Notation method in carnatic music continued

Continuing from the previous post...

In carnatic music, learning with notations is universally followed up to the varnam level. However, most teachers don't pay attention to merging the lyrics (sahitya) with the corresponding notations, and splitting it to the thala structure defined by the composer. They usually teach the notation alone first and when the student is able to sing the notation for the whole composition, they are taught the lyrics. So the student often fails to superimpose each note to the corresponding lyric or thala structure.

The swara patterns are built in structures of 3,4,5,7, and the 6.8,9 structures are formed by combinations of the 3,4, and 5. Even 7 can be treated similarly, though it has it's own independently standing.

When you learn the  notes (swaras) of a composition separately first,and then learn the lyrics or sahitya separately the thala structure isn't achieved. Instead, if you learn the notes in structured units with the sahitya you can preserve the integrity of the thala structure with the lyrics. This method works for varnams as well as kritis. Following a good book that has both swaras and sahitya is ideal and many such books are available in various languages. But many are averse to using notation and prefer to learn by listening alone.This is simply because they are not used to the method of training.

The earlier you start training with notation the greater your advantage when you get to the advanced levels and when you want to learn new songs  without the help of a teacher.  But remember that the notation only offers insight into the structure. With a firm grip on the song's structure comes the most important part of being empowered to add creativity and imagination and rendering the song in one's own style. Copying another singer's style can spoil the performance since no two voice can be alike! Why so many vocalists fail is because without proper training, they try to imitate after listening to another singer.They might have been drawn to a version of a song sung by someone who has put in years of  training and has now internalized it in their own style.

To summarize, the notation method of learning carnatic music, comes in handy for advanced development, creates swara jnana and thala jnana quickly, enables singing with more accuracy and creativity. However we should note it's limitations also. The notation method creates the structure that must be develop according to ones own abilities to add a  personal style.

I now give a few examples to illustrate what I have suggested above on learning with notations.

First example:
Learning varnam: For eample, varnam in Kalyani ragam, adi thala composed by Nagapatnam Veerasami Pillai, a nagaswaram vidvan. On an aside, text books incorrectly attribute this. Another private opinion from a vidwan who was the contemporay of this composer is that the varnam was composed by the  talented wife of  Veerasami pillai. There is also another Varnam in Pantuvarali ragam, adi thala, of exactly the same style, on the same deity at Nagapatnam where the composer's name is not available. Let us now return to the Kalyani varnam.

We write the varnam, highlighting the thala split (of course the continuity should be preserved.)

S S, -- S N D--R S N N--D D P M--G M / P D N D,--R S N --/ D P M G M--P D N //

VANA--JAA=- S H I I--R O O O  --  E E/ V  I  I  RA--HA A--/ MOOR VA--NEA//

Note the thala splitting as:

   3  --  3  -- 4 --  4  --2  /  5  --  3  -- / 5 --  3 -- //

thus forming the first cycle (avarthana  of the  adi thala of  32 swaras (notes). The slash / marking the divisions of Lagu / Drutham / Dhruthan //, double slash ending the first cycle.

While learning take up only the Lagu half.  Sing the swaras -- S S,--for 3 units of time,immediately sing the  lyric (Sahitya) , Vana, -- for the same unit of time 3 ,making sure that the lyric words are exactly on the  Swaras -- S S,--.Practice till this fit is perfectly merged and  3 units of swara timing is perfect. Then take up the next. --SND-- sing the swara correctly a few times,if necessary ,swara first and then a step of the same swaras as Akara a few times, and then superpose the Lyric --J A A,-- for exactly the same duration of  3 units of  time perfectly matching with the swaras sung.When this blending is perfectly achieved ,then next step is to combine these two as a unit of  --3--3--, in a continuous manner,but by stressing the  lyric at the --3--3--division,continuity is preserved and at the same time the thala split as --3--3-- is also exhibited. Like a wall being built by joining brick by brick, we build the whole varnam. I am sure some teachers will be instructing the students this way.

My Guru Sri M.D.Ramanathan (MDR) of Kalakshetra Chennai, started me off with varnams in this style, as I had earlier background. He mentioned that when he started his lessons under Sri Tiger Varadachariar, he started with Sarasija mukhiro, a varnam composed by Pallavi Doraiswami Iyer) in Arabhi ragam, adi thalalm (not Tiger' own composition in the same ragam and thala) in the above style too. Sri MDR said that this method was then something new to him and took him three months to learn it. But the next varnam he finished in one month, the third in just two weeks, and the fourth in one week. He told me the reason for sharing his experience was for me to not feel discouraged and leave music but by steady practice to strive for perfection.

Can we continue this method for learning Kerthanas too? Of course YES! How?

Take the famous song Vatapi Ganapathim of the great composer Dikshitar. We shall take up only the first cycle (Avarthana) for illustration.

G,  ; ;---R, ;--- S,---S, n,  /---  p,  R,---   ; S,  /  R, ;---S,   R,  //         (first Cycle )

Va,; ;---tha;--- pi ---Ga na/--- pa thim---;bha/  je, ;---ha   m //

As before sing the swaras (Hamsadwani ragam) G, ; ;---R, ;---S, a few times then sing the same in akaram and then superpose the lyric  Va, ; ; ---tha ;---pi. Do this superposition several times to get the perfect merger. Then go to next,  S, n, sing the swaras a few times and then a few times as akaara and then superpose the Lyric --- Ga na/.Practice a few times till the merger is perfect. This ends the Lagu of the thala. Note that small caption for n is used to denote the lower octave,usually denoted by a dot below the letter of the swara. Now go to the first Drutham sing swaras    p,  R, note again that we have employed small caption p to show it is in the lower octave like the,  n  before it.This is unusual custom, hence the warning! After singing a few times try it in Akaram singing, a few times and then superpose the lyric pathim on to it. When the merging is good, go to next, S, R, and as before try swara first and then akaram and finally superpose the lyric  Bhaje. Like this finish the last S, R,  with the lyric ham nicely merged with the swara positions. Like the brick wall example, we can at any time join two or three of these pieces and sing together continuously,but by the emphasis,clearly bring out the rhythmic split, without loosing the continuity.

The structure, in rhythmic split,that is the thala structure, should be  6- (2-2+2),composed of a swara for 2,followed by two gaps of 2 each. Then a swara for 2 followed by gap of 2, and a swara for  2 units, giving  6  units again.Then two swaras for  two units each, giving  4 units. Adding  6 + 6 + 4 = 16, the first Lagu of the adi thala with 16 units on tala. Like this the other two Druthams should be dealt with. Their structure is, 2+2+gap for 2 = 6 units and then a swara for 2 units,and crossing the bar a swara for 2 units and a gap for 2 units giving again, 2+2+2=6. then the two last swaras of two units each giving, 2 + 2 = 4 units. So in the two dhruthams, we have, 6+6 + 4 = 16 . Adding to the Drutham units we get 16 + 16 = 32. the units of One cycle of adi thala, in One Kalai Chowkkam. This word Chowkkam means the thala should be rendered with,4 units of the thala per finger count,and as in Adi thala there are  8 finger counts,4 for the Lagu and  2 + 2 = 4 counts for the two Dhruthams together. Thus we have 4 + 4 = 8,finger counts for one cycle of the Adi thala. In  one kalai chowkkam, each finger takes 4 units of the thala, giving a total of  8 multiplied by 4 giving 32 swaras in 8 finger counts. In two kalai chowkkam, we count 8 swaras per finger count,there by giving for Adi thalam one cycle, 8 multiplied by 8 giving 64 swaras in  one cycle of the same  8 finger counts. So in one kalai chowkkam one cycle of adi thala has 32 swaras,where as in two kalai chowkkam there are 64 swaras in one cycle of adi thalam. The song Vatapi Ganapathim is one kalai chowkkam as we have only 32 swaras per cycle. Now it should be clear why two kalai chowkkam krithis are much more difficult to sing and are considered only at higher level. For example Saint Thyagaraja's song O Ranga Sayi in Kamboji, two kalai adi thala, and Dikshitar's Subrahmanyaya Namaste, Kamboji Ragam, and in the Roopaka thala of two kalai chowkkam, are tough nuts to crack.

I conclude with a few final remarks:

1. It is very essential to acquire the ability to maintain uniform speed of rendering,what ever be the speed with which we begin,no acceleration, no deceleration in the middle . This is called Kala Pramana.,the essence of Laya. It is easily said than acquired ! By very good concentration through out the rendering and, keeping the thala beats strictly uniform by beating on the thighs,with out lifting the hand too high (this habit will allow inaccuracy to creep in),or clapping uniformly through out till the end,will help a lot in gaining the Kala Pramana. Sloppy waving the hands and not clearly showing the angas of the talam,etc are bad habits and should not be cultivated. Great masters of the past were all very strict about this right from the start.
2. The thala structure should not be forgotten while rendering. The gaps in the cycle must carefully kept in mind.3,4,5, are the basic units (like the brick size to build a wall. If there is a gap in the wall for 5 bricks we must fill it by only 5 bricks.We assume the bricks are of the same size.).and the gaps must be filled by the correct units. Other wise the whole song will be pushed out or fall short in thala cycle. This will give trouble for the accompanying violinist as well as the percussionists. For such a singer good accompanist will refuse to play. This ability is very essential for rendering Neraval,and in Pallavi singing.
3. While learning a Pallavi or a song, it is important that the Pallavi's tala structure is grasped well, and never falter in rendering. Likewise a song has many sangathis- the very first sangathy has the thala structure, as intended by the composer.That structure must be thoroughly mastered by singing several times till it is well imprinted in the mind and no mistake will be made later. Only then we should go to the next sangathy. There after it will be easy with the other Sangathis. If we do not do this and jump to the next sangathy,in the eagerness to learn the song quickly,then the song will be derailed soon and a poor impression will be the result.

Best wishes in mastering the music within you through good practice...

Learning carnatic music by using notation

In this post and the next one, we'll take a look at a couple of different methods of learning carnatic music- this topic has been of great interest in our Sunday music learning sessions at Kalaranjitham and we have students who vouch for one or the other. The method's are, learning by listening (ear method) and learning using notation-based system and I'll share the advantages of both.

Western and Carnatic music have different methods of using notation and both work with practice. In western music, vocalists and instrumentalists use staff notation, where the lyrics appear directly in the pitch positions. The advantage with the staff notation, is that music is registered visually in the brain at the correct pitch of the notes. In carnatic music however, the notes are placed above the lyrics so registering the notation becomes a two step processing. First when we see the notes our brain establishes the pitch positions, then the brain superimposes the corresponding lyrics above the notes to produce a synchronized song. When this is done repeatedly, over time this gets easier.

I was interested in how some carnatic vocalists sing without formal training. Upon observation, I noticed the existence of several flaws (vidwans or well-trained musicians usually can catch this), when a vocalist renders a song by purely listening and has no knowledge of the raga or the meter (thala). I've heard these types of vocalists arguing for their flaws, by pointing out that even many trained musicians do this today! Such an imitation, by an untrained vocalist, is a sufficient model for purposes of analyzing the mechanism by which the human brain is able to achieve the feat.

Since the working of the brain is too complicated, and much remains unknowns, we only get an outline of how the process involved.  The mental process involved in learning by listening is closer to the western music model. Coding in the brain happens in a simultaneous process. The brain registers the lyrics along with the corresponding pitch. Thereby, in this method, the intermediate step of translating the notes into the pitch is skipped. Unlike the traditional carnatic music teaching method which enforces a separation in learning lyrics and notations, in this method repeated listening of  a song, trains the brain to automatically fuse the lyrics into their respective pitch. By continued, focused listening and good retention one learns to get a better grip on reproducing the song. When done correctly, the result of course depends on the quality of rendering in the model chosen.

Both methods are adopted in carnatic vocal training. Instrumentalists however mostly follow the notation method. Some vocalists, like me, are trained in the notation model. In most music schools, a vocalist must also learn an instrument for this background knowledge purpose. After good training in the notation method, all vocalists are expected to gain enough knowledge to identify the underling notes (swaras) and beats (thalas) when a song is sung. This then is a merging when a singer can effortlessly pick p new songs b just listening. Finally both methods carry the student to the same level of swara and thala knowledge.

In olden days when the oral tradition was popular, writing down music was not encouraged so the notation method  was not much used. Students were expected to learn by listening and repeating and the talented ones with a good ear, developed the skills gradually. Though of late this method of learning carnatic music without the help of notation may be popular again, I feel that there is value and advantages to learning b the notation method. This helps one acquire knowledge of note positioning  (swarajnana)  faster which helps learn  instruments like veena, violin or flute easier. This also increase precision in raga and thala as notation has these elements built into it. In Indian music, a song's charm lies in the ragas which support the lyrics.The thala or beat adds embellishments and grace. Learning concept for ragas and thalas is very subtle.

Knowledge of the following two are essential for Indian classical music. Lakshana jnana and Lakshya jnana. Lakshana jnana is the knowledge of musicology, the theoretical knowledge of the subtle layers of the ragas and thalas. Lakshya jana refers to knowledge acquired  just by listening carefully to master artists rendering music. People lacking in formal training and Lakshanan jnana might be able to reproduce the music they have heard but with flaws. Such presentation when rendered in a loud voice might wow an audience at social events but the flaws are evident to well-trained musicians

If you ask, is having the Lakshanan jnana alone adequate? The answer is a NO! That is the complexity of Indian music! Ragas are very complex entities and Lakshanan jnana alone will not provide sufficient grasp of a raga. Each raga has it's subtle sruthi or micro tone manipulations without which a raga's personality (swaroopa) will be missed. Acquiring this essential knowledge requires very carefully listening to masters rendering the raga. Ragas like, Ahiri and Atana which employ many notes (swaras) foreign to the framework of the parent raga makes their employment a tricky affair! By listening and understanding how experts navigate the challenges, we can attempt to acquire the necessary skills in due course.

The conclusion is that a proper blending of Lakshana jnana and Lakshya jana is very essential for rendering Indian music. That is why a master teacher,who possesses both  knowledge is absolutely essential for a student.

In the next post, we continue examining the usefulness of learning through notation, stay tuned and keep listening to great masters.

Posting my article that appeared in the Madurai Mani Iyer souvenir. 

Note: When you open the article, rotate clockwise, if needed.  

My Article  

- Dr. V.K.Viswanathan

A Note

The articles on this blog may require more clarifications. I would be glad to offer clarifications,  as much as I can.

Prof.V. Radhakrishnan (Bhuvanananda) 

Using exercises to develop a good singing voice

I've compiled some tips for developing a good voice when singing based on the
lessons my Gurus have imparted to me and what I've used and seen very effective results. This takes regular practice and time so continue doing it and you too will see your voice sound it's best.
On voice culture techniques for Carnatic music

You can read other articles on Kalaranjitham site.

Experiences with my Guru Sri. M. D. Ramanathan

My meeting Sri M.D.Ramanathan at his home in Adayar in 1967 was the beginning of an adventurous journey into the realm of Carnatic vocal music in a tradition that was fast disappearing. 

I would like to share with you my guru's blessings in his own handwriting, which reveals how well he had understood my passion of Carnatic music as well as his spontaneous creativity, which he inscribed on the book that he presented to me on my birthday.

My notations of some MDR's compositions