Music can simply be labeled as a blend of various ordered sounds that unite to form a soothing effect, but the realm of music is very comprehensive. In a broader sense music is termed as a magic that flows through your veins and hits both your body and the soul. Various ingredients that make music a touching obsession are Pitch (Tune and Harmony), Rhythm (Beats and Pulse), Dynamics and the sonic traits incorporated with vocal echo. Varied Modes and Themes of Music say Romantic, Sad, Patriotic, Dance and Meditation, have the power to bring immense change to human mood and that too within no time. Music and songs have always been a perfect source of relaxation for all.

Indian music basically originated with some traditional classical compositions but slowly and steadily transformed into modern day Hindi melodies. Nowadays Hindi music is not just confined to India but is making a mark all over the world, thanks to the growing Technology and awareness. And why not as Indian Hindi Music has a history of more than 5000 years which is well above any supplementary variety of harmony. This proves the fact that music follows no traditions, belief, or ethnic precincts.

Hindi music consists of various diverse genres like Folk songs, Classical, Melody, Bollywood Songs, Bhangra, Ghazals, Dance numbers, remix, Instrumental, Marriage songs, Oldies, Patriotic songs, Karaoke, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Punjabi. People in India are passionate for their music. Hindi music is one of the greatest reasons behind the success of Bollywood. Movie songs are used to promote the films even before the movie is released.

Over the period of time there have been many Hindi singers who have contributed towards taking Indian Music to the glories like Kishor Kumar, Mohd. Rafi, R. D. Burman, A.R Rehman, Lata Mangeshkar, Jagjit Singh, Asha Bhonsle, Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Sukhvinder Singh, Ghulam Ali, Kavita Krishanmurti, R.D. Burman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Udit Narayan, Shankar Mahadevan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghosal, Anu Malik and many more.

Musical Synthesizer

The invention of the musical synthesizer revolutionized the world of sound recreation. A performer who wanted to recreate a particular sound on stage used to rely on old-fashioned recordings. Today, thousands of sounds, notes and frequencies can be generated in real time on stage at the touch of a button.

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument that can produce various sounds. Its name comes from what it does: it "synthesizes" sound. It works by generating and combining different frequencies. It can produce thousands of different sounds and sound combinations.

Performers who want to add the sound of a car horn to a performance need not use an audio tape of a car horn. Instead, the sound can be generated with the push of a button. The synthesizer can even produce multiple sounds simultaneously, like a horn honk and a bird call, for example.

The earliest known synthesizer was invented by Elisha Gray in the late 1800's. Gray is more well-known for some of his other inventions, most notably the telegraph and a telephone prototype. Gray was a pioneer in electronics and ahead of his time in many respects. His early device, though somewhat rudimentary by modern standards, paved the way for today's models.

The next inventor to improve upon the synthesizer was Robert Moog. Moog was a brilliant scientist who received a Ph.D. in engineering physics in the mid 1900s. He spent his career working with and developing electronic music systems, instruments and devices. Moog is considered by many to be the father of the modern synthesizer.

Moog's device was the first ever to use a piano keyboard as a controller. Previous prototypes used buttons, dials and levers. This is why they have become largely associated with pianos and electronic keyboards today. However, they can actually be controlled through other means. Guitar synthesizers are an example of this.

Early synthesizers were large and unwieldy, not very suitable for transporting. Moog's design, plus evolving technology, led the way for smaller and more portable units. These smaller devices are much more practical for performing, especially when traveling is involved.

Today's synthesizers are highly sophisticated devices. They employ computer technology and are comprised of computer chips and motherboards. The units are compact and relatively self-contained (like today's computers) and can be transported easily.

The keyboard synthesizer is still popular with musicians, particularly those who perform regularly on stage. Today musicians can also use software synthesizers, also referred to as softsynth. This type uses computer software for digital audio generation. Softsynth is often used for studio recording. Another less common device is the saxophone-style synthesizer.

Modern electronic keyboards usually have synthesizer components, if only in limited form. Mass-marketed electronic keyboard synthesizers are usually rudimentary compared to professional models, which have greater synthesizing capabilities. However, even these rudimentary keyboards demonstrate just how far technology has evolved over the decades. Many features available on the cheapest keyboard synthesizers are more advanced than the best of yesteryear's technology.

Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Designs are likely to get better and more efficient. Synthesizer sounds will improve in quality. The range of possibilities for sound production and reproduction make the science and engineering a worthwhile investment.

Wherever You go, Carry your Music collection with you.

With the growing popularity of external hard drives, people are choosing to store their music on an outside source. After all, it is likely that you have very little need to bring your music with you as your transport your laptop to and from work. Additionally, keeping your music on an external drive allows you to transport it freely. You can plug your external into anybody’s computer, and jam out to your favorite tune using their computer!

Think of it this way. External hard drives are basically just gigantic versions of the classic thumb drives. While most thumb drives can support around 1 gigabyte of information, the average external hard drive can store 100 gigabytes. That’s like having 100 thumb drives right at your service! Not only can you fit your entire music library on one external hard drive, but you can back up your important files and documents as well.

We all know music can be very expensive. On Itunes, most songs are sold for about $2, and full albums cost around $13. This may not seem like much, but trust me, it adds up. Most people don’t realize how expensive their music was until they have lost it all and have to start recollecting from scratch. So whether you choose to store it all on an external hard drive, or simply back it up using an external hard drive, you should take steps to ensure its safety.

External hard drives are also often utilized be professional DJs. When attending events, DJs often have a specific external hard drive which contains music tailored to the specific event. For some weddings, this may mean having an acceptable variety of songs which are unedited. Now, when the same DJ spins at the local nightclub, he will want to use the raw, uncut versions of the songs. By separating them onto two hard drives, he will no longer have to worry about playing the wrong version of a song at an event which he is spinning.

Additionally, some hard drives are claimed to be virtually indestructible. These hard drives, which often will hold over 500 gigabytes of information, are flood and fire proof. If there’s one way to ensure the safety of your music, it is through the use of one of these super external hard drives!