To fully enjoy a song,
...and to observe it's technicalities...
...is a process called Intentful Listening.
It helps you enjoy and appreciate music more.
And not just this,
...it'll help you take inspiration from the...
...kind of music you want to create.
Moreover, the more you understand the finer points of music,
...you will enjoy your own music that much more.
You'll start understanding music at a deeper level.
Which will push your creative boundaries further.
The first thing that hits you...
...when listening to any song...
...is the melody, and second, is the lyrics.
Once you develop this process of...
...intentful listening,
...it won't just be the melody and lyrics that hits you.
You will start appreciating the instrumentation.
Maybe even the tempo change,
...the texture of the song...
...or dynamic changes in the music.
Intentful listening is about...
...going inside the layers of what you are listening to.
Listening intently will train your ears.
And good ears help a musician become better.
People with great ears...
...have music in their bones.
It plays a huge role in dissecting different genres.
For an untrained ear,
...Cardi B and Infected Mushroom...
...will sound the same.
Tomorrow, if I am asked to create hip-hop music,
...I can't use a tabla,
...a pakhawaj, or acoustic drums.
I'll have to understand the layers,
...the sounds, the instrumentation...
...the technical know-how of the arrangement in hip-hop music.
In comparison to classical...
...or techno, or trance music.
And all of this will come...
...from excessive listening and learning.
Now, there are some practices that you can also imbibe...
...in order to begin intentful listening.
They are, number one...
...identify the time signature.
Tap to the beat...
...gauge the sense of rhythm.
And then count to figure out...
...if the song is in...
...4/4, 3/4, 2/4 or something else.
What instruments are being played in the song?
What is being played on...
...the instrument, and how?
What is their role?
Are they providing a harmony or counter-melody?
Are they providing a polyphonic texture?
There are many such things...
...that you can notice.
For example.
In Jazz, there is a walking bassline...
...which just moves, without any stops.
In Blues, it is the Fifth flat note...
...that creates the emotion.
One more thing that you can notice...
...is the use of synthetic sounds.
Such as guitar patches,
...or some other sounds, which have been used...
...from sampling a sound.
You will learn more about this...
...in the Instruments and Sounds chapter.
You can listen to the vocals of a singer,
...their pitch changes...
...and the melodic gestures they have used.
Maybe their range.
You can focus on how they beautify their vocals.
Every singer leaves their mark on the songs.
You'll start to understand those as well.
Every music is related to a time and place.
For example, if you want to make music...
...like the Jazz in the 50's,
...then it's important to intently listen to it...
...and identify what instruments...
...rhythms, and scales make it sound like the 50's Jazz.
You'd want to listen to the Jazz artists...
...of that time, that era...
...and understand the technicalities of their music.
When I had to compose for Bombay Velvet,
...I had realized that it was a story...
...set in the 50's and 60's.
Now during that period,
...Jazz was all over Bombay.
There was a prominent Jazz culture around.
I intently listening to them on loop,
...while paying attention to all the ingredients.
The instruments used.
So I noticed that...
...they used Double Bass, Drums and Piano.
Horn section and String section...
...also played a huge role.
Now when you want to recreate,
...you must keep all these elements in mind and think.
But it is important to make something...
...new and refreshing.
That's what I did in Bombay Velvet.
So the process of listening intently...
...make you appreciate the music you hear more.
And can serve as an inspiration...
...when you create your own music.