Music for the soul

Music stores in the city play host to a variety of concerts, and some even help you sing along or strum along. But where are band enthusiasts buying sophisticated and pricey equipment?

Namma Bengaluru is often described as India's rock capital. Many music stores have been instrumental in nourishing young artistes. While the old favourites remain Reynolds, Premsons and Rhythms, the three-storeyed Furtados in Koramangala is the new haunt for musicians on a shopping spree.

Apart from selling musical instruments, many of these stores also offer music classes, handle the sound and lighting for concerts and customise equipment. Musicians here need not look any further to source the best that money can offer.

Hitting the right key

When I walk into Furtados, all I can see are pianos and more pianos. In a corner, there is a large bookshelf, with, you guessed it, books on musicians and musical instruments. Barely three months old, Furtados is already a favourite with music lovers of the city.

"Though we are new to Bangalore, Furtados is a 143-year-old companyu00a0 in Kolkata," says Benson, the store manager. "We have nine stores all over India and this is the second store we are opening in Bangalore," he adds.u00a0At their Gandhinagar store, Furtados only stocks pianos.

"We wanted a place where we can have a variety of instruments on display and at the same time showcase accessories like straps, mics, audios systems, etc. We wanted to create a mindblowing experience for musicians and music lovers," he explains.

Get the riff

The ground floor stocks pianos and church organs, the first floor is a haven for guitar buffs, the second floor has sound-proof demo rooms, and the third floor will house a music school. "We have started the ground work for music classes. These classes will start in two months," promises Benson.

The ground floor stocks pianos and chuch organs, the first floor has guitars of all shapes and sizes, the second floor has demo rooms, and the third floor will house music school.

"We are in talks about the music classes and will announce them in two months from now," promises Benson.
The third floor also stocks instruments like the sitar, the veena, and the harmonium.

There is a separate section at the store dedicated to promote original music, where you can buy albums of local bands. "We are not only doing business, but we truly believe in encouraging young bands, by having a separate section just for them, where people can buy their albums," says Benson.u00a0

"We have a stage on the second floor, where the bands can perform or practice," he adds.

He counts bands like Kryptos, Myndsnare, Ministry of Blues, Eccentric Pendulum, Mother Jane, Thermal and A Quarteru00a0 among his customers.

Guitars, he says,u00a0 sell like hot cakes, with an equal demand for acoustic and electric versions.

Old favourite

Located near Vellara Junction, Reynolds is one of the oldest music stores in Bangalore. When I walked into this store on one Saturday, I found it hard to find elbow room. It was crammed with people admiring various instruments.

Felix Remedios, managing director, says, "Reynolds is a family business, which started in 1908, in Kolkata. We launched our store in Bangalore in 1981. It's been an eventful journey of about 28 years in this city since then."u00a0

Apart from various musical instruments, Reynolds also offers sound and light equipment for concerts and music software. "We did the Bryan Adams' show in 2004," he says with pride.

Reynolds also oragnises guitar and keyboard classes. "We are currently having a 45-day summer workshop for kidswho want to learn the guitar and the keyboard," he adds.

Reynolds opened their new store at Rajajinagar last September. "We even offer home theatre systems at our new store," Felix says.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

Music to their ears
One of the most expensive instruments at Furtados is a piano worth Rs 11 lakh! Benson, store manager, says, "Though the market is not favourable for lavish expenditure, the music industry hasn't been affected much. We still sell pianos worth Rs 4-5 lakh each."

Gimme more...choice!
We spoke to Ryan Colaco, drummer of the heavy metal band Kryptos, who seems to be smitten by the store Furtados. He says, "Furtados has demo rooms which makes it a delight for musicians."

The band also shops at Reynolds, Rhythms, Reena and Aruna, and Shiva Musicals.

However, Ryan also adds, "If we compare cities, I think Mumbai offers more choice at cheaper rates."

It makes little sense to splurge on pricey equipment while you are an amateur. But once you hit the professional circuit, you need reliable and sophisticated equipment.
Chris Avinash, marketing head of Kyra, the Performing Centre

If we compare cities, I think Mumbai offers more choice at cheaper rates
Ryan Colaco, drummer of the band Kryptos

Don't touch me!

Most musical instruments stringed and unstringed have one thing in common. They all operate on touch, be it the veena, the sitar, the flute, or the harmonium.

But there are some instruments that don't need to be touched at all. One of them is the Theremin, which is named after a Russian inventor called Professor Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928. This device enthralled Lenin so much that he actually learnt how to play it and even sent the inventor on a trip around the world to show everybody what strides Russia was making in the field of electronic music.

Because the Theremin is associated with an eerie sound, Wikipedia says that it has been used in movie soundtracks like Spellbound, The Lost Weekend, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

How does it work? As we mentioned earlier, you don't touch a Theremin, you move your hands next to two metal antennas. The player (called a thereminist) usually uses his right hand to control the
pitch and the left hand to govern the volume.