playing varnam in veena

[saigeetha karthik]

hi
can anybody clarify the following. when a varnam is sung, it is in the first speed and secong speed. i want to know whether the same is the way we play it in veena or is it played only in uniform speed throughout? how it is taught generally? while playing in second speed sometimes i am not able to produce the gamakas effectively. can anybody give suitable tips or suggest any links?

[gita]

Saigeetha, when you play the second speed on the veena, you don't give as much gamakams as in the first speed. You may practice your Gitams in slow speed with gamakams first and try playing the same in second speed without much gamakams.

[msakella]

Dear b/s-member, saigeetha karthik, All the Gamakas should strictly be taught to the aspirant starting from Varnas only. Many of the music-teachers are not aware that teaching Gamakas right from the Gitas is absolutely suicidal. In general, all the music-teachers teach their aspirants in which way they have been taught by their teachers but not at all in the way the aspirant requires. More over, very importantly, the Varnas must be taught @ one note per each second bringing out the various details of all the Gamakas. But, in respect of instrumentalists, along with these details of the Gamakas, the various finger-techniques must also be taught very clearly to play them very efficiently and easily. To tell the truth, in making the matters easier to the innocent instrumental-aspirants, being a professional-violin-teacher, even though such details have never been taught by any one of my teachers, I was compelled to formulate some funny-finger-techniques, which have never been brought out by any other Violin-teacher. In the same manner, even for Veena, an expert-teacher only can guide you properly in playing the Gamaka-techniques easily. amsharma

[jlvina]

the gamakas are different in slow and fast speed, whether we play a varnam or a kriti, and if one listens to a lot of vocal music, and imbibes that into any instrument, be it veena, violin or flute, the effect is very pleasant. All one has to do is to sing the composition, then try it out on the veena so to speak -(assuming different ways of playing , fingering has been already taught in the prilimary stage) , that way the music will lead us to use the proper gamakas acc to the speed as its not the same .one has to spend loads of time with the instrument, trying out the way of playing , different types of fingering, split, joined and put in practise - also listening to vidwans of old gives ideas of how to use the different fingering techniques to suit the gamakas, always having melody in mind.
thanks

jayalakshmi sekhar

[mankuthimma]

jlvina
your kotinadhulu and hamir kalyani was wonderful . For the Veenothsavam.

[rshankar]

Welcome Smt. Jayalakshmi Sekhar!! A great privilege indeed.

[jlvina]

thank you very much

[jlvina]

it was Lalgudi sir s thillana in Hameer Kalyani.

[saigeetha karthik]

i thank everybody for their valuable suggestions. especially smt. jayalakshmi shekar for her tips. and one more question - but still i haven't got the answer for my first question i.e, what is the pattern of playing varnam in veena? whether it is the first and second speed mixed like when a varnam is sung or in uniform speed throughout the varnam, right now i am being taught to play in uniform speed.