Keyboard and tanpura suggestion

[saikrupa]

Namaskaram,

I have been following a couple of threads in the Music school section about using casio keyboard and electronic tanpura (or digital tanpura recording) for learning.

Casio-MA-150 is not easily available in the US. Could someone please suggest an equivalent model/make that would be sufficient?

Also, I'd like to know which electronic tanpura or tanpura recording to purchase - make/model/where to buy, etc.

Thanks in advance.

[msakella]

Dear b/s-member, saikrupa, Jai Shirdi Sai, In India Caio-MA-150, in which both the facilities of Metronome and Transpose are furnished, is still available and among the 90 students of our ‘Svarabhangima’ music-institute of its own kind at Secunderabad (Ph: +91-40-27225493) each and every one regularly practices along with this most reliable instrument up to Varnas as, here, we the teachers feel that this instrument only always keeps the aspirant on a right track even in the absence of the teacher as this is far more reliable than most of the so called music-teachers. But in US as this instrument is not available my students are suggested to use Casio-CTK-100 and it is truly serving the purpose.

In general, some of the producers of the Electronic-musical-instruments are bringing out one or the other musical-instrument and, naturally, propagating about them favourably to increase their sales. But, basing upon extensive research, I have found that any such instrument carrying both the facilities of Metronome and Transpose only is highly beneficial to the aspirants. Thus, either Casio-MA-150 or CTK-100 is helpful to the aspirants learning our music.

In respect of the tanpura I dislike all the electronic-tanpuras of this country as each and every instrument carries one kind of dissonance or the other to which, most unfortunately, all our Carnatic musicians, without any exception, have become immune enough to recognize it. That is why our Carnatic music, greater than any other systems of music in the world, is lagging behind the Hindusthani music leaving the mother ‘Shruti’ far away.

To avoid this I have my self designed an Electronic-automatic-tanpura-cum-shruti-instrument and been using it since last more than 30 years. In each Shruti there are a number of audio-files with different combinations of notes. If you are so keen enough to listen to the quality of the sound of it I shall send some audio-files through e-mail to you if you send me your email address and the Shruti you require. Or, you can even contact my Skype address ‘msakella2002’ and discuss with me online in this respect. amsharma

[saikrupa]

Amsharmaji,

Thank you very much for your detailed and kind response.

I googled for the Casio CTK-100 and couldn't find any sites in the US that sell it. I'll stop by a music store and ask about a beginner keyboard with transpose and metronome features.

Regarding the electronic tanpura, the shruthi I require is 5.5 (G#) and my email address is crsmbrg@gmail.com. Please email the audio files at your convenience.

Thanks again.

[msakella]

Dear sister-member, saikrupa, Irrespective of the brand name of the keyboard the facilities of Metronome and Transpose help the aspirant abundantly even in the absence of the so called music-teacher.

To tell the truth, even though I am also one among these music-teachers for much of my life and my main profession has also been teaching, I am damnably vexed with the inefficient, selfish, money-minded and un-reliable music-singers (not music-teachers). Only after my retirement, having very extensively worked on the methods of teaching music, ultimately I have found a proper machine is more reliable than a human teacher as a machine can never have this kind of dis-qualifications. Even though many may not agree with me or even appreciate me, I have brought out 2 CDs available from http://www.sangeethamshare.org/chandra/ ... hods-2007/ and any aspirant learning music can certainly make a mark if he/she scrupulously and sincerely follows the instructions in the pdf files and works hard mostly relying upon the keyboard. Here, in our institution ‘Svarabhangima’, we have around 90 kids learning music and each and every one among them proved this beyond any doubt.

In regard to the Shruti 5.5 (G#) I have brought out 11 combinations among which each one occupies around 34 MB making me unable to send even one among them, at the least, as the maximum limit to be sent is 25 MB by gmail. However, just now I have dispatched some sample audio-files occupying 7 MB pertaining to Shruti 5.0 which are readily available with me to your email address. Please go through them and if you like them and inform me through this forum I shall try to send all the audio files of Shruti 5.5 (G#) by some other way. amsharma