The music had to be rooted, and yet had to branch out,like the wild imagination of a child.
Interpretation
Music should have deep roots in tradition but also allow for creative expansion and imagination.
A. R. Rahman's quote reflects the dual nature of music as both a product of cultural roots and a canvas for creative expression. It emphasizes the importance of connecting with one's heritage while also encouraging the freedom to explore and innovate, much like a child's boundless imagination. This highlights that true artistry emerges from a balance between respect for tradition and the courage to venture into new territories.
In practice
During a speech at a music festival, one could use this quote to inspire emerging artists.
I want young Indian composers to be able to do more than just film music. I want to give them the skills that will enable them to create their own palette of sounds instead of having to write formulaic music. It doesn't matter if they become sound engineers, producers, composers or performers - I want them to be as imaginative as they like.
Music knows no barrier of age or culture. It isn’t about being politically correct or even making a statement. Music is what appeals to the ears and touches your soul.
In my case, dust has become gold: Today, I work with people I grew up admiring.
A good film demands its own score, and if you are a musician, your conscience will never allow you to do something mediocre for a good film.
My music is mostly for the music. And it gives the liberty to do anything which I want. And nobody limits me to one genre of music. But I learn from life and I try to give back to life, in a way, whether it's the thought of the song or whether it's the approach to the arrangement or anything.
I am the kind of person who does not like to carry baggage. In fact, I don't go back and listen to my own music. I believe in closing chapters and moving forward. That's what gives me peace.
The music you make is shaped by what you play it on ... if you feel that you're not getting enough out of a song, change the instrument - go from an acoustic to an electric or vice versa, or try an open tuning ... do something to shake it up.
I'm wallowing in the whole idea of just being a guy out there with a band, with songs. It's a real enjoyment.
A film ingeniously directed does indeed give the impression of having been laid end to end, but a film ingeniously edited gives the impression of having suppressed all direction.
The symbol of all art is the Prism. The goal is unrealism. The method is destructive. To break up the white light of objective realism, into the secret glories which it contains.
My drawings inspire, and are not to be defined. They place us, as does music, in the ambiguous realm of the undetermined.
Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for. It’s my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album’s price point is. I hope they don’t underestimate themselves or undervalue their art.
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