Want to have your voice pitch-perfect? “Work your voice in a gym,” advises musician and voice culture specialist Suchethan Rangaswamy. Suchethan is a passionate musician who has delved into the nuances of voice culture, even doing his doctoral thesis on the subject. “I wanted to pursue a profession that is close to my heart,” says Suchethan, who is currently on the panel of Zee-Kannada’s popular reality show Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa. Suchethan helps singers, professors, teachers or anyone using their voice extensively through his voice culture workshops. His Voice Gym is so popular that Suchethan is at present in the US conducting workshops for Indian and American students. Suchethan spoke to Metroplus about music, acting, and voice culture becoming a trend now.
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How much does voice culture matter?
Voice culturing is a prerequisite to people using their voice extensively, but is rarely taught as a subject. Classical musicians focus more on theory, than practical concepts. Instead of just elaborate practice sessions in singing, students can be taught methods to preserve their voice quality. Western and some streams of Hindustani music have techniques that help voice culture, unlike Carnatic. It is an essential skill for singing, as one can see how pitch quality affects performances on reality shows. Lessons are tailored to suit each person’s sruthi or pitch, depth and tonal quality. With training, any singer will be able to straddle the points of a scale without straining vocal chords.
What are your US workshops about?
I will be in the US till September 30, covering Jacksonville, Southern California, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Kansas and Chicago. I am in the US on invitation from music teachers from many schools and Kannada sabhas who wanted me to introduce voice culture techniques to Indian expatriates and Americans. It is not only for Carnatic music students but also for anyone who uses their voice extensively. The workshops will cover the basics of voice culture and the recipients will need to take one-on-one sessions later online or offline to get the best out of this.
What is your background in music education?
I am a Bangalorean, born and brought up in Vijayanagar. My mother taught me and my brother, Sunil, music.
Both of us had learned the basics even before we turned four. I later got exposure to many disciplines from P Ramaa and RK Srikantan (while opting to study engineering in college).
Even before I completed my degree in 2001, I had started teaching music and that is when I saw how students were unable to control their pitch.
Many also had problems performing light or popular music forms after training in classical music. Playback singer P Unnikrishnan heard one of my songs, and offered to help me improve my styling.
I also got guidance from voice gurus such as Anantha Vaidyanathan and Dr T Unnikrishnan (Delhi).
What inspired you to focus on voice training?
I was asked to coach junior students at my guru’s place at school. I loved the process, as one gets to revise lessons regularly. I named my school Sumadhura Education and Cultural Trust, after my mother Suma, who with my father, Rangaswamy, helped me reach where I am now.
I run the school with my wife Sindhu, a violinist from Mysore, and we give vocal and instrumental lessons.
It was when a couple of students who had moved to different countries, insisted on continuing classes that I started tutoring online.
How did you enter Zee Kannada’s Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa as a voice culture specialist?
In the early seasons of Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa, my students had won the first two slots successively for many years.
The show’s directors approached me to mentor all the contestants on a full-time basis.
Your interest in voice culture has helped you try acappella versions of popular medleys ...
Acappella is a form of music where the singers produce the sounds of all the instruments using their voice.
This was introduced in the reality show for the first time under my direction and was well-received.
There are numerous songs from Kannada films which can be strung together to sound like one single song with the help of nuanced voice culture.
Has voice culture helped you as an actor?
Acting was just by accident, although I was already a voice-over artiste for many films, advertising jingles and television dramas.
A musician friend who got into production of the tele-serial Antara pushed me into accepting a software engineer’s role and later TN Seetha Ram cast me in his popular Muktha Muktha.
Shows such as Chitra Lekha, Anuraga Sangama, Putta Gowri Maduve and Maha Parva followed.
People have praised my intonation, apart from acting.
