Revathi Uses

bdeepu · Post by **bdeepu** » 02 Feb 2009, 17:25

Namaste,

Being essentially a pathos/soulful/deep raga, here is Revathi used to give a "Roudra" (terrible/angry) rasam: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=BP8zjJXtzYQ.

Any other such examples respected Rasikas can provide?

kishorepalle · Post by **kishorepalle** » 09 Mar 2009, 04:27

Hello Deepu, I feel like, Revati raga if sung or played at a slower pace gives it the pathos touch and sometimes is great from emotional quotient and anguish like chandrakauns. Please see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USo9EUJwDAM

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 09 Mar 2009, 21:33

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 11 Mar 2009, 06:56

Lovely Coolji....thank you..

twister · Post by **twister** » 11 Mar 2009, 20:48

Dear rasikas,

I've came up with a new question, a kind answer to which I hope to find here - among your community.

I'm just beginning to explore the beauty and infinity of the raga world, and the main question is regarding raga elaboration. I know that this comletely depends of the actual raga being exploring, but I believe that there should be some more or less universal regulaity in this. In particular, now I stuck to the Revathi raga, as it is pentatonic and sounds nice to me (as I am a westerner). I hope, by catching the basic principals of elaborating of this beautiful five note raga, to built a ground solid enough to get to the sanpoorna stuff.

Ok, there is not so much in the web, which I can get access to, but I've found a certain framework example of how this raga is hmmm "batched", and it looks like this:

S r M P n S'
n P M r.S r n r S

S r M r M P
M P n P n S

S n P n P M
P M r M r S

no n:
S r S M r M r P
S P M r S r M P

no S:
r M r P M P M n
r n P M r M P n

M P M n P n P S
M S n P M P n S

S n S P n P n M
S M P n S n P M

no S:
n P n M P M P r
n r M P n P M r

no n:
P M P r M r M S
P S r M P M r S

First of all, sorry for my certain stupidity, and I don't wanna be impolite to you, as lovers, natives and devotees of your great culture. On the other side, I hope you'll not kick me off or simply ignore, just because the greater part of my life is devoted to music, though maybe not in ways you consider this should happen, but..

Looking at the scratch above, which I translated into such a notation, I've noticed that there two main sections being explored: the one without Sa and the one without Ni. Is this a regular pattern or just this happened by a chance?

I mean that it's logical, to break the five swaras onto the sets of four pitches, thus getting SRMP, RMPN, MPNS, etc. There are shown only two such a four-note clusters - so, is this for the purpose of simplicity, or there is a strict logic in taking of the Sa and then Ni?

Most of all, I wish to understand the concept of ragam gradual elaboration, the logic behind how one particular set of a raga's notes moves towards another and it just flows.

Even though all written by me above is just a delirium, please drive me to the right directions, give me some keys.

Should there be a logic of omitting Ma or Pa in a particular part of a performance? Is it possible to omit Sa itself? Just any tips on how does it flows please!

I've tried to transcribe several performances by different artists of this particular raga Revathi, but it just looks as an abracadabra to stupid me.

Thanx anyway!

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 11 Mar 2009, 21:20

I am not sure I understand the contents of your post (now, even if I did, I am not sure I am knowledgeable enough to answer your question

).

Is the notation you mention above a reflection of an actual sample?

As you may know, raga exploration is largely extempore done based on the melodic feel of the raga itself (and perhaps subconsciously drawing upon various patterns the artist knows and have heard). There is some planning done - e.g. they may start with a brief overall sketch, then they start going up the "scale" dwelling on each important note. So for revati, they may start with ri, do some exploration with ri as the main focus (e.g. patterns around ri, with ri as resting point), then to ma, then to pa and ni and then do a cadence in upper sa. And then take it higher to the next octave upto say ma (or pa depending on artist's range) and then come back down to base sa in the middle octave. They may then go into he lower octave (ni, pa and then say upto ma) and finally coming back and end with sa.

Depending on the raga's nature. not every swara is rested upon (e.g. raga's nature may delegate some swaras to minor status and hence should not be focal points ). Also of course not every swara may be focused upon equally.

Omitting swaras (even sa) is indeed allowed in localized parts, but again this depends on the raga's melodic nature. A todi or kalyani may have sections that omit pa and sa altogether, but doing that in other ragas would be disallowed (e.g. sankarabharanam).

My (half-educated) 2 cents. More knowledgeable people can show more light - but I suspect that this area is more of an art rather than a science. Raga exploration at some level works best if it is largely spontaneous and thus it is very hard for someone to explain the intricacies behind their spontaneity

(although I do think when many amateurs start out it is indeed planned).

Arun

vageyakara · Post by **vageyakara** » 12 Mar 2009, 15:56

Hallo everyone,
Please refer to one of my compositions"undanpadam vENDinen muruganE)
ref: http://www.karnatik.com/c3526.shtml and listen to self rendition and also by Smt.Raji Gopalakridhnan.and get back with ur views'
KR

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 12 Mar 2009, 16:30

Hi. Ramraj, very happy that you have started your invaluable posts. Probably the expectation of a grandchild( I refer to your son's seemantham) has spurred you to be active again,we are all relieved that you are in better health after surgery . HEREAFTER ALL RAGAS ARE GOING TO DANCE TO YOUR TUNES. best wishes, bALU(GOBILALITHA) Ishould hear it again

vageyakara · Post by **vageyakara** » 12 Mar 2009, 20:07

HI Balu,
I feel to have grown younger after the surgery that too after having heard the rerdition of one of my compositions in the raga VASANTHI by one of our members Mr. MN.SRIRAM of LOndon some time back.Added to that is encomium as above.I think I have already e.mailed his rendition to u If not done so far I will resend the same to u.
KR

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 14 Mar 2009, 04:47

This is my way of welcoming you Ramaraj Sir:
http://www.acidplanet.com/components/em ... 444&T=5148

vageyakara · Post by **vageyakara** » 14 Mar 2009, 09:42

Dear VKR,
Thank u so much, but unfortunately I am not able to get yhr audio Please me as to what to do
KR

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 14 Mar 2009, 09:49

Try the main page for the song:
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=1217444&t=2427
and select play.

vageyakara · Post by **vageyakara** » 14 Mar 2009, 10:30

My dear VKR,I was really moved by the devoyional ferverwith which you rendered my composition UNDANPADAM -Revathy in your inimical style.This reminds me of MNSri Ram of Londonwhoi rendered one my composition in thed rag a Vasanthi - Brovaka yunDuta nyAya mA(telugu)and offered the same as a soulstiring piece during my post surgical recuperation and it served as a morale booster.I would like u to hear the same .Please give me your e.mail i.d so that I can send the same to u .Again hats off yo you
blessings and regds.
KR

twister · Post by **twister** » 20 Mar 2009, 22:09

arunk wrote:I am not sure I understand the contents of your post

Yeah, I've read it again and (after some further meditation on the matter

of it, also), came to the conclusion, that it's all about talam, actually

Here I'll try to explain my thoughs, and I ask you to correct me if I'm

wrong (and, well, of course, I am), and if so - please give me your vision

of this.

Hearing the Carnatic Music, I was wondering - how does it happen: when a

performer developes a raga, it is given by portions by him, so there are

some clusters are heard, where the performer comes in, then dig it on (in

a way he wish/can), relish, smack a cluster (a part of a raag, set of its

swaras), then become saturated of it, and only after he is satured, he

comes to the next cluster. So, it's somewhat obvious to me now, that the

very aesthetic's core is in such a relishing, part-by-part.

So, then I came to the question, what are these parts (1) and how are they

treated on their own (2), to extract the Delight out of it. So:

1. seems to be another branch of thoughts actually - for a next time =)

2. doesn't matter how, but here I came to a set of swaras, "breakdownable"

to simple 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 swaras within a set.

... Well, here some parenthetic remark. Not sure about my musical gift

(yeah, have to say this), but a certain talent I have, is a fast-letter-

counting (no jokes!) =) No matter about my neurosis, but in less-than-a-

second I'll count the number of letters within a very, the longest and

most complicated word you shout out =) My friends are all well informed

'bout this, sometimes (parties, you know), I surprise people by this =)

The mechanics behind this is very simple: the words comes to me being

breaked already, breaked in 2-3-4-letters clusters, so I see

"hypothalamus" as 12 clearly as 4-3-2-3, and respond immediately to it.

So. By such a dividing-into-primitives I have, for example, 5 swaras.

Some of them are stronger, some are weaker - well, doesn't yet matter. The

trick is that I can break them into 2+3 or 3+2 naturally, or into 2+2+1,

more intriguely - as there I can operate with TWO PAIRS PLUS ONE (inter,

extra) SWARA, or 4+3+5 (complicated). (So, right??? Do you see there any

logic in my thoughts? Do you see allusions? Please comment.......)

(Assumnig, that it's all NOT about alaap, where it's just a fly around, and - just don't know a term - it's about that I go by eight notes - where each note has its place within a rhythmic pattern over it)

For example, these pairs are RGMPD. So, e.g. I can look at them like

this:

R-G (a pair)
M-P (a apir)
D (stand-alone, "connector")

Further, I start to "juggle" them blocks, delish 'em out, using "octave mirroring" (intervals' inversions), chromatic in-outs, whatever. And, here comes Talam, of which my knowledge is sooo weak =(

After I've explored a cluster, I should move further, but HOW? How should I connect the clusters? hmm.. I should look back into the 1 paragraph now, really.

At last, - I've came to the question =)

What should I begin from with Talam?

Talam101, for the stupids, - anything.. Please =)

In addition. So many tricks are there. I see that it's too complex what it was written by me, but I just HAVE to get into it. 'cause that works for me, but I donno where should I move further, ahhh

Arunk - Thank you!!!

twister · Post by **twister** » 20 Mar 2009, 22:17

Or, maybe some tips about of where to look, some literature in this regard (near to my views on this)..

I have to practice, but I'm stuck at this =(

I just need to see: how can I construct such a beutiful melodies... Well, at least interesting ones, meaningful =(

Here is another thought (well, maybe not the required thread in this forum): that the rhythmic is just so strongly attached to the language. So, here you come (I see it as a foreigner) with the talaam and it's just connected to the way you speak, to the poetry of your language.

As mine rhymes are stuck to my speech, as my phrasing (musical) I just wish to become so.. Whenever ever = Just wanna be honest to myself. Really?

Ahh, thoughts