Constructing kalpana svarAs

[kmrasika]

I am sorry if I'm repeating this topic (looked through the threads but didn't catch anything on it) but I was wondering what should one beginner keep in mind when contriving svarakalpanA, say for a varNam or vinAyaka kriti (short, maybe about 5 khanDikAs, no elaborate kOrvais etc). I know the rAga sancara has to be adhered to with fidelity, and one's rich listening skills may help, but how do I go about getting started?

[mohan]

For a krithi like Vathapi, kalpana swaram is quite simple. The pallavi line Vathapi commences with Ga so your swaram needs to generally finish with Ri or Pa so as to join onto the Ga. Start in the slow speed singing two swaras per beat.

Commencing from the first dhrutam you can sing:

,,,, ,,,, ,,,, ,,,,|G,P, N,P|G,R, S,R,||vathapi
or
,,,, ,,,, ,,,, ,,,,|N,N, P,P,|N,P, G,R,||vathapi

or with starting one beat earlier:
,,,, ,,,, ,,,, P,N,|S',G', R',N,|,,P, G,R,||vathapi

after a few rounds like this, you can sing longer cycles being sure to finish on the right beat.

Then sing faster swaras so you get 4 swaras per beat such as:
,,,, ,,,, ,,,, ,,,,|SRGP NS'NP|GPNP GRSR||vathapi

etc.

Putting talam while listening to music and paying particular attention to the swaram would definately help. You will get some excellent ideas by listening to people like Madurai Mani Iyer or TV Sankaranarayanan.

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks Mohan... You have a good way of teaching stuff that on the surface seems complicated and mysterious.

Building on Mohan's techniques, one can get interesting rhythmic variations using fairly simple techniques

Let us just use SSSS for illustration purposes. ( "-" indicates silence. ) This can be used with any other phrase that the imagination of the performer brings forth.

1) With four swaras per beat, you have some simple variations.

a) SSSS b) S, SS c) SS, S d) SSS, e) , SSS

This provides for some rhythmic dynamics which can be combined in some aesthetic order in long sequences. This can already start to sound 'mature' for the lay audience

2) Carefully placed Rest is equally important. So, we need some templates with rests. These are simple by themselves and the beauty and aesthetics come when these are combined with other phrases.

First, these follow the same pattern as above, except with one rest.
a) S-SS b) SS-S c) SSS- d) -SSS

Second, same passages but with more rests.

a) S--- b) S,-- c) SS-- d) --S, e) --SS f) S--S g) ---S

The judicious use of these rests provides for a more interesting kalpanaswara passages.

3) Occasional use of thisram and kanda nadai would provide for further rhythmic dyanmics. The above templates are in chathusram and they can be easily adopted for thisram and kanda nadai. Nadai variations are not mandatory for kalpanaswaram.

Of course, raga bhavam is the foremost thing. If one focusses on these templates too much, it can quickly become too 'kanakku' oriented resulting in the destruction of the 'melodic' bhavam. MMI's kalpanaswarams stand out because he knew how to aesthetically use such rhythmic variations and rests as a backdrop and structure for his swara passages to take shape.

[kmrasika]

Thank you both; that helps. I understand for varNams the kalpanasvara should be crisp and concise to condense in a nutshell the rAga. Voleti Venkateswarulu's svarAs at the caraNam of the bEgaDa varNam probably is a good example.
Just one more question, does it matter for the kalpanasvara to be crowned with a kOrvai for less elaborate kalpanasvarAs like this? I have heard that there is a less-extensive kOrvai that is employed. If this is the case, I wondered whether you could kindly explain.

[mohan]

Yes - kalpana swaram is not usually rendered elaborately for a varnam. Some people consider kalpana swaram for a varnam to be superfluous.

Not all artistes render korvais. If you listen to some of the past masters, swara korvais were quite rare. The trend these days is for elaborate korvais.

It is not neccesary to have a korvai for a short kalpana swara section. If you want, you can have a small korvai which spans just one avartanam or less. For example in adi talam - again in Hamsadhwani:

GRSR SNSN P,G, R,SN|P,R,S ,NPG|,S,N ,PGR||vathapi

in comparison a long korvai may span 6 avartanams.

[kmrasika]

Thank you, Mohan Sir.

[vasanthakokilam]

I just saw some info about this book:

https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no29788.htm

Techniques of Manodharma Swara Singing Made Easy/N.P. Ramaswamy. Chennai, 2002, 56 p., $11 (pbk).

Contents: Details of Sapthathalam. 2. Details of four main thalas. 3. Swaravaliâ€"

[mohan]

I bought this book but have started reading it only now. It is a useful guide to singing kalpana swarams but could be set out a bit better (in terms of layout).

It would have also been nice to have an appendix section that lists several swara korvais that could be used.

[cmlover]

Dear Mohan

Before the collapse of sangeetham.com you had posted some svara korvais and initiated a discussion. It will be very nice if you can post some of them again and restart those discussions here. Thank you!

[msakella]

Hello! my dear Rasika, There is a very easy method by which you will become able to sing Kalpana Svaras on you own which I have experimented upon my students and succeeded. If you have reasonable instinct of Laya and have aquaintance with 7 or 8 Varnas and Kritis and if you practise the Laya exercises and easy muktaayis furnished for the popular 6 Talas, Rupaka, Trisra Rupaka, Triputa, Adi (medium-tempo), adi (slow-tempo) and Adi (Trisra-gati) in my book, Sangita Svararaga Sudha (Telugu/English) supplied along with 9 pre-recorded cassettes containing some Svarakalpana exercises and Ragalapana of 36 Ragas, you will become able to sing Svarakalpana and Ragalapana on yur own within a period of 3 months. This book is available at 'Karnatic Music Book Centre, Chennai' or with me (price $50/-or Rs.801/-). If you are a resident of India I shall tell you some more places where this book is available. There is another CD (price $1/- OR Rs.50/-) with me containing a number of exercises and easy Muktaayis of 9 hrs. material in MP3 package. You can try this also. With best wishes, amsharma.

[cmlover]

Dear sharmaji
Could you kindly post your e-mail so that we can contact you? Thanks.

[msakella]

Dear Mr.CMLover, My e-mail address is 'msakella2002@yahoo.co.in'. Pl. correspond. amsharma.

[Vocalist]

CML, please note that you can contact members via email by going to their profile.

[cmlover]

Thanks sharmaji!

[msakella]

Dear Mrs. Vasanthakokilam, Generally, everybody wants to avoid any kind of physical or mental exertion unless it becomes inevitable. In the same manner many of the musicians, except a very few who are really interested and who are having the courage and capacity to do things, never want to exert themselves mentally by entering into kanakku, the mathematical calculations of muktayis but talk their hats out abusing kanakku. They think that aesthetics will be lost by singing kanakku. It is not at all true and, at the same time, it is not that easy to sing kanakku. So, they want to avoid kanakku. Infact, there is not even a single musician who dos not end his Svarakalpana with either of Trisra or Chaturashra or Khanda or Mishra or Sankeerna-jati groups of Svaras.

Particularly in ‘Mullapudi school of Mridangam of Vizianagaram’ there are certain easy methods brought out by Late Mullapudi Lakshamana Rao, a great exponent of Mridangam-play , in which the mathematical element is lessened considerably. I, basically being a Mridangist in my childhood and later as Violin-accompanist, have gathered some of them, divided them into three categories and codified some of them with symbols and prepared notation of them for all the popular Talas, Rupaka, Trisra-rupaka, Triputa, Adi (medium-tempo), Adi (slow-tempo) and Adi (Trisra-gati) and furnished in my book Sangita Svararaga Sudha. Among them some of the muktayis of one category are furnished here.

Our Indians, being great genius, have passed on to the posterity a topic, Talaprastara, the 10th element of Taladashapranas, by which we can obtain all the possible varieties of a specific figure and conveniently use them according to our choice and capacity in our daily Svarakalpana. Even though we have lost the track of it since many centuries, fortunately enough, I, in my extensive research spread over four decades, was blessed by the Almighty with all the latent secrets of it and brought out 3 volumes of them. The authenticity of each and every rhythmical form of the universe is proved by this Talaprastara along with a specific serial number of it. Thus, by Talaprastara, we will get 512 varieties by permuting 10-units pertaining to the cycle of Trisra-rupaka-tala, 2,048 varieties of 12-units pertaining to Rupaka-tala, 8,192 varieties of 14-units pertaining to Triputa-tala and 32,768 varieties of 16-units which fit in the Adi-tala. I have furnished some of them hereunder with notation to make use of them by the interested musicians.

In the beginning, for each Tala, the starting lyric of the Pallavi, name of the Raga, name of the Tala, No.of Kriyas of the Tala, No. of units in the 2nd degree of speed and the total number of permutations derived in the process of permutation are furnished. Later in each muktayi, the serial number of muktayi, the seriatim of the different units of the permutation, the specific serial number of that particular permutation are furnished in the top-line, the relevant Jati-form of that permutation in the next line and later the notation of the muktayi in the next three lines are furnished.

In these muktayis the pronunciation of the Jati syllables are as follows: t - tha, t - ta, k - ka, k - ki, d - dhi, g - gi, n - na, while the letter of lower-case carries 1-unit the upper-case carries 2-units and while the comma (,) carries 1-unit the semi-colon (;) carries 2-units..

1.‘Marivere’ - Latangi - Trisra Rupakam - 5/10/512 .

01. 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 . . . . . 462
t D t D , t k t
g R s N , n s r
r S n D , d n s
s N d P , p d n

02. 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 . . . . . 471
D t D D t k t
G r S N n s r
R s N D d n s
S n D P p d n

03. 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 . . . . . 472
t k t D D t k t
g r s N D n s r
r s n D P d n s
s n d P M p d n

04. 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 . . . . . 478
t D t k D t k t
g R s n S n s r
r S n d N d n s
s N d p D p d n

05. 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 . . . . . 479
D t k t D t k t
G r s n D n s r
R s n d P d n s
S n d p M p d n

2.‘Shambhomahadeva’ - Pantuvarali - Roopakam - 6/12/2,048.

01. 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 . . . . . 1880
t k t D D D t k t
g r s R S N n s r
r s n S N D d n s
s n d N D P p d n

02. 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 . . . . . 1886
t D t k D D t k t
g R s n D N n s r
r S n d P D d n s
s N d p M P p d n

03. 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 . . . . . 1887
D t k t D D t k t
G r s n D N n s r
R s n d P D d n s
S n d p M P p d n

04. 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 . . . . . 1902
t D t D t D t k t
g R s N d N n s r
r S n D p D d n s
s N d P m P p d n

05. 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 . . 1912
t k t D t k D t k t
g r s N r s N n s r
r s n D s n D d n s
s n d P n d P p d n

06. 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 . . 1915
D D t k t D t k t
G R s n d N n s r
R S n d p D d n s
S N d p m P p d n

07. 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 . . 1988
t k D ; , t d g n t
g r S ; , r s n s r
r s N ; , s n d n s
s n D ; , n d p d n

08. 3 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 . . . . . 1997
D , t D , t d g n t
G , r S , r s n s r
R , s N , s n d n s
S , n D , n d p d n

09. 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 . . . . . 1998
t D t D , t d g n t
g R s N , r s n s r
r S n D , s n d n s
s N d P , n d p d n

10. 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 . . 2014
t D t k D t d g n t
g R s n D p d n s r
r S n d P m p d n s
s N d p M g m p d n

3.‘Needucharanamule’ - Sihmendramadhyamam - Triputa - 7/14/8,192.

01. 5 1 5 1 1 1 . . 7217
D ; , t D ; , t k t
G ; , r S ; , g r s
R ; , s N ; , r s n
S ; , n D ; , s n d

02. 1 4 1 1 4 1 1 1 . . . . 7282
t D ; t k D ; t k t
g R ; s r G ; g r s
r S ; n s R ; r s n
s N ; d n S ; s n d

03. 2 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 1 . . . . 7351
D t D t D D , t k t
G r S n S R , g r s
R s N d N S , r s n
S n D p D N , s n d

04. 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 . . . 7412
t k D , t k t D , t k t
g r S , g r s R , g r s
r s N , r s n S , r s n
s n D , s n d N , s n d

05. 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 . . . 7519
D t k t D D D t k t
G r s r G R S g r s
R s n s R S N r s n
S n d n S N D s n d

06. 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 . . . 7515
D D t D D D t k t
G R s N D P d n s
R S n D P M p d n
S N d P M G m p d

07. 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 1. . . 7534
t D t D t D D t k t
g R s N d P D d n s
r S n D p M P p d n
s N d P m G M m p d

08. 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 . . . 7607
D t D t D t D t k t
G r S n D p D d n s
R s N d P m P p d n
S n D p M g M m p d

09. 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1. . 8031
D t k t D D t d g n t
G r s n D P m p d n s
R s n d P M g m p d n
S n d p M G r g m p d

10. 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 . . 8046
t D t D t D t d g n t
g R s N d P m p d n s
r S n D p M g m p d n
s N d P m G r g m p d

4.‘Sarojadalanetri’ - Shankarabharana - Adi.

Note: The following are the varieties of permutations pertaining to 16-units which fit in Adi-tala. While singing these following varieties in Adi-tala (medium-tempo, four units per Kriya and per second) each one should be started from the 1st Druta, and for Adi-tala (slow-tempo, 8-units per Kriya and per 2 seconds) each one should be started from the 3rd Kriya.

01. 3 3 3 2 - 1 1 1 1 1 - 32037
t; d; t; d, t k t k t
g; r; s; n, g r s n d
r; s; n; d, r s n d p
s; n; d; p, g m p d n

02. 1 2 - 1 2 - 1 2 - 2 - 1 1 1 1 1 - 32110
t d, t d, t d, t, t k t k t
g r, s n, d p, d, g r s n d
r s, n d, p m, p, r s n d p
s n, d p, m g, m, g m p d n

03. 1 1 3 - 1 1 1 3 - 1 1 1 1 1 - 31988
t k d; t k t d; t k t k t
g r s; g r s n; g r s n d
r s n; r s n d; r s n d p
s n d; s n d p; g m p d n

04. 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 1 - 32248
t k t d, k t t k d, t k t k t
g m p m, r g m p m, s r g m p
m p d p, g m p d p, r g m p d
p d n d, m p d n d, g m p d n

05. 1 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 - 30688
t k t k t d, k t t k d, t k t
r g m p d p, g m p d p, g m p
g m p d n d, m p d n d, m p d
m p d n s n, p d n s n, p d n

06. 1 2 - 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 - 31710
t d, t k d, t k t d, k t t k
p d, m p d, g m p d, r g m p
d n, p d n, m p d n, g m p d
n s, d n s, p d n s, m p d n

07. 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 2 - 1 - 24048
k t t k d, t k t d, t k d, t
r g m p d, g m p d, m p d, p
g m p d n, m p d n, p d n, d
m p d n s, p d n s, d n s, n

08. 1 1 5 - 1 1 5 - 1 1 - 25028
t k d;; t k d;; t k
r g m;; g m p;; m p
g m p;; m p d;; p d
m p d;; p d n;; d n

09. 1 1 1 4 - 1 1 1 4 - 1 1 - 25544
t k t d,; t k t d,; t k
s r g m,; r g m p,; m p
r g m p,; g m p d,; p d
g m p d,; m p d n,; d n

10. 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 - 31728
k t t k d, k t t k d, k t t k
p m g r g, d p m g m, r g m p
d p m g m, n d p m p, g m p d
n d p m p, s n d p d, m p d n

11. 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 32508
t k d, k t t k d, t k k t t k
g m p, p m g m p, d p m g m p
m p d, d p m p d, n d p m p d
p d n, n d p d n, s n d p d n

12. 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 - 28608
t k k t t k d, k t t k d, t k
g r s r g m p, s r g m p, m p
m g r g m p d, r g m p d, p d
p m g m p d n, g m p d n, d n

13. 3 2 - 3 2 - 3 2 - 1 - 21141
d; t, d; t, d; t, t
g; r, m; g, p; m, p
m; g, p; m, d; p, d
p; m, d; p, n; d, n

14. 2 3 - 2 3 - 2 3 - 1 - 19027
t, d; t, d; t, d; t
g, r; m, g; p, m; p
m, g; p, m; d, p; d
p, m; d, p; n, d; n

15. 1 1 3 - 1 1 3 - 1 1 3 - 1 - 20084
t k d; t k d; t k d; t
s g r; r m g; g p m; p
r m g; g p m; m d p; d
g p m; m d p; p n d; n

16. 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 2 - 1 1 1 2 - 1 - 24312
t k t d, t k t d, t k t d, t
s g r r, r m g g, g p m m, p
r m g g, g p m m, m d p p, d
g p m m, m d p p, p n d d, n

[Jigyaasa]

I really don't have an in-depth knowledge of kalpana swara construction but have a doubt, best illustrated thru an example: In the kriti ShrIramAsaraswatIsevitAm, if one were to sing swaras at the starting line they'd probably sing ShriramA... which would actually sound as if the song was dedicated to Lakshmi(only this portion) So could swaras be sung at the immediately next line, ShrilalitAm? Would that be against the rules?

[msakella]

Dear member, Jigyaasa, Svarkalpana could be sung to any point of Sahitya i.e., the lyric avoiding any undue cutting of a word and to a more convenient word addressing the Almighty. amsharma.

[rasaali]

Dear member, Jigyaasa, Svarkalpana could be sung to any point of Sahitya i.e., the lyric avoiding any undue cutting of a word and to a more convenient word addressing the Almighty. amsharma.

Dear Akella garu,

Namskaram. I am a new member and a fan of your violin playing, having heard recordings of you accompanying Nedunuri garu. It is a privilege to discuss with you.

You raise an important point about undue cutting but I have to add to Jigyasa's examples and seek your thoughts on these.

I feel singing swaras at "Enduku Nirdaya" is less attractive from a lyrical perspective because of the meaning and prefer the line "Parama Paavana Parimala Apaghanaa". The latter is a beautiful description of the Almighty.

An extreme (in my mind) example: I have heard people sing swaras for the pallavi of the kriti "Buddhi raadu" (Sankarabharanam). To me, it seems wierd to apply the brains, sing nice swaras and repeat "Buddhi raadu". I am sure there are more appropriate places from a lyrical point of view.

In neither of these cases there is an incomplete word, but the meaning of the partial lyric used as the refrain is like a lament/complaint.

Your thoughts would be invaluable.
Regards!

[Jigyaasa]

@rasaali, u hit the hammer on the head of the nail. Thanx! Precisely my point. There's a KamalAmanOharI kriti by Dikshitar(RUpaka TALA), Shankaram abhirAmImanOharam. I have heard kalpanaswaras sung at the starting line, say, mgsgmpn Shankaram abhirAmI. But this is incomplete in terms of meaning. If only Shankaram is sung it is acceptable but this sounds too 'short'. On the other hand, Shankaram abhirAmImanOharam sounds too 'long'. What is the best thing to do under such circumstances?

[knandago2001]

how about one round of swaras at Sankaram (sgmpn - sama eduppu) and the next round culminating at abhirAmImanoharam (mgsgm - anagata eduppu 6 aksharas from samam). these could alternate or sung in tandem (a la Ariyakudi school) followed by the violinist's improvisation. Kamalamanohari is a "minor" raga and Sankaram abhirAmI manoharam is a chittai kriti. Accordingly, elaborate swara kalpana may be redundant in this context.

[Jigyaasa]

@knandago2001 Thanx a lot for the explanation sir... My knowledge of terms involving TALA is qite restricted. So in all honesty, some of that went right over my head. My point was only about how to circumvent the "destruction" of lyrical beauty and meaning that happens during KalpanAswara rendition. Apparently there are rather appropriate solutions I will be able to truly appreciate with greater knowledge and exposure. I just hope these are implemented by artists.

[knandago2001]

@Jigyaasa please continue posing your queries as they encourage us to "think". For the record, I wish to correct a mistake, made inadvertantly, regarding the eduppu of abhirAmI manoharam - it is 8 aksharas from the samam and not 6 as I had posted earlier. The fact that rasikas like you appreciate lyrical beauty in compositions shows how sensitive audience appreciation can be.

[msakella]

Dear member, rasaali, Being out of station I cannot regularly attend to the posts of our forum. Hence the inordinate delay in replying for which I beg your pardon. Your views are correct and every musician must follow them in the interest of our philosophical back ground of the compositions of our Great Composers. But, unfortunately, many of our Vocalists give second preference to lyric. We must make a campaign in this connection. amsharma.