Maestro Ilaiyaraaja's Vedam Nee - Raga Gowlai - Improvisational Swaras

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Maestro Ilaiyaraaja's Vedam... Lyrics & Chords

Vedam Nee from the movie Kovil Pura is a scintillating number composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja in Raga Gowlai.

Gowlai (or Gowla, गौळै, கௌளை) is a janyaa of 15th sampoorna scale Mayamalava Gowlai (मायामाळव गौळै, மாயாமாளவ கௌளை).

Gowlai’s ascending and descending scales are as follows:

S R1 M1 P N3 S
S N3 P M1 R1 G3 M1 R1 S

In the descending, it is a vakra proyogam raga i.e. it’s crooked in its usage of notes and hence it is an easily identifiable raga.

My own experience with the Gowlai scale has been limited with a couple of compositions one each of St. Tyagaraja and Sri Muttuswami Deekshitar. These are based respectively in Adi (8/8) and Mishra Chaapu taalam (7/8). I have not learned a Gowlai based composition in another time signature.

Thanks to a request by a fellow Ilaiyaraaja follower – Narayanan, in Orkut Ilaiyaraja community, I have attempted to sing some rhythmic and melodic improvisational note patterns of the Gowlai grammar, matching to the time signature of the song, which is a 6/4 pattern, also called Roopaka taalam in Carnatic Classical Music.

This composition of Maestro Ilaiyaraaja is a perfect way to practice Gowlai improvisations in roopaka taalam’s 6/4 time signature.

I also believe that it is the ONLY film song composed in Gowlai ragam.

The improvisational patterns end at the phrase Vedam Nee every time.

Song: Vedam Nee
Album: Kovil Pura
Composer: Maestro Ilaiyaraaja
Lyrics:
Improvisation: TN Arunagiri
Originally sung by: KJ Yesudas

I have not edited anything in the piece. There are a few errors I can hear already but it is for my own learning that I am leaving them as they are in this recording.

Please do take time to post comments and suggestions.

Comments  

Gopal Thiruvenkadam said

A very good lesson on Gowlai. Awesome Swara bhavams.
Gr8 improvisation with the apt song to learn.
Keep doing more of these for us to learn.

Posted over 2 years ago

Nithya said

Lovely!

Cheers
Nithya

Posted over 2 years ago

Tn Arunagiri said

Thanks Gopal and Nithya!

Posted over 2 years ago

Meera Manohar said

Very nicely done Arunagiri… enjoyed this thoroughly!

Cheers,

A few of my random posts:
Kaatrin Mozhi (cover version) from Mozhi#
Colonial Cousins Krishna with George Kuruvilla
Allegra (cover version) from kandasaamy#
Iktaara (Wake up sid) with George Kuruvilla and arrangement by Anil.B.S

My song list on Muziboo

Facebook Music Page
Audioblog
Band:Thillana
Talenttrove page

Posted over 2 years ago

Tn Arunagiri said

Thanks Meera!

Posted over 2 years ago

Subhashini Mukund said

Awesome Arunagiri. Neenga online la class edhavadhu edukareengala? :)

Regards
Subha

Posted over 2 years ago

Adithi said

Fantastic, Arun! :) Glad to have known you through Muziboo. I found someone whom I can pester with technical questions…… :D

To favs!

Peace if possible, but truth at any rate – Martin Luther

Posted over 2 years ago

Gopi Shanmugam said

Wow… Awesome Arunji…

My fav! :-D

Posted over 2 years ago

Tn Arunagiri said

@ Subhashini: thanks so much. Illa ma, I am a student myself and I have resumed by vocal training after 18 years of hiatus. I do post videos where I blabber about Maestro’s classical songs and how we can benefit from them.

For e.g.:

Vedam Nee – Raga Gowlai – What Maestro Ilaiyaraaja Teaches Us 2 of 2

@ Adithi: I like technical stuff but romba-llam illa. As I said, I have resumed my training after some gap.

@ Gopi: Arunji is not necessary. Arun is enough. :) Thanks so much.

Posted over 2 years ago

Venkat S said

Hi Arun,

Good learning from you man. Very well done. enjoyed.

Yes you are right. Even I too heard that this is the very rare film song composed in Gowlai ragam.

Keep such song coming.

cheers,
Venkat

Posted over 2 years ago

Tn Arunagiri said

Hi Venkat,

thanks for your suggestion. May be I will create an album where I do such stuff for my own learning and exchange of notes and suggestions from others.

- Arun.

Posted over 2 years ago

Rekha swaminathan (on and off...) said

Glad to have come across a carnatic fanatic through muziboo! :) And I agree too, that this is perhaps the only film song in gowlai…
enjoyed your journey!
cheers
rekha

please visit few of my latest songs –
ViLayaada idhu nerama – Carnatic unplugged
Le gayi le gayi – Dil to pagal hai
Small Sanskrit song

Posted over 2 years ago

Tn Arunagiri said

@ Rekha: “Carnatic Fanatic”….wow! Or Carfanatic!! I take that as a compliment. :-)

Posted over 2 years ago

Tn Arunagiri said

Thanks Sowmya!

Posted over 2 years ago

Raja Mani said

Excellent!!! Idhai ellAm ennAla kEkkadhAn mudiyum :( Purest form-la pAda mudiyAdhu yEnna enakku theriyAdhu :)). Your write-up is very useful for singers like me who have no formal training. Please keep posting such recordings more often.
Raja Mani’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/rajasongs
My Band: http://www.raagalaya.net

Posted over 2 years ago

Tn Arunagiri said

Thanks Raja. I am glad that you find this exercise useful. I will try and post in more in future.

Cheers!

- Arun.

Posted about 1 year ago