Tuesday, 8 August 2006

Lesson-40 : Major to Minor Modulations - Basic Tool of IR !

One noteworthy point of IR music is here : That’s Modulation !

We had a brief introduction about modulation earlier.

Modulation means changing from one scale to another with minimum effort ie with minimum change of note ! usually just one note change !

Can you realize now that , If you are in C-Major, you can easily go to its minor equivalent A-harmonic minor, with just one change of note that is changing G to G-sharp !

Please thoroughly check your understanding of this point here !

Only thing you should additionally watch and remember is your tonic has come down by a Minor Third now ! which means calling each of the old notes in different new name in terms of tonic, super-tonic etc! That’s all.

Same way from a minor scale you can travel to its major scale equivalent, just by dropping that one additional sharp and shifting the Tonic to Minor 3rd upward…!

Do you agree….?

IR effortlessly handles such modulations in most of his songs !

One such example is “ Putham Pudhu Kaaalai…” which starts in one particular Minor in Pallavi, then it changes to equivalent Major scale in the charanam when its starts “Vaanil Thondrum…” ! When the charanam ends in the last two lines or so, it again travels back to the old minor to catch up with the minor Pallavi again….!

“Ilangathu Veesudhe” of Pithamagan also is of that category. Minor Pallavi and Major Charanam .

Examples like this are many……….!

If you could appreciate this modulation, I believe I have achieved something of my efforts in reaching the WCM to you ! Give me that hope !

Again, Out of the Minor Group of songs of IR, most of them are Melodic Minor Type.

May be its flexibility of changing in 6th and 7th, gives a slightly better feeling when compared to very serious nature of harmonic minor.

Utmost 80% of the theme music of IR re-recording will be in minor scale!

It can cover all types of feelings suitable to any situation. Tender, soft, romantic, light nature etc to heavy , melancholic and serious nature …. All type of effects are provided by these minor scales and as such has found extensive place in the IR’s music repertoire.

(Truth may be the other way round also….because of IR it might have got so much versatility….!)

Who can forget the theme music of 16 Vayadhinile, Kizhakke Pogum Rail, Mouna Raagam, Chinna Veedu, Kallukkul Eeram, Mudhal Mariyadhai, Nayakan, etc etc…

The list is endless…! You name the film, you can have the minor scale theme/ re-recording in it !

Most of the other songs of IR in Carnatic raagaas also can be represented notation wise through Minor Scales.

I feel at this stage, I may have to do a brief comparisons/ clarifications of Pattern Formations in both Carnatic Vs WCM, for better understanding of each of their basics and inherent strengths.

The people who knows the Carnatic, can get a comparative feeling by such exercise.

For the ones who don't know Carnatic scheme but have reasonably understood the present WCM scheme, they can get a glimpse of the Carnatic scheme basics also through such WCM comaprisons !

That we will see in our next session…!

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