'Hummers' : The Musical Syntax

Music in Tamil Nadu !

Goes back to thousands of years and has a significant contribution to marriages, temple festivals and the entertainment screen. There's a typical tune for each occasion - be it the 'Maalai Matrinaal' during the exchange of garlands between the bride and groom in a wedding or the electrifying introduction of Superstar Rajinikanth on screen.

But the real unsung artists are the one's who churn out the emotions from deep waters. They are termed 'unsung' not because of the fact that they don't sing the lyrics, but they lend the base over which the lyrics float - the "Hummers" !!

AR Rahman, the man with Oscar Award in both his hands made sure that he had a hum for every mood and situation. The 'hum' is also called as a backing vocal. They're often overshadowed by the lead singer in the musical track. However, when the backing vocals are removed from the track, so are the emotions !!

Music buffs go on a humming spree based on the mood and context - connects to the emotion of the listener. The 'hum' goes on to live forever beyond the lifetime of the backing vocalist. Swarnalatha, a renowned vocal artist was fondly nicknamed as the 'Humming Queen". More than a decade has passed since her demise but her music hasn't faded away from the heart of her fans - still afresh & akin to a fresh blossom. Her voice was so soulful that it leaves us teary-eyed. Give her a peppy number like 'Mukkala Mukabla' and she starts off with an energetic hum which I'm sure would have been the ringtone in most of our mobile handsets. Who can forget the magical number 'Hai Rama Yeh Kya Hua' - one of the few melancholic strains that can go on continuous loop !!

Veteran singer Sujatha Mohan had most of her notable performances through her prolific backing vocals. Some of her scintillating performance includes the vocals depicting an emotional despair in "Kadhal Rojave" (with SPB), the awestruck description of the lead lady as the 8th Wonder of the World in "Poovukkul Olinthirukkum" (with Unnikrishnan), the song which picturizes the love's in the air moment - "Ennavale Adi Ennavale" (with Unnikrishnan) & the romantic feel in "Chandiranai Thottadhu Yaar" (Hariharan).

The backing vocalist needs to have an immense command over the pitch & structure of the music to sync in rhythm with the tempo & chord progression from the instrument - "Functional Relationship". The vibration that is generated within the throat & nasal passage creates the tune / hum - "Resonance" !! They maintain the right pitch amidst challenging sonic situations to keep the Vocal Harmony intact. Music is not just an art, its an emotional engineering which invokes thrills and chills in listeners !!

I'm sure that many would agree to the fact that it's quite easy to remember the tune of thousands of varied songs, but not easy to remember the Bernoulli's Theorem - which also talks about the musical flow of a fluid & its energy conservation - let's say a waterfall (goosebumps if your mind tunes now to 'Nadhiye Nadhiye' song from the Tamil movie Rhythm !!) That's the power of music - it boosts your memory (i.e.) aids in recalling information more efficiently, researchers say... Sometimes, we do wish for a background music in our lives when we don't understand what's going on around !!

Backing vocalists are among the most consistent and skilled artists out there. They are completely trusted with their skill to have a look on the music sheet and deliver the output on the first take (or) with minimum rehearsals. Also known for their flexibility, these artists can seamlessly shift to vocals upon request. They provide the complete harmonies and vocals that complement the main performance.

A backing vocalist can also shift gears to transform into the main lead singer quite effortlessly. It could start with a gentle hum and hover to the main lyrics (or) with a gentle vocal reproduction of the main lyric adding a classic emphasis to the song. They just blend into the musical tempo quite effortlessly with the right dose of hum, harmony and high riff.

Some of the key points that a background vocalist needs to be mindful of :

1. Control the loudness - sync. in with the pitch

2. Entry and exit to be timed right

3. Not to lengthen the note - no semibreve in place of a crotchet

4. Only emphasize the select phrases or key lyrics

In order to achieve the above, the background vocalist needs to have an impressive control over their voice with the right musical knowledge.

"Art is a language meant to speak the things that can't be said". Here are the unsung artists who float along with the tune and deliver a blissful musical experience to the listener !! Music begins where words end.

Music is not something that you hear, its something that you feel - the strongest form of magic indeed !! Its a safe "high" for each one of us to experience !!